Good morning, Greater Sudbury! Here are a few stories to get you started on this Saturday morning.
Patios are open for business, and Sudburians are pretty happy about it
Not even threatening skies could stop some Sudburians from getting out and enjoying their favourite patios today. Sudbury.com took a stroll through downtown to speak with folks enjoying patios and chat with some of the purveyors of those patios. Patios are part of the first step of Ontario’s reopening plan, albeit, with some restrictions still in place. For example, restaurants will only be able to serve up to four people per table for patio dining. Kendra MacIsaac, vice-president of Health and Wellness at YMCA of Northeastern Ontario, as well as co-chair of the board for Downtown Sudbury BIA, was joined by Helen Francis, president and CEO of YMCA of Northeastern Ontario, and Nancy Dubé on the patio at La Fromagerie. “It feels great, and it’s great to see so many of the businesses downtown take advantage of the patio program and opening back up today,” said MacIsaac.
Everyone agrees there is an opioid crisis, but how to best tackle that crisis is complex
No agreement was reached this week on the best way to respond to the opioid crisis in Sudbury, but there was open and frank discussion that something dramatic must be done to save people’s lives. There was even talk about changing the Mental Health Act to allow the province to detain people in treatment for six to eight weeks. It was not endorsed, but the fact such an extreme step was suggested demonstrates the profound impact the opioid crisis is having on communities across the country, but particularly here in Northern Ontario. The event was an online town hall meeting held to discuss ways the opioid crisis might be addressed in Sudbury and across Northeastern Ontario. The town hall was hosted by Sudbury MPP Jamie West, who brought several speakers together Wednesday night to look at ways to ease the crisis through harm reduction, and to discuss the progress of finding a supervised consumption site, where people who take drugs can have a dedicated place to go. After meeting and talking for more than 90 minutes, a lot of empathy was expressed, ideas were put on the table, but there were no new solutions agreed upon for the complex challenge of bringing the crisis to an end.
Police, mental health professionals now teaming up to respond to crisis calls in Sudbury
Starting June 14, when police officers are called out to a mental health-related crisis, they will be accompanied by a mental health professional in an effort to “help people in the right place at the right time,” said the program’s lead