Good morning, Greater Sudbury! Here are a few stories to start your day on this Tuesday morning.
Laurentian intends to sell Bell Mansion as it settles up with creditors: report
Laurentian University intends on selling the Bell Mansion as it attempts to settle up with its creditors. This information is included in a April 13 report by Ernst & Young, the firm that’s acting as the court-appointed monitor of Laurentian’s insolvency restructuring. The 11th report of the monitor focuses on a dispute between Laurentian University and the Art Gallery of Sudbury, which occupies the Bell Mansion. The matter will be heard in court next month. Laurentian University has been undergoing insolvency restructuring for more than a year after filing for insolvency restructuring under the Companies’ Creditors Arrangement Act (or CCAA). Yet to come is a plan of arrangement in which Laurentian comes up with a plan to pay off its creditors. “The Monitor understands that LU intends on selling the Bell Mansion and may include it, or the proceeds of its sale(s), in the plan it will be presenting to its creditors,” said the report by Ernst & Young.
Plan to let pharmacists hand out medications for minor ailments could be approved this year
Pharmacists in Ontario are expected to be given permission to prescribe medications for minor ailments. An Ontario pharmacist, who was part of the provincial advisory group looking at the change, said this would be a benefit for most Ontario residents. Nardine Nakhla, a pharmacist and professor at the University of Waterloo, favours the idea and said such a move would enable more residents to access professional health care in a more convenient way and provide a break to the conventional health-care system. "Currently, patients with a minor ailment who require prescription therapy must visit their doctor, walk-in clinic, or a local hospital," said Nakhla. "Often, patients wait days for an appointment or end up visiting a walk-in clinic or emergency department. Allowing pharmacists to provide support for these patients will improve health-care system efficiency and the patient experience," she said. Nakhal said more than 95 per cent of Ontario patients live within five kilometres of a community pharmacist, adding these community pharmacists are easily accessible and knowledgeable about medications.
Artistic expression of First Nations, Métis and Inuit peoples explored in school board’s video series
The local French Catholic school board is launching a project that seeks to raise awareness and provide a better appreciation of the different cultures that surround the school community, and more particularly the cultures of the First Nations, Métis and Inuit. Conseil scolaire catholique Nouvelon is set to offer a series of four videos as part of “its efforts to encourage and ensure equity, respect and inclusion in its school communities,” states a release from the board. These videos will offer a brief overview of the impact of colonization on some forms of artistic expression; the final video will pay tribute to the missing children and residential school survivors, their families and their communities. Through the sharing of various guest testimonials, the school board’s school communities will discover elements of the history and evolution of the following three art forms: beadwork, music and dance. Viewers will also discover how each of them contributes to the identity, well-being and healing of Indigenous communities.
The step by step process to get a road to the Ring of Fire
Construction hasn’t started on the road to the Ring of Fire, but the Ontario government promises the environmental assessment process is well underway. The provincial government and two remote First Nations near the remote mineral belt are calling the filing of the terms of reference of the Northern Road Link a “historic milestone to unlocking jobs and economic opportunities in the Ring of Fire region.” The Northern Road Link would link two proposed roads, the 200-kilometre Marten Falls to Aroland Community Access Road at the south end, and the proposed 110-kilometre Webequie Supply Road to the Ring of Fire at the north end. Premier Doug Ford and Northern Development Minister Greg Rickford delivered the news on April 14. They were joined by Chief Bruce Achneepineskum of Marten Falls and Chief Cornelius Wabasse of Webequie. The two communities are leading the planning of the Northern Road Link (NRL) project to reach the valuable and untapped deposits and minerals in the Ring of Fire, 500 kilometres northeast of Thunder Bay. The Ring of Fire contains many of the raw materials needed in electric vehicle manufacturing and the clean-tech economy. The road network will also connect the isolated First Nation communities of Marten Falls and Webequie to the Ontario road network for the first time.
GSU offers basement flood reminder for the spring
If your basement floods, there are certain steps people should be prepared to undertake, Greater Sudbury Hydro reminds residents. “Unfortunately, basement flooding happens sometimes when spring showers are coupled with snow melt,” said Wendy Watson, director of communications for Greater Sudbury Utilities, in a media release. “And in the event of basement flooding, safety is the No. 1 priority – it should be taken very seriously.” Electricity can move through water or wet flooring, so people are urged to not enter their basements if the water is above the level of electrical outlets, baseboard heaters or furnaces, or is near the electrical panel. If this is the case, people should contact their local electric utility immediately and arrange them to disconnect power to the building. On a similar front, downed power lines can cause the same hazard, and people are encouraged to remain the length of at least one school bus – 10 metres – away from a downed line, to phone 911 and their local electric utility to report it. The Electrical Safety Authority has additional safety points on their website, which can be accessed by clicking here.
‘Barberette’ Linda Guizzo retiring after 41 years at The President Barbershop
Serving dual purposes as her chosen profession and a means of socialization, it’s with a heavy heart that Linda Guizzo will retire from The President Barbershop after 41 years on April 22. “There’s lots of history in here, I tear up when I think about it,” she said earlier this week, throwing a glance at her cozy surroundings within the small shop at the downtown Clarion Hotel. “That’s what I’m going to miss the most – talking to people. They get free advice and I get free advice. Sometimes they don't ask for it, but I give it anyway.” The President Barbershop was established in downtown Sudbury’s President Motor Hotel in the mid-'60s. The building is now called the Clarion Hotel, but the barbershop retained its original name in the transition. The shop is located midway down a street-level hallway in the hotel and isn’t something a casual passerby along Elm Street would know is there. Despite never advertising their inconspicuous business, Guizzo said she and the shop’s previous owners managed to build up a strong client base on positive word of mouth alone.
Yes, there’s snow in the forecast today
If you look out the window, you’re likely to see snow, folks. Expect periods of snow to end late in the afternoon, though the clouds will stick around. Today’s high is just two degrees with about two centimetres of snow possible. The wind will be out of the north at 30 km/h, gusting to 60 in the morning. The UV index today is two or low. Tonight, the temperature will drop to -7 with cloudy periods.
