Good morning, Greater Sudbury
Here are some stories to start your day.
Candlelight vigil draws large crowd to Memorial Park:
Memorial Park in the city's downtown was the site of a gathering of more than 100 people on Tuesday evening, as a candlelight vigil was held in solidarity with the victims of an attack at a Quebec City mosque. The attack on Jan. 29 claimed the lives of six men who were praying at the mosque when the attack took place. The vigil in Memorial Park was organized by Aédan Daniel Charest, Monique Beaudoin and Laurie Magaulie. For a full story and video from the vigil, click here.
New emergency alert system will roll out this year:
Greater Sudbury is preparing to roll out its new mass public emergency system, known as Sudbury Alerts. The city bought the Everbridge system through a funding agreement with Vale and plans to implement it at the end of March. It makes uses of a number of platforms – email, desktop alerts, text messages, etc. – to alert Sudburians in case there's an incident that presents a threat to public safety. Be sure to check back with Sudbury.com for more on this story later today.
Meeting with CN fails to get railway to limit delays at crossings:
Following complaints from residents, the city's emergency services committee will get an overview next week on the rules governing how long trains can hold up traffic. The report follows a motion passed in November from Ward 7 Coun. Mike Jakubo that called for a limit of 12 minutes for trains to clear public crossings. What prompted his motion was the fact that in Capreol, trains have blocked roads for as long as 30 to 40 minutes. And Capreol residents who attended a town hall hosted by Nickel Belt MP Marc Serré in October raised concerns about the unusually long delays causing public safety concerns at the Young Street rail crossing.
'Queen of Mean' Lisa Lampanelli headlines LOL Sudbury:
Lisa Lampanelli is the headliner for the 2017 edition of the Laugh Out Loud (LOL) Sudbury Comedy Festival, organizers announced Tuesday. The LOL Sudbury Comedy Festival runs March 18-26. Lampanelli will close out the festival on Sunday, March 26 at the Fraser Auditorium starting at 7 p.m. One of the most high-profile insult comics, Lampanelli is a cross between Don Rickles, Archie Bunker, and a vial of estrogen, said a press release from LOL Sudbury. For other headliners and more on the festival, click here.
Let United Way volunteers help you file your taxes:
United Way Sudbury and Nipissing Districts will be offering a bit of relief to low-income individuals and families when the Community Volunteer Income Tax Program opens at its new office location, 957 Cambrian Heights Drive, Unit 201, from Mar. 1 through Apr. 28. Individuals earning up to $30,000, couples earning up to $40,000 combined, and one adult/one child pairs earning up to $35,000 qualify to have their 2016 and 2015 tax filings completed by trained volunteers. Individuals or couples with more than one child still qualify as long as their income is limited to $2,500 for each additional dependent. Read more about this program here.
Sudburian to become first woman to serve as Bishop of the Diocese of Algoma:
The Venerable Anne Germond is to be consecrated and installed as the 11th Bishop of the Anglican Diocese of Algoma on Feb. 11, 9:30 a.m., at St. Luke’s Cathedral in Sault Ste. Marie. She will be the first woman to serve as bishop of the Diocese. The service will gather clergy and people from across the Diocese, bishops from across the province and elsewhere in Canada, and a number of other church and civil dignitaries. Find the full story here.
Wednesday weather:
Snow is expected to be falling on Greater Sudbury until around noon today. Mainly cloudy skies with a high of around -7. For current weather conditions, short-term and long-term forecasts visit Sudbury.com's weather page at www.sudbury.com/weather.
