Good morning, Greater Sudbury.
Here are some stories to start your weekend.
City has 434 names on annual sunshine list:
CAO Ed Archer was the highest paid municipal employee last year, according to the province's annual sunshine list released Friday. Archer, who became CAO in May 2016, earned $261,652.69 and $9,689.52 in taxable benefits last year, according to information from Public Sector Salary Disclosure Act, which provides salary details for every provincial and municipal bureaucrat who makes more than $100,000. Police chief Paul Pedersen was next on the list, with a salary of $241,980.40 along with $16,646.58 in taxable benefits. The pair are two of six executives to take home more than $200,000 in 2017 in Greater Sudbury. The others are community services GM Catherine Matheson ($215,179.28/$8,310.28 ), infrastructure GM. Find more on this story here.
Sunshine List: LU prof paid almost $700K in 2017:
When it comes to the salaries of local education sector workers, there's a surprise this year with the Public Sector Salary Disclosure Act. Nicknamed the “Sunshine List,” the document lists all public sector workers who were paid $100,000 or more in a given year. Ozhand Ganjavi, a Laurentian University professor of finance and operations in the faculty of management, is listed as earning a salary of $686,760 in 2017. In 2016, he earned $165,481, meaning his salary saw a drastic jump in just a year. Laurentian University chief of staff Alex Freedman provided an explanation for this anomaly. Ganjavi, who had 36 years of service with the university, was one of the staff members affected by the university's decision to no longer operate out of Barrie, he said. Most of the Barrie employees either transferred to the Sudbury campus or opted for a salary continuance, Freedman said. Ganjavi, however, chose to take a severance package. Full story can be found here.
Number of local police personnel making $100K a year rises to 200:
The number of people working for the Greater Sudbury Police who make $100,000 or more rose to 200 in 2017, according to a report reviewed this week by the police services board. First passed by former Premier Mike Harris in 1996, the Public Sector Salary Disclosure Act – informally known as the sunshine list – is an annual report detailing everyone working for provincial and municipal governments who make $100,000 or more. The list includes where the employee works, and how much they took home in salary and related benefits. In the 22 years since the Act was passed, the list has grown substantially, particularly in recent years. For police, the list had 182 names in 2016, rising by 18 last year. While a detailed breakdown won't be available until the list is formally released (which must occur by March 31 every year), police in Sudbury have 264 police officers of varying ranks, as well as 176 civilian full- and part-time staff.
Charges laid in pair of pharmacy robberies:
Greater Sudbury Police arrested and charged a 27-year-old man in connection to a pair of pharmacy robberies on Long Lake Road. On Sunday, March 18 at around 4:15 p.m. a man with the hood of his sweatshirt over his head entered a pharmacy on Long Lake Road and approached the prescription medication counter. The man asked the employee at the counter for prescription medication that falls under the Controlled Drug and Substances Act. The man stated that he had a weapon and demanded to have the pills right away. The employee gave him the pills and he left the pharmacy on foot. On March 20, a similar encounter occurred and on March 21, Greater Sudbury Police officers arrested and charged a 27-year-old man on Paris Street.
Provide your ideas, help city win $10M prize:
The City of Greater Sudbury is taking part in the Smart Cities Challenge issued by the Government of Canada, calling on communities of our size to submit big ideas for a chance to win up to $10 million. The competition is open to all municipalities, local or regional governments and Indigenous communities. The challenge encourages communities to adopt a smart cities approach to improve the lives of their residents through innovation, data and connected technology. To share your ideas, sign up on city’s public engagement platform found at overtoyou.greatersudbury.ca. Once signed up, click on the Smart Cities Challenge icon to proceed to the survey. To compile the information the city receives and prepare the submission before the challenge deadline of April 24, feedback will be accepted until April 6.
Demolition of iron ore plant to be complete by year's end, says Vale:
Going green has many benefits, especially when it results in significant cost savings ranging in the millions. Vale will save about $6 million by recycling most of the scrap metal that will be left over once the Copper Cliff iron ore recovery plant is demolished. The original price tag was just over $8 million, but the contractor who will demolish the facility will take the scrap metal for recycling purposed, cutting the cost down to just over $2 million, said Angie Robson, spokesperson for Vale. Demolition work began in August 2017 and it will be completed by the end of this year, she said. The plant operated from the mid-1950s until the mid-1980s.
Why not join 80,000 other people in Verner IN 2019 for the International Plowing Match?
It may be a year and a half away, but preparations are getting underway for one of the biggest agricultural expos in the province as it returns to the North after a decade. The community of Verner, located about an hour east of Sudbury, has been selected to host the International Plowing Match and Rural Expo. From Sept. 17 to 21, 2019, the event is expected to attract around 80,000 people to the area with its broad range of offerings, from competitive mechanical and heavy horse plowing to commerce from the more than 600 vendors expected to attend, selling everything from large equipment to household goods and food. The event also boasts many cultural attractions, including cooking demonstrations, traditional Indigenous dances, live music, games, rodeo events and regional culture showcases. Find out more about the event here.
