Good morning, Greater Sudbury.
Here are some stories to start your day.
Economic drawbacks of Kingsway event centre won't outweigh its benefits: report:
It makes no sense to build an arena development on The Kingsway and build a convention centre downtown, says the man leading the fight to stop a casino being built in Greater Sudbury, and a report he and a group of supporters paid for backs that up. Tom Fortin says the economics of building the Kingsway Entertainment District haven't been properly analyzed in terms of the impact it will have on other areas of the city. Fortin, who confirmed at a news conference Tuesday morning he will be appealing the rezoning of The Kingsway property to allow for the arena and casino, said he an other businesses paid for a analysis of the plan, conducted by a firm called urbanMetrics. Find the full story here.
Levack man admits he drugged, assaulted his common-law spouse:
A Sudbury woman says she has never felt more "betrayed, violated and terrified" than when she discovered her common-law spouse of five years had been drugging her so he could sexually assault her. The man who admitted to assaulting her, Rodney Brydges, pleaded guilty to charges of assault and administering a noxious substance and was sentenced on March 12. Brydges was originally charged with sexual assault, forcible confinement and criminal harassment, as well as the charge of administering a noxious substance. He agreed to plead guilty to the lesser charge of assault, as well as the noxious substance charge. He received an 18-month conditional sentence consisting of six months house arrest, six months curfew, and six months supervision to keep the peace. Full story can be found here.
Taxi fares could jump as cabbies struggle under new minimum wage:
The recent increase in Ontario's minimum wage has hit local taxi companies hard, says a staff report up for debate next week. The report recommends allowing companies to hike their rates by five per cent in the city, which would make a cab ride in Greater Sudbury among the most expensive in Northern Ontario. On March 20, members of the finance and administration committee will vote whether to approve the increase, which would take effect April 10. Currently, it costs passengers $3.75 as soon as they get in a cab in Sudbury – a fee called the 'drop rate' — and are charged 25 cents per 100 metres, $2.50 a kilometre, or $40 an hour for waiting. More on this story here.
Gun scare closes mall food court:
A 17-year-old Sudbury man is facing charges after an altercation between a few people at the Rainbow Mall food court Monday afternoon led to false reports of a gun being drawn. Businesses near the food court were locked down for an hour while Greater Sudbury Police investigated the report. Police communications coordinator Kaitlyn Dunn said in an email police got the call around 1:30 p.m. “The caller advised the communications centre that a young man was seen removing what was believed to be a firearm from his backpack and he proceeded to place the firearm in the waistband of his pants,” Dunn said in the email. “The individuals then went their separate ways.” A description of the suspect led to a police search of the area and he was found at 2:40 walking on Elm Street. “The young man was found to be in possession of a replica firearm that was located in his backpack,” Dunn said. “The 17-year old young man was arrested and charged with possession of a dangerous weapon.” The fake firearm was seized by police and will be destroyed.
You're invited: Public meetings scheduled for next week on Kingsway arena, casino rezoning:
Greater Sudbury's planning committee is inviting the public to comment on plans to approve rezoning applications for the new arena and casino planned for land on The Kingsway. Planning meetings will be held March 26 and March 28 on three applications for rezoning “to permit a recreation and community centre in the form of a public arena, a parking lot as a permitted use, and an application for an Official Plan amendment and rezoning to permit a place of amusement in the form of a casino,” the city said in a news release. The applications are submitted by property owner Dario Zulich and his partner, Perry Dellelce, through the numbered company 1916596 Ontario Ltd., for property on the north side of the Kingsway, northwest of Levesque Street in Sudbury. The meetings are public hearings on the applications, meaning each resident in attendance can speak on the issue for five minutes. The meeting will be held council chambers at Tom Davies Square, on both days beginning at 4:30 p.m.
Shows shot in Sudbury, North Bay bring home 8 trophies from Canadian Screen Awards:
Northern Ontario-shot television shows “Cardinal” and “Letterkenny” won a total of eight awards at the 2018 Canadian Screen Awards on March 11. Music and Film in Motion sent out a press release, saying it is “thrilled to congratulate the cast, crews and everyone else involved” in the productions. “Cardinal” won six awards, including Best Lead Actor, Drama/Limited Series won by Billy Campbell, and Best Supporting Actress, Drama which was won by Allie MacDonald “Letterkenny” took home two awards, Best Direction in a Comedy and Best Writing in the comedy category.
Greater Sudbury couple ties the knot at top of North Bay ski hill:
Weddings are meant to be a personal reflection of the bride and groom. Kayla Whalen loves to snowboard. Neil Fleming loves to ski. On Saturday, March 10, the couple combined their love of the sport, with their love for each other, and were married at an outdoor wedding, at the top of Laurentian Ski Hill in North Bay. “It had always been a dream of mine since I was a little kid. It was something that I didn’t think would actually happen, but it was a dream and we started looking into it after Neil proposed,” said Whalen. “I’ve been skiing since I was probably five or six years old. Some of the first dates we went on were skiing. Since then we’ve gone on lots of skiing trips. We’ve been across Northern Ontario and Southern Ontario, out east, and to Vermont, so it’s one of our passions." The couple is from the small community of Dowling, in Greater Sudbury.
Wednesday Weather:
The sun is being stubborn this week, as Wednesday is calling for more cloudy skies. There's a 30 per cent chance of flurries in the morning. Clearing in the afternoon. Wednesday's high will be plus-1. Increasing cloudiness overnight with the low falling to -9. For current weather conditions, short-term and long-term forecasts visit Sudbury.com's weather page at www.sudbury.com/weather.
