Good morning, Greater Sudbury.
Here are some stories to start your day.
Election day is here:
The day has finally arrived, Ontarians head to the polls today for the provincial election. There are 80,840 people in the riding of Sudbury, with around 61,000 eligible to vote. Nickel Belt has 84,520 people, with more than 58,000 of them eligible to vote. Polls are open between 8:30 a.m. and 9 p.m. today. With Kathleen Wynne conceding last week, Ontario will have a new premier this evening; either PC candidate Doug Ford or NDP candidate Andrea Horwath. Sudbury.com will bring you a live election show tonight consisting of interviews, streeters with Joe Public, interview clips, analysis and constant updates on the poll numbers in Greater Sudbury, Northern Ontario and across the province. Live broadcast start at 8:30 p.m. so be sure to check back this evening for all things election in Greater Sudbury and Nickel Belt.
Noront close to naming site for ferrochrome smelter — will it be Coniston?
Noront Resources is getting close to naming where its ferrochrome smelter will be located. President and CEO Alan Coutts was in Timmins for business this week and was one of the featured speakers at the Canadian Mining Expo gala, Tuesday. The Toronto-based mining company is the largest developer in the Ring of Fire and is expected to announce where its ferrochrome smelter will be built this summer. Since then, Coutts said they’ve been analyzing the bids. They're also working with an engineering firm to make an evaluation. Noront Resources announced in February that Sudbury is one of four Northern Ontario cities vying to become the home of the $1-billion production facility, along with Sault Ste. Marie, Thunder Bay-Fort William First Nation, and Timmins. Sudbury's bid identified Coniston as the preferred location.
Sentencing date set for Paul McColeman:
The sentencing of convicted pedophile Paul McColeman took a step forward Tuesday. A sentencing hearing date of June 27 and 28 has been set. An assessment was conducted to determine whether McColeman should be declared a dangerous offender or a long-term offender. McColeman, 45, was convicted in June, 2017, on more than 30 charges, including communication for the purpose of child prostitution, luring children, sexual exploitation and indecent exposure, involving 17 mainly teenage boys between 2006 to late June 2014 in Espanola. McColeman has the opportunity to order another psych evaluation if he doesn't like what he sees in the first report, meaning the process — and his eventual sentencing — could be delayed even longer.
RCMP Musical Ride coming to town June 9-10:
Northern Legacy Horse Farm in Whitefish hosts the RCMP Musical Ride June 9-10. Every year, the world-renowned Musical Ride, featuring 32 horses and riders, brings its show to communities across the country to perform a variety of figures and drills choreographed to music. The show provides the public with an opportunity to experience the heritage and traditions of the RCMP and raise funds for local charities across Canada. The festival runs 12-5 p.m. both days, with the musical ride beginning at 3 p.m. The pre-show for Saturday will be the Blue Saints Drum & Bugle Corps and on Sunday the Greater Sudbury Police Service Pipe & Drum Band.
Have your say on proposed York Street dog park:
If you missed Monday's open house to offer your opinions on a plan to build a dog park in the South End, there's still time to give your input online. Residents can go here to offer their comments, although they will have to register first. The deadline has been extended to June 18. Residents in the area formed the York K9 Club three years ago to develop an off-leash dog park, and received a $47,000 grant from the city to support their work. The original location for the park was at the Riverdale Playground, where a fence was put up. But objections from residents in the area prompted a move closer to Bell Park, near the York Street parking lot near Paris Street and Boland Avenue.
Mayor's Celebration of the Arts winners announced:
The Mayor's Celebration of the Arts brought out the city's art community and more to the Sudbury Theatre Centre Wednesday night. The awards event, now in its fifth year, is a project of the Sudbury Arts Council. In addition to being recognized by their peers, winning artists in each category received cash bursaries to help them continue to pursue their creative projects. Be sure to check back with Sudbury.com today to find out who took home the hardware.
How coffee is helping a Whitefish River man battle First Nations water problems:
Scrolling through his social media feeds, Mark Marsolais-Nahwegahbow found himself becoming more and more disillusioned with the growing water problem facing Canada’s Indigenous communities. As the boil water advisories mounted, preventing so many Indigenous people from having immediate access to clean, potable water, he was moved to action. His solution, as it turns out, was coffee. In March, Marsolais-Nahwegahbow, a member of the Whitefish River First Nation, launched the Birch Bark Coffee Company, an Ottawa-based coffee roastery that produces fair trade, certified-organic coffee. More than just a coffee company, Birch Bark is a social enterprise: $2.50 from the sale of every pound of coffee will go into a trust to purchase water purifiers for every home in an Indigenous community in Ontario that’s experiencing water issues. Find the full story here.
Thursday Weather:
A mix of sun and cloud today with skies clearing late in the afternoon. Thursday's high will get up to 21. A few clouds overhead this evening with the low sitting around 11. For current weather conditions, short-term and long-term forecasts visit Sudbury.com's weather page at www.sudbury.com/weather.
