Good morning, Greater Sudbury.
Here are some stories to start your day.
Downtown Sudbury metered parking fees will be reinstated July 2:
An outcry from Sudbury's downtown businesses has prompted Greater Sudbury city council to reinstate metered parking fees, which had been suspended during the pandemic. Ward 4 Coun. Geoff McCausland brought forward a members' motion at Tuesday's council meeting. "This motion is a reconsideration of our earlier motion to alleviate parking fees in the downtown and it's in response to the reality that has been the result of that," said McCausland."We all had the absolute best intentions when that motion was passed, but unfortunately, the result has kind of proven why you charge for on-street parking, because the result has been vehicles parked on the street for days on end. Many employees park on the street, and local businesses are crying out, saying 'What can we do? Our customers cannot get to us.’” Council made temporary changes to help residents during the COVID-19 pandemic, waiving metered parking fees back in March. Metered parking fees will be reinstated on July 2 and parking enforcement will resume on July 6. The city's downtown parking lots will remain free of charge.
LU dean apologizes, steps down after #AllLivesMatter tweet:
Laurentian University’s dean of the faculty of graduate studies has stepped down from his position after he published a tweet earlier this month in which he used the hashtag #AllLivesMatters. David Lesbarrères issued the tweet June 8, shortly after he responded to a tweet from University of Ottawa PhD candidate Peter Soroye, who described being on the receiving end of a racist comment. Lesbarrères has since deleted the tweet and apologized for his words the next day, saying he realized his tweet “hurt many people,” but screen shots were published by other Twitter users. Laurentian president Robert Haché released a written statement on the university’s website June 9, saying Laurentian was following up on the situation “expeditiously and with the utmost care and attention.” He called the tweet “inappropriate and offensive.” He took the opportunity to “condemn any racism on campus.” On June 22, Haché announced Lesbarrères had stepped down.
Three people from Sturgeon Falls charged in $68K drug bust:
Three people from Sturgeon Falls will answer to a number of drug-related charges after they were arrested June 23. The Ontario Provincial Police searched a home on Railway Stree in Sturgeon Falls at about 11: 55 p.m. Officers seized drugs suspected to be Fentanyl and cocaine worth about $68,180, as well as drug paraphernalia and more than $2,000 in cash. A 34-year-old and 29-year-old from Sturgeon Falls have been charged with possession of a Schedule 1 substance for the purpose of trafficking - cocaine, possession of a Schedule 1 substance for the purpose of trafficking - opioid, and possession of property obtained by crime under $5,000. They were released on an undertaking and are scheduled to appear at the Ontario Court of Justice on Sept. 3 in West Nipissing. A 31-year-old from Sturgeon Falls faces the same charges, as well as a charge for failing to comply with his release order. He remains in custody and will appear at the Ontario Court of Justice Bail Court (video conferencing) on July 2 in North Bay.
Health Sciences North has a good budget year and a strong response to COVID-19:
Health Sciences North (HSN), Northern Ontario's largest hospital, has wrapped up the fiscal year with money in the bank. There was $338,000 in excess revenue over expenses for the fiscal year 2019-2020. It was one of the highlights of the HSN annual general meeting held Wednesday. This is the second year in a row that the fiscal year has ended in a balanced position, said HSN president and CEO Dominic Giroux. “We sustained a balanced budget, while facing increased overcrowding, opening two overflow units in the North Tower and the South Tower of the Ramsey Lake Health Centre during flu season and absorbing $1.5 million in costs associated with the COVID-19 pandemic for the month of March alone”, Giroux said at the first ever virtual annual meeting held through a video conferencing application. Earlier this year, the Ontario Hospital Association revealed that HSN had shared a case study on the launch of its COVID-19 Assessment Centre. The association said the centre was identified as a gold standard at the provincial command table. Get the full story here.
Chelmsford woman charged with stabbing at Camp 700:
A 22-year-old Chelmsford woman allegedly stabbed another person multiple times on Camp 700, north of Cartier in Moncrieff Township, said the Ontario Provincial Police. The incident happened June 16 around 6:55 p.m. The victim suffered multiple stab wounds to the upper body, was treated and released from hospital, said the OPP. With the assistance of officers from the Nipissing West OPP Crime Unit, the accused was located and arrested on the afternoon of June 17. She is aggravated assault and assault with a weapon. The accused has been released from custody and is scheduled to appear at the Ontario Court of Justice on Aug. 19 in Sudbury. The investigation is continuing.
Zachary Pilon will return to court Sept. 2:
Zachary Pilon, the teen who pleaded guilty in January to uttering threats on social media against students at Collège Notre-Dame in 2019, will return to court Sept. 2 to set a date for sentencing. Pilon was on the court docket for June 24, however, his matter did not proceed as planned, and has been adjourned. Pilon, 19, sent the high school into lockdown on March 20, 2019, after he posted his plans to commit violence against 40 people at the local high school. An Instagram post he made warned that, on “Friday March 22nd, everyone will finally know my name... Look out CND.” He was arrested later that day, and was released on bail on March 21 under a strict set of conditions. He was charged with criminal harassment and uttering threats. A pre-sentence report was ordered when he pleaded guilty.
COVID-19 response shows viability, challenges of First Nation sovereignty:
Faced with the threat of COVID-19, First Nations leaders took innovative, autonomous steps for the protection of their people, resources, and histories, say Laurentian University researchers and associated community leaders. It’s a step that, in their opinion, demonstrates the viability (not to mention inherent right) for First Nations to take sovereign, independent steps to govern and protect their territories. The proof, they say, is right there in the successes, as well as limitations, of First Nations’ emergency response measures. Exactly how First Nation communities were affected by COVID-19 was one of the latest topics featured in a six-week webinar series hosted by Science North to discuss the pandemic and its influence. Laurentian University researchers and professors of Indigenous Studies joined a First Nation elder in discussing their role amid the pandemic and related findings. Among them was Dr. Jennifer Walker, a health services researcher and epidemiologist at Laurentian University, who has been curating regional, provincial and local COVID-19 data. Every week, this data has been distributed to First Nations leadership to inform them of the progression of the virus, she said. It has also been used in conjunction with that of the H1N1 pandemic of 2009, to model the virus’ evolution and determine appropriate long-term response measures. Full story here.
Friday Weather:
Sunny skies in the forecast as we head into the weekend. Mainly sunny on Friday with the high getting up to 27. Partly cloudy this evening with a 40 per cent chance of showers. Overnight low will drop to 15. For current weather conditions, short-term and long-term forecasts visit Sudbury.com's weather page at www.sudbury.com/weather.
