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Good morning, Greater Sudbury! Here are a few stories to get you started on this Saturday morning.
Early-morning collision sends pedestrian to hospital with serious injuries
A pedestrian was sent to hospital this morning with serious but non-life-threatening injuries after being hit by a vehicle on Notre Dame, said Greater Sudbury Police Service. Police said they responded to a call at 2: 16 a.m. about a pedestrian who had been hit by a northbound Honda CRV on Notre Dame at King Street. The pedestrian, a 21-year-old man, remains in stable condition in hospital. The road was closed for several hours to allow police to investigate. The road was reopened just before 9 a.m. The Traffic Management Unit is conducting an ongoing investigation into the collision. Anyone with information or who witnessed the collision is asked to call Sergeant Blair Ramsay of our Traffic Management Unit at 705-675-9171 ext. 2411.
Health Sciences North celebrates northeast’s first bariatric surgery
A team of surgeons from Sudbury's Health Sciences North has completed the first bariatric surgery ever performed in Northeastern Ontario. The North has higher-than-average rates of obesity. Bariatric surgery, which is also known as weight-loss surgery, is an option for people who have not been able to lose weight by more traditional means, such as dieting and exercise. The surgery involves changes to a person's digestive system to help them lose weight, which can limit how much a person can eat. HSN said the surgery has been shown to be an effective intervention, helping people lose weight and producing significant weight loss. HSN said more than 5,000 patients from across Northeastern Ontario were referred for assessment between 2011 and 2019, with more than 1,900 patients being referred to Southern Ontario for bariatric procedures. “We are greatly reducing the need for people to travel hundreds of kilometers south for a lifesaving surgery,” said Dr. Noémie-Rose Harvey, a general surgeon with HSN who was recruited to Sudbury in 2020 and led the first surgery. “This is a significant clinical achievement for our hospital and also for the patients of this region who have some of the highest obesity rates in Canada.”
Capacity limits lifting for restaurants, gyms on Monday
Capacity limits at restaurants, gyms and casinos are lifting in Ontario next week. Premier Doug Ford has unveiled his plan to lift COVID-19 public health restrictions by March 2022. He was joined by Minister of Health Christine Elliott, Associate Minister of Digital Government Kaleed Rasheed and chief medical officer of health Dr. Kieran Moore. Ford said the cautious plan slowly lifts public health measures and does everything to avoid broad lockdowns. Since Sept. 22, proof of vaccination has been required to access high-risk indoor public spaces that are not essential. Capacity limits on some of those spaces were lifted recently. Today, the enhanced vaccine certificate featuring a QR code went into effect. While it allows places to easily scan the code, people can still use their second-dose vaccine receipt as proof of vaccination. “Thanks to our cautious and careful approach to re-opening, we are now in position to gradually lift all remaining public health measures over the coming months,” said Ford in a news release. “This plan is built for the long term. It will guide us safely through the winter and out of this pandemic, while avoiding lockdowns and ensuring we don’t lose the hard-fought gains we have made.”
Trades ticket ‘the biggest asset’ for women considering skilled labour careers
Patricia Tousignant readily admits she gets bored easily. She was training for a career in policing when she decided it wasn’t quite the work she wanted. Instead, she shifted gears toward personal support work, but it still didn’t feel like the right fit. Struggling to find her place in the labour force, it was her husband who suggested a career in the skilled trades. “It was something I never thought I’d go into. No one in my family worked in the trades,” Tousignant said. “I looked at millwrighting and it was everything I wanted in a job. Millwrighting offers just a great opportunity to do different things, from welding to rigging to reading blueprints, which I really enjoyed.” Last year, Tousignant enrolled in the industrial millwright technician program at Cambrian College in Sudbury, earning the first ever Women in Skilled Trades Bursary from TESC Contracting. She graduated from the program this past spring with a 4.0 grade point average and landed a position as a junior machinist with Heath and Sherwood where she spent six months. This October, Tousignant started a new position as an apprentice millwright with WB Melback, a project management and general contracting firm based in Haileybury. Tousignant was one of several women participating in a discussion panel on Women in the Trades, hosted by Cambrian College on Oct. 19. The session was a lead-up to Cambrian’s upcoming Jill of All Trades event, a virtual career fair aimed at inspiring girls in Grades 7-12 to consider careers in the trades. Scheduled for Oct. 28, registration for the event is already full.
Flurries are expected this morning
There's a 30 per cent chance of flurries this morning and a 30 per cent chance of rain showers in the afternoon. There will be a high of 7 C. and a wind chill of -4 C in the morning. There's a 30 per cent chance of rain showers this evening, with a risk of freezing drizzle overnight and a low of 0 C.
