Good morning, Greater Sudbury! Here are a few stories to start your day on this Thursday morning.
Who is running Centreville, the city-funded non-profit housing complex?
Who are the non-profit housing board of directors for Centreville 1 and 2? Who manages the funds from city coffers that go to the operation of the apartment complex owned by a non-profit housing corporation? Sudbury.com would like to tell you, but we can’t find them. Centreville is a housing complex located at 285 Lourdes Street and though it is funded by the City of Greater Sudbury, it is run by an independent board of directors. The board, in turn, contracts the oversight of the building to Luxor Management Inc. But instead of easily finding the list of non-profit’s the board of directors, which should be publicly available information, Sudbury.com has had to go to the lengths of sending a Freedom of Information request to the city. That effort doesn’t look so promising though. When Sudbury.com filed the request on Nov. 4, we were told it likely wouldn’t amount to much: a “non-responsive record” it was called, and we were told there likely wouldn’t be any information because the board is not employed by the city and housing services has no “direct contact” with them.
‘Too early to tell’ impact of further foreign visa cuts, says Cambrian VP
A college administrator says it’s “too early to tell” what the impact of further cuts to international student visas promised in the recent federal budget will be on Cambrian College, which has already seen its foreign student enrolment plummet. The new levels plan cuts in half the planned number of student visas for the next three years, bringing it down to 155,000 in 2026 from about 306,000 in the previous year's plan, said a Canadian Press report on the Nov. 4 federal budget. The government plans to issue about 150,000 student visas annually in both 2027 and 2028. Post-secondary institutions across Canada have been experiencing deep budget cuts due to reduced income from international student tuition fees, which tend to be four to five times higher than those paid by domestic students. Studying in Canada had been a path to permanent residency, but on top of cutting student visas, the federal government also cut the programs where graduates are eligible for post-graduation work permits.
People You Should Know About: Rights activist Paul Pasanen
Meet Paul Pasanen. He was honoured earlier this year with the King Charles III Coronation Medal for his work with people with diverse sexual orientations and gender identities. "I found out (about the medal) in March. It took me totally by surprise,” said Pasanen, who for much of his life says he felt like an outsider. About three years ago, the long-time activist started SQUAD (Sudbury Queers United Around Diversity). The non-profit organization, among other things, supports, offers education, advice, and health promotion to the 2SLGBTq+ community. 2SLGBTQ+ is an acronym for Two-Spirit, Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Queer, and plus (to include other identities). Two-Spirit refers to Indigenous people who identify as having both masculine and feminine spirits. In May, SQUAD opened a meeting space and drop-in centre in the basement of the Independent Living Sudbury Manitoulin building at 125 Durham St.
Arrests not a priority in GSPS crackdown on open-air drug use
Despite prior comments from Greater Sudbury Police Service Chief Sara Cunningham regarding open drug use no longer being tolerated and arrests forthcoming, only one arrest was made last week. Nov. 3-7 marked the first week of a month-long crackdown by police, who have been sending enforcement teams to trouble areas from 7 a.m. to 12 a.m. “We want these individuals to receive support, but we can no longer tolerate this open air drug use and needles all over the downtown,” Cunningham said last month in announcing the crackdown. “It is an offence and we are going to enforce it.” Thus far, enforcement hasn’t come in the form of arrests, with one recorded during the first week, plus approximately five official warnings, Deputy Chief Natalie Hiltz told Sudbury.com. “We’d like to say that we’re trying to engage our public, and that includes the addicted public, in trying to make sure there’s an education and awareness piece,” Hiltz said. “We only want to use arrests as a last resort.”
Snow-clearing crews doing a Nov. 12-18 test run
Expect snowplows, graders and other winter maintenance vehicles on Greater Sudbury streets from Nov. 12 to 18. This, regardless of whether any white stuff and ice has accumulated (and there has, in fact, been some snowfall in the city overnight, although the main roads appear to be clear). The city is conducting its annual test run for more than 50 municipal and contract operators, who are completing training exercises to familiarize themselves with routes. “These test runs allow crews to identify potential hazards, obstacles and operational challenges before the winter weather arrives to ensure effective and timely snow removal services throughout the winter months,” according to a media release issued by the city. “This training takes place at the same time every year to align with the beginning of external contracts for winter maintenance activities.”
City staff recommend scrapping Community Action Networks
The city’s Community Action Network program, which has been around for more than two decades, might become a thing of the past. In a recommendation to city council members they will vote on next week, staff recommend “a transition away from the existing Community Action Network (CAN) program.” Rather than CANs, the city would “develop a new approach to supporting community groups and volunteerism.” The recommendation to shift away from a CAN system is central to a Stuckless Consulting Inc. report which the city hired the consultants last year to produce. Under these recommendations, the city would undertake “a gradual transition away from the current CAN model,” in order “to allow the City to leverage existing programs and platforms to more widely encourage and guide community volunteerism and activities.”
