Good morning, Greater Sudbury! Here are a few stories to get you started on what is shaping up to be a gorgeous Tuesday.
Report data backs call for supervised opioid consumption sites in Greater Sudbury
Greater Sudbury would benefit from supervised consumption services to address local substance use, said Public Health Sudbury and District. The health unit released the final results of its Supervised Consumption Services Needs Assessment and Feasibility Study on Monday following 11 months of extensive community consultation and data analysis. Medical Officer of Health Dr. Penny Sutcliffe and Greater Sudbury Police Services Chief Paul Pedersen, co-chairs of Greater Sudbury’s Community Drug Strategy (CDS) executive committee, said the findings are important to begin the next steps to establish supervised consumption services. “The study is a critical step in determining how consumption services could help put the brakes on the significant and growing health harms related to substance use in the city,” said Sutcliffe in a news release. “It combines the voices of our community along with careful data analysis and ensures that those most affected by substance use are heard.
'No rush' to reopen U.S. border: Hajdu
While it may be causing pain for some sectors of the economy, the federal government is in no rush to reopen Canada’s border with the United States, says Health Minister Patty Hajdu. The current agreement closing the border to non-essential traffic is set to expire June 21, but is widely expected to be extended. Canada recently allowed immediate family members of Canadian citizens or permanent residents to enter the country, with the condition that they self-isolate for 14 days upon arrival. “We’re in no rush to reopen any of our international borders until we’re certain we have things under control in Canada, and that our systems at international borders are ready to go to be able to reduce any importation risk,” Hajdu said. Safety measures being prepared at the border included developing comprehensive screening protocols, staffing border crossings with public health officers to support CBSA agents, and ensuring officials could effectively trace visitors’ contacts within the country after they arrive, said the Thunder Bay-Superior North MP.
Another new low: Ontario reports 181 new cases of COVID-19 today
For the second day in a row, Ontario is reporting fewer than 200 new cases of COVID-19. Today, Public Health Ontario has reported 181 new cases of the coronavirus as well as 252 new recoveries. Testing continues to be up around the 20,000 mark with 21,751 more tests reported processed since yesterday's update. The province is reporting eight more deaths attributed to COVID-19. Those eight deaths include three people between the ages of 60 and 79 and five people over the age of 80.
For the full story and local numbers click here.
Chi-Cheemaun ferry opens up to leisure travel
MANITOULIN ISLAND — Travel on the Chi-Cheemaun ferry will no longer be limited by purpose of travel. The Owen Sound Transportation Company (OSTC) updated its travel regulations on June 12 to be in line with the province’s Stage 2 plans to reopen the economy. The changes are in effect immediately. In early May, the OSTC said that, in light of the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, it would open the sailing season on June 1, but restrict travel to essential travellers, including those providing essential services and travellers for whom the ferry is the most practical means of accessing their residences.
Essential Worker of the Day: Driver Todd McVicar
Sudbury.com is recognizing Todd McVicar as today's Essential Worker of the Day. McVicar is a route driver for Cintas and he was nominated by his fiancée Melissa McLaren. "(Todd) continues to take all precautions at work and when he comes home from work as our son is autoimmune compromised," McLaren said. "We thank him for his continued dedication at work and at home."
Read the full story here and meet more local essential workers.
Lefebvre: Sudbury MP says he’ll do his part to call out ‘voices of intolerance and hatred’
When I was elected MP for Sudbury in 2015, my promise to the community was to be Sudbury’s voice in Ottawa. As a lawyer, a businessman, and a former Ontario Human Rights Commissioner, I am a more effective advocate for Sudbury in Ottawa when I listen to and focus on the tasks and priorities the community brings to me. But I am also a citizen, and I live and work and socialize and raise a family in this community. I have opinions like everyone else does. I don’t usually speak up because one cannot listen when one is talking. And so I have listened. I have watched. I have learned … and what I have learned has shocked me.
Sudbury MP Paul Lefebvre shares his thoughts on racism in Canada in a new column published by Sudbury.com. Read Lefebvre’s thoughts on the matter here.
WATCH: Ford announces most regions can move to Stage 2, but not Toronto
Premier Doug Ford announced today that most regions of Ontario can move to Stage 2, but not the Toronto-area. This permits restaurants, hair salons and malls to reopen in regions that have been excluded from moving forward to Stage 2 as of Friday. He was joined by Christine Elliott, Deputy Premier and Minister of Health, Rod Phillips, Minister of Finance, Vic Fedeli, Minister of Economic Development, Job Creation and Trade, and Lisa MacLeod, Minister of Heritage, Sport, Tourism and Culture Industries, to make the announcement.
You can watch the announcement here.
Poll reveals some Canadians drinking more alcohol due to COVID-19
A recent poll found that Canadians under the age of 54 are consuming more alcohol at home due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The April study, commissioned by the Canadian Centre on Substance Use and Addiction (CCSA) and conducted by Nanos Research, found that 25 percent of Canadians aged 35 to 54 and 21 percent of Canadians aged 18 to 34 say they have been drinking more alcohol since the beginning of self-isolation and social distancing. The main reasons for the increase were reported as lack of a regular schedule (51 percent), boredom (49 percent) and stress (44 percent). Overall, 94 percent of Canadians reported they are staying at home more due to COVID-19. The margin of error for this survey is ±3.1 percentage points, 19 times out of 20.
