Good morning, Greater Sudbury! Here are a few stories to start your day on this Friday morning.
Fewer deaths, fewer paramedic calls and less Naloxone being distributed so far this year
New numbers released by Public Health Sudbury and Districts (PHSD) and the Community Drug Strategy indicate that the opioid situation in the Sudbury jurisdiction is changing slightly and perhaps improving. The latest figures indicate a slight dip in some opioid related activities. For example, the Greater Sudbury Paramedic Services responded to 94 suspected opioid-related incidents in January and February of this year. For the same period last year — January and February of 2021, the paramedics reported there were 127 opioid related incidents. This is for a two-month period and the numbers are not large, but the drop is more than 25 per cent for that particular metric.
Ontario extends college and university tuition freeze to 2022-2023
Ontario is extending a tuition freeze for college and university students through next year. Colleges and Universities Minister Jill Dunlop says the Progressive Conservative government wants to reduce financial barriers and financial strain on families. The province had reduced tuition fees by 10 per cent for the 2019 to 2020 academic year and froze tuition for another two years after that. The freeze is now being extended to the 2022-2023 academic year. It was originally introduced as the province cut a free tuition program for low-income students in early 2019. The province says students in university undergraduate arts and science degree programs will pay an average of $660 less in tuition with the freeze.
Few take the city up on a return to in-person council meetings
The ability for elected officials to attend city council meetings virtually has legs beyond the pandemic, with only three city councillors participating in Tuesday’s meeting in person. “Until council decides it wants to change the procedure bylaw again, remote participation remains an option for city councillors to engage in the meeting agendas and to participate in the votes,” city CAO Ed Archer said following Tuesday’s meeting. This, he added, is “one of many changes to come out of our COVID experience.” Included in the lifting of restrictions has come an invitation back to Tom Davies Square for both elected officials and the general public — although nobody from the public took the city up on this offer at their first opportunity on Tuesday night. It feels a bit premature to be opening back up fully, Ward 9 Coun. Deb. McIntosh told Sudbury.com, noting that Ontario’s science advisory table has indicated that the pandemic is not over. She intends to continue attending virtually for at least a couple more weeks. “I want to wait and see the impacts of the March Break and the lack of masking on the kids,” she said. “I am looking forward to being back with my colleagues, but not at the expense of getting sick.”
Int'l Skating Union replaces commentators for vulgar comment aimed at Sudbury's Meagan Duhamel
The International Skating Union has apologized and replaced its world championship commentators for vulgar comments aimed at Canadian Meagan Duhamel. British commentator Simon Reed called Duhamel, a two-time world pairs champion, "that bitch from Canada" at the end of Wednesday's pairs broadcasts, seemingly believing his mic was turned off. Reed and fellow Brit Nicky Slater laughed after the comment. "There is no place for harassing and abusive language or remarks and behavior in sport and our society," the ISU said in a tweeted statement on Thursday. "The ISU took instant action with its service provider to suspend both commentators with immediate effect and neither will cover any future Figure Skating events for the ISU."
Medical association president ‘deeply alarmed’ at high rate of physician burnout
A survey carried out by the Canadian Medical Association (CMA) shows that more than half of Canadian physicians and medical learners have experienced severe work stress during the COVID-19 pandemic. The CMA said in a report released March 23 that 53 per cent experienced high levels of burnout based on a survey carried out in November 2021. This compares with 30 per cent in a similar survey conducted in 2017, said the report. Further to that, the report said 46 per cent, or nearly half of the Canadian physicians who responded have considered reducing their clinical work in the next 24 months. Dr. Katharine Smart, president of the CMA, said the results of the survey were startling. "We should be deeply alarmed that half of the physician workforce is considering reducing their clinical workload," Smart said. She added the impact to patient care would be significant as there are already access to care issues in Canada.
Sudbury barkeep’s ‘Backyard Toddy’ earns a spot at global eco-cocktail competition
Dan Cronin has a toddy for you, a toddy good enough to earn him and his downtown Sudbury bar, The Alibi Room, a spot as Canada’s representative in the Torres Brandy Zero Challenge. The Torres Brandy Zero Challenge invites professional cocktail makers from across the globe to create a ecologically friendly drink using the brand’s signature brandy and to demonstrate how they can operate with a lower carbon footprint. To win, “[competitors] will have to demonstrate how to run a cocktail bar with the lowest possible environmental impact and create the most innovative eco-cocktail,” Torres Brandy states on its website. Cronin entered the competition last November and his Backyard Toddy was selected over the submissions of 30 other Canadian barkeeps. The toddy uses Torres brandy (as the sponsor), honey from a local apiary, lemon juice and, the kicker ingredient: Labrador tea. “First flush Labrador tea,” Cronin clarified. “The Labrador tea is one of those ingredients that we could very easily forage in the Sudbury wetlands – it grows wild. I mean, it's literally a weed. It's a rhododendron bush and it grows all over the wetlands.”
Rain and snow in the forecast for today
The lovely Northern Ontario spring-like weather continues today with periods of snow in the morning that will change to rain (or just remain as snow) near noon. Expect a high of one degree today. Tonight, there are flurries in the forecast and a low of -2.
