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Good morning, Greater Sudbury.
Here are some stories to start your day.
A breakdown of the services provided to the downtown homeless:
The City of Greater Sudbury helps support several initiatives in the downtown core to provide hot food and a warm shelter for those experiencing homelessness. Youth experiencing homelessness can find support in the downtown at the Sudbury Action Centre for Youth (SACY) Warming Centre and Temporary Youth Shelter. This services is available seven days a week from 10 p.m. to 7 a.m. until the end of April. The shelter has four beds and seating for 10. It is open to those age 16 to 24. This service is funded with $175,000 from the provincial Social Services Relief Fund Phase 2 Besides the warming centre and shelter, SACY provides programs and activities to support young people facing challenges. Operated by the Canadian Mental Health Association, the Off the Street Emergency Shelter at 200 Larch St. is open seven days a week from 10 p.m. to 8 a.m. and provides a warm place to sleep with light refreshments, outreach and referral services to individuals who are homeless. Formerly city-owned, the building was transferred to CMHA, while an interest-free loan was also provided to support the renovation. Learn more about the services being provided to the city's homeless here.
Weekend Festive RIDE sees three drivers charged out of 1,823 vehicles checked:
Three people have been charged with impaired driving following another weekend of Festive RIDE checks by Greater Sudbury Police. From Dec. 10 to Dec. 12, officers stopped and checked 1,823 vehicles during the third Festive RIDE check of the season. Police conducted six standardized field sobriety tests, two intox tests were conducted by a breath technician, along with 16 approved screening device checks and 30 mandatory alcohol screenings. In addition to the three impaired driving charges, police also noted 34 Highway Traffic Act offences. “Throughout the month of December, we will continue holding random RIDE checks throughout Greater Sudbury,” said GSPS in a news release. “We’ll be anywhere, at any time. A little snow doesn’t keep us away.”
Ten charges laid, 3 vehicles towed in just 7 hours after same pair stopped repeatedly on Hwy. 17:
Within just seven hours overnight between Dec. 6 and 7, the same two people were repeatedly stopped by the OPP on Highway 17, resulting in a total of 10 charges being laid and three vehicles being towed. In the first instance, the Manitoulin OPP were conducting radar enforcement at 8:15 p.m. Dec. 6 on Highway 17, east of Highway 6 (near Espanola), when they observed an eastbound vehicle travelling more than 130 km/h in a posted 60 km/h speed limit. Police stopped the vehicle, and discovered the driver was suspended as well as in possession of a small amount of drugs suspected to be cannabis. The 33-year-old driver, who is from Gatineau, Que., was arrested and charged with: Drive a Motor Vehicle - Perform Stunt - Excessive Speed, Driving While Under Suspension (two counts), Drive Vehicle with Cannabis Readily Available. The driver was also served a seven day driver's licence suspension and the vehicle was impounded for seven days. The 36-year-old passenger, from Ottawa, was released unconditionally. In the next instance, the Nipissing West OPP encountered the pair while conducting RIDE spot checks on Front Street in Sturgeon Falls at 1:35 a.m. Dec. 7. Officers stopped an eastbound SUV. An investigation revealed the driver was the same person charged by Manitoulin OPP earlier in the evening in Baldwin Township. The 36-year-old passenger, from Ottawa, was also in the vehicle. Further investigation revealed the occupants had purchased the SUV some time after being released by officers in Espanola. As a result of the investigation, the 33-year-old driver, from Gatineau, was arrested and charged with: Driving While Under Suspension (three counts). More on this story here.
Health unit reports one new case of COVID-19 in Greater Sudbury:
Public Health Sudbury & Districts reported one new case of COVID-19 in its Dec. 14 update. The latest case brings the total number of confirmed cases in the area to 246 since March. Case number 246 has been linked to close contact with another confirmed case and is a person in Greater Sudbury. The health unit also confirmed that one case was resolved as of Dec. 14, keeping the number of active cases at nine.
Local school boards elect leadership for the next year:
All four local school boards recently elected their leadership for the next year. At the organizational meeting for Rainbow District School Board held Dec. 8, Doreen Dewar was acclaimed chair of the board for another term, and Dena Morrison acclaimed vice-chair for another term. Membership on board standing committees was also approved. Dewar is the longest serving trustee on the board, with over 32 years experience, including nine years on the Sudbury Board of Education, said a press release from the school board. “I consider serving as chair of the Rainbow Board an honour and a privilege,” she said. “I enjoy working with trustees, staff, parents/guardians, community partners and, most importantly, students who bring us all tremendous pride and make my role immensely rewarding. "Student well-being and achievement continues to guide us as we nurture physical, mental, social and emotional wellness, the foundation for academic success,” she said. “I am proud of our students, families and staff for their ongoing resiliency in these unusual times.” Morrison has been a trustee since 1998. She has served as vice-chair of the board for the past nine years, and continues in that role. She also served as vice-chair in 2003. From 2004 to 2008, she served as chair of the board. Find the full story here.
Vale's Coleman Mine marks 50 years in operation:
Vale marked the 50th year in operation of its Sudbury-area Coleman Mine on Dec. 10. Described as the nickel miner’s “flagship” asset, Coleman went into production in 1970, and has undergone several expansions over the years. “After 50 years of operations, we have a lot to reflect on,” Coleman Mine manager Brent Salem said in a news release. “Coleman Mine has become the flagship of Vale’s Sudbury operations over the years through the hard work and dedication of our employees.” The company said the mine, located in the community of Levack about 45 kilometres northwest of Sudbury, has also been home to new technologies, including the first electric haul vehicles in Vale’s Sudbury operations and the installation of an underground 4G LTE network. More on this story here.
The planets Jupiter and Saturn converge low in the western sky on the Winter Solstice:
2020 will be a year that will never be forgotten. For the past months, the entire world has suffered a high level of stress and anxiety from this pandemic. Normal routines of going to work, school, restaurants, concerts, sporting events, and movies came to a screaming halt. Other than reading, playing games, or binge-watching TV, people began looking skyward, some for the first time. And why not? Astronomy is the oldest of the allied sciences and the night sky has been the place of deep relaxation for thousands of years. We also have the means of learning science as it plays out in the cosmos. The first week of October saw Mars at its closest approach to earth since 2003. Our two worlds swing close to each other every 26 months but every seventh return is deemed the closest. Mars is still seen overhead for most of the night, appearing high overhead as a bright orange object. Over the weeks and months, Mars dims ever so slowly as our distance increases with each passing day. We now end the year with two more celestial events that will entice people to look up once again – a grand meteor shower and a great conjunction of two planets. Like ping pong balls on a table, the planets lie on the plane of the solar system with the sun at the centre. Over months and years, the planets revolve around the sun at different speeds. On occasion, two planets will optically come close to each other in the sky called a conjunction. Brilliant Jupiter (887 million km away) and Saturn (1.6 billion km away to the upper left) are now visible low in the southwestern sky, will appear extremely close on the night of Dec. 21 which also happens to be the winter solstice. Get the full story here.
Tuesday Weather:
Bundle up, it's going to be a bitter cold day. Mainly sunny for Tuesday with the daytime high sitting at -14. It's going to feel like -25 with the wind chill this morning. Clear skies into the evening with more frigid temperatures. Overnight low will be -19, feeling like -26. For current weather conditions, short-term and long-term forecasts visit Sudbury.com's weather page at www.sudbury.com/weather.
