Good morning, Greater Sudbury.
Here are some stories to start your day.
‘The KED will get built,’ says Wolves owner Dario Zulich:
Sudbury Wolves and Sudbury Five owner Dario Zulich has been keeping a watchful eye on all things concerned with his teams’ home. The future of the Sudbury Community Arena and Kingsway Entertainment District have both roared back into focus of late, with Superior Court proceedings, an LPAT hearing and a proposed downtown arena renovation. Zulich has remained mostly mum as everything has been unfolding, but that doesn’t mean he hasn’t been keeping close tabs on how things have been playing out. “The Superior Court, it was between the city and those that were opposed, so I had nothing to do with that, but I thought the city did a great job in putting forward their evidence and showing how they followed all the rules and did all the right things,” said Zulich. “The judge took his time and I read the decision — it was quite lengthy and it was well-founded and backed up and supported by evidence and case law in almost every area.” Legal proceedings have held up any progress on getting shovels in the ground on the Kingsway Entertainment District, which was originally slated for completion in 2021. Despite the delays, Zulich remains focused on the KED and is confident that it will be built. More on this story can be found here.
Arrest warrant issued for man police allege was involved in fatal downtown attack:
The 25-year-old man who was attacked and stabbed outside Cash Money on Elm Street on Oct. 14 has died, said Greater Sudbury Police Service. Police allege the man responsible for his death is Douglas Jeffries, 32. A search warrant has been issued for his arrest, and police are asking anyone with information on his whereabouts to contact them. The warrant was issued for second-degree murder. Anyone with information is asked to call 705-675-9171 or Crime Stoppers at 705- 222-TIPS, online at www.sudburycrimestoppers.com.
Water Warrior Autumn Peltier, the Powerpuff Girl?
Oct. 14 marked Indigenous Peoples’ Day in the United States. The day has historically been celebrated as Columbus Day in the U.S., but a number of states have decided to observe Indigenous Peoples’ Day instead. They recognize the Indigenous populations that were displaced and decimated after Christopher Columbus and other European explorers reached the continent. And this year, the American celebration had a very Canadian appeal, if you looked in the right place. Many Canadians, especially here in Northern Ontario, are aware of Autumn Peltier, the young water warrior from Wiikwemkoong on Manitoulin Island. She was nominated for the International Children’s Peace Prize 2019 by the David Suzuki Foundation. Peltier was the only nominee from Canada out of 137 nominees around the world. The 2019 International Children’s Peace Prize is awarded annually to a child who “fights courageously for children’s rights.” Depending on your age, many Canadians are probably less familiar with The Powerpuff Girls cartoon, the Cartoon Network series featuring Blossom, Bubbles and Buttercup, three kindergarten-aged girls with superpowers. It aired in 1998 for five seasons. It seems our very own water warrior has not escaped the show’s creator’s attention. This week, The Powerpuff Girls Facebook page posted a message celebrating Indigenous Peoples Day and applauding Peltier for advocating for clean water and safe drinking water for Indigenous communities. They even created an Autumn Peltier Powerpuff Girl character. You can check out the full story here.
Fifty-two new hospital beds to be created at Health Sciences North in Sudbury:
There's soon going to be more bed spaces at Sudbury's Health Sciences North (HSN) hospital thanks to new funding approved by the Ontario government. HSN announced Thursday that 52 new bed spaces will be created by renovating the current Children's Treatment Centre (CTC) space, part of the Ramsey Lake Health Centre building. The full renovation for the new beds should be completed by 2022. “This is excellent news for our patients, staff, and the communities of Northeastern Ontario that we serve,” said HSN President and CEO Dominic Giroux. The province will be providing a capital grant for the project to help address the historical issue of hallway healthcare at HSN, said the hospital news release. The full amount will be announced at a later time once the final administrative reviews by each ministry and the tendering processes are complete. More on this story here.
OUA cancels all sports until April:
Ontario University Athletics (OUA), under the direction of its Board of Directors, has announced the cancellation of all OUA-sanctioned sport programming and championships up to March 31, 2021. In line with the previous decision regarding first term sport, the decision was based on provincial public health guidelines and with the health and well-being of all OUA participants at the forefront. “The health of our student-athletes, coaches, administrators, officials, and fans remains OUA’s number one priority,” said Dr. Deborah MacLatchy, Chair of the OUA Board of Directors. “After significant consultation with our members and advisors, we have determined that OUA sport cannot be delivered prior to March 31.” Given recent increases in cases across the province, the OUA board determined that a return to competition would not be safe for the second term. At the national level, U SPORTS has confirmed the cancellation of all national championships for the second term. Full story here.
Lockerby Remembers: Legion kicks off fundraising campaign to upgrade its cenotaph:
An upgraded cenotaph honouring past and present veterans is in the making at Lockerby Legion Branch 564. The Lockerby Remembers project will expand the current memorial and will include two walls inscribed with the names of 220 members of the Lockerby Legion who served. There is room for up to 300 members. Annually, the names of recently deceased veterans will be added to the wall and honoured during an act of remembrance. The existing cenotaph will be temporarily relocated during the expansion and remounted on a platform once the walls have been constructed. There will be two new flagpoles installed around the monument in addition to landscaping with grass, flowers, shrubs and trees to make the area a green space. Full story can be found here.
First ever virtual Luncheon of Hope raises nearly $20,000:
This year’s Luncheon of Hope was different from years past, but one thing that didn’t change was the generosity of the community. The Northern Cancer Foundation and Luncheon of Hope Organizing Committee announced that the 2020 Virtual Luncheon of Hope raised $19,625 for local breast cancer research and equipment. This year’s digital event raised funds towards the purchase of the IncuCyte S3 Live Cell Analysis system. With IncuCyte S3 live-cell analysis, cells are measured continuously so new insights into biological processes and changes can be done via real-time. With greater understanding of cell activity researchers can run multiple tests and devise new experiments that will lead to better insight and treatment for breast cancer. Get the full story here.
Friday Weather:
Cooler weather on tap as we head into the weekend. Mix of sun and cloud today with a 40 per cent chance of showers. Daytime high will only get up to 7. Mainly cloudy into the evening with chances of showers and snow flurries. Overnight low will get down to 1. For current weather conditions, short-term and long-term forecasts visit Sudbury.com's weather page at www.sudbury.com/weather.
