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Good morning, Sudbury! Here are seven stories to start your day

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(File)

Good morning, Greater Sudbury.

Here are some stories to start your day.

Axing so many French programs a ‘betrayal,’ but Laurentian’s troubles may galvanize a movement decades in the making:

Joel Belliveau, a historian and now former associate professor in Histoire at Laurentian University, woke up Monday to a text message from a colleague, telling him to check his email. Though Belliveau’s role with the Regroupement des professeurs(es) francophones de l'Université Laurentienne (RPF), an independent organization that represents more than 110 Francophone and Francophile professors and lecturers, has allowed him more information than most, much was to be kept confidential. The inklings that something terrible was in store came after a Laurentian University senate meeting last week – part of the CCAA process – but participants were told that information shared in that meeting was classified, under punishment of contempt of court. But even with a bit of information, he didn’t expect the email he received. “The email called me to an emergency Zoom meeting at 9:30 a.m., with no other information,” Belliveau told Sudbury.com. “I clicked on the Zoom link, we had a brief message from the provost, the vice-president academic (Dr. Marie-Josée Berger). She read a little piece of paper. It lasted about a minute and 15 seconds, I'd say. She looked emotional, but she didn't look at us.” Then Belliveau, and the 17 other professors and one staff member who were on the Zoom call, were left to themselves. “She left the meeting after that, leaving us in the hands of HR people that were hired for the job. She did not take questions.” Belliveau said a union representative was on the video call as well. “She couldn't say much,” he said. “But she told us that there were six or seven other similar meetings that were going to be happening throughout the day.” Find the full story here.

City sells Meatbird Lake Park to Vale for $4 million:

The city has sold Meatbird Lake Park back to Vale at a tidy profit, as Greater Sudbury city council voted in favour of the sale on April 13. The park will be sold to Vale at a cost of $4 million, a significant jump from the $2 that the city originally paid to purchase the property from Inco. The net proceeds of the sale will be credited to the city's Capital Financing Reserve Fund and dedicated to the improvement of leisure infrastructure in the Walden (Lively) area. Representatives from the mining giant pitched their proposal to buy the property back during a city council meeting on Sept. 22, 2020. Members of the Vale North Atlantic Leadership told city council last September that the company would be undertaking a $100-million tailings dam improvement project over the next 10 years and that the project will mean heavy truck traffic in the area of Meatbird Lake Park. Environmental remediation will also be required at the site due to its proximity to Vale's central tailings area. Work would include improvements to the seepage capture systems and removing and replacing impacted material from the bottom of the lake and surrounding area. Full story can be found here.

Public Health Sudbury announces region’s 25th COVID-19 death:

Public Health Sudbury & Districts reported a COVID-19 related death in Greater Sudbury Wednesday afternoon. Out of respect, no further details will be provided, the health unit said. This death was included in Public Health’s daily update of COVID-19 case data on Wednesday afternoon. A total of 25 deaths have now been reported across our service area since the beginning of the pandemic.

Sudbury Public Health reports 15 new cases of COVID-19 for Wednesday April 14:

Public Health Sudbury and Districts (PHSD) reported 15 new cases of COVID-19 for Wednesday, April 14. Public Health also said there are now 215 active cases being monitored. Also, since the Public Health Sudbury and Districts (PHSD) began tracking COVID-19 cases just over one year ago, there have been 1,773 total COVID-19 cases confirmed locally. PHSD also said 1,558 of those cases have been resolved. On the provincial COVID-19 register Wednesday, the Ontario government daily website reported 4,156 new confirmed COVID-19 cases across the province.

Missing man was last seen in Capreol area:

Greater Sudbury Police are asking for the public's assistance to locate 31-year-old James Gallan. He was last seen April 13 at 4 p.m. in the Dennie Street area of Capreol. Gallan was last seen wearing a heavy black collared jacket and black ball cap, and was carrying a grey back pack. He's described as 6'2", 140 pounds, with blue eyes, short brown hair, with teardrop tattoos below the right eye. Anyone with information is asked to contact Greater Sudbury Police at 705-675-9171 or Crime Stoppers at 705-222-TIPS (8477) or www.sudburycrimestoppers.com.

Feds, province announce $656M fund to improve air quality in public buildings, especially schools:

The federal government and the Ontario government announced a new fund to support infrastructure projects that will make public buildings, particularly schools, safer during this pandemic and any future pandemics. The $656.5 million can be used for infrastructure projects to upgrade ventilation systems, create hand-washing stations, make physical distancing easier and fund other projects to make buildings safer for the public by making it harder for virus transmission to occur. The announcement was made by federal Infrastructure and Communities Minister Catherine McKenna, along with Ontario Infrastructure Minister Laurie Scott and Ontario Education Minister Stephen Lecce. While the fund is for all public buildings, schools are a particular target. Get the full story here.

