Good morning, Greater Sudbury.
Here are some stories to start your day.
City OKs 'transformational' downtown apartment development:
A major apartment building development in the planning stages for almost a decade took a big step forward Monday when the city approved a rezoning to allow the full 826 units the developer aims to build downtown. Jack Wolofski, of Kaymic Developments, made his pitch to the planning committee at Tom Davies Square, where among those to speak in favour of his plan was former Mayor Jim Gordon. Wolofski wants to build Project Manitou — two apartment buildings on land bordering Brady Street, Van Horne Street, St. Raphael Street and Lourdes Street. The current zoning allows a maximum of 800 apartments. The units would be geared to older, lower-income seniors and he said the development would modelled on best building practices to fight climate change. The area would have solar panels, a cistern would collect storm water runoff from the roof, and another would collect remaining stormwater, which would be sterilized. Composting would be done on site and used for a winter garden, Wolofski said. And aggregate needed for construction would come from rock blasted at the site, rather than trucking it in, reducing the impact on the environment further. Wolofski said his project not only aims to help older seniors, but to continue to the Sudbury tradition of being on the leading edge of land reclamation and green technology. More on this story here.
Sudbury's public utility pushes for independence from city council:
Greater Sudbury still has some kinks to work out in its relationship with Greater Sudbury Utilities, which is owned by the city but is run by a board of directors. A report brought to city council Sept. 24 deals with several issues, including a dividend policy and a proposal to change the makeup of the board of directors. Currently, the five-person GSU board includes three councillors and two independent members. The GSU wants to add two more independents, giving non-councillors a 4-3 majority when it comes to board votes. The GSU says the recommendation not only follows best practices recommended by its regulator, the Ontario Energy Board, but also follows advice from the city's auditor general, Ron Foster. Full story here.
Beth Mairs kicks off election campaign:
Sudbury NDP candidate Beth Mairs was joined by about two dozen supporters at her campaign office Tuesday for the launch of her 2019 election campaign. Mairs spoke with energy and passion while addressing the crowd, speaking about a need for change at the fedreal level. "In my gut I know that if we send the same people back to Parliament, we can expect the same mediocrity, inaction and backpedaling on the issues that are so critical," said Mairs. Issues highlighted by Mairs included the health of the planet, growing social inequality and the tattered social safety net that is causing suffering to many people across Canada and locally. Check back with Sudbury.com later today for the full story.
OPP no longer releasing gender of people charged with crimes:
Ontario Provincial Police say they are no longer releasing the gender of people who are charged with crimes or that of their alleged victims, citing concerns over privacy and a broader shift on the issue of gender identity. OPP spokeswoman Sgt. Carolle Dionne said Monday that during a recent review of legislation, the force found the Police Services Act does not require that information to be made public. The force then proactively decided to stop releasing gender information out of caution and in an effort to "be progressive in the change of times," she said. Dionne noted drivers' licences and other identification documents are no longer required to list gender and officers should not be making assumptions based on a person's appearance. More on this story here.
Health Unit urges public to make sure vaccines are up to date:
School is back in session and Public Health Sudbury & Districts is reminding the public that now is the time to make sure your vaccines and your vaccine record are up-to-date. Visit phsd.ca/reportvaccines to access to your personal vaccine record, find out which vaccines you need, and how to get them. Don’t forget to use the free online tool to report every vaccine you receive to have it added to your record. Public Health Sudbury & Districts recently published School Immunization Coverage online where you can see the estimated vaccine coverage and exemption rates for local schools. Public Health Sudbury & Districts is required under the Immunization of School Pupils Act to collect and maintain up-to-date immunization records for every student registered in school in our jurisdiction.
Ontario to allow community housing agencies to reject tenants evicted for crimes:
Community housing providers who have evicted tenants for criminal activity will now be able to ban them from returning under new rules introduced by the Ontario government on Monday. Municipal Affairs Minister Steve Clark said the government has changed regulations and closed a loophole that allowed tenants who had committed "serious crimes" to return soon after being asked to surrender a social housing unit. Clark said if a tenant is evicted for such illegal activities as drug trafficking, assault or damaging property, housing managers can now ban them from returning for up to five years. Previously, a tenant could reapply to housing and often providers had little choice but to readmit them, sometimes to the same building, Clark said. Full story here.
Wednesday weather:
Mainly cloudy today with showers beginning in the morning and ending in the afternoon. There's a 40 per cent chance of showers late in the afternoon. Wednesday's high will be sitting at around 19. Mainly cloudy overhead into the evening with chances of some showers. Winds will be gusting up to 50 km/h this evening. Overnight low will be 8. For current weather conditions, short-term and long-term forecasts visit Sudbury.com's weather page at www.sudbury.com/weather.
