Good morning, Greater Sudbury.
Here are some stories to start your day.
Seven years gone: Group begins local search for Meagan Pilon:
“Hold the line!” the call echoes through the forest. “This is not a race! OK, straighten your line.” The directions are being issued by a short woman with a big smile and a big voice. Her name is Michelle Hamilton-Matthews and she is using her 20-some years of search and rescue experience to teach the basics of grid searching. The directions are being issued to a group of some 18 volunteers, who are spending this rainy Saturday morning in the thick bush of a property off Nepewassi Lake Road in Markstay. They are here upon the invitation of a group called Please Bring Me Home, a grassroots organization that works independently to try to track down missing persons. The group and its work were featured in an episode of the CTV news program W5 in 2019. The reason Please Bring Me Home is here is because the group is trying to solve the disappearance of Meagan Pilon, a Sudbury teenager who vanished in 2013. Please Bring Me Home has been gathering tips and information on Meagan’s disappearance since 2019. Often with the aid of retired law enforcement officials and other experts in the field, Please Bring Me Home conducts its own investigations and has succeeded in bringing closure to a number of families. Get the full story here.
Man attempts to lure girls, women into his car, faces charges of criminal harassment:
A 34-year-old man attempted to lure females into his car, and became verbally confrontational when they said no, said Greater Sudbury Police Service. The man was arrested Aug. 22. Since then, additional charges have been laid against him. He now faces five counts of criminal harassment for incidents that happened from the end of July to the middle of August in the West End and the Donovan. Police said there are four different incidents involving girls and women ranging in age from 12 to 42. While driving his car, he would approach his victims when they were walking alone, said police. He attempted to lure them into his vehicle. He became verbally confrontational when they refused, leading the victims to fear for their safety. The suspect will attend bail court Sept. 1. More on this story here.
Parents take note: Catholic board revises start dates for some schools:
The Sudbury Catholic District School Board has revised some start dates for certain schools for both in-class learning this fall and remote learning. There are revised entry dates for St. Benedict, St. Charles College, Marymount Academy and Bishop Alexander Carter. Grade 7 students at those schools will start Sept. 8, while Grade 8 students will start Sept. 9. Sept. 10 is the first day of class for Grade 9 students and Sept. 11 for Grade 10 students. On Monday, Sept 14, Grade 11 students will start, while Grad 12 will start the next day, Sept. 15. For all of those students who are using the online learning option, from Kindergarten to Grade 12, school will now begin on Sept. 14. For students of St. Mark or St. Joseph schools, the first day of class is Sept. 8. Schools will be contacting each family of our Special Education Self-Contained classes to advise them of their child’s start date.
Teachers' unions to file labour board complaint over school reopening plan:
An escalating conflict between Premier Doug Ford's government and four major teachers' unions is headed to the province's labour board as the unions allege Ontaro's school reopening plan violates its own workplace safety laws. The unions — which represent 190,000 teachers and education workers — said Monday morning that they all plan to file complaints after meetings with Ontario government failed to address their concerns last week. The Association des enseignantes et des enseignants franco-ontariens, the Elementary Teachers' Federation of Ontario, the Ontario English Catholic Teachers' Association and the Ontario Secondary School Teachers' Federation all allege the school reopening plan does not take "every reasonable precaution" to protect workers from COVID-19. Teachers' unions, school boards, and some parents say the province must lower elementary class sizes and fund the reduction, instead of insisting boards dip into their own reserve funds to lease extra space or hire additional staff to promote physical distancing. Get the full story here.
Suspect arrested in Regent Street hit and run:
A 36-year-old man has been charged with failing to remain and failing to report an accident after he allegedly hit a pedestrian on Aug. 27 on Regent Street. Greater Sudbury Police said they received a call on Aug. 27 about a man laying on the ground. It appeared he had been hit by a vehicle and the driver left in the vehicle before police arrived. The victim, a 30-year-old man, was taken to hospital with serious injuries. He remains in hospital in stable condition. The suspect will appear in Court on Oct. 5 to answer to the charges. “We would like to thank the community members who provided us with assistance with this case,” said police in a news release.
Sudburians who created kids’ Christmas book looking for Kickstarter backers:
Sudburians Caroline Long and Marc Lariviere have teamed up to create a kids’ Christmas book, but now they’re reaching out to the public to fund the project. A press release said the book, “Pax and the Perfect Christmas Tree,” introduces a holiday family tradition, filled with wonder and excitement that will create memories that last a lifetime. This children’s book with a special gift was inspired by a family tradition where author Caroline Long’s husband Jason and his siblings would search for the perfect pinecone in the forest each holiday season. This pinecone was then placed in a bowl of water before they went to bed. Jason’s dad would then put up the family’s tree and the next morning they all awoke to a fully-grown Christmas tree in its place. More on this story and how to check out the Kickstarter campaign online here.
Tuesday Weather:
A mix of sun and cloud for Tuesday 40 percent chance of showers early in the morning. Today's high will be 23, feeling like 26 with the Humidex. Mainly cloudy this evening with 60 per cent chance of showers. Overnight low will get down to around 12. For current weather conditions, short-term and long-term forecasts visit Sudbury.com's weather page at www.sudbury.com/weather.
