Good morning, Greater Sudbury.
Here are some stories to start your day.
Defence strategy emerges at Sudbury bribery trial:
The defence strategy at the Sudbury byelection bribery trial was on display Thursday, as the trial's first day wrapped up in the Ontario Court of Justice on Cedar Street. Lawyer Michael Lacy, representing Gerry Lougheed Jr., repeatedly tried to get Andrew Olivier to admit he knew that he had no chance of being the candidate for the Liberals in the February 2015 byelection. Lougheed, a Liberal fundraiser at the time, and Pat Sorbara, the then Ontario Liberal Party CEO, are accused under the Election Act of offering Olivier a job or appointment to get him to step aside for Glenn Thibeault, who was Wynne's preferred candidate. More on this story can be found here.
Here’s the unreleased recording Olivier made of Pat Sorbara:
The first day of the Elections Act bribery case against prominent local Liberal Gerry Lougheed Jr. and the party’s former CEO Patricia Sorbara came complete with a new unreleased recording. You might remember the recordings Andrew Olivier, who hoped to be the Liberal candidate in the Sudbury byelection, made of the conversations he had with Lougheed and Sorbara that are at the centre of this bribery case. The new recording, not heard before court on Thursday, takes us back even farther in time: before it was known Glenn Thibeault wanted to jump ship from the federal NDP to the provincial Liberals and just after Joe Cimino announced his brief time as Sudbury’s NDP MPP was over. The recording can be heard here.
Here are some of the high-profile witnesses in Sudbury byelection bribery trial:
Inside a courtroom at the provincial building downtown, the Sudbury byelection bribery trial got underway Thursday. The only witness called so far was Andrew Olivier, the man who hoped to be the Liberal candidate in the 2015 Sudbury byelection and the man whose secret recordings of prominent local Liberal Gerry Lougheed Jr. and former Ontario Liberal Party CEO Patricia Sorbara led to the scandal that led to the court case unfolding this month in the Nickel City. But who else is slated to take the witness stand, you might be wondering? The witness list is long and includes some high-profile members of the city’s and the province’s political class, such as Ontario Premier Kathleen Wynne, MPP Glenn Thibeault, former Sudbury MPP and cabinet minister Rick Bartolucci, and Marianne Matichuk, the former mayor of the City of Greater Sudbury. Find the full witness list here.
Vale suspending operations at Clarabelle Mill crushing plant:
Vale in Sudbury is shuttering yet another section of its mining operations, this time it's Clarabelle Mill's crushing plant. It was confirmed by Northern Ontario Business on Thursday that Vale was moving ahead with the closure. This coming on just months after the closure of the historic Stobie Mine, which the company said at the time was due to low metal prices and declining ore grades. “Due to the fact that we are processing less ore as a result of the recent suspension of operations at Stobie Mine, we no longer require the crushing area within Clarabelle Mill,” Angie Robson, manager of corporate affairs for Ontario operations at Vale, stated in an e-mail. “Going forward, the plant will run as a SAG (semi-autonomous grinding) Mill only.”
Police issue warning about dangerous dog that bit two people roaming downtown, West End :
Greater Sudbury Police have issued a public safety alert about a dangerous dog on the loose in the downtown or West End areas. The dog, described to be a black and brown mix and not wearing a collar, is believed to have bitten two people in separate incidents, police said in a tweet issued at around 8 a.m. Sept. 7. The incidents were reported by Health Sciences North Thursday morning. Animal control has been advised of the situation. If you see the animal, do not approach it and call police.
Blue-green algae confirmed on Lake Nepahwin:
The Ministry of the Environment and Climate Change has advised the Sudbury & District Health Unit that results from samples taken Sept. 5 from Laurentian University Beach on Lake Nepahwin are positive for blue-green algae. The samples contained a species of cyanobacteria that can produce toxins. The Health Unit’s signs remain in place on Laurentian University Beach.
French Catholic education in Ontario turns 20:
With the beginning of the school year comes the 20th anniversary of French-language Catholic school boards in Ontario. There are eight French-language Catholic school boards in Ontario. Catholic schools have reached a place of honour in the Ontario school system, said a press release issued by Conseil scolaire catholique du Nouvel-Ontario. In a news release, the Conseil scolaire catholique Nouvel-Ontario pointed to what it called the high achievement of French Catholic students, high graduation rates among its students and the boards' "holistic approach" to education.
Friday weather:
Look for a mix of sun and cloud Friday with the daytime high holding steady around 15. Parly cloudy this evening, and if you're heading outdoors you might want to bring a jacket as the evening low is going to dip to 3. For current weather conditions, short-term and long-term forecasts visit Sudbury.com's weather page at www.sudbury.com/weather.
