Good morning, Greater Sudbury.
Here are some stories to start your day.
Sudbury man arrested on child pornography charges:
A 32-year-old man and member of the city media faces a number of child porn-related charges. Callam Senyk-O'Flanagan — better known as Callam Rodya — is charged with three counts each of possession of child pornography, accessing child pornography, making available child pornography and one count of possession of a Schedule 1 controlled substance. In October of 2018, the Greater Sudbury Police Service Cyber Crime Unit identified a Greater Sudbury resident downloading Child Pornography using a file sharing site between October 2018 and February 2019. On Feb. 13, 2019, a search warrant was executed at a Greater Sudbury residence and evidence of child pornography was located on computers seized from the residence. During the search warrant, detectives also located a small baggy containing what is suspected to be cocaine inside the residence. Rodya appeared in bail court Thursday afternoon. He appeared stoic as he was released on $1,500 bail under the supervision of his mother in law. His next court appearance is scheduled for March 20 at 9:30 a.m. Both the defence and the Crown requested a publication ban on the case, which the court granted. Rodya must meet a number of conditions as part of his release. He is prohibited from attending any public area where children under the age of 18 might be present, such as playgrounds, beaches, high school or daycare centre. He cannot be in the company of any child under 18 years of age unless under the direct supervision of an adult or guardian of youth or child. He is not to possess or consume an unlawful drugs or substances. He is prohibited from possessing or using any computer device, including smartphones, laptops or desktop computers or video game systems capable of accessing the internet, unless it's at work and for work purposes. He cannot have an account with any internet service provider, and his assurer (mother-in-law) must protect any device capable of accessing the internet with a password.
Sudbury's coziest cafe is:
GrEATer Sudbury's Best returns for week two with a look inside of the coziest cafe in the city, as voted on by our readers. This week's winner might be familiar to followers of this series as they may have been featured in a previous episode. Make sure you check back with Sudbury.com later today to find out where the city's coziest cafe is, and what's up next in GrEATer Sudbury's Best.
Robert Steven Wright makes brief court appearance on Thursday:
Robert Steven Wright appeared via video from Sudbury Jail a week in advance of his Feb. 19 bail hearing. It was a brief appearance, only to affirm the three-day hearing starting next week. Wright is charged with first-degree murder in the 1998 death of Renée Sweeney. Wright was arrested Dec. 12 and charged with murdering Sweeney, who was a 23-year-old LU music student. She was working at an adult video store on Paris Street at 11 a.m. on Jan. 27, 1998, when she was attacked and stabbed to death. Wright was an 18-year-old high school student at Lockerby Composite at the time Sweeney was killed. He was arrested at the North Bay Regional Health Centre, where he worked as a laboratory technician. He's being represented by Venturi and Berk Keaney, who has handled several high-profile trials in the city in his career. Police have not said why they believe Wright is the killer, or how they found the evidence to arrest and charge him.
'It's completely transformed': Science North's fourth floor gets $3.3M makeover:
Science North's fourth floor renovations were unveiled Feb. 14 during a press conference at the science centre attended by a number of different dignitaries, including all four MPs and MPPs from the Greater Sudbury area, Mayor Brian Bigger, and Sault Ste. Marie MPP Ross Romano, who drove in for the occasion. The science centre turns 35 this year, and the one area that had not been dramatically changed in that time was the fourth floor, said Science North science director Julie Moskalyk. “In November, we shut down 50 per cent of the science centre's fourth level and we gutted it down to the rafters,” she said. “What you see here is all new. It's completely transformed. It's all new exhibits, experiences, workshops, spaces and interactive areas.” She said one of the fourth floor “sacred cows” Science North decided it couldn't get rid of was the race car table, so they kept that feature, just purchasing two new updated models. They've also introduced a Prototype and Innovation Lab, where visitors can borrow equipment to create prototypes. Also referred to as the THINK project, this major renewal of the fourth level of the science centre is the largest investment in this space in Science North's 35-year history, said a press release. Full story here.
Police suspect Huron Street garage fire was a drug lab:
Greater Sudbury Police believe a fire yesterday at a garage Huron Street in the city's Donovan neighbourhood was a drug lab. Just before 11 a.m. on Feb. 13, the Greater Sudbury Police Service said they received a call regarding a fire in a detached garage at a residence on Huron Street. "Upon extinguishing the flames, firefighters located suspicious items inside the garage and contacted police," a release from the police said. A 46-year-old man sustained serious life-threatening injuries in the incident and was transported to hospital. However, those injuries were serious enough the man had to airlifted to a Toronto hospital where he remains in critical condition. The fire is being investigated by the Ontario Fire Marshall’s Office, police said, as is the Greater Sudbury Police Service Criminal Investigations Division. Police suspect the garage was being used as a cannabis resin lab after finding cannabis and cooking equipment in the garage.
People know ‘HSN was built too small’ hospital CEO tells chamber members:
While Health Sciences North officials plan for the future, staff, patients and their families continue to feel the squeeze today of too many patients in too few beds at Ramsey Lake Health Centre. HSN president and chief executive officer Dominic Giroux spoke to the Greater Sudbury Chamber of Commerce on Feb. 13, telling members 2018 was a challenging year for the institution and that the first six weeks of 2019 are following that same trend. Wednesday morning, 46 patients had been admitted to hospital via the emergency department and were languishing in beds and gurneys while another 46 patients were being accommodated in “unconventional bed spaces,” said Giroux. Those spaces include television rooms, linen storage areas and other locations where beds and patients can be tucked in. Putting those numbers in perspective, Giroux pointed out the chamber luncheon was attended by 130 people at 17 tables in a ballroom at the Radisson Hotel. He asked audience members to mentally erase three tables of attendees. The remaining 14 tables of guests were roughly the same number as the 92 people waiting at HSN who are not being cared for in proper medical rooms. In all of 2018, there were only 18 days when HSN was not at overcapacity, said Giroux. That means for 347 days last year, the hospital was at more than 100 per cent occupancy. Full story can be found here.
Friday Weather:
Periods of snow and local blowing snow today, with up to 5 cm falling. Tempertature steady near -6 today, feeling like -16 with the wind chill. Periods of snow and local blowing snow ending in the evening then clearing. Low minus will hit -14 overnight, feeling like -20. For current weather conditions, short-term and long-term forecasts visit Sudbury.com's weather page at www.sudbury.com/weather.
