Good morning, Greater Sudbury.
Here are some stories to start your day.
Suspect shot by police Sunday facing 14 charges:
A 24-year-old man who was shot by Greater Sudbury Police at the downtown transit terminal April 1 is facing multiple charges. He is facing five charges each of assault with a weapon and weapons dangerous and four charges of assaulting a peace officer with a weapon. The man, who was allegedly armed with two knives and police say was “aggressive,” injured a city employee at the transit terminal on Easter Sunday. Sudbury police responded to the incident, and after an interaction between the officers and the suspect, one officer discharged his firearm and struck the man. Part of the incident was captured on video by a bystander. The suspect remains in hospital in stable condition, say police. The incident is under investigation by the province's Special Investigations Unit (SIU).
City inspector describes 'chaos' at Elgin construction site where pedestrian was killed:
A trio of municipal employees took the witness stand on the fifth and final day of the trial against the City of Greater Sudbury for the Sept. 30, 2015, death of Cecile Paquette. The city is being charged with with not providing signallers for the grader operator, not erecting a 1.8-metre "sturdy fence" to separate the public from the construction site, and not implementing a traffic protection plan, as well as not ensuring that its contractor, Interpaving, was following those three sections of Ontario's Occupational Health and Safety Act. Rob Rocca, who was the engineering technologist on the Elgin Street construction project at the time of the incident, was first on the stand, followed by field inspector John Temelini, and finally the city's general manager of growth and infrastructure, Tony Cecutti. While much of the questioning for all three men from both Crown prosecutor David McCaskill and defense attorneys Frank Portman and Ryan Conlin centred on determining who was the "constructor" on the job site, it was Temelini's testimony that shared some insights into the day-to-day work at the site. In his testimony, Temelini explained there were problems with people walking onto the construction site from day one. He said he received numerous complaints from pedestrians about a lack of access to pathways to get across Elgin Street. Temelini also highlighted a contentious date two weeks prior to the incident where he showed up to what was basically chaos at the intersection. "There were flag men in the intersection, there was an excavator at the side of the road, there was excavation going on, there were dump trucks moving gravel, there were pedestrians trying to get across, there were vehicles trying to get in and out." The trial wrapped up on Thursday and judge Karen Lische will return with a decision on June 13. Full story here.
Wednesday's 29 cm snowfall was record-breaking:
Wednesday's snowfall was record-breaking. According to Environment Canada, a total of 29 centimetres of snow fell in Greater Sudbury on Wednesday. The previous record for snowfall for April 4 was 19.8 centimetres in 2009.
Byfield effect: Wolves certain to take Quinton Byfield 1st overall this weekend:
The first name called in the 2018 OHL Draft will be Quinton Byfield to the Sudbury Wolves. Quinton Byfield is the best player in the OHL draft and by a good margin. That’s not to say there isn’t other talent. The top picks all have a chance to make a major impact on the teams they play for, perhaps change a team, but this guy can change a franchise. Now, Wolves fans have a right to be questioning the hype. They’re familiar with the likes of John McFarland and David Levin, although I would strongly argue the latter will make a big impact impact on this team in the next season or two. And with the Wolves, there is always the big draft question: Will the prospect actually say yes to coming here? The answer to that is a yes, a definite yes. Find out more about the future number one pick in Wolves reporter Nick Liard's story here.
Puglife, pug rights: Activists march against animal testing in Sudbury:
Furry faces shouldn't have to suffer on account of painted faces — that's the message a group of activist pet-owners in Greater Sudbury delivered at a downtown march today. Ten humans, five dogs and one cat came out in Nickel City's downtown Thursday, in an effort to draw attention to the sale and manufacture of animal-tested cosmetic products in Canada. New Sudbury Centre Body Shop played host to the march, in co-operation with its campaign partner Cruelty Free International. It was all part of The Body Shop's first National Day of Activism. Find the full story here.
Get ready to roar: It's time to register for the 2018 Dragon Boat Festival:
Registration has opened for the 2018 Sudbury Dragon Boat Festival and it should be a little bit easier to get your name in there thanks to a newly updated website. While July is still several months away, the folks behind the annual Dragon Boat Festival held a press conference today to let the community know the time has come to start thinking "dragon boats." The registration period runs through May, following which teams have six weeks to train in dragon boats. An average of 3,000 people, both spectators and paddlers, attend the festival. This year's races will take place on July 14.
Steelworkers honour Fram family for activism on mine safety:
Almost seven years ago, on June 8, 2011, Jordan Fram, 26, and Jason Chenier, 35, were killed at Vale's Stobie Mine after they were buried by a run of hundreds of tons of muck. Two of Fram's family members — his sister, Briana Fram, and mother, Wendy Fram — were recently honoured by the United Steelworkers union for their efforts to make mines safer and help ensure a similar tragedy never happens again. During the union's health and safety conference in Pittsburgh, they were presented with the J. William Lloyd Award. “The award is given to an individual or organization from outside the union for outstanding contributions to health, safety or environment,” said information about the award on the union's website. “The award honors his combination of academic excellence and committee activism.” In the wake of Jordan's death, the Fram family were active in a committee called MINES, or Mining Inquiry Needs Everyone's Support, pushing for an inquiry into mining safety in Ontario. The province eventually held a review of mining safety, and released a report in 2015 that recommended several changes to legislation.
Meet your Telus Cup Wolves: Rapid fire with NC Wolves centre Joe Mazur (Video):
In the run-up to the Telus Cup on April 23, Sudbury.com is helping you learn a little more about the local players who will be representing the Nickel City at the national event. Every week day around noon, check with us for a new Rapid Fire spotlight on a Nickel Capital Wolves players. on Thursday, we introduced you to Joe Mazur and his lucky No. 7. The Levack native and hockey centre was drafted by the Sudbury Wolves in the seventh round of the 2017 OHL Priority Selection, 129th overall. Spider-Man or Deadpool? Rap or country? Get to know him with this latest rapid fire video, and come back tomorrow to meet another Nickel Capital Wolves player. Check out the video here.
Friday Weather:
More snow expected today, but not at the same magnitude as Wednesday. Forecast is calling for about 5 cm. Friday's high is -1. Snow expected to end in the evening then partly cloudy with 40 per cent chance of flurries. Overnight low will get down to -13. For current weather conditions, short-term and long-term forecasts visit Sudbury.com's weather page at www.sudbury.com/weather.
