Happy Tuesday morning, Greater Sudbury. Here are a few stories to start off your Jan. 9.
We can host convention centre, too, Rainbow mall says
There is room in the Rainbow Centre for the art gallery, library and convention centre, says the man co-ordinating the mall's efforts to attract non-retail tenants into the mall. Robert Green, project co-ordinator with Vista Sudbury Hotel Inc., said in an interview that city staff came to them looking for proposals for just the art gallery and the library. "That's what we were told all along,” Green said. “If they had come to us and said, we want to explore all of these possibilities, yes we could have done that ... The fact of the matter is, they never asked us that." Read the full story here.
HP Canada recalling certain batteries due to fire hazard
Health Canada says HP Inc. Canada is recalling certain lithium-ion batteries used in notebook computers and mobile workstations because they can overheat and cause a fire hazard. The recall involves batteries that are not consumer replaceable and were either sold installed or separately as replacements. Health Canada says that as of Dec. 18, 2017, HP Canada had not received any reports of incidents or injuries in Canada but there have been eight reports of overheating batteries in the United States and one reported injury. Read the full story here.
Gateway responds to Sudbury's anti-casino lobby allegations
Gateway Casinos has responded to a number of claims made during a town hall meeting hosted by a group of Sudbury casino detractors on Jan. 3. During that town hall meeting, local businessman and leader of CasinoFreeSudbury, Tom Fortin argued that a casino in Sudbury would cater largely to Sudburians and that the city is still remote and lacks a significant outside tourist base. Fortin said his data shows Sudbury could only draw on 65,000 people of legal gambling age within a driving radius of 90 minutes. But Robert Mitchell, director of communications and public affairs with Gateway Casinos, said despite Fortin's claims, the casino operator has done detailed market analysis of Northern Ontario and believes the attraction will draw from a much larger population base than what Fortin's numbers suggest. Read the full story here.
Exhibit of 2,000 moccasin tops remembers missing and murdered Indigenous women
The 2,000 vamps (moccasin tops) are spread out artfully on the floor in a large room at the McEwen School of Architecture. Most of them designed for women's moccasins, many are beaded, but some are painted, adorned with fur or even made with fish scales. They feature animals, flowers and even women's faces. The vamps are part of the Walking With Our Sisters Memorial Art Installation, which has been touring the country since 2013. It will be on display at the architecture school until Jan. 17. Read the full story here.
NAN responds to Sen. Lynn Beyak being removed from Conservative caucus
The Nishnawbe Aski Nation Grand Chief expressed approval after seeing Tory Senator Lynn Beyak removed from the Conservative Party caucus. "I’m pretty sure the Conservative party realized it is the right thing to do," Grand chief Alvin Fiddler said in an interview with CKPR. "I think she lost all credibility with the public and its obvious she doesn’t have the support of her party." Party leader Andrew Scheer removed Beyak late Thursday night after she refused to remove letters from her website that were deemed racist. The letters were from Canadians supporting her position on residential schools. Read the full story here.
First of two public hearings on Kingsway arena, casino set for Jan. 22
In what's expected to be one of the more heated public hearings in Greater Sudbury's history, the first of two public meetings on rezoning the Kingsway entertainment district is set for Jan. 22. The public can have their say at the city's planning committee meeting, which starts 4:30 p.m., an hour earlier than normal. The $100-million arena requires a rezoning to permit a recreation and community centre, while the $60-million casino requires an Official Plan amendment and rezoning to allow a place of amusement. Read the full story here.
Tuesday forecast to be a perfect winter day
After an extended period of extreme cold weather and then snowy weather Sunday and Monday morning, it looks like Tuesday is going to be a perfect winter day. It's going to be sunny and -7 C. Tuesday night will be clear with a low of -11 C.
