Good morning, Greater Sudbury! Here are a few stories to start your weekend.
Teenagers praised as life-savers for administering CPR
Credited with saving the life of a motorist experiencing cardiac arrest, local teens Tyler Brouillette and Levi Owl were celebrated as heroes during a ceremony on Friday morning. During the event at Lasalle Secondary School, both young men received a Rescue Award from the Advanced Coronary Treatment Foundation, and a Good Neighbours Award from Sudbury NDP MPP Jamie West as dignitaries and guests cheered them on. Awards are nice, but both teenagers told Sudbury.com after the ceremony that the fact they saved a life is the part most likely to stick with them. “It’s surreal,” Owl, 18, a graduate of Collége Notre-Dame, said. “It’s definitely something to be proud of,” Brouillette, 17, a Lasalle Secondary School student, said. “It was not something we expected, so the fact that she’s here with us and doing better is a really good feeling.” Exchanging loving looks with the two young men who saved her life, Claudette Lecuyer said “there are no words” to describe how she feels.
Woman shot in downtown weapons incident
A 41-year-old woman was taken to hospital with serious injuries after being shot in a weapons incident in downtown Sudbury Thursday evening. Police say they were dispatched to a weapons complaint at Lisgar Street at Elm Street at around 7:45 p.m. May 4. They say several individuals were involved in an altercation. During the altercation, a man pointed a firearm at another man. However, the man pushed the gun away and the gun discharged, leading to a woman who had been involved in the initial altercation being shot. The 41-year-old woman was transported to hospital with serious injuries by City of Greater Sudbury Paramedic Services. At 7:50 p.m. officers located the man believed to be responsible for the shooting walking on Brady Street at Minto Street. The man was taken into custody without incident. Upon searching the man, officers located a gun, a taser and illicit drugs believed to be crystal methamphetamine and fentanyl.
Ontario's registered practical nurses are tired and fed up
Ontario's Registered Practical Nurses (RPNs) believe they are overworked, underpaid and certainly stressed out. That's according to recent polling carried out by Nanos Research for the Ontario Council of Hospital Unions (OCHU), CUPE (Canadian Union of Public Employees) and the SEIU Healthcare union. It was the reason that more than 1,000 RPNs were polled just in advance of Nursing Week (May 8-14) , said Sharon Richer, the secretary-treasurer of the Ontario Council of Hospital Unions. She said the polling showed that more than 60 per cent of the RPNs who responded had considered leaving their jobs. "And you know, the facts that we actually received under that poll are pretty alarming, particularly here at Health Sciences North, and at the Continuing Care just down the road St. Joe's Continuing Care," said Richer. She said despite all the reasons for leaving, the RPNs were asked what would make them stay on the job.
No More Stolen Sisters: Sudbury honours Red Dress Day
Dressed in red shirts and ribbon skirts, with the smell of sage in the air, around 100 Anishinaabe-Kwe and allies walked through downtown Sudbury Friday morning to mark Red Dress Day. The sound of drums, of singing, and of mothers, sisters and aunties giggling filled the air; a release of sorts, coming together to remember those they have lost. Each year, May 5, Red Dress Day, is the day to remember the thousands of missing and murdered Indigenous women, girls and two-spirit people. In Sudbury, that meant a community walk beginning from the Elm Street location of host organization N’Swakamok Native Friendship Centre, and presentations from community organizations about human trafficking. It’s a crisis that disproportionately affects women Indigenous women and girls, and the women of Northern Ontario, with Sudbury considered a “hub.”
Cambrian's Innovation Centre welcomes $50K donation
BESTECH, a Sudbury-based engineering firm, made a $50,000 donation to the Battery Electric Vehicle (BEV) lab at Cambrian College on Thursday as a way to help ensure more students trained in the technology are moving into the marketplace. The new lab is an extension of the Glencore Centre for Innovation and the more specialized Centre of Smart Mining. BESTECH president Patrick Fantin said the idea of sponsoring the new lab was an easy choice for his company. "The BEV lab positively impacts every priority set out by our employees. And those are in industry growth, education, environment, environmental reclamation, and, of course, reconciliation efforts." said Fantin. "BESTECH was founded on the idea of bringing mining innovation to the North. That was back in 1995, and we have remained steadfast in this mission. We work with community partners like Cambrian College, because they share that vision of Sudbury as well, as a hub for economic excellence and industry innovation," said Fantin. He said it is no surprise to anyone that the mining industry is in the midst of a significant shift toward the use of battery electric vehicles (BEVs).
Coronation means free admission to Science North Saturday
In honour of King Charles III’s coronation Saturday, Ontario is offering free admission to a number of provincial sites and parks. Parks with free admission that are within striking distance of Greater Sudbury include French River Provincial Park, Killarney Provincial Park and Spanish River Provincial Park. A full list is available here. Visitors are able to book their free day use permit online. Science North is also among the 10 major cultural attractions in Ontario that are offering free admission on Saturday. If you happen to be out of town, other Ontario attractions offering free admission Saturday include: Art Gallery of Ontario, Fort William Historical Park, McMichael Canadian Art Collection, Niagara Parks’ Butterfly Conservatory and Floral Showhouse, Ontario Science Centre, Royal Botanical Gardens, Royal Ontario Museum, Sainte-Marie among the Hurons and Upper Canada Village.
The sun might come out this weekend!
Finally a sunny Saturday, but Sunday may have a bit of wet weather in the forecast. Saturday will be cloudy, but the sun will peek through, and warmer temperatures with a high of 15 might bring the spring we’ve all been waiting for. Saturday night will cool to a low of 6. Sunday may bring a few showers, with a 30 per cent chance of precipitation, but that doesn’t mean it won’t be a warm one, with a cloudy day hitting a high of 17. Overnight Sunday is a low of 7, but the chance of rain stays the same.
