Good morning, Greater Sudbury! Here are a few stories to start your day on this Thursday morning.
Gélinas ‘dismayed ... suspicious’ of Laurentian’s ongoing effort to fight Speaker’s warrant
Nickel Belt MPP France Gélinas said her feelings range from “sad to dismayed to suspicious” with regards to Laurentian University seeking a legal method to evade a Speaker’s warrant issued against LU last month. Counsel for Laurentian are asking the court for a stay of the Speaker’s warrant. Alternatively, Laurentian is asking for “advice and directions from the Court on how the University should comply with the Speaker’s warrants, given the existing court orders and the CCAA restructuring process.” Gélinas said there is no doubt that Laurentian “has no choice but to comply” with the Speaker’s warrant — only the third issued in the history of Ontario’s legislature — “and we will win, and they will lose. This is the full power of a legislative assembly against a tiny weeny little transfer payment agency called ‘a university’,” she said. “Like this is David and Goliath, except that David is not going to win, for Goliath will win.”
Sudbury business owners push for more support to stay afloat amid latest lockdown
With another round of COVID-related health restrictions handicapping or outright closing businesses across the province, entrepreneurs are again pushing for greater support. Alongside a backslide in the province’s Roadmap to Reopen, the Progressive Conservatives announced the Ontario Business Costs Rebate Program would expand to help affected businesses by covering property tax and energy costs. “It’s wild to me that they announce these wide-sweeping shutdowns and then say, ‘We’re working on getting you some support,’” Round Two Fitness owner Michelle Munro told Sudbury.com, adding that key details including how to apply and what businesses are eligible have yet to be released. “Here’s your reduced capacity and lockdown and we’ll get around to your support eventually. My bank doesn’t understand that when I’m trying to pay my mortgage.” Joining gym and fitness centres across the province, Round Two Fitness is slated to close on Wednesday as part of a list of closures and capacity limits taking effect until at least Jan. 26.
Health Sciences North cutting back surgeries, but continuing to provide COVID-19 testing
Sudbury's Health Sciences North (HSN) hospital is following a provincial directive and for the next two weeks will be cutting surgeries back to 80 per cent. The province is working to ensure that hospitals have enough capacity to handle a possible influx of new COVID-19 patients. At the same time, the hospital said it is caring for 22 COVID-19 positive patients as of Jan. 4. Four of the patients are in the Intensive Care Unit (ICU) along with several other patients getting intensive care for other illnesses. The hospital is also coping with a new COVID-19 outbreak on the fourth floor of the South Tower. "As of January 4th, out of its 4,600 employees and medical staff, HSN reports approximately 21 employees and medical staff who are positive for COVID-19 and approximately 57 others who are self-isolating due to a high-risk contact exposure," said a statement from the hospital.
Sudbury daycare operator says stress levels high as workers, children no longer qualify for testing
The executive director of the Laurentian Child and Family Centre said it’s time for the province to start treating daycares like the essential service it has been deemed in the COVID-19 pandemic. Theresa Mills said she was left with more questions than answers when the province announced Monday it is returning to a modified version of Step 2 to its Roadmap to Reopen. She said they were told, just like everyone else, that daycares are to remain open and even provide emergency child care services for school-aged children. Laurentian Child and Family Centre has 18 employees that provide services for 64 children, including a dozen school-aged children. Neither the children, nor the staff, qualify for PCR testing. As of Dec. 31, lab testing for COVID-19 is only available for specific groups who are considered high-risk individuals and those who work in high-risk settings. Prior to Premier Doug Ford’s announcement on Jan. 3, most child-care centres required a negative PCR test for a child to return after symptoms. Now, if a child exhibits any symptoms, such as a runny nose or cough, that child will be sent home for at least five days to isolate. That child’s parents and siblings are also required to self-isolate. “They're closing schools for two weeks so they can get N-95 masks and HEPA filters, but they want me to open my daycare tomorrow,” said Mills. “I've got nothing. None of that stuff. We've never gotten it, and now we're not allowed to be tested. “We're considered essential because you can't work without us. But they're not doing anything for us. It’s a nightmare.”
Greyhounds beat Wolves, extend lead atop West Division
A pair of goals in a period that saw the team outshoot the Sudbury Wolves 28-9 helped the Greyhounds to a 6-1 Ontario Hockey League victory at Sudbury Community Arena on Jan. 4. It was the second win for the Greyhounds over the Wolves in three days after the team picked up a 4-2 win on Sunday afternoon, also in Sudbury. With the win, the Greyhounds improve to 18-10-2-0 and, with 38 points, sit atop the OHL’s West Division, six points ahead of the Windsor Spitfires, who have three games in hand. The loss drops Sudbury’s record to 8-16-2-0 and the team sits two points behind the Peterborough Petes for the final playoff spot in the Eastern Conference. The Pack is back in action on Friday (Jan. 7) for a 7:05 p.m. tilt at home against the Mississauga Steelheads. The team then hits the road for the weekend, taking on the Niagara IceDogs at 7 p.m. on Jan. 8 and then heading to Oshawa to battle the Generals at 6:05 p.m. on Jan. 9.
Public Health Sudbury redeploys staff to ramp up vaccination capacity
As COVID-19 cases continue to mount, Public Health Sudbury and Districts is again offering vaccination opportunities in the region this week. Eligible individuals looking to get their first, second, or third dose can book an appointment through the provincial government’s online booking system or attend a walk-in clinic. Residents of Ontario 18 years of age and older who received their second dose of a COVID-19 vaccine at least three months ago are now eligible to receive a booster dose. The health unit said in a release it has redeployed staff to “quickly ramp up local capacity and vaccination appointments due to increased eligibility. “We appreciate everyone’s patience and understanding while clinic staff works diligently to offer vaccinations. Please be kind, be patient, and be respectful to one another,” said the health unit. “Know that you may wait sometime before being immunized, and that our ability to immunize walk-ins is based upon having sufficient vaccine supplies.”
Sudbury’s latest cannabis shop, Clover Cannabis, opens on Notre Dame
With the growing number of corporate-owned cannabis store across Ontario, and right here in Sudbury, two local entrepreneurs found many stores were too focused on profit, and not enough on providing a memorable customer experience. That’s why Ben MacKenzie and Alex Dumais have opened Clover Cannabis at 450 Notre Dame Ave. They said Clover Cannabis is set up as a quick stop cannabis store. “We serve our customers quickly and provide a vast array of products,” they told Sudbury.com. “We currently offer in store shopping, online ordering and will be launching delivery soon.” This project began in March of 2021 with the goal of creating a locally owned, customer-first cannabis store in Sudbury. Being active in the community and opening strategically in an area not saturated by other stores, MacKenzie and Dumais said they believe their store can become a staple for the community around Notre Dame and Sudbury as a whole. “You won’t see us opening hundreds of stores to milk the revenue,” MacKenzie said in the news release. “We are focused on serving our area and our community with a customer-first experience and reasonably priced products.
Read the full story on the Sudbury.com homepage.
Bundle up! Going to be nippy today
You might want to bundle up a bit before heading out today. Expect a high of just -17 (still not bad for a Northern Ontario January) with a mix of sun and cloud. It’s going to be windy too, blowing out of the north at 20 km/h but gusting to 40. There will be a wind chill throughout the day of -28, which means there’s a real risk of frostbite on exposed skin. There is also a 60-per-cent chance of flurries today. Tonight, the skies will cloud over and the mercury will drop to -22.
