By Gary Beech & Angela Gemmill 

The results are expected late tonight as striking Steelworkers vote on a settlement proposal from Vale Inco.

A membership meeting was held at the Caruso Club this morning with a second one planned for 6pm tonight.

Secret ballot voting is also being carried out.

The union bargaining committee is recommending it be turned down because there is no back-to-work protocol.

Meantime…..

Sudbury Police are those who attend for the Steelworkers Local 6500 vote this evening at the Caruso Club to park so traffic flow is not affected.

Other motorists who normally use the area should find an alternative route or avoid the area if possible.

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By Angela Gemmill 

Aboriginal patients have a new place to visit for spiritual help while staying at the Sudbury Regional Hospital.

Joyce Helmer with the Shkagamik-Kwe Health Centre expects the Aboriginal Medicine Lodge to be well used.

The circular room, built so gurneys can enter, has a circular fire pit in the middle and an area for community healers to work with patients.

Only a few other hospitals in the province have similar rooms.

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By Gary Beech 

The Wolves can wrap up a playoff spot tonight with a win in Peterborough.

A Sudbury victory could lift them from 8th to a tie for sixth spot in the Eastern conference.

The local juniors finish the regular season on the road with games in Kingston tomorrow and Ottawa Sunday.

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By Angela Gemmill 

What causes chronic diseases, like cancer and what can we do to prevent them?

Those are some of the questions to be answered by the massive long-term Ontario Health Study which began with pilot assessment centres in Sudbury, Owen Sound and Mississauga.

According to Lead Scientist, Dr John McLaughlin the research eventually will follow the health of over 150-thousand participants across the province.

He expects the most valuable information to surface after 20 or 30 years.

To participate go to www.ontariohealthstudy.ca

Researchers are still looking for another four thousand people (adults ages 35-69) locally, to take part.

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By Ian Campbell

City staff have a decision to make when it comes to the current situation at Vale Inco.After recent complaints and media reports of people living on site during the labour disruption, city council wants to know whether the company’s broken municipal by-laws.

But with no legal precedence, city staff continue to move cautiously ahead.

“We don’t want to do something that is not based in a solid legal opinion from our own staff in terms of it’s effectiveness of taking that position and actually defending it,” says CAO Doug Nadorozny.

He told council last night, that the city’s been delaying things as it tries to grapple with Vale Inco’s interpretation of the by-laws.

“In the case of this situation, there were no zoning by-laws when Inco got established, there were no rules or regulations about separating residency from an industrial area. Certainly there are today that’s very clear,” he says.

Meantime councillors continue to demand answers, insisting that they do not want the mining giant to think they will be treated any differently.

Councillor Janet Gasparini told fellow councillors they are morally obligated to see this thing through, especially after failing to see any help from the federal or provincial levels of government during the current labour disruption.

Meantime Nadorozny insists that there have been no delay tactics on the part of Vale and that’s he’s hopeful they can have a response sent to the mining giant sometime next week.

That decision he adds will either come down to yes they have broken city by-laws and will now have to apply for re-zoning or no they haven’t because there is no legal precedence.

If they do decide to apply for re-zoning, that process Nadorozny says if rushed, will still take upwards of three months.

At the end of the debate, Councillor Joscelyne Landry-Altmann called for a review of the by-laws to ensure they are air tight  making sure something like this will never be a problem again.

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By Ian Campbell

Thanks to the public’s help, police have arrested a suspected purse snatcher this morning downtown.

According to police, around 11-30 on Lisgar, a man in his early twenties grabbed a woman in a wheelchairs purse.

Officers found him a later hiding in a Nimbin at the Sudbury Arena with drugs and a concealed knife.

He now faces several charges.

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By Ian Campbell

Thirty five people are facing charges in one of the largest child pornography busts this province has ever seen.

According to OPP Commissioner Julian Fantino, the accused come from all parts of the province, in this sweeping investigation.

Forty four searches in total were conducted and 122 charges were laid.

Three of those charged were from Sudbury, 56 year old Richard Nault, 27 year old Ryan Hopkins and 19 year old Adrian Cote.

Fantino says more charges and arrests could still be pending.

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By Angela Gemmill

Cheers and applause welcomed Sudbury’s four Olympic athletes to the community celebration this afternoon.

A crowd of over 500 was on hand as women’s hockey gold medalist Rebecca Johnston thanked her family, former coaches and the city for their support.

Her teammate Tessa Bonhomme was also on hand, and says she has a drive to succeed but it was through community support that she achieved her dream.

Devon Kershaw’s Dad, says his son is thankful for his hometown support over the years, including all the local trails where he got his initial training.

A family rep spoke on behalf of Chris Del Bosco who was thrilled with the community and was always proud that his dad was from Sudbury.

Both Devon and Chris were competing overseas and couldn’t attend today’s celebrations.

Sudbury Mayor John Rodriguez says today was about celebrating hard work and success.

He hopes the accomplishments of these role models encourage young kids to pursue their dreams.

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By Gary Beech

There is another opportunity for citizens of Sudbury to say ‘Thanks’ to Olympic Gold medallist Rebecca Johnston and Tessa Bonhomme.

The community celebration and BBQ gets underway at 11:30 today at Tom Davies Square where residents can sign a city flag for each athlete.

20-year old Johnston and 24-year old Bonhomme both have their sights set on the 2014 Olympics in Russia.

Devon Kershaw was invited, but he’s already competing in Norway.

He’ll be honoured at a later date.

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By Angela Gemmill 

Short and disappointing.

That’s how some describe the local snowmobiling season this past winter.

The trails maintained by the Sudbury Trail Plan Association are now officially closed.

Volunteers are now removing all safety and directional signage.

The spring-like weather over the past week is partially to blame for the deteriorating trails.

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