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Good Morning, Sudbury! Here are six stories to start your day

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Election day is just three days away, Sudbury. (File)

 Good morning, Greater Sudbury.

Here are some stories to start your day.

Editorial: Election an opportunity for sober second thought:

The past city council was so anxious to reverse the tepid development strategies of the prior administration it was prepared to do literally anything. It careened from the previous dithering council to planning mayhem. Occasionally, big issues transcend the usual. In Toronto, it's transportation, affordable housing and a testy relationship with the provincial government. In Calgary, it was a battle between the mayor and the owners of the Calgary Flames about who was going to pay what for a new arena. In Sudbury, it's about the Kingsway Entertainment District. It is the biggest municipal decision the city has made in 50 years. It is also the worst. Read the full editorial here.

Election roundup for October 18:

It's crunch time, Sudbury. Election day is just three days away. The candidates continue to make their push as election day draws nearer and nearer. Here's what was said on Oct. 18: Ward 5 incumbent Robert Kirwan sounded off in a press release recently about the negativity that has surrounded this election campaign. "I don’t think we have ever witnessed the level of negative campaigning that we are experiencing leading up to the municipal election this year in the City of Greater Sudbury," said Kirwan. "Every single day vicious personal attacks are launched by mayoral and ward council candidates who are obviously trying to destroy the reputation of the incumbent mayor and city councillors." Kirwan hopes that in the final days of the election, candidates direct their focus on their own strengths rather than taking down incumbents. Ward 11 candidate Terry Kett says that a convention centre is a key component of the Kingsway Entertainment District.  Kett says that much of the infrastructure will already be in place for the convention centre and will be able to be built for a third of the price that it would cost to construct downtown. "All that needs to be done is to use the outside wall of the hotel and expand outwards in a big square to have the convention centre. Everything else is already there - parking, electricity, water and sewer, festival square etc," said Kett in a news release. "The convention component can be built for 1/3 of what a convention center could be built downtown $15,000,000 instead of $60,000,000." After strong criticism of his financial record by some of his mayoral rivals, especially Patricia Mills, Brian Bigger is striking back. He said there's been a lot of “talk, debate, spin and rhetoric” about the city's tax rate and spending over the past four years. “I’ve seen a lot of information out there that I know just isn’t accurate,” said Mayor Bigger, in a news release. “I wanted to provide information that is available on the City’s website, that I think shows how successful of a group myself and this Council have been in holding the taxes down and spending your dollars responsibly.” From 2015 through 2018, residents saw an average annual property tax increase of only 2.1 per cent under Mayor Bigger, as compared to average annual property tax increases of 4.0 per cent under John Rodriguez and 3.1 per cent under Marianne Matichuk, he said. Ward 9 Greater Sudbury city council candidate Paul Stopciati stresses the importance of respecting taxpayers in a news release. The new mayor and council must work together in a “professional” way “to ensure all decisions are clearly and effectively thought out” with the taxpayers' interests in mind, he said. “More than ever before the interests of the taxpayers of Greater Sudbury must be the reason for all decisions by the new council,” he said. “I am determined, if elected as Ward 9 councillor, to ensure that teamwork and respect for the taxpayers of Ward 9 and the City of Greater Sudbury are always enshrined in good policy making decisions." You can stay up to date on all your election news with Sudbury.com's election page and be sure to tune in for our live election night show on Oct. 22. 

Where are all the women? Fewer than 15% of Nickel City candidates are female:

In the past six municipal elections (including two before amalgamation), approximately 14 per cent of the candidates for mayor and city council have been female. In spite of efforts to increase female participation in municipal politics, that number remains pretty similar for the 2018 election. Eight of the city’s 54 candidates for mayor and ward councillor are women. This year, 14.8 per cent of the candidates running in the Greater Sudbury municipal election are female – an increase from last year’s 10.1 per cent female participation rate, but a smaller than desired number for some nonetheless. Find the full story here.

Public Health commits to working with Indigenous Peoples to promote health and well-being:

Public Health Sudbury and Districts celebrated the launch of their first ever Indigenous engagement strategy entitled "Finding Our Path Together" on Oct. 18. Thursday's event marked an important step in the organization's goal of health equity by bringing Indigenous people to the table to engage in the conversation about providing the best possible health outcomes for all Greater Sudbury and district residents. The mission is one that is simple, yet complex, and aims to bring PHSD and Indigenous communities together to work collaboratively to strengthen public health services. While Thursday's event was being formally called a launch, PHSD CEO Dr. Penny Sutcliffe explained that the event was less a destination than it was part of a journey that still has a way to go. "Working with Indigenous community partners to develop a strategy has been a rewarding learning journey for me, personally and for our organization," said Sutcliffe. "I'm extremely excited and a bit intimidated by the next steps as we roll up our sleeves to continue this journey together." Check back with Sudbury.com later today for the full story.

