Good morning, Greater Sudbury.
Here are some stories to start your day.
Capreol senior still homeless four months after flood damaged her social housing apartment:
Pansey Halls has been sleeping on her daughter's couch for more than three months, and the mental and physical stress is starting to take a toll on the Sudbury senior. Halls, 79, has been a resident at Coulson Court Senior Citizen Complex in Capreol, for 16 years. But on May 7, her apartment in the senior living facility was destroyed when a pipe in her bathroom burst. Fortunately for Pansey, her daughter, Kim Proulx, lives just down the street from the seniors complex and was able to accommodate her. For the past three months, Pansey has been sleeping on a two-seat loveseat in her daughter's living room. While the physical pain has been wearing on Pansey, as she wakes up most mornings with a stiff back, it's the mental suffering that has been a real challenge to endure. "I just feel that I'm a burden to my daughter and her family," said Pansey, fighting back tears. "This whole ordeal has affected me in a mental way as I do get very emotional quite often." The 79-year-old woman just wants to get back into her own home, but getting a firm timeline for when she'll be able to return to the city run social housing property has proved impossible so far. Get the full story here.
Adult Content: Midnight Manor hosts Sudbury's first BDSM convention:
Midnight Manor, Sudbury's alternative lifestyle community, hosted Sudbury's first major BDSM convention Saturday, attracting crowds of kinksters from all walks of life to the Sudbury Events Centre. Midnight at Dawn was a three-part event that began with a vendor fair, followed by workshops, and ending with an after-party and VIP Dungeon. The structure of this convention was meant to reflect the transition of someone joining the BDSM community, said Mark 'Midnight' Nadeau, who introduced the Midnight Manor seven years ago. Full story and photo gallery here.
Hospice butterfly release gives loved ones 'closure and hope':
Maison McCulloch Hospice hosted its annual butterfly release at Science North Sunday, raising more than $28,500 toward costs associated with operation of the end-of-life care facility. This year's fundraiser was a bit more successful than those in the past, said Ashley Pawlowicz, director of the Sudbury Hospice Foundation, thanks in part to a $10,000 donation from the Sudbury Police Association. An increase in attendance also helped bump up the final total she said, which she credits to more people finding out about the hospice and its role in the community. This is one of three major fundraisers hosted by the hospice annually to cover the cost of operation, which requires a minimum contribution of $1 million annually. Aside from that, Pawlowicz said it is considered a really important day for people to celebrate the memory of their loved ones alongside their friends and family. Find the full story here.
New Sudbury Days returns Aug. 24-25:
New Sudbury Days is returning for a fifth year with activities on Aug. 24 and 25 at Twin Forks and Westmount community parks. This festival is a series of free family-focused events that offers opportunities for residents to get together and celebrate the New Sudbury neighbourhood. The festival kicks off with a free community BBQ sponsored by the Sudbury Credit Union at Twin Forks Playground on Gary Street on Saturday, Aug. 24 from 11 a.m. – 4 p.m. The day also includes family friendly activities including bouncy castles, face painting, live entertainment and activities from a variety of community organizations including the Junction Creek Stewardship Committee, Cambrian College, Active Sudbury, the Greater Sudbury Police and the Greater Sudbury Fire and Paramedic Services. The evening will close with a community showing of the movie "Wonderpark" at 8 p.m. Free popcorn and refreshments will be served.
Regreening plays a big role in protecting water quality, study finds:
Decades of regreening in Greater Sudbury have helped reduce the amount of stormwater draining in local waterways, city councillors were told last week. In the first major update on a series of studies of the state of local watersheds, city drainage engineer Paul Javor told councillors Aug. 13 that Junction Creek has especially benefited from the new vegetation and soil that has taken root in recent decades. “One of the most interesting results has been the effect of regreening,” Javor said. Rather than storm runoff draining down black rock directly into the the creek, much more water being absorbed by trees and brush and soil. “Now we see tree canopy, we see soil,” Javor said. The key concern with the creek is flooding dangers, and a $13 million project is underway to address those fears. Overall, the purpose of watershed studies is to come up with the best way to protect people, places and the environment, using climate change scenarios, Javor said. The studies also aim to establish policies for developers looking for “certainty” regarding what is required when they want to develop land. More on this story here.
Ontario moving ahead with municipal funding cuts in 2020: Doug Ford:
Ontario will go ahead with some of its controversial municipal funding cuts for public health and child care next year, with Premier Doug Ford telling a gathering of municipal leaders on Monday that the government was making the move after listening to their concerns. The Progressive Conservatives tried to force retroactive funding cuts on communities earlier this year but had to cancel them in May after municipal leaders complained their annual budgets had already passed. It was unclear whether the cuts would go ahead next year but the government said Monday that they will now take effect Jan. 1. Full story here.
Tuesday Weather:
A beautiful sunny summer day on tap for Tuesday. Mainly sunny skies with a high of 27, feeling like 31. Partly cloudy tonight with a 30 per cent chance of showers overnight. Low will be sitting at around 16 tonight. For current weather conditions, short-term and long-term forecasts visit Sudbury.com's weather page at www.sudbury.com/weather.
