Good morning, Greater Sudbury.
Here are some stories to start your day.
Judge reserves decision on pretrial motions in child porn case against Ian MacDonald:
Pretrial motions have wrapped up in the child pornography case against Dr. Ian MacDonald. Ontario Court Justice Heather-Ann Mendes presided over the two-day hearing, with assistant Crown attorney Stephanie Baker rounding out her submissions Tuesday morning. The details of the pretrial motions cannot be made public under a Section 517 publication ban. Mendes has reserved her decision on the matter, which will return to court July 22 to set a date for a ruling on the motions. MacDonald is being represented by Toronto lawyer Michael Lacy. The Health Sciences North nephrologist was arrested on May 15, 2019, by Greater Sudbury Police Service after hospital staff contacted them over concerns about activity on a computer at HSN. The Internet Child Exploitation (ICE) unit and computer forensic unit executed several search warrants and a forensic investigation was conducted on a computer seized from MacDonald’s office at HSN. He was granted bail and was to live with his father in Belleville. In June, MacDonald’s spouse also pledged herself as a surtey, giving him the right to stay in Sudbury.
Queerantine 2020: Send your Pride pics to [email protected]:
Due to the pandemic, Fierté Sudbury Pride has moved the city’s annual pride festival online. The virtual version of the city’s Pride festival, dubbed Queerantine 2020, is this week, running July 13-20. Organizers are encouraging people to decorate and queerify their apartments, windows, homes, and yards with messages of support, as if they were a Pride float. Folks will be able to walk through their community and feel the love. People are encouraged to show off their pride by sharing photos of their work on social media, using the hashtag #SudburyHasPride. In honour of the occasion, Sudbury.com would also like to share your Pride pics, whether that’s your Pride decor, as mentioned above, or your best Pride outfit, or a picture of your family. Send your photos to [email protected], or post them in the comments below, and we’ll include them in our photo gallery.
No adoption fees at Sudbury OSPCA during July:
To encourage adoptions and help animals at the Ontario SPCA Sudbury & District Animal Centre find homes, Northern Legacy Horse Farm has stepped up to cover all adoption fees for animals at the centre during the month of July. The generous gift comes on the heels of the Ontario SPCA and Humane Society’s announcement that it would be introducing limited contact adoptions at its animal centres across the province. The new process was put in place after careful consideration and research to determine the safest way to resume adoptions during COVID-19. After filling out the Ontario SPCA’s Meet Your Match survey online to help match them with compatible animals, potential adopters can make an appointment at the Sudbury & District Animal Centre to learn more about the animal they are interested in adopting, arrange an e-meet and greet online and complete adoption paperwork digitally. Ontario SPCA team members will then set an appointment for the adopter to pick up their new friend.
Province and feds announce more than $4 million for road improvements in Markstay-Warren:
The federal and provincial governments announced more than $4 million in funding for road improvements in Markstay-Warren. The governments of Canada and Ontario recognize the different ways that the COVID-19 pandemic has impacted smaller and rural communities across the province. Both governments are making strategic investments in infrastructure to meet the specific needs of rural and Northern Ontario municipalities and help them strengthen their local economies. On Tuesday, July 14, Nickel Belt MP Marc Serré was part of a funding announcement for eight road and bridge projects in Northern Ontario. These projects will improve various streets, roads and a bridge. In Markstay-Warren, $4.4 million in federal and provincial funding is being invested in resurfacing, improvements to shoulders and drainage, and the replacement of driveway culverts for approximately 5.5 km of streets. The project will improve road safety and reliability. Get the full story here.
Science North reopens to the public July 18, but with many new pandemic safety precautions:
Science North will be officially reopening to the public this weekend as part of Stage Three in Ontario’s post-pandemic economic recovery, but with many safety precautions due to the pandemic. For the remainder of July, the space will be open to the public on weekends only for two timed and ticketed sessions from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. and 2 p.m. to 6 p.m. for a maximum of 300 people per session. Stringent safety protocols have been introduced to accommodate stage one of this reopening, as stated in a press release, along with new experiences and demonstrations that allow for physical distancing between Bluecoats and visitors. As part of these protocols, all guests above the age of two and staff that "serve" will be required to wear a face mask. Residents are advised that a number of these tickets have already been donated to front-line workers, however, as a show of appreciation for their efforts during the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. More on this story here.
LU fills academic, research VP roles:
Two vice-president roles at Laurentian University have been filled. Marie-Josée Berger has been appointed provost and vice-president, academics, and Tammy Eger has been appointed vice-president, research. “We found two ideal candidates and I am very much looking forward to seeing their contributions at Laurentian over the years to come.” said Robert Haché, president and vice-chancellor of Laurentian University. Berger has been in various leadership positions throughout academia for over 20 years. Most recently, she held the title of dean, School of Education, as well as associate vice-president of Continuing Education at Bishop’s University. Previously, she served as dean of the Faculty of Education at the University of Ottawa. Eger is one of Laurentian’s most prolific researchers, having served as interim vice-president, research at Laurentian during the last six months, said the university. This appointment will allow Eger to continue to lead the research and innovation community at LU.
Wednesday Weather:
Mainly cloudy for Wednesday with some showers beginning late in the morning. There's a risk of a thunderstorm in the afternoon. Today's high will get up to around 25, feeling like 30. Showers expected to continue into the evening with risk of a thunderstorm. Overnight low will be 18. For current weather conditions, short-term and long-term forecasts visit Sudbury.com's weather page at www.sudbury.com/weather.
