Good morning, Greater Sudbury.
Here are some stories to start your day.
Miner killed in 2014 wanted out of Lockerby Mine: wife
Normand Bisaillon wanted out of what he had described as "that hellhole" Lockerby Mine, before a May 6, 2014 incident took his life, along with the life of 34-year-old Marc Methe. The two were killed while working as miners in the Lockerby Mine, which was owned by First Nickel Inc. at the time. The company had more than 70 of its own employees, but also hired contractors such as Taurus Drilling Services, which was the direct employer of both men. First Nickel was fined $1.3 million on Feb. 20, in connection to the deaths, and those who were in court on Tuesday heard from those impacted, as family members of both Methe and Bisaillon had statements entered into the record. Full story can be found here.
First Nickel hit with largest fine in Ontario history:
First Nickel Inc. was fined $1.3 million on Feb. 20 by Justice David Stone in relation to the May 2014 deaths of a pair of miners who were working at Lockerby Mine. The ruling of six guilty counts by Stone prompted Crown counsel David McCaskill to seek fines totalling $1.5 million, and after more than an hour of deliberation, Stone responded with fines $200,000 short of the crown's request, but still makes it the highest fine against any mining company in Ontario of all time. Miners at Lockerby Mine Marc Methe, 34, and Norm Bisaillon, 49, were killed May 6, 2014 after 12 tonnes of material fell from above, trapping and asphyxiating the two men. Stone found First Nickel Inc. guilty of six of eight Ontario Health and Safety Act (OHSA) charges laid against them, while Taurus Drilling Services, the company that employed the two men, were found not guilt of the four charges laid against them in the case. Read more here.
Verdict is in on Vagnini and Montpellier harassment investigation:
Greater Sudbury councillors Michael Vagnini and Gerry Montpellier will be holding a press conference on Feb. 21 to speak about the investigation into harassment claims against them. According to a media release, the verdict is in from the investigation report on harassment charges against four Sudbury citizens, which includes the two councillors, along with Lively resident Travis Morgan and Vagnini's advisor Tom Price. "Full reports will only be made available to other councillors, not Vagnini and Montpellier," said the release. "The report will be discussed in-camera on Wednesday in a closed meeting. Staff has stated that they have decided councillors Vagnini and Montpellier will not be allowed access to the full report like other councillors." Questions from the public will follow Wednesday's press conference, which will be held at the Lexington Hotel on Brady Street at 1 p.m. Sudbury.com will bring you coverage from the press conference, so be sure to check back with us for more.
No open-pit mines for the Ring of Fire:
Noront Resources doesn’t intend to dig open-pit mines in the James Bay lowlands even though the abundance and the proximity of the rich chromite ore bodies to surface might dictate otherwise. “It’s a natural ore body for open-pit mining,” said Noront president-CEO Allan Coutts during the Great Sudbury Chamber of Commerce's Procurement, Employment and Partnerships Conference on Feb. 6. “However we’ve said quite categorically, we’re not going to approach it as an open pit.” As the largest landholder in the Ring of Fire, Coutts said the thickness of their string of chromite deposits range between 10 and 30 metres, and come right to surface. If they were designing these mine projects 10 to 20 years ago, Coutts said these deposits would certainly be mined by open pit methods. But pits generate plenty of waste rock, often disturb a large swath of land, and the water that seeps into the pits has to be treated before it’s pumped back into the environment. More on this story here.
Snowmobile operator seriously injured after collision:
On Feb. 16 at around 11:05 p.m., officers from the Sudbury Detachment of the OPP and EMS responded to a collision involving a snowmobile, on Graveyard Lake, in the Township of Beaumont. Investigation revealed that the snowmobile collided with the shoreline. The driver was airlifted to hospital with serious injuries. The incident is still under investigation with the assistance of the OPP Technical Collision Investigation unit. Updates will be provided as more information becomes available.
Who doesn’t want to host an army of garbage-eating worms living in their kitchen?
If you are a gardener, or even an angler, you would hug a worm if you could. But the idea of bringing them in your home? Well, that might take a little convincing. But when you see the perfect ‘black gold’ that worms can make, in your kitchen, with just a little help from you, you’ll probably change your tune. Not only is composting great for your garden, it’s wonderful from an environmental standpoint as well. Waste diversion – the process of diverting waste away from landfills through reduce, reuse, recycle and compost activities – is incredibly important to the city’s future, said Renée Brownlee, manager of solid waste and administrative services for the City of Greater Sudbury. Full story here.
Late charge for Confederation leads to city title:
When it comes to the big game showdowns, the Confederation Chargers just seem to have the number of the Lockerby Vikings. The elite two of the SDSSAA Division "A" Senior Girls volleyball ranks were meeting for a third straight year in the city finals this past weekend. While the teams were viewed as certainly being close in overall talent, it was the Vikings who had established regular season and tournament dominance. It was the Chargers who got the last laugh however, as they bounced back from a 2-0 set deficit to claim the city title.
Tuesday Weather:
Expect a few flurries ending early in the morning then clearing. Temperature falling to -3 in the morning then steady throughout the day. A few clouds this evening with the low dropping off to -13. For current weather conditions, short-term and long-term forecasts visit Sudbury.com's weather page at www.sudbury.com/weather.
