Good morning, Greater Sudbury! Here are a few stories to get you started this Saturday morning.
Public Health Sudbury and Districts reports a death connected to Amberwood outbreak
A person has died in connection with the COVID-19 outbreak at the Amberwood Suites retirement home in Sudbury. Dr. Penny Sutcliffe, Medical Officer of Health with Public Health Sudbury & Districts (PHSD), reported the death Friday afternoon. This is the third COVID-19 death to have occurred in the PHSD service area since the pandemic was declared back in March 2020. It is the first local COVID-19 death this year. "Out of respect during this difficult time, no further details will be provided," said Sutcliffe. “On behalf of Public Health, we offer our sincere condolences to family members, friends, and caregivers affected by this loss. We understand this news is difficult for all to hear, including for those who have loved ones living in retirement homes or long-term care,” said Sutcliffe.
Local MPPs call for gov’t oversight of Amberwood Suites
Sudbury's two New Democrat MPPs believe there should be government oversight at the Amberwood Suites retirement home in view of the death of a resident connected to the COVID-19 outbreak there. The outbreak, which has so far infected 31 Amberwood residents and three staff members, has attracted the attention of Sudbury MPP Jamie West and Nickel Belt MPP France Gélinas. They issued a joint news release expressing personal concern, as well as concern for family members of residents. Gélinas and West said in their release that the Doug Ford government "must provide oversight of the retirement home now to ensure the safety of residents and stop the spread of COVID-19". The two MPPs also called on Ford to reverse the previous Liberal government’s decision to allow the retirement home sector to self-regulate, a measure Gélinas and the NDP opposed in 2010. NDP opposition leader Andrea Horwath and the NDP have been calling for the Retirement Homes Regulatory Authority to be replaced with a body that has actual oversight and enforcement powers, before more seniors are put at risk, said the release.
Sudbury man charged for making, sharing child pornography
A Greater Sudbury man is facing several child pornography related charges, including a charge of making child pornography. The 34-year-old’s name is being withheld by police to protect the identity of the victim in the case. Greater Sudbury Police said the Internet Child Exploitation squad and Computer Forensics Unit executed a search warrant at a Greater Sudbury home on Jan. 14, with the assistance of the tactical unit and the intelligence unit. The man was arrested and charged with one count each of making child pornography, accessing child pornography and distributing child pornography, as well as two counts of possessing child pornography. He attended bail court on Thursday to answer to the charges. A publication ban has been imposed in relation to the case, police said. If you have information regarding child pornography and the online sexual exploitation of children, you can leave a tip at CyberTip.ca.
No surge of COVID-19 patients from outside region expected for Sudbury's ICU beds
Despite some concerns expressed about a surge in COVID-19 patients, Health Sciences North -- the largest hospital in Northern Ontario -- is not expecting any influx of patients from other communities. In some parts of Southern Ontario such as Windsor and Toronto, patients have been moved to other care facilities to make room for an expected surge of intensive care patients who might have COVID-19. As yet, this has not involved HSN said hospital communications specialist Jason Turnbull. "That being said, Ontario Health has asked hospitals to be ready to increase their ICU bed capacity by 15 per cent within 48 hours, and to earmark a third of available ICU bed capacity for critical care patient transfers from other communities," said Turnbull. "This means HSN is now ready to increase the total number of critical care beds at the hospital from 41 to 47, which is within the range of critical care surge plans which were developed as part of HSN’s pandemic planning," he added. As of noon on Friday, the HSN COVID update page revealed there were 11 patients admitted to hospital with COVID-19. None are in the ICU. In a release today calling for government oversight of the Amberwood Suites in Sudbury, the NDP said all 11 of those patients are residents of the Regent Street retirement home.There is one patient in the ICU currently awaiting test results.
Christian extremist David Popescu faces ‘very real prospect’ of jail time: Judge
Perennial fringe election candidate David Popescu, who is known for his extreme Christian beliefs, faces the “very real prospect” of jail time, said Ontario Court Justice Heather-Ann Mendes in court today. Crown attorney Leonard Kim is seeking a five-month jail sentence and two years of probation following submissions on Friday. This is Popescu’s third conviction for wilfully spreading hatred, and that’s a significant aggravating factor, said Kim. Instead of submitting what he thinks his sentence should be, Popescu, who defended himself, used his time to quote Bible scripture to try and persuade Mendes his conviction was unconscionable in the first place, arguing what the Bible says is absolute. Mendes adjourned the matter for eight weeks, “so we can assess where the pandemic is” at that time. The matter will return to court April 7. The Crown is expected to provide a letter from Sudbury jail regarding any cases of COVID-19.
Read the full story on the Sudbury.com homepage.
Some PSWs still waiting for pandemic pay, NDP says, while demanding permanent raise for workers
Nickel Belt MPP France Gélinas is calling for a permanent raise for the province’s PSWs. The Ontario government announced Oct. 1, 2020 its support for PSWs in the province’s long-term care homes by investing $461 million to temporarily enhance their wages, a move designed to attract and retain workers needed to care for LTC home residents during the COVID-19 pandemic. After the local PSW told us she and her coworkers have yet to see that money, Gelinas, NDP member for Nickel Belt in the Ontario Legislature, demanded Thursday the Ford government “flow the wage boost immediately and give PSWs a permanent raise. As part of their plan to overhaul home care and long-term care in Ontario, New Democrats are working to get PSWs a permanent $5 an hour raise compared to their pre-pandemic wages,” Gélinas stated.
