9 years ago
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sudbury ·
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The Greater Sudbury Police is continuing its efforts to raise awareness for pedestrian safety by warning of the danger of the roads during the winter.
After a mild start to the winter the cold weather has finally descended on Sudbury, with freezing temperatures and heavy snowfall hitting the city since last weekend. Winter storms and heavy Alberta Clippers are expected to continue this weekend, and the police say the conditions are making driving hazardous.
With dangerous roads there is typically a higher rate of pedestrian injuries as vehicles are more likely to skid off the road. The Greater Sudbury Police says that drivers should take time before a journey to wipe and scrape any snow and ice on windows, highlighting that all windows should be cleared to give the driver and unobstructed view.
Roads are typically plowed and kept clean, but sidewalks are not always maintained as much and can become inaccessible to pedestrians. A common sight in winter is to see members of the public leaving sidewalks to walk down the sides of road, so drivers should pay extra attention for pedestrians who have left the obstructed sidewalk.
Not all the advice being offered is targeted to drivers, with the police force saying that the use of crosswalks it doubly important in winter. Snowbanks are becoming higher, so pedestrians should avoid climbing them as drivers are unlikely to see someone coming down the other side of a steep bank.
The advice is being offered as part of a year-long initiative by the Greater Sudbury Police to raise awareness about pedestrian safety after it was alarmed by the number of incidents over the Holiday Season.
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9 years ago
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sudbury ·
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After a slow start to the winter the storms have finally hit Sudbury and Northern Ontario, with winter weather conditions now befalling the city. The weekend saw heavy snowfall across the northern regions of the province and there have been consequences with school bus runs closing and weather warnings in the Greater Sudbury area.
Temperatures are expected to routinely plunge below -10 C and even lower than -20 C for the remainder of the week, causing havoc on the highways. All major highways are now snow covered so slow and steady driving is advised for all vehicles, even those equipped with snow tires. Highways 17, 11, and 101 are all closed for varying reasons, while the following school buses were cancelled today and are expected to remain as such tomorrow:
• Cancelled for West Parry Sound, East Parry Sound, North Bay, West Nipissing, Mattawa;
• Cancelled for Conseil Ccolaire Catholique des Grandes-Rivières for Ramore, Iroquois Falls and Cochrane. Schools remain open;
• Cancelled for all four school boards from Kirkland Lake to Temagami, inclusing Timmins. Schools remain open except for Temagami, Kearns and Elk Lake;
• School buses cancelled in Moosonee — public school remains open.
The drastic change in conditions over the weekend saw all roads become treacherous. The winter had been uncommonly mild so far, with most snowmobile trails in Ontario closed two weeks after the traditional start of the season. However, last weekend finally saw the Canadian winter grip Sudbury and surrounding towns, and the police were forced to give routine alerts for deteriorating road conditions.
Police say motorists are adhering to proper driving protocol and that only two minor collisions have been reported by early morning on Monday. Drivers are reminded to drive more cautiously than normal and to leave themselves greater breaking distances when trailing other vehicles or approaching intersections.
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9 years ago
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sudbury ·
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A Sudbury driver has been sentenced to jail time for drunk driving and causing a collision during mid-November. Barrie Severin caused a three-way traffic incident in Greater Sudbury’s South End two months ago, he was found to have been operating his vehicle while under the influence of alcohol.
On top of his jail time, Severin will be placed on six months’ probation, while his driver’s license has been suspended for 18 months. At the time of the collision on Regent Street, police noticed Severin was unsteady on his feet, while his eyes were glassed and he needed to lean against his truck to stay on his feet.
65-year old Severin was predicted to be facing 30 days of jail time that would be served on a weekend basis, but Ontario Court Justice Norman Glaude decided against lenience. Indeed, the court judge decided to make an example of Mr. Severin, teaching him a “lesson” and sending a message to others who drive while under the influence of drink or drugs.
“This is a clear case where you have to go to jail,” Glaude told the 65-year-old man in a stern tone. “It sickens me to have to send you to jail to learn a lesson. It won’t be for 30 (days). It will be for 45 days.”
The accused pled guilty, but his admittance did little to sway Justice Glaude, especially as the Crown filed to have any punishment extended as this was Severin’s second DUI conviction in recent years. His defense had cited the fact that Mr. Severin suffers numerous medical conditions, is retired, takes 18 medications per day, and is 65-years old, asking for a 30 day intermittent sentence.
Assistant Crown attorney Kevin Ludgate said a jail term was necessary for Severin.
“He has to go to jail notwithstanding his medical issues,” said Ludgate.
As the sentence was passed, Severin said “I have no right to drive impaired. I agree with it … I shouldn’t have been driving at all.”
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9 years ago
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sudbury ·
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Workers in the Greater Sudbury area felt the economic pinch during 2015 as Statistics Canada announced on Friday that the city lost some 5,000 jobs (a 2.4 per cent rise) through last year.
