Northern Lights Festival Boréal runs until Sunday evening
The 47th edition of Northern Lights Festival Boréal continues Saturday and Sunday. Headliners include indie pop band Alvvays on Saturday and father-and-son team Bill and Joel Plaskett on Sunday. Check out an interview we did with Joel Plaskett ahead of his NLFB appearance here. Visit nlfb.ca for tickets and a full schedule.
With third-party review done, HSN now expected to make job cuts
Human resources personnel with Health Sciences North will meet soon with its bargaining units to discuss eliminating 51 full-time equivalent positions, affecting 64 employees, as the hospital struggles to contain costs. Those conversations will follow the presentation of a third-party validation review of HSN’s proposed 2018-2019 budget. It was completed in April, but could not be implemented until the review was done. The review prompted the North East Local Health Integration Network to allocate additional one-time funding of $4.8 million to HSN to reduce its deficit for the 2018-2019 fiscal year. Board directors with HSN approved a budget in April with an $11.1-million deficit that would have cut 113 positions among management and non-union staff and unionized employees. Thirty-seven non-union jobs were to be cut and 76 union jobs eliminated but that number has been reduced because of the extra funding. The hospital has also said about 50 management and non-union jobs have been cut. The review was conducted by Kevin Empey, former chief executive officer of Lakeridge Health, with support from accounting firm BDO including Michael Barrett, former CEO of the South West LHIN.
City of Greater Sudbury under a fire ban
Due to extreme heat and dry conditions, the City of Greater Sudbury has declared a ban on all open air burning throughout the entire city, effective immediately.
All open air fires, including campfires, chiminea fireplaces, crop residue fires, fireworks, and any other type of outdoor burning, are prohibited. All open air fire permits have been cancelled for the duration of the ban. Gas-fired and charcoal barbecues are exempt from the fire ban. Should a violation of the fire ban result in a response by firefighters, the individuals responsible could be charged for the full cost of fire services.
GrEATer Sudbury's Best: Who makes the best fries in town?
Last summer, Sudbury.com introduced a new video series named Summer's Best. Each week we asked you, the readers, to vote for Sudbury's best beach, best patio, best golf course, chip stand and more. Our staff had a lot fun exploring all the best our city has to offer and the response was so great that we decided to do it again! Only this time, we are dedicating this year's series to food and drink! It's going to be the summer of food! Every Friday this summer, we will ask you to tell us who serves the most delicious, most mouth-watering, finger-licking feasts in all of Greater Sudbury. By the end of the season, you will have a guide to Sudbury's best steak, burger, summer dessert, cocktail and more!
City looks to hire an integrity commissioner
If approved by city council at their July 10 meeting, Greater Sudbury will have an integrity commissioner in place by the end of the year. The commissioner would be Robert Swayze, who is serving that role for several Ontario municipalities, including Elliot Lake, Guelph, Mississauga and Ottawa. His was the lowest acceptable bid the city received. He will received a retainer and will be paid an hourly rate when he services are needed. While the report didn't include the rates, in Sarnia, where he's also commissioner, he's paid an annual retainer of $3,000, plus bills $280 an hour for his work. Full story here.
Weekend weather:
It looks like pretty much a perfect summer weekend is ahead. Saturday will be sunny, wind becoming southwest 20 km/h in the afternoon, with a high of 27 C. UV index 9 or very high. Sunday there will be a mix of sun and cloud and a high of 29 C. Sunday night there will be cloudy periods with a 60 per cent chance of showers. Low of 17 C. For current weather conditions, short-term and long-term forecasts visit Sudbury.com's weather page at www.sudbury.com/weather.