Memorial Cup cancelled for second consecutive year:

With the return to action of the Ontario Hockey League remaining up in the air due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the Canadian Hockey League announced Tuesday afternoon that the 2021 Memorial Cup has been cancelled. It marks the second consecutive season that the major junior loop has been forced to cancel the event because of COVID-19. The tournament was scheduled to be held in Ontario with the Soo Greyhounds and Oshawa Generals planning to bid on the right to host the event. “The CHL is committed to the health and safety of our players, their families and billets, our teams, staff and officials, and the communities in which we play. That has driven all of our difficult decisions for the last year as we have dealt with this global pandemic,” said CHL President Dan MacKenzie in a prepared statement. “The decision was made based on the limitations on travel, border restrictions, and quarantining requirements that would make it impossible to produce league champions.” The tournament, which is normally held in late May, was pushed back into June this season because of the pandemic and the uncertainty of the three CHL member leagues – the Ontario Hockey League, Quebec Major Junior Hockey League and Western Hockey League – being able to start their respective regular seasons. The OHL is the only league that hasn’t return to the ice yet this season.

Thursday Weather:

Grey skies and showers in the Thursday forecast. Mostly cloudy today with a 40 per cent chance of rain this morning. Daytime high will be sitting at around 8. Periods of rain are expected this evening. Overnight low will dip to 2. For current weather conditions, short-term and long-term forecasts visit Sudbury.com's weather page at www.sudbury.com/weather.

Current Weather

Mostly Cloudy

Mostly Cloudy

-3.9°C

Pressure
101.5 falling
Visibility
24.1 km
Dewpoint
-7.2 °C
Humidity
78%
Wind
WSW 11 km/h

Radar Satellite


Hourly Forecast

Today
6 AM
-6°C
Cloudy
Today
7 AM
-6°C
Cloudy
Today
8 AM
-6°C
Cloudy
Today
9 AM
-4°C
Cloudy
Today
10 AM
-2°C
Cloudy
Today
11 AM
0°C
Cloudy
Today
12 PM
0°C
Overcast
Today
1 PM
0°C
Overcast
Today
2 PM
0°C
Overcast
Today
3 PM
1°C
Overcast
Today
4 PM
2°C
Cloudy
Today
5 PM
3°C
Cloudy

7 Day Forecast

Chance of flurries

Tonight

-6 °C

Cloudy. 60 percent chance of flurries early this evening. Wind southwest 20 km/h gusting to 40 becoming light this evening. Low minus 6. Wind chill near minus 10.


Overcast

Friday

3 °C

Overcast. Wind becoming west 20 km/h near noon. High plus 3. Wind chill minus 8 in the morning. UV index 2 or low.


Cloudy

Friday night

-7 °C

Cloudy. Wind up to 15 km/h. Low minus 7. Wind chill minus 12 overnight.


Chance of flurries

Saturday

3 °C

A mix of sun and cloud with 40 percent chance of flurries. High plus 3.


Chance of flurries

Saturday night

-6 °C

Cloudy with 40 percent chance of flurries. Low minus 6.


Sunny

Sunday

6 °C

Sunny. High 6.


Clear

Sunday night

-4 °C

Clear. Low minus 4.


Sunny

Monday

9 °C

Sunny. High 9.


Cloudy

Monday night

-3 °C

Cloudy. Low minus 3.


A mix of sun and cloud

Tuesday

4 °C

A mix of sun and cloud. High plus 4.


Chance of flurries or rain showers

Tuesday night

-3 °C

Cloudy periods with 30 percent chance of flurries or rain showers. Low minus 3.


Chance of flurries or rain showers

Wednesday

5 °C

A mix of sun and cloud with 40 percent chance of flurries or rain showers. High plus 5.


Yesterday

Low
-4.4 °C
High
1.6 °C
Precipitation
1.2 mm

Normals

Low
-7.1 °C
High
3.2 °C
Average
-2.0 °C

Sunrise and Sunset

Sunrise
7:08 AM
Sunset
7:50 PM

Record Values

Type Year Value
Max 1977 14.7 C
Min 1970 -22.2 C
Rainfall 2009 26.6 mm
Snowfall 1975 8.1 cm
Precipitation 2009 27.2 mm
Snow On Ground 1959 94.0 cm

Based on Environment Canada data