Good morning, Greater Sudbury. Welcome to Friday. Here are a few stories to get you started on the day.
Opening LTC, retirement and group homes to visits comes with strict protocols
Beginning June 18, Ontario residents can once again begin visiting loved ones in long-term care, nursing homes, group homes and other congregant care facilities. Premier Doug Ford made the announcement this afternoon during his regular weekday COVID-19 briefing. He was joined at the press conference by Health Minister and Deputy Premier Christine Elliott, Long-Term Care Minister Dr. Merrilee Fullerton, and Children, Community and Social Services Minister Todd Smith. It won’t be a free-for-all though. Visits will be tightly controlled, with limited access, screening and masks to keep both residents, their loved ones, and facility staff safe. The province said the protocols announced today were arrived at in consultation with Ontario’s Chief Medical Officer of Health.
Don’t expect your kids’ daycare to reopen Friday, despite lifting of COVID-19 restrictions
Parents in the Greater Sudbury area are being told not to expect all local daycare centres to be fully operational on Friday despite the announcement from Queen's Park earlier this week that said COVID-19 restrictions were being lifted to allow daycares to be open again. Details were outlined in a new set of operational guidelines from the province on Tuesday. "We have four locations, but three days’ notice is definitely not enough to open," said Tracy Saarikoski, executive director of Discovery Early Learning and Care in Sudbury. "We only received the operational guidelines from the ministry (of education) late Tuesday night. I spent three hours with our leadership team Wednesday morning going through that document." She said she and the staff have just begun having conversations on how to manage with less than half the number of clients they're used to dealing with. She could not commit to an opening date, but mentioned July 1 as a possibility. Saarikoski said she hoped all day care operators in the city would be able to open on the same day.
‘It’s a criminal act’: Sudbury police chief reflects on George Floyd arrest
With head bowed in silent reflection, Chief Paul Pedersen of the Greater Sudbury Police Service (GSPS) took a knee with a crowd of hundreds in Memorial Park, June 3, in support of those protesting racism and police brutality. He did this to communicate without comment, that both he and the police force he represents is listening and will continue to listen until reform is achieved, he told Sudbury.com in a later interview. GSPS has made great strides towards community cohesion, he said, especially in recent years, but if this protest told him anything, it is that further change is needed. "We are nowhere close to where we need to be when we can see this kind of expression of anti-racism of our very community here in Sudbury."
Sudbury man, 44, arrested on child pornography charges
A 44-year-old Greater Sudbury man was arrested this week and charged with child pornography offences. This month, Greater Sudbury Police Service’s Internet Child Exploitation (ICE) Unit was contacted by the Royal Canadian Mounted Police regarding a Greater Sudbury resident who they said was distributing child pornography on a chat messaging application. On June 10, officers with the ICE Unit with the assistance of the police Tactical Unit, the Integrated Crime Team – Intelligence Branch, the Criminal Investigation Division – Major Crime Section and the Computer Forensic Unit, executed a search warrant at a residence in Greater Sudbury. As a result, a 44-year-old man was arrested and charged with possession of child pornography and distribution of child pornography. The man appeared in bail court on June 10 to answer to the charges. A publication ban was ordered by the Justice of the Peace prohibiting any details of the investigation from being released.
Shower facilities will remain closed, group camping not permitted at provincial parks this summer
More facilities and services will be available at local provincial parks beginning Friday. Gradually over the next several weeks, Ontario Parks will start opening campgrounds, providing more washrooms and drinking water, along with roofed accommodations, park store and rental operations, visitor centres, and sports fields. "Due to the tremendous progress we have made to contain the spread of COVID-19, more services and activities will soon be available at our provincial parks," said Jeff Yurek, Minister of the Environment, Conservation and Parks. "While this is encouraging, it is not business as usual. I encourage everyone to be responsible and continue to follow public health advice, including physical distancing, when enjoying our outdoor amenities."
No eviction order creating difficult situations for some northern landlords
Provincial restrictions due to COVID-19 are slowly starting to loosen and more Ontarians are returning to work as the list of businesses that are allowed to re-open continues to grow. The business of property rental was never ordered to close, but landlords have been feeling the adverse effects of the pandemic as some have been dealing with problem tenants who have been taking advantage of the province's no evictions order. Jeff Dupre has found himself between a rock and a hard place after selling his home in Sault Ste. Marie back in January, with the intention of moving into the Elliot Lake home that he has been renting out to a tenant who is now refusing to leave. "I sold my place in January and gave the tenant the proper notice with an N12 notice and they never said anything, they just led on that they were moving out," said Dupre. "I was supposed to move in on April 1, I gave 60 days notice. I phoned them on March 30 because they were supposed to be moving out on March 31 and she told me that she wasn't moving out because of COVID-19." Collecting rent during the pandemic has also been a challenge for Dupre, who says the tenant pays sporadically, at her own convenience, and has become increasingly difficult to communicate with. "It's turned into a nightmare because I can't even call her anymore, she says I'm harassing her," said Dupre.
Read the full story on the Sudbury.com homepage.
Recoveries continue to out-strip new COVID-19 cases in Ontario
Recoveries continue to climb faster than new cases in Ontario. Public Health Ontario reported 203 new cases yesterday, which is a 0.6 per cent increase to the total number of cases reported to date. The province also noted 505 new recoveries, which is a two per cent increase in the total number of recovered cases. There were 12 more deaths reported June 11. The latest victims include six people aged 60 to 79, and six people over the age of 80. Of the total 31,544 cases of COVID-19 confirmed in Ontario, 2,487 people have died (7.9 per cent), 25,881 people are now recovered (82.1 per cent). There are, however, more deaths reported by the Ministry of Long-Term Care. The ministry’s update today indicates there have been 1,772 residents of long-term care facilities who have died due to COVID-19 and seven staff. Public Health Ontario has reported 1,600 deaths of long-term care residents and five staff deaths.
Awesome educators: Special ed teacher Jeanette Lankshear eases her students’ distance learning frustrations
ith the COVID-19 pandemic shuttering schools this spring, educators have been thrown into an unfamiliar role — trying to teach their students at a distance. We wanted to throw a spotlight on Greater Sudbury educators who have gone above and beyond the call of duty for their students in these unusual times, and perhaps shown a bit of creativity as they engage their students. Sudbury.com asked readers for their nominations for local educators who fit this bill, and we received a nomination for Jeanette Lankshear, program leader of exceptional students and special education resource teacher at Sudbury Secondary School. She was nominated by parent Kate Barber. “Jeannette Lankshear is an extraordinary special education/resource teacher at Sudbury Secondary School and makes herself available all day long to her students to support them with any of their classwork from any of their classes,” said Barber. “She gives one-on-one help and encouragement, which allows students with learning needs to keep up with their work. Her support and time makes a huge difference for my son.”
