City hall defends one-year ban

London’s one-year ban on new methadone clinics was defended by city hall officials Tuesday as a formal challenge against the temporary restriction began.

It’s been six months since the red-hot issue of where such treatment centres should be allowed was cooled by city council approving the year-long moratorium, giving staff until this November to examine permanent rules.

But that so-called interim control bylaw has been challenged by a provincewide chain of clinics, whose appeal went to the Ontario Municipal Board Tuesday.

“The point I’d like to emphasize is the study we’re doing is not relating just to land-use impacts,” John Fleming, the city’s planning boss, told the OMB hearing.
Wed June 8

Abuser jailed

- A man who subjected three successive girlfriends to horrific violence was sentenced to more than five and a half years in jail Tuesday.

Marcell Sydney Page, 26, of Sarnia, had previously been convicted of 35 offences against the women during separate relationships with them between 2005 and 2009.

The women endured horrific violence and emotional terror with impunity, assistant Crown attorney Joe Perfetto said during an earlier court appearance.
Wed June 8

Closing arguments in Vanier case

Londoner Robert Vanier appeared in a Toronto courtroom Tuesday on a charge of threatening to kill an investment counsellor and former business associate.

The former president of Onco Petroleum is charged with threatening to kill Jim Hunter, 74, during phone calls made to Hunter's Toronto home on Oct. 20, 2009.

After hearing from Hunter, Vanier and Vanier's wife Terri Ramage, Ontario Court Justice Peter Harris adjourned the case to June 15 for closing arguments. The case has been repeatedly adjourned during the last 18 months.
Wed June 8