It was a worrying close to 2015 for Sudbury too, with unemployment rising for the sixth consecutive month, moving to 8.4 per cent from 8.2 per cent in November. It will not make happy reading for workers to see that Sudbury is currently an exception in Ontario at the moment as the province was the only one in Canada to see jobs growth in December. Province wide there were 35,000 new jobs, with unemployment falling to 6.7 per cent, a 0.2 per cent decline, but in Sudbury it is a different story.
Between November and December 900 jobs were lost in Sudbury. Statistics Canada announced monthly figures showing 79,300 people were working full or part-time in the Greater Sudbury metropolitan area (CMA) during December, down from 80,200 in November. The number of Greater Sudbury’s workforce also fell to 86,600, down from 87,400.
Greater Sudbury Chamber of Commerce released its Ontario Economic Update 2016 in December, acknowledging in the process that 2015 had been a rocky year in terms of employment levels. However, the Chamber is confident that growth will arrive this year, although it is predicted be slow:
“Over the next two years, Sudbury can expect roughly 0.5 per cent employment growth per year, with government services, retail-wholesale trade, and manufacturing each contributing,” the chamber said in a release. “The unemployment rate will improve slightly over the next two years as population outflows are offset by a modest rise in the labour force participation rate.”
“Greater Sudbury experienced a difficult year in 2015, but the next two years are projected to be more positive,” Karen Hourtovenko, chair of the Greater Sudbury Chamber of Commerce, said in a release. “I am hopeful for the future of Greater Sudbury. Despite being a difficult year, we also saw examples of great local success stories. The best way to drive economic growth moving forward will be to make strategic investments in infrastructure, entrepreneurship, innovation and technology.”
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9 years ago
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sudbury ·
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Law enforcement in Sudbury is continuing to warn of the dangers of the road for pedestrians, stressing ways for people on foot to stay safe. Greater Sudbury Police is on a yearlong initiative to raise safety awareness in a bid to reduce the number of collisions on the roads and the amounts of accidents involving vehicles and pedestrians.
A rise in incidents over the Christmas period spurred the police force into action and the result is a yearlong program to address the issue. The Holiday Season always sees a high rise in road accidents and other traffic related incidents, but the Christmas period in Sudbury in 2015 was especially alarming for emergency services.
“Pedestrian collisions are preventable,” reads a statement from the police service. “Throughout this initiative and for the remainder of the year, the Greater Sudbury Police Service will provide safety information to drivers, motorists, pedestrians and cyclists.”
Community partnerships will see the Greater Sudbury Police engage the public with awareness programs and meetings, while data analysis will help law enforcement identify problem areas in the cities, such as intersections where the most incidents occur. The police say they “work collaboratively to make improvements through education, engineering and enforcement.”
A Traffic Management Unit is constantly analyzing data on collisions in the Greater Sudbury area, and is looking into way to keep motorists and pedestrians safe. Intersections are hotspots, with data in 2014 and 2015 showing that most incidents take place at intersections. Pedestrian collisions are on the rise, but the data reveals that the majority of cases shows that drivers are typically at fault.
“Greater Sudbury Police officers will continue to enforce road-related laws by enforcing speed limits and watching for impaired and or distracted drivers,” the police service states.
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9 years ago
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sudbury ·
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Sudbury will play host to its first ever real estate oriented one-day conference next month says the Sudbury Real Estate Board. RECON2016 will be the first event of its kind to be held in the city, focusing on the improvement of the real estate market during 2016.
RECON2016 will be held at the Caruso Club during February 4, with the keynote delivered by Michael Hyatt, who is known as a member of the Dragon’s Den team. As well as working for CBC’s Dragon’s Den, Hyatt is also a commentator on the channel’s News Network. Other speakers during the day will be Guido Mazza and Ian Wood, both from the City of Greater Sudbury; Michael J. Linehan, vice-president and national head of RBC Mortgage Specialists; and Amber Konikow, professional boxer and bronze medalist at the 2008 world championships.
Tasha Carriere, vice-president of the Sudbury Real Estate Board and director of public relations and finance announced the event at a press conference on Thursday and said while focused on real estate the event is created to welcome everyone.
“Obviously, the keynote speaker is going to speak to business practices and to the effect the real estate industry has on the economy. Broadening from that, you have the speakers from the city of Sudbury, who are going to go into the economic update for the city on a broad perspective.”
“We have an Olympian who will talk about what it takes to do well and what it takes to be successful in business or in any aspect of your life,” Carriere said.
“It’s a cross-section of information for people to advance their businesses going forward in 2016.”
“The real estate industry is by far the largest economic driving force in the community,” she said. “A single transaction, no matter how small, has a significant and far-reaching consequence.”
RECON2016 offers real estate professionals “an informative day of networking, collaborating and showcasing innovative business ideas.”
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