Good morning, Greater Sudbury.
Here are some stories to start your day.
Sudbury woman charged in connection with Killarney murder investigation:
A Sudbury woman is one of two accused persons charged with first degree murder in the connection with the death of 56-year-old Brant Burke of Killarney. His body was discovered a month ago, on Oct. 25 on a trail in the Point Grondine Reserve off Highway 637. It was later determined that the incident location was within the Wikwemikong First Nation Territory. Police were responding to what was termed "a sudden death" at the time. In an earlier news release, OPP revealed that a post-mortem examination was conducted in Sudbury and the cause of death was confirmed to be as a result of a firearm-related injury. After an extensive investigation, Ontario Provincial Police said two persons were arrested this week and are charged. On Nov. 24, police arrested and charged Kerry Burke, age 58, from Killarney with First Degree Murder. On Nov. 25, police arrested and charged Melissa Sheridan, age 39, of Sudbury with First Degree Murder. Police said both accused are being held in custody and scheduled to appear before the Ontario Court of Justice-Bail Court (video conferencing) on Dec. 8 in Sudbury. Full story can be found here.
Supervised drug site for Sudbury is narrowed down to two locations:
The search for a supervised drug consumption site in downtown Sudbury has been narrowed down to two possible venues, but it will take several months before the doors are open to the clean and private place for drug users to consume their substances. In common parlance, such locations used to be called safe drug injection sites, but that term is no longer used since the injection of illegal substances is not considered a safe thing to do. Sudbury's Community Drug Strategy uses the term supervised consumption services (SCS) to refer to a venue where drug users can access a clean and sterile environment where health care professionals are available to help in the prevention or treatment of accidental overdoses. In October the drug strategy group put out the formal request for Expressions of Interest. "Currently we are holding site visits where we will be able to determine how suitable a venue is," said public health nurse Josée Joliat, the co-ordinator of the search for the SCS. "So we haven't made the decision yet, but the second we know, we will advise the community," said Joliat. "We did receive five applications. Three of those applications were not in the zoning that we were looking for. That left us with two sites," she revealed. Zoning is a valid concern for the Sudbury application. In London, Ont., where provincial approval came just this week for a permanent supervised consumption site, the process was held up by a zoning battle that involved the Local Planning Appeals Tribunal (LPAT) that began a year ago, in November 2019. The zoning appeal was the first time the LPAT had considered the zoning of a supervised drug consumption site. Joliat revealed that in a previously published community needs study, it was identified that a downtown location would be the best possible venue for a drug consumption site for Sudbury. Find the full story here.
With winter quickly approaching, Greater Sudbury planning virtual forum on homelessness:
A hard look at the reality facing the city's homeless prompted city council to plan a public forum to hear from groups that work with some of the city's most vulnerable citizens. Members of Tomorrow's Hope, a community organization whose focus is mental health and addiction, made a presentation to city council on Nov. 24, and the members told a harrowing story of the crisis that is ongoing in the city. According to the numbers presented by Tomorrow's Hope, there have been 46 overdose deaths in the past seven months. Three of the victims were just 14 years old. The group said there have been two drug-related murders, two suspicious deaths, and overdose numbers are projected to increase by 20 per cent by December. Additionally, there were three people who were released from jail who committed acts of vandalism upon their release in an effort to be put back in jail. In the month of May, 65 per cent of homeless people sought housing, but were unable to qualify due to a lack of proper identification, the group said. Tomorrow's Hope member Bob Johnston explained that of the roughly 80 “houseless” individuals living in the city, nearly 50 per cent of them are struggling with addiction. Ward 12 Coun. Joscelyne Landry-Altmann tabled a suggestion for city staff to organize a public forum to bring support agencies to the table, along with members of the public to work together in finding solutions to issues that are plaguing the city's homeless population. Get the full story here.
‘Heartbroken’: Sudbury mom behind opioid victim memorial says emergency funding needed:
Organizers of the white cross memorial installed to raise awareness of the opioid problem in Sudbury are hoping the province will provide some emergency funding for addiction treatment and services. Denise Sandul said the situation in Sudbury is at a crisis level, and funding for more mental health and addiction services is needed now. Sandul, the mother of 22-year-old Myles Keaney, began the local memorial movement as a private gesture after her son's body was found downtown on September 8. It is suspected the young man died of an opioid overdose. Sandul said she doesn't want Keaney's death to be forgotten, or his passing to become just another grim statistic. She placed a cross in the ground back in September. It didn't go unnoticed. Soon, family members of other opioid victims came forward asking if they too could have a cross there, on a small patch of grass near the fire hall parking lot by the intersection of Shaughnessy and Van Horne streets. Sandul said the families that came forward do not include the 14 other Sudbury families who have lost loved ones to opioid related causes since September 8. More on this story can be found here.
Kids can interact virtually with Santa at YMCA in December:
While Santa Claus will be missed in his usual activities around town, like the Santa Claus Parade, he will still be making an appearance at the YMCA to bring joy to kids and help raise funds for the Sudbury YMCA and Elgin St. Mission this December. Despite the challenges that COVID-19 has brought, Brian Nori, a local artist and the CEO of Paint Social, has created a safe and magical way for children to visit Santa this year. With help from AtmosFX, Nori has been able to help Santa set up a virtual communication station in his workshop so that he can talk to the kids that wanted to visit him in Sudbury all the way from the North Pole. Kids will be able to see and interact with Santa and his elves virtually through an interactive projection mapped display hosted at the Sudbury YMCA. More on this story here.
YES Theatre returns to stage with limited-ticket productions:
After being forced to cancel its summer theatre festival due to the COVID-19 pandemic, YES Theatre is back on stage with two projects. “It has been a very difficult period of time for artists all over the world,” said YES Theatre artistic and managing director Alessandro Constantini, in a press release. “We all have to be learning to navigate the very difficult reality of so many projects being postponed or cancelled. It brings me great joy to announce these projects and provide much needed arts and culture events to our community! We assure you that safety is our #1 priority! Get thee to the theatre!” In partnership with Sudbury Theatre Centre, YES Theatre presents “Bed & Breakfast” by Mark Crawford Nov. 27 to Dec. 13. Find out more here.
Friday Weather:
Mainly cloudy today with a 30 per cent chance of drizzle early in the morning. There's a risk of freezing drizzle today. The daytime high will be sitting at around 2. Cloudy into the evening with chances of flurries by Saturday morning. Overnight low will be -3, feeling like -5. For current weather conditions, short-term and long-term forecasts visit Sudbury.com's weather page at www.sudbury.com/weather.
