Good morning, Greater Sudbury.
Here are some stories to start your day.
Future looks bright for autism friendly sports night:
Families came together Thursday night at the Coniston Community Arena for the final autism friendly sports night of the summer. The event was organized by local autism parent Sara Kitlar-Pothier, who put together four nights of fun and activities for as many as 50 children each week, in an autism friendly environment. "We've had anywhere between 30 to 50 kids out every week," said Kitlar-Pothier, whose six-year-old son Bohdan was one of the numerous participants. "Next year I'm looking to make this a full eight to 10 week program and we're looking into having programs over the winter as well." Response from parents who have brought their kids out to Coniston for the sports nights has been overwhelmingly positive, says Sara, and the groundwork has been laid for the program to grow and expand moving forward. Among Sara's hopes for the program is for it to one day become fully inclusive, with autistic volunteers taking on leadership roles as mentors to the younger children who participate. Full story here.
Solid Gold sign: A piece of sordid Sudbury history finds a new home:
Sex sells, as the saying goes, but the new tenants at the former strip club on Falconbridge Road are giving away the “Solid Gold” sign for free. Stack Brewing put the sign on Kijiji in hopes of finding it a new home, along with a very tongue-in-cheek sales pitch. “Own a piece of Sudbury's dirtiest ;) history!!,” the listing says. “It can be all yours for FREE. “Put it up in your living room and reminisce with your wife all the good times had there. This sign is perfect for a dorm room wall, man cave, baby room, you name it. Early Christmas gift idea for your father-in-law. It'll get ya in his good books, we swear.” Ashley McCarvell, Stack's sales, marketing and events manager, said they are working hard to renovate the building for its new brew pub and eatery. “So that was our main focus and then we forgot about the roadside sign, and then you know, we realized it was such an eyesore,” McCarvell said Thursday. So she put it on Kijiji at 8 a.m. – and within two minutes, they began to be flooded with messages and calls from people interested in the sign. More on this story here.
Federal government striving to boost interest in skilled labour: Hajdu:
A game of foosball against a seasoned competitor and youth supervisor at the Rayside Balfour Youth Centre in Chelmsford served up a small break in the itinerary for Minister of Employment, Workforce Development and Labour Patty Hajdu, who paid a visit to the Nickel City Friday. As the minister of labour, Hajdu said she likes to visit participants at their places of employment to get a better sense of how it's working, what the youth are thinking and what draws them to apply for the program. This program is quite important for youth, as it gives them an opportunity to earn money, get the work experience under their belt, and it's important for the employers, as they can offer additional programming and support to provide more services to the community,” said Hajdu. The federal government doubled the Canada Summer Job program. Previously, there were about 35,000 jobs available, said Hajdu, “but we've had 70,000 jobs every year for the last three years, and we think that will be even higher this year, near 80,000 jobs approved. In Nickel Belt, since 2015, there have been more than 1,100 positions for summer students, said Serré, with more than $2 million invested in the program. This year alone, there were positions for about 350 summer students.
'Honour his memory': Mural a tribute to late Sudbury artist and architect Oryst Sawchuk:
A mural that honours late Sudbury artist and architect Oryst Sawchuk is in progress on the pedestrian underpass linking Elgin Street and Riverside Drive. The designer of the piece is artist Monique Legault, owner of Monique Legault Studio at 172 Elgin St., an art shop located literally a stone's throw away from the underpass. It partially replaces a previous mural by Myths and Mirrors that was mostly removed as a result of rehabilitation work in the pedestrian underpass completed in early 2018. While the mural is going up on the heels of Up Here Urban Art and Music Festival, which is responsible for many murals in the downtown and surrounding areas, this piece has nothing to do with the festival. Legault won the City of Greater Sudbury contract to paint a mural on one wall of the ramp area heading from the Elgin Street sidewalk into the pedestrian underpass. She's working on the piece with the help of fellow artist Dineen Worth and her young assistant, Lauren Carlson, and hopes to have it finished sometime next week. Check out photos of the work in progress here.
Fundraiser for No One Eats Alone dinner, Crusin' For Organ Donors runs Sunday:
A fundraiser for the No One Eats Alone dinner and Crusin' For Organ Donors takes place Sunday, Aug. 25 at the Northbury Hotel. The event, which takes place at the hotel on Brady Street from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., includes a celebrity spaghetti eating contest, car show, 50-50 draw, barbecue and other refreshments and live entertainment by local performers. The No One Eats Alone dinner is held each Dec. 25 for those who wish to eat Christmas dinner in a communal setting. Previously hosted by the Italian Club in Copper Cliff, it will be held at the Northbury Hotel this year. Cruisin' for Organ Donors — a car and motor show — takes place Sept. 15 from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. at PartSource on Lorne Street. The event raises money for those who need transplants, as well as awareness about organ donation.
$250K donation means Chinese students can study at LU and Canadian students can study in China:
The TPEI Accounting and Education Foundation has donated $250,000 to fund scholarships for Chinese students to attend Laurentian University and Canadian students to study in China. Specifically, the foundation is funding accounting students to study at Laurentian as visiting students for four months, and will also financially support Canadian students who choose to study the Globalized Accounting Professional Program at the Zhejiang University of Finance & Economics (ZUFE). This marks the first time the TPEI foundation has made a donation toward a Canadian university, said a press release. Full story can be found here.
