Good morning, Greater Sudbury.
Here are some stories to start your day.
Marijuana is officially legal in Canada:
Marijuana is now officially legal to purchase, possess and grow across the country. Wednesday, Oct. 17 marks a historic day as Canada has ended the criminal prohibition of cannabis. Canada is just the second country in the world to legalize marijuana. There are still plenty of questions to be answered surrounding legal pot, and Sudbury.com will be rolling out a number of articles today to keep you up to speed with all things marijuana-related. Be sure to check back with us throughout the day.
Family in mourning: Sudbury baby who was waiting for heart transplant passes away:
We have a sad update to share with you today. In September, we brought you the story of Killian Waddell, the third son of Sudburians Dean and Sheri Waddell. He was born Sept. 4 with a heart condition called hypoplastic right heart syndrome with pulmonary artesia, and he needed to undergo a heart transplant. But sadly, little Killian passed away in his parents' arms on Oct. 15 at a little more than a month old. He lived his entire young life at Toronto's Sick Kids Hospital. “Our little Bean is gone,” Sheri posted Monday on a Facebook page — Killian's Courage — the family created to keep loved ones and the community apprised of the baby's fight for life. “Killian died, fighting like hell, at 11:45 this morning. Dean and I were with him through the fight, and were able to hold him for his last few minutes. It all happened very quickly. We’ve been with him today, and just said our goodbyes. “Thank you to every single person who has been following his life. I said to Dean that I’m so happy that I did this page. Killian was known and thought of by all of you. He was here and he mattered to a lot of people. Thanks everyone.” Killian's health deteriorated after a surgery last week to put in a g-tube, which would let him be fed directly into his stomach. Dean told Sudbury.com they had signed Killian up to be an organ donor so he might save another baby's life, but he doesn't believe the medical team was able to salvage anything, as there was too much damage. Last month, Dean's mother, Mary, set up a GoFundMe page to cover the family's costs associated with Killian's illness. Although an initial $6,000 goal was set, the page ended up raising almost $22,000. Dean said in a message to Sudbury.com that he wants to thank Sudburians for all of their support, financial or otherwise.
The brief and complicated history of the Kingsway Entertainment District explained:
The topic the Kingsway Entertainment District (or KED) has dominated every political discussion over the past year. Voters want to know where the candidates stand on the issue and whether they support the KED or not. The 2018 Municipal Election in Sudbury has practically become a referendum on the massive project and has caused great controversy in our city. Because the aspects of the project unfolded over the course of about two years, various decisions and directions may have become lost in the shuffle. Sudbury.com created this video (https://www.sudbury.com/local-news/video-the-brief-and-complicated-history-of-the-kingsway-entertainment-district-explained-1087294) to help residents understand the process, the cost and how the project will be funded.
Where Do They Stand? How would you tackle issues with city's fire services?
Tuesday's instalment of Where Do They Stand takes a look at firefighting in Greater Sudbury. In 2017, the city embarked on what turned out to be a debacle: the Fire Optimization Plan. It was a poorly conceived and poorly executed attempt to address real issues with fire services in the city. The fallout was so bad it led to Trevor Bain's departure as the city fire chief. It led to two city councillors being investigated for harrassment and bullying. It was a disaster. But issues with fire services in this amalgamated city remain: duplication of services, issues with equipment and recruitment of volunteers, rising costs. Find out what your mayoral candidates had to say in our latest edition of Where Do They Stand, here.
Where Do They Stand? Ward 8 candidates make their stand on the issues:
Sudbury.com's Where Do They Stand series continues with questions for candidates in Ward 8. From Ward 8, we have answers from three of four candidates: incumbent Al Sizer, and challengers Rob Franceschini and Kyle McCall. Candidate Stefano Presenza did not supply answers. Find each candidate's answers here and be sure to check back daily for more of our Where Do They Stand series.
Election recap for Oct. 16:
We're getting close to the finish line, as election day is just five days away. Candidates for mayor and council are making their final push for seats and election releases continue to pour in on a daily basis. Ward 8 Greater Sudbury city council candidate Kyle McCall says despite the fact that many new councillors were elected in 2014, there's been very little change at city hall. “Even with a change in leadership, we are essentially in the same place we were four years ago,” he said. “This can’t continue. We cannot afford to set ourselves back another four years and watch as other cities and opportunities pass us by.” Ward 5 Greater Sudbury city council candidate Jerry Desormeaux is taking aim at the ward's incumbent, Robert Kirwan. “We can not afford another four years with the current incumbent for Ward 5. In many of his articles, he does not hesitate to disrespect other candidates, mayor candidates and current members of council,” he said in a press release. “In my opinion, he can be very derogatory to people.” Greater Sudbury mayoral candidate Bill Crumplin says he's heard from a lot of residents in outlying areas of the city who are still resentful of amalgamation, almost 20 years after it was implemented by the province. He's also hearing from residents that they feel city hall isn't as transparent as it could be. Crumplin proposes bringing every third regular council meeting out to the outlying areas of the city. He also suggests real-time translation services so that everyone will be able to understand what's going on at meetings, whether the presenter is speaking in French or English. Ward 5 incumbent Robert Kirwan is asking his constituents to give him the opportunity to see through the projects that have been approved during his term on council. "The Kingsway Entertainment District and the Downtown Arts & Culture District with Place des Arts and the Sudbury Theatre Centre, are the kind of transformational projects that are going to "change the game" for the City of Greater Sudbury," said Kirwan in an news release. "We all know that the world is changing around us. And we are all painfully aware that the City of Greater Sudbury has fallen behind the pace of change. We find ourselves at the point where we must invest in these major projects without delay and in order to make this happen we have changed our approach." On the other side of that stance is ward 11 candidate John Lindsay, who says boring is best when it comes to picking the next council. Most electors would like to see and expect those selected for the next term to be more responsible and prudent than what has been the experience of the present council," said Lindsay in a news release. "It will be more boring, but after the past four years this would be a welcome change." Get caught up with all of your election news at Sudbury.com's election page.
Wednesday Weather:
More cool temperatures on the way with a chance of flurries for Wednesday. Mix of sun and cloud today with a 30 per cent chance of flurries. Today's high will be 3. Partly cloudy this evening with flurries possible. Bundle up if you're heading out as the low is going to drop all the way to -8. For current weather conditions, short-term and long-term forecasts visit Sudbury.com's weather page at www.sudbury.com/weather.
