Good morning, Greater Sudbury.
Here are some stories to start your day.
Editorial: We're endorsing change this provincial election:
After 15 years of Liberal rule, it is time for a change, and change is what Northern Life is endorsing this election. We will not be endorsing any one candidate. This is not because we don’t like the local candidates — the slate offers some solid choices, even if no one candidate stands out as singularly impressive. What we cannot support are the election platforms of the major contenders. Each one goes off the rails in significant ways. Get the full explanation here.
Fate of Kingsway appeals will be known by late June:
Detractors and supporters of the proposed Kingsway Entertainment District will know by late June whether the planning appeals filed opposing the project have enough merit to proceed to an actual hearing. Becky Fong, a spokesperson for the Local Planning Appeals Tribunal, said Thursday that once they receive appeals, they have 30 days to process them. "Within that time period, the first month is for administrative tasks, and that includes validity screening and the issuance of a notice of completeness," Fong said. Validity screening is the process by which members of the LPAT review the supporting documents filed with the appeals to determine whether to reject them outright, or allow them to proceed to the next step of the process. If the appeals are accepted, the time it will take to schedule the first meeting will likely take the process well into the October municipal election campaign. More on this story can be found here.
Harassment complaints, damage awards soar under new legislation:
Workplace harassment complaints have soared since the province introduced new legislation last year holding employers responsible for how such incidents are handled, city councillors were told Tuesday. Lawyer Kathleen Stokes, a partner with Weaver Simmons, gave councillors an overview of the rules surrounding the Occupational Health and Safety Act, as well has how those changes have affected workplaces in Ontario. City council had an up-close example last year when the Greater Sudbury Firefighters Association filed a complaint about the behaviour of two city councillors toward former fire chief Trevor Bain. Bain led public hearings into a proposed firefighting plan that would have seen more career firefighters hired and less reliance on volunteers. Ward 2 Coun. Michael Vagnini and Ward 3 Coun. Gerry Montpellier were highly critical of the plan at public meetings, leading the union to complain to the city under the legislation. The city was directed to hire an independent investigator and directed the city to ensure all councillors had training under the act before the end of June. Full story can be found here.
CAA to unveil Ontario's worst roads on June 4:
It's that time of year again, as CAA prepares to unveil their list of the worst roads in Ontario. The annual list is compiled through a voting campaign, and the "winners" will be announced on Monday, June 4 at 8:30 a.m. The CAA Worst Roads campaign is a platform for Ontarians to make roads safer by helping different levels of government understand what roadway improvements are important to citizens and where they need to be made. Sudbury has been well-represented on the list in recent years, with a pair of the Nickel City's roads cracking the top five in 2017. Lorne Street ranked as the third worst road in Ontario, while Maley Drive ranked fourth. With recent improvement work happening on Maley, the infamous road may be at risk of sliding out of the top five, however. In addition to unveiling the top 10 worst roads in the province, CAA also releases the top five worst roads in Toronto, Ottawa, and Hamilton, as well as the five worst in seven regions across the province. In 2017, Lorne Street and Maley Drive were ranked as the two worst roads in Northern Ontario.
Watering bylaw comes into effect on June 1:
Lawn and garden watering restrictions will take effect on Friday, June 1 and be in place until Sunday, Sept. 30. If your home address ends with an odd number (1,3,5,7,9) you are permitted to water lawns, gardens, trees and shrubs on odd-numbered dates of the month. If your home address ends with an even number (0,2,4,6,8) you are permitted to water lawns, gardens, trees and shrubs on even-numbered dates of the month. "On a hot summer day, water consumption can be double the annual daily average," said a city of Greater Sudbury news release. "If only half of all residences in the city water their lawns and gardens at any one time, municipal water treatment plants can better maintain normal water pressure and storage tank levels." Residents are encouraged to shut water off in their home or business while away on vacation to protect against flooding and high water costs associated with waterline leaks or breakages.
From behind the scenes to centre stage: STC honours Judi Straughan:
The Sudbury Theatre Centre was buzzing Thursday evening, as the theatre hosted their fourth annual STC Honours in celebration of Judi Straughan. Judi's passion for the arts, volunteerism and work at STC span back as far as 1980, when her work as STC's assitant director under founding artistic director Tony Lloyd. She has directed numerous STC Theatre for Young Audiences and celebrity productions. Most recently, she was playwright and director of the Sudbury story "The Case of the Missing Mayor". The theatre's current artistic director John McHenry emceed the evening's procedings and said that Straughan was "such an obvious choice" for the fourt annual STC Honours. "Judi and I have been friends for many years. She was so helpful in getting me settled into this role and introduced me to so many people," said McHenry. While many may recognize Straughan from her on-air appearances on Eastlink TV, it's her work behind the scenes with the Mayor's Celebration of the Arts, Maison McCulloch Hospice, CKLU Radio, and her time teaching at Sudbury Secondary School and Thorneloe University. Straughan was STC's education coordinator and publicist from 1998 - 2015.
This weekend's bass derby during spawning season the worst time for event, aquatic centre director says:
An aquatic life expert at Laurentian University says a bass fishing derby planned this weekend is a bad idea because the fish are spawning at this time of year. However, the head of the fishing club hosting the event says smallmouth bass are an invasive species in here anyway and, besides, steps will be taken to protect the fishery. John Gunn, Canada Research Chair Tier 1 for Stressed Aquatic Systems, and the director of the Living with Lakes Centre, said fishing bass on Ramsey Lake this time of year will expose the eggs to predators. That's because the male fish protect the nests where the females lay the eggs until they grow big enough to take care of themselves. In this agitated state, they react to any movement, making them especially prone to being caught by an angler. Full story can be found here.
Friday Weather:
It's going to be a cooler day to end the work week. Mainly cloudy Friday with a 40 per cent chance of showers in the morning. Clearing late in the afternoon, but today's high is only expected to hit 16. A few clouds tonight with the low dropping all the way to 5. For current weather conditions, short-term and long-term forecasts visit Sudbury.com's weather page at www.sudbury.com/weather.
