Good morning, Greater Sudbury! Here are a few stories to start your day on this Tuesday morning.
City councillor suing Canadore, wrestling school over granddaughter’s death
Alleging negligence causing the 2022 death of her 19-year-old granddaughter, a North Bay city councillor has launched a $3-million wrongful death claim against Canadore College, one of their professors, a North Bay wrestling school and its owner, Dann Pigozzo. The suit surrounds the death of Alexis ‘Lexie’ Marie Leduc-Mitchell, granddaughter of Coun. Lana Mitchell, who was elected to North Bay City council earlier in 2022. She is best known as the executive director of LIPI (Low Income People Involvement) of Nipissing, a role she held for more than three decades. The suit alleges Leduc-Mitchell’s death, which occurred Dec. 16, 2022, was caused by injuries she obtained while training at Northland Wrestling’s NRGY Professional Wrestling Academy, located in North Bay. Also included in the suit is the owner of the building where the NRGY Academy was located, BT Holdings Inc. and Canadore College, as Lexie was a student at the time of her death. The statement of claim accuses Canadore College of breach of contract and negligence, stating the post-secondary school “failed to screen or vet the well-known professional wrestling activities,” which could “endanger the health or lives of its students,” lobbing the same claims against BT Holdings, the owner of the building at 559 Main Street East, which houses the wrestling school. Both companies deny the accusations, Canadore formally through a statement of defence.
Now’s time for the city to ‘invest in frontline workers’: CUPE 4705
In the wake of city CAO Shari Lichterman terminating the employment of five city managers and one junior staff member last week, the union representing city employees wants a deeper dive. Don’t just stick to management, they wrote in a statement provided to Sudbury.com on behalf of CUPE 4705 president Max Lafontaine. He wants the terminations to be accompanied by “an investment in the workers who make a difference for Sudbury residents.” Last week, five city managers and one junior staff member lost their jobs in a move Lichterman described as being “about change.” “Sometimes in order to bring change to the organization you have to change personnel as well, and that’s really what this is,” Lichterman told Sudbury.com last week. “It’s kind of the final piece to allow the organization to move forward, to continue along this journey to improve how we deliver services to the community.”
Sudbury authors write book to help children with learning disabilities
Every classroom in the city includes two or three students with a learning disability. A pair of Sudburians have teamed up on a book to provide practical tools and strategies to help parents, educators and children manage the challenge of those who learn differently. The self-published book’s English version is called “Different Ways to Learn, Endless Ways to Succeed” and the French version “Apprendre autrement, réussir pleinement.” It was written by Alex-Andrée Madore, a clinical and school psychologist at Conseil scolaire catholique Nouvelon, and Michèle Minor-Corriveau, a speech-language pathologist and professor in Laurentian University’s School of Speech-Language Pathology. The women first connected during the pandemic, when Madore was navigating at-home learning with her kids, and came across a literacy seminar by Minor-Corriveau, whose husband happened to be one of her coworkers.
Lockerby Legion hosting Robbie Burns event Jan. 24
Join Lockerby Legion on Jan. 24 to celebrate the life, works and legacy of of the Bard of Scotland, Robbie Burns. The evening of food, music and tradition will be held that Saturday at Lockerby Legion Branch 564 beginning at 5 p.m. The event is hosted by the legion in conjunction with the Lockerby Highlanders Pipe Band. “Guests will enjoy a traditional Robbie Burns celebration featuring live entertainment by the Lockerby Highlanders Pipe Band, along with special musical performances by Duncan Cameron,” the legion said in a news release. “The evening will honour the life and legacy of poet Robert Burns through music, ceremony and Scottish culture.” Tickets for the event at $40 and can be purchased at the Lockerby Legion bar from Monday to Saturday, from 12-5 p.m. Advance tickets are recommended, as seating is limited.
Wolves make strong showing in 6-4 loss to league-leading 67’s
New Wolves’ forward Jean-Christoph Lemieux has found a comfortable home since being traded from the Windsor Spitfires to the Sudbury Wolves, scoring two goals in Sunday afternoon’s game against the Ottawa 67’s. The Sudbury Wolves made a strong showing at home against the OHL’s top team Jan. 11, despite falling 6-4 against the Ottawa 67’s and dropping to a record of 15 wins, 24 regulation losses and one overtime loss on the season. Jaeden Nelson was the starting goaltender for the Ottawa 67’s while the Sudbury Wolves went with Paolo Frasca in net. Not even half a minute into the game Ottawa’s Filip Ekberg scored an unassisted goal, his 15th of the season, with a quick shot past Frasca to give the 67’s an early 1-0 lead. Vladimir Provorov scored his second goal of the season at the 2:32 mark of the first, grabbing a pass from Berehowsky on the right side of the net, assisted by Luca Blonda and Daniel Berehowsky, tying the game 1-1.
Let’s eat! Soar to the Days Inn to sample Eagle and Olive
Hotels often change names and hotel restaurants often follow suit with a face lift. The Eagle and Olive Restaurant at the Days Inn at 50 Brady Street opened 18 months ago and has just started offering weekend brunch again in addition to its extensive supper menu. The full menu is a fusion of North American and Italian cuisine. Harshil Patel has joined forces with two friends, Monil Patel and Saumya Patel, to lease the space. All three men have taken on their respective roles, whether that be managing the kitchen, doing maintenance, taking bookings, handling marketing and more. Harshil, who holds a masters degree in computer science, worked at Wacky Wings while attending Laurentian University. With his knowledge of serving good wings, he has masterminded an all-you-can-eat wing night at Olive and Eagle.
