Good morning, Greater Sudbury! Here are a few stories to start your day on this Thursday morning.
Zulich shares fresh vision for KED site
A casino, hotels, water park, convention centre, sportsplex, sports field and commercial buildings would fill out much of the Kingsway Employment District. At least, if developer and landowner Dario Zulich’s fresh vision for the property stretching north of The Kingsway from Levesque Street is fully realized. A road stretching from The Kingsway to the north edge of Zulich’s property line was recently completed (Vanguard Drive), which Zulich said signals, “We’re ready for business and let’s get things going.” Since every project needs a vision, Zulich said an image was created to display his plan using artificial intelligence and accurate dimensions for such things as a swath of commercial-use properties to the east, a stormwater management area and car parking counts. “It’s built within the zoning requirements, including the casino, hotel and possible convention centre,” he said.
Sudbury publisher’s new anthology imagines Canadian superheroes
Every Canadian of a certain age is probably familiar with the 1991 Heritage Minute about Superman’s connections to Canada, though his creator, Joe Shuster, who grew up in Toronto. Superman, i.e. mild-mannered reporter Clark Kent, himself grew up in the fictional small town of Smallville, Kansas, but had to move to Metropolis to make it big. “What if Clark Kent had stayed closer to home?” states the foreword to the upcoming publication “Super Canucks.” “Would he have still been ‘The Man of Steel’ or would his legend be lessened?” Edited by Sudburians Matthew Del Papa and Andy Taylor and set to be put out by local publisher Latitude 46 in March, the anthology “Super Canucks” shares 11 stories of Canadian superheroes. These superheroes are a diverse bunch, everyone from teens to older adults, and living in every corner of the country, from, as press materials state, the frostbitten shores of a Newfoundland outport to the restless streets of Abbotsford, British Columbia.
Sudbury's Team MacEwan finally realizes Brier dream
NORTH BAY – At 40, Sandy MacEwan is about to be a Brier rookie. The Sudbury skip on Sunday did what no other team in North Bay could at this week’s Northern Ontario men’s curling championship – defeat defending champion John Epping – capturing his first provincial title with a thrilling come-from-behind win that came down to one final shot. The shot itself was almost anti-climactic. Epping, who didn’t take the lead in the game until he managed to orchestrate a pair in the ninth end, was left with a double takeout to try to extend the match. But he could only get one to go, jamming MacEwan’s other stone in the back 12-foot. It left MacEwan an open draw to the rings for a 6-5 win. Halfway down the sheet of ice, MacEwan knew he and his teammates were champions.
Mayor urges province to keep Sudbury LifeLabs laboratory open
Mayor Paul Lefebvre is urging the province to intervene to reverse LifeLabs’ decision to close Sudbury's laboratory this spring. Lefebvre made his plea public in a media release issued through his office Jan. 13. “Shutting down this lab means samples from across Northern Ontario will be transported hundreds of kilometres for analysis,” Lefebvre said in his media release. “That creates predictable delays and unnecessary risks for patients. Northern Ontarians deserve the same level of care and reliability as anyone else in this province, and this decision puts that at risk.” The plan would see LifeLabs centres remain open to collect samples. The regional Sudbury laboratory, which analyzes samples from throughout the region, would close. Beginning sometime this spring, samples will be analyzed in Toronto and Mississauga laboratories.
It’s a hometown double-header for the Wolves this weekend
The Sudbury Wolves host their second straight Friday and Sunday double-header this weekend. The Pack welcomes the Flint Firebirds on Jan. 16 for a 7:05 p.m. match. Then, on Sunday, the team welcomes the Rouyn-Noranda Huskies of the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League for some interleague play, starting at 2:05 p.m. In a news release about the weekend games, the Pack highlighted the recent trades that saw stars Nathan Villeneuve and Alex Pharand traded away. Sudbury’s new acquisitions “were quick to introduce themselves to Wolves Nation,” the team said in a news release. JC Lemieux, acquired from Windsor, recorded points in his first three games, compiling three goals and two assists in that span. Adam Nemec, who signed with the Wolves following the World Juniors, also owns points in all three of his games, including one goal and three assists. “The two 2026 NHL draft-eligible prospects have provided sparks to the Wolves new-look offence,” the team said.
Almost one in three Canadians say U.S. might try to invade Canada: poll
OTTAWA — Following the recent U.S. military intervention in Venezuela, a new poll suggests almost a third of Canadians say the United States might attempt "direct action" to take control of Canada. It suggests one-in-five Americans think the same. The poll, which was conducted online and can't be assigned a margin of error, surveyed 1,540 Canadians between Jan. 9 and Jan. 11. The poll suggests many Canadians believe the U.S. likely will attempt to take control of other countries in the future, including Greenland, Cuba, Colombia, Panama, Iran and Canada. When asked to rate the likelihood of a U.S. attempt at direct action to take control of various countries in the future, 31 per cent of Canadian respondents said the United States likely will attempt direct action to take over Canada.