New route for Santa Claus Parade means less waiting this year:

The Santa Claus Parade will happen again this year — on Nov. 17, to be exact — but viewers can expect a pretty significant change. The parade route has been cut pretty much in half this year, starting at its usual place at the corner of Notre Dame Street and Ste. Anne Road, before turning south onto Elgin Street and past the School of Architecture. That's where the change takes place. The floats make a left onto Cedar Street, then left on Durham Street and back to Elm Street toward Notre Dame en route to the finish line. “This will mean families coming out to enjoy the parade won't have to wait as long if they are near the end of the route,” said Maureen Luoma, executive director, Downtown BIA. “We expect to have the same number of floats, but the route being shorter will reduce the time people will have to stand there. “People tell us they love the entire parade day, and don't ever change the night parade, but the day was starting to get a little bit long, and that's one of the factors in reducing the length of the parade route.”

Want to play for the Five? Here's your chance:

The Sudbury Five will be holding the franchise’s inaugural open tryout on Oct. 28. In an effort to identify, strengthen, and promote basketball in Northern Ontario, the Sudbury Five will be hosting an open tryout for prospective athletes Oct. 28th from 1 – 5 p.m. at Cambrian College. “I am really excited to see and showcase basketball talent in Northern Ontario,” said Five coach Logan Stutz. “We have training camp spots open and I would love to find some more local talent to fill them with. The goal is to have a few players from Northern Ontario on the roster for Opening Night. There’s a great chance that one of those players will come from this open tryout.” This marks the first time a professional basketball team has held an open tryout in Northern Ontario. A select number of invitations to main camp, which begins Nov. 4, will be awarded at the event. Registration is $75 in advance or $100 for walk-ups. Spots are limited. Fans will have free access to view the open tryout at Cambrian College.

Friday Weather:

The mild temperatures are sticking around for at least one more day, but it's going to be damp out there. Mainly cloudy with a few showers in the Friday forecast, with the high getting up to 13. Cooling off this evening with a 40 per cent chance of rain. Overnight low will drop down 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

Light Snow

Light Snow

-1.7°C

Pressure
101.6 falling
Visibility
32.2 km
Dewpoint
-4.5 °C
Humidity
81%
Wind
SW 18 km/h

Radar Satellite


Hourly Forecast

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

7 Day Forecast

Chance of flurries

Today

1 °C

Mainly cloudy with 60 percent chance of flurries. Wind southwest 30 km/h. High plus 1. Wind chill minus 9 this morning. UV index 3 or moderate.


Chance of flurries

Tonight

-9 °C

Cloudy. 30 percent chance of flurries early this evening. Wind southwest 20 km/h becoming light this evening. Low minus 9. Wind chill minus 7 this evening and minus 12 overnight.


Overcast

Friday

3 °C

Overcast. Wind up to 15 km/h. High plus 3. Wind chill minus 14 in the morning. UV index 1 or low.


Clear

Friday night

-6 °C

Clear. Low minus 6.


Chance of flurries

Saturday

4 °C

Cloudy with 30 percent chance of flurries. High plus 4.


Chance of flurries

Saturday night

-4 °C

Cloudy with 30 percent chance of flurries. Low minus 4.


Sunny

Sunday

6 °C

Sunny. High 6.


Cloudy periods

Sunday night

-4 °C

Cloudy periods. Low minus 4.


Cloudy

Monday

4 °C

Cloudy. High plus 4.


Chance of flurries

Monday night

-2 °C

Cloudy with 40 percent chance of flurries. Low minus 2.


Chance of flurries

Tuesday

5 °C

Cloudy with 40 percent chance of flurries. High plus 5.


Chance of flurries

Tuesday night

-6 °C

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


Chance of flurries

Wednesday

5 °C

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


Yesterday

Low
0 °C
High
0 °C
Precipitation
0.3 mm

Normals

Low
-7.4 °C
High
2.9 °C
Average
-2.3 °C

Sunrise and Sunset

Sunrise
7:10 AM
Sunset
7:49 PM

Record Values

Type Year Value
Max 1993 15.3 C
Min 1959 -18.3 C
Rainfall 1977 34.3 mm
Snowfall 1971 11.7 cm
Precipitation 1977 34.3 mm
Snow On Ground 1959 99.0 cm

Based on Environment Canada data