Algoma Family Services has issued an advisory indicating that the local offices are currently experiencing intermittent disruptions with their telephone system. They expect to have the matter resolved by week’s end.

City news release…

(Sault Ste. Marie, ON) The City’s Planning Advisory Committee invites citizens to a public open house to discuss proposed Sustainable Site Plan guidelines. The guidelines will encourage and implement the use of sustainable design features for new commercial and institutional construction projects.

Wednesday, June 1, 2011 from 4 – 8 p.m.
Russ Ramsay Board Room, Level 3
Civic Centre, 99 Foster Drive

A copy of the proposed guidelines is available on the City’s website www.cityssm.on.ca under City Hall Bulletins.

Yesterday afternoon City Police received a calll about a man and woman who stole a number of items from Liquidation World – and made off in a taxi. The cab was pulled over a short time later on Wellington Street with the stolen items in their possession. The 31 year old male and 19 year old female were charged with several offenses.

An 18 year old male was arrested after stealing a TV from Canadian Tire.

There were several arrests – four males and one female regarding domestic problems.

City Police had more breakins reported yesterday – to a business in the 400 block of Albert Street West where a window was smashed – setting off an alarm. A garage was broken into in the 100 block of Albert East and a set of rims and tires was stolen. A business on Dundas Street was entered some time over the weekend with a computer and laptop stolen.

A teenaged boy wearing a red hoodie and a Rockstar cap was seen making off with a bicycle from a business on Old Garden River Road. A cell phone was stolen from a vehicle. While a window in a truck was smashed on Wilson Street and a window at a hotel on Pim was smashed.

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Results from the ADSB Zone C Track Meet, held Monday May 30, 2011 at Rocky Dipietro Field.

Overall Points Winners and Banner Recipients:

Junior – Rosedale

Intermediate – Rosedale

Senior – Rosedale

Double Winners

Junior: Shae-Lynn Sawatsky – Rosedale – Running Long Jump, 100 metre dash

Intermediate: Ashley Harris – HM Robbins – 100 metre dash, High Jump

Cameron Elsby – Rosedale – 200 metre dash, Triple Jump

Senior: Andrew Jones – Mountain View – 100 metre dash, Running Long Jump

Paul Widett – Rosedale – Triple Jump, 200 metre dash

Katelyn Desgagne – Rosedale – Triple Jump, 100 metre dash

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City Council was given an update last night on the goals and achievements of the Sault PUC during 2010. The utility earned 1.5 million dollars in net income last year after taxes. One of the points moving forward into 2011 was to raise the water rate by 10 percent back on January 1st. Utility president Bryan Curran says this will become an annual trend. Curran adds capital expenditures will amount to at least 4.7 million dollars in 2011, but that amount will increase to between 6 million and 15 million dollars over the next number of years. The PUC president says one of the projects he is looking forward to is work on the new PUC building near the Murphy Service Centre on Second Line East. It’s work that will include the installation of solar panels on top of the building. The panels are expected to cost about two million dollars and would add to the total project cost of 22 million dollars. Curran mentioned that he feels the Sault PUC will do well in a number of areas over the next 12 months and has asked AECOM to give a line of work and an estimate to design a system where gas is burned into energy. He says right now there is currently 300 cubic feet a minute coming out of the city landfill from the utility’s methane gas project. Another idea that will be considered over the next few months is ‘district heating’, where water from waste heat produced by big businesses would be brought into town and be used as heat for buildings.

PUC president Bryan Curran was also asked about the bidding process involving the solar panels for the West End Community Centre. Curran answered that every party that made a bid for the project went through the same process and that there was no leaning towards the PUC. City Solicitor Nuala Kenny added that the PUC did not receive any special treatment and was chosen based on their expertise. Some councillors expressed some concern as the city is the PUC’s lone shareholder. Other issues discussed included that the project be done before this fall’s provincial election and the ‘disappointing’ annual share of revenue for the city from the panels — between 11 thousand and 17 thousand dollars, or about 8 percent.

A new full-size, heavy duty, low floor bus is on the way for Sault Transit. City Council also accepted a request for a review of the Transit Division that would include the Para-Transit service. City Transit Manager Don Scott is hoping to hear from as many people as possible during the review, describing it as an ‘exciting project’ that will affect transit in the city for the next five to ten years. City CAO Joe Fratesi also advised council that a report would be coming in the future, asking for another three to six city buses during the remainder of council’s current term.

A letter from the Federation of Northern Ontario Municipalities was discussed at last night’s City Council meeting. City Chief Administrative Officer Joe Fratesi responded to the letter, that suggested that all major northern centres should benefit from the development of the Northern Policy Institute. Fratesi mentioned that the Sault, North Bay and Timmins should have an equal amount of engagement — along with Sudbury and Thunder Bay — on the matter. The letter mentions that a memo was sent from FONOM of what the policy should consist of, but only to the presidents of Laurentian and Lakehead universities. Those ideas included that the policy contain balanced and independent research that is proactive and forward looking and that it should be regularly monitored.

After a lengthy debate over what should be done, City Council voted 6-5 in favour of rezoning a subject property at 113 Grosvenor Avenue. The property will be rezoned Low Density Residential with a Special Exception, where a chiropractic clinic will open — inside a residence. Prior to the recorded vote, Ward 6 Councillor Frank Manzo expressed frustration as he made his question clear during a long debate on the issue — is the city open for business or not. There was also concern over consistency on this and similar rezoning issues. One neighbouring resident took exception to the rezoning — Pat Fields suggested that Grosvenor has been rebounding with home sales, refurbishings and young families moving in. She added that there was an issue with the lack of a signed lease agreeement. It was also suggested by members of council that a one year or three year temporary rezoning might have been best to determine if there would be any detrimental effect by that business on the neighbourhood or not.

Algoma University news release…

(SAULT STE. MARIE, ON – May 30, 2011): Matthew Rogers from Elliott Lake Secondary School was the winner of the 34th William M. Hogg Math Competition, taking first place in the Senior category. Last year’s top Grade 11 in the annual competition, Rogers prevented a Korah Collegiate sweep, as Korah students finished 2nd through 6th overall, including a second place finish by top female Kala Studens. Local secondary schools did extremely well in this year’s contest, with White Pines and Notre Dame des Grands Lacs placing several students in the top fifteen.

On the Junior side, Carl A. Nesbitt Public School in Sudbury had a strong showing, with five students in the top seven overall, including top male Isaac Vickers, and top females Angelica Rumball and Alyson Beland (tied). Following Nesbitt closely was R. Ross Beattie Senior Public School in Timmins, who placed four students in the top 15.

In an interesting turn of events, Grade 8 students Timothy Willard and Russell Johnston from Kerns Public School in Thornloe wrote the Senior test, with Willard placing 7th overall in the Senior category.

The competition had record-breaking registration in 2011. Twenty-eight schools from seven school boards in Ontario and Alberta competed, with 497 students writing the annual contest.

Sponsors for this year’s contest include Algoma University, the Canadian Mathematical Society, Great Lakes Power Transmission, Union Gas, and Follett Canada, whose support made this year’s contest possible. This year the competition distributed $1890 in cash as well as other prizes, while Algoma University contributed $15,000 in scholarships to the top 15 students in the senior contest.