Good morning, Greater Sudbury.
Here are some stories to start your day.
Woman charged after allegedly defrauding daycare for almost $130,000:
A 40-year-old woman has been charged after allegedly defrauding a local daycare for nearly $130,000. On March 27, 2020, Greater Sudbury Police Services received a call from a local daycare regarding an alleged substantial fraud. Information provided was that an employee of the daycare had allegedly been accepting funds owed to the daycare and fraudulently depositing these funds into personal bank accounts. The incident was assigned to a Detective in the GSPS Financial Crimes Branch of the Criminal Investigation Division. Through the investigation it was confirmed that the employee had fraudulently deposited funds owed to the daycare into personal accounts between January 2019 and October 2019 totalling close to $130,000. On Nov. 25, 40-year-old Cindy-Lee Boyd was arrested and charged with Fraud Over $5,000. She was released on an undertaking with a first appearance court date of Feb. 17, 2021.
Public Health Sudbury and Districts reporting three new cases of COVID-19:
Public Health Sudbury and Districts (PHSD) reported three new cases of COVID-19 as of 4 p.m. on Wednesday Dec. 9. The health unit also reports that information is pending or missing, as relates to the cause or probable exposure. The three cases were reported in the Greater Sudbury area and it means there are now 242 cases of the coronavirus that have been confirmed within the service area of the PHSD, since case tracking began on March 1. This new active case means there are now eight active cases in the PHSD jurisdiction with 234 resolved cases. This is a change of one less active case from Dec. 8.
Health Canada approves Pfizer's COVID-19 vaccine:
Health Canada has approved the COVID-19 vaccine from Pfizer and BioNTech, paving the way for vaccinations to begin countrywide next week. Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said Monday Canada's updated contract with the U.S. drugmaker and its German partner should see 249,000 doses shipped to Canada by the end of the month. But that was always pending the vaccine being deemed safe by Health Canada. The regulatory team issued that determination this morning. "Canadians can feel confident that the review process was rigorous and that we have strong monitoring systems in place. Health Canada and the Public Health Agency of Canada will closely monitor the safety of the vaccine once it is on the market and will not hesitate to take action if any safety concerns are identified," a statement from the department said. Canada is the second country in the world to greenlight the Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine. Get the full story here.
Sudbury inventor of patented miner's adjustable wrench dies:
Don Rastall, a legendary Sudbury entrepreneur, industrial supplier and founder of the Rastall Corp., has died. His family and colleagues will remember Rastall as the ultimate salesman who possessed a strong head for business, was a willing mentor, was generous and instilled confidence in others. Born in Huntsville in 1937, Rastall developed his work ethic and mantra of customer service at an early age working after school and on weekends alongside this father, Ernest, who operated a small garage. At 17, after his father died, he took a job as a construction worker with Bell Telephone. The gift of gab caught the attention of Rastall's bosses who gave him a sales position, marketing training and a territory stretching from Fort Frances to Huntsville. "They realized I was a better talker than a pole climber," said Rastall at a 2008 ceremony inducting him into the Sudbury Area Mining Supply and Service Association's (now MineConnect) Hall of Fame. After moving to Sudbury, he married Jackie Helpert in 1960 and went to work for his father-in-law, Charlie, at Helpert's Supply for 15 years where Rastall learned about the mining industry. He observed that 12-inch adjustable wrenches were regularly being tweaked to open wider to meet miners' demands, and Rastall launched his own business in 1975 to create and sell a unique modified adjustable wrench. His invention became known as the patented Rastall RS-12 Adjustable Wrench. More on this story here.
Donate to the Food Bank and you could win a PS5 from Comics North:
Deadpool won’t be joining them this year, but that doesn’t mean Comics North isn’t collecting for the Sudbury Food Bank again. And while the ‘merc with the mouth’ won’t be around, some awesome prizes will be. The top prize is a new Playstation 5, but runner-up prizes include a Lego NES kit, a Super Mario Bros. Game and watch, and a bunch of other cool goodies. “Every food donation brought in (until) Dec. 13 will get you entered,” Comics North told Sudbury.com. “Bring in five items, get five chances; bring in 10 items, get 10 chances to win, bring in 20 … well, you get the picture.” If you publicly share the Christmas food drive post pinned to the top of Comics North’s Facebook page, you’ll get an extra contest entry. Donations can be dropped off at the store during regular business hours. Comics North is open from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. from Monday to Wednesday, as well as Saturday, and 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. on Thursday and Friday. The store is closed Sundays.
Sudbury’s Queen Elsa wants to perform Christmas carols for you:
Earlier this year, Sudbury’s Kassie Taylor went viral after she dressed up as Queen Elsa from the popular Disney franchise Frozen, performing the movie’s most popular songs and delivering messages of hope to little ones who struggled with self-isolation. She delivered her performances outdoors in neighbourhoods and apartment building parking lots, with her portable sound system and microphone. Taylor and her team of performers are back for the holiday season, with a new project they’re calling “Ring in the Season!” The new project involves Christmas carolling by your little one’s favourite characters, as well as candy canes, mini stockings and Santa hats or reindeer ears. Social distancing will be respected. Get the full story here.
Woman who ditched SUV facing impaired charges:
A 56-year-old woman from Atikameksheng First Nation has been charged with impaired driving after OPP said she was caught by police trying to reverse her vehicle out of a ditch. Members of the Atikameksheng First Nation Police Service were on patrol on Lakeshore Drive in the First Nation’s territory at 7:45 p.m. Dec. 6, when they observed the woman’s SUV in a ditch. Upon speaking with the driver, officers concluded the woman had consumed alcohol. Further investigation revealed the driver was also prohibited from driving in Canada. The woman was arrested and transported to the Espanola OPP Detachment for further testing, but she subsequently refused to comply with the demand. The suspect was charged with: Operation While Impaired - Alcohol and Drugs,
Failure or Refusal to Comply with Demand, Operation While Prohibited Under the Criminal Code, Driving While Under Suspension, contrary to section 53(1) of the Highway Traffic Act. The accused was released on an Appearance Notice, and is scheduled to appear in Sudbury court Jan. 27.
Thursday Weather:
Cloudy today with flurries possible this evening. Daytime high will be steady near 0. There's a 40 per cent chance of flurries or rain tonight. Overnight low will be sitting at around 1. For current weather conditions, short-term and long-term forecasts visit Sudbury.com's weather page at www.sudbury.com/weather.
