Good morning, Greater Sudbury! Here are a few stories to start your day on this Thursday morning.
City OK’d to purchase more derelict downtown properties
Greater Sudbury city council greenlit the city’s purchase of 352-362 Elgin St. at a cost of $1 million to be funded via city reserves. The decision came during a closed session of city council on Tuesday and unanimously ratified during the meeting’s public portion. “That building, as we know, is completely decrepit,” Mayor Paul Lefebvre explained after the meeting. “It is unsafe even for our staff to get into, and EMS to get into, and it’s at a point of no return. It’s boarded up and the owner wanted to sell it.” The multi-unit residential building, he added, is “a liability on so many levels, we needed to act on it ... quickly.” The wires and plumbing have already been torn out of the building, Lefebvre added, the roof is leaking and mould throughout the building has caused a health issue.
Nurses union unhappy about arbitration with Health Sciences North
Health Sciences North (HSN) is in the midst of arbitration with the Ontario Nurses' Association (ONA), which is seeking to reach a new work contract for 900 members of the health-care profession’s bargaining unit. ONA said it is not happy that the union and the hospital are resorting to arbitration to settle a new contract that is two years past due. “It is appalling that our skilled and dedicated health-care professionals have received so little respect from their employer and have been forced into arbitration for a new contract,” said ONA President Erin Ariss, RN. “If HSN had any regard for those on the front lines who provide such value to patients, they would have fairly negotiated a respectful contract. Instead of prioritizing the working conditions of those who deliver patient care, they have left our members severely short staffed and struggling to provide care and diagnostic services," Ariss added. ONA said this particular bargaining unit does not represent nurses but the health specialties that are impacted by shortages: Respiratory Therapists, Pathologist assistants, Lab Technicians, Radiation Therapists, Medical Radiation Technologists (N), Physiotherapists, Occupational Therapists, Speech Language Pathologists, Pharmacy Technicians, Prosthetic and Orthotic Technicians, and Perfusionists.
Hail Mary falls flat: Beaver Lake fire station still closing
Despite an effort by two city council members to save it, the Beaver Lake emergency services station is still slated to close this week. Ward 7 Coun. Natalie Labbée and Ward 2 Coun. Eric Benoit’s resolution to keep the station open until at least Sept. 15, 2025 received only five votes of support against seven nays during Tuesday night’s city council meeting. As such, city staff’s direction to close the station this week, amalgamate services with the Waters station and negotiate an automatic aid agreement with Nairn Centre, remains in place. A group of Beaver Lake-area residents attended Tuesday’s meeting to show support for their community’s emergency services station. “There’s an awful lot of hours that went into this disappointment,” community advocate Ralph Prentice told Sudbury.com after the meeting while a group of his dejected neighbours chatted in frustrated tones in the lobby of Tom Davies Square.
Family’s $250K donation pays for new Laurentian gym floor
The existing flooring and subfloor in the Ben Avery Gym will be replaced this summer thanks to one family's generous donation. Danica Robertson and Robert Martin are the parents of a current Laurentian student and say they felt inspired by their family’s experience with the university. “We believe that Laurentian students are getting a high-quality education and the athletes on the court deserve a high-quality experience as well,” said Robert Martin, in a press release. “We have confidence in Laurentian and hope that our investment inspires others to support Laurentian University and help enhance the student experience.” The Robertson-Martin family donated $250,000 to fund the entire project from start to finish. The donation covers the cost of the removal of the current flooring and subfloor, down to the concrete, as well as the purchase and installation of a new high performance sprung hardwood floor that exceeds the top international standards for basketball floors. As architects, Robertson and Martin know the positive impact of design and quality environments to foster human well-being and develop vibrant communities.
Laurentian’s National Building Reconciliation Forum now underway
The National Building Reconciliation Forum began in a good way the morning of June 25, with a sunset ceremony and the words of elder Grace Fox echoing in the walls of the Indigenous Sharing and Learning Centre at Laurentian University. A graduate of Laurentian from M’Chigeeng First Nation, Fox said she was pleased to see such a crowd of people at the forum, but warned them of the work there was to be done. “We have a lot of work to do, a lot of work where our language is concerned,” she said, but added that she was cheered to see so many young people, and thanked the “creator” for the opportunity to teach their ways once again. Running through June 27, the forum is a Universities Canada initiative, an annual event stems from the Truth and Reconciliation Commission’s (TRC) Calls to Action, with the aim of supporting the work of truth and reconciliation among key partners. This year’s theme is Indigenous Education and Mapping Out Institutional Spaces. Fox said the forum is a significant step in implementing the TRC calls to action.
Memory Lane: Remembering when the suds of choice were Northern
Well Sudbury, I’m sure you’ve made Bob and Doug McKenzie proud. Northern Breweries concocted a “Strange Brew” that apparently still affects many of us to this day. We tapped your memory banks and the nostalgia flowed. As the Doran’s slogan went: “It’s great to be a Northerner!” Before delving deeper into others’ memories, let us turn to the comment left on our website by reader Robert Fennell that succinctly encapsulates all of the memories left by readers. For him, recapping the history of Northern Breweries brought back many memories. “The line on a draft glass at the bars, the rule you could only have one on the table in front of you at a time. The draft ball that you had to finish so it wouldn't go flat. The payment the next morning for that exercise. It certainly was a Northern experience.” Dan Bonhomme wrote to us that he believes to this day that the “Northern Ale draft beer, served in all the local establishments, was excellent,” and, in fact, he continues, “My friends and I were shocked at how much better draft beer was in Northern Ontario, compared to the Labatt's and Molson draft served in the south.”
