Good morning, Nickel City: Community stories to start your day.

A quick roundup: Laurentian and its faculty remain apart after a Jan. 19 strike and university officials hope arbitration will restart talks this week, the city added 17 warming spaces active since Jan. 16 through at least the end of February, and Temagami Dry ginger ale is being reintroduced to the region.

Good morning, Nickel City. Here are a few local stories to start the day. Laurentian University faculty began picketing on Jan. 19 after recent bargaining talks reached an impasse. City leaders and community partners have added winter supports as some services remain in high demand. Notable items: - Laurentian negotiations: Talks between Laurentian University and the Laurentian University Faculty Union (LUFA) reached an impasse and faculty struck on Jan. 19; interim provost Alain Simard said the university hopes arbitration will allow talks to resume by the end of the week. - Warming spaces added: The city opened 17 additional warming spaces on Jan. 16 to provide shelter through the winter; they will remain in place until at least the end of February and any extension would require council budget approval, city official Tyler Campbell said. - Opinion on the strike: A Laurentian faculty member's opinion piece recalls the 2021 CCAA insolvency process, noting job losses affecting about 116 colleagues, pay cuts, forced furlough days, salary freezes and impacts to pensions. - Council attendance: Ward 4 councillor Pauline Fortin recorded perfect attendance for the third year, attending 117 meetings in 2025; other councillors had lower attendance rates and varied board participation. - Temagami Dry comeback: The regional ginger ale Temagami Dry is being brought back after production stopped in 2019; the trademark moved to the Canadian Shield Beverage Corporation in October 2025 and local officials described the return as meaningful to the community. - Memory Lane: A historical piece recalls Sudbury's long debate over bringing cable television to the city, tracing local discussions back to the late 1960s and the eventual arrival of cable in 1976. Summary: Local officials and community groups are addressing several ongoing issues this week, from efforts to resume bargaining at Laurentian to expanded winter supports for people without stable housing. The university says it hopes arbitration can lead to renewed talks by the end of the week, and the city noted any extension of warming spaces would need further budget approval. Other items include reflections on past losses at Laurentian, a councillor's attendance record, the return of a regional beverage, and a look back at Sudbury's cable TV history.