Good morning, Greater Sudbury! Here are a few stories to start your day on this Tuesday morning.
Public Health Sudbury confirms 1st cases of Influenza A in more than two years
Public Health Sudbury and Districts (PHSD) reported Monday that it has confirmed cases of Influenza A within its local jurisdiction. "This local activity is aligned with the sharp increase in influenza cases detected across Canada in the last few weeks," said a news release from PHSD. Area residents are reminded to protect themselves and others from respiratory infections by implementing simple and effective protective practices. This is a significant change from the situation in mid-March when PHSD said it had been more than two years since there had been any significant outbreaks of the flu. In a story Sudbury.com reported in March, the health unit said up to that point and throughout the pandemic, there had been no confirmed cases of the flu. "The last reported cases of influenza reported to Public Health Sudbury & Districts occurred between October 2019, and March 2020. During that time, there were 85 confirmed cases reported," said PHSD.
Plane crash kills four near Sioux Lookout, Ont., Transportation Board investigating
Four people are dead after a plane crash in northwestern Ontario, officials said Sunday as the Transportation Safety Board of Canada opened an investigation into the incident. David Lavallee, a public affairs officer with the Royal Canadian Air Force, said the search for the Piper PA-28 Cherokee began near Sioux Lookout, Ont., around 4:30 a.m. on Saturday, after officials were notified about an overdue aircraft the day before. He said rescuers were able to hone in on the plane's emergency locator transponder and the crash site was discovered later that day southeast of Sioux Lookout, which is about 450 kilometres east of Winnipeg. "It's remote and it's hard to access," Lavallee said. Lavallee said four people were on board the plane and none survived the crash.
Millions in consultants’ fees charged to Laurentian in 2021 to go before judge for approval next week
Ernst & Young, the court-appointed monitor of Laurentian University’s insolvency restructuring, will go before a judge on May 11 to ask that millions in consultants’ fees incurred during 2021 be approved. The firm also asks that the court approve the activities it undertook last year while acting as the court-appointed monitor for the university. Laurentian University declared insolvency on Feb. 1, 2021, filing for creditor protection under the Companies’ Creditors Arrangement Act (or CCAA). As part of its insolvency restructuring, Laurentian made massive program and staff cuts in the spring of 2021. With the stay of proceedings protecting LU against its creditors currently set to expire May 31, Laurentian plans to file a plan of arrangement this month in which it sets out a roadmap to pay out its creditors. Fees claimed by the monitor (Ernst & Young) during the period of Feb. 1 to Dec. 31, 2021 are $4.9 million, with disbursements of more than $54,000 (plus taxes of $646,431). (Disbursements are out-of-pocket expenses incurred in addition to professional fees). Court documents show that the total number of hours worked by Ernst & Young monitor professionals during 2021 was 8,045 hours, with an average hourly billing rate of $611.
Nomination period opens for municipal and school board elections
Greater Sudbury is now in the municipal and school board campaign season, with candidates’ nomination period beginning today. As nomination papers are filed with the city, campaigns become official and candidates can begin incurring election expenses and delving into their campaigns in earnest. The nomination period continues until 2 p.m. on Aug. 19, and the election has been scheduled to take place on Oct. 24. Nomination paperwork is available online by clicking here, and must be accompanied by at least 25 signatures from eligible voters and a nomination fee of $100 for ward councillors and school board trustees and $200 for mayor. School board trustee candidates have a similar list of criteria, only they must be residents of the district’s area of jurisdiction and be qualified to vote for members of that district school board. Additional board-specific requirements are outlined at greatersudbury.ca/elections/for-candidates. Third parties for municipal and school board elections also open today, and will be accepted until 4:30 p.m. on Oct. 21, with more information available at www.greatersudbury.ca/elections/for-third-parties.
Sudbury Symphony Orchestra excited to host its first show in two years
It’s been a long time coming but the Sudbury Symphony Orchestra (SSO) is excited to host a full-capacity concert for the first time in three years since the pandemic. “It's a long awaited concert because it was postponed during the pandemic. It's also a concert where the conductor for many years, Mélanie Léonard, is returning to finish off her contract. This is her last concert with the orchestra as music director. So it's very exciting for her and very promising for the future,” Jennifer Grant, executive director of the SSO, told Sudbury.com in a phone interview. The concert, “Hopes and High Notes”, is a full orchestra concert that will feature Léonard as conductor and Dobrochna Zubek as cello soloist. The concert includes an overture by Mozart and other variations by Mozart’s presumptive rival, Salieri. “There is an overture by Mozart that starts the program. And that's a humorous, endearing overture of Mozart,” Grant said about the intro piece. The concert will be held at the Fraser Auditorium on May 7 for 7:30 p.m. Tickets can be purchased here. For more information on the concert, visit the link here.
City to better prioritize sidewalks in town centres
The push for more sidewalks within the City of Greater Sudbury was firmly established during the April 20 operations committee meeting, which saw the city revise its sidewalk scoring matrix. A flaw was discovered in the existing matrix, in that it didn’t adequately score roadways near built-up commercial areas in outlying communities, which the committee resolved. Within the updated matrix, these town centres and roadways within 400 metres, or an estimated five-minute walk, have been better prioritized within the city’s list of proposed projects. “The goal of the Sidewalk Priority Matrix is to look at the city’s road network as a whole to determine where pedestrians are travelling, where there are gaps in the pedestrian infrastructure and prioritize investments in the sidewalk network in order to improve mobility options in the community,” explained the city’s supervisor of traffic and asset management, Joe Rocca. The Sidewalk Priority Matrix was adopted in 2017 and determines where new sidewalks are installed each year, drawing from variables such as pedestrian traffic and gaps in infrastructure. The ultimate goal, in keeping with the city’s Community Energy and Emissions Plan, is to establish a 35-per-cent active transportation mode share by 2050.
Read the full story on the Sudbury.com homepage.
Cloudy, rainy day for Tuesday
Expect a cloudy, rainy day today with a high of 10. There is a 30-per-cent chance of showers or drizzle in the morning, with a few showers beginning near noon. Fog patches will dissipate over the morning. The UV index today is four, or moderate. Tonight, expect cloudy periods with a 60-per-cent chance of showers and a low of -1.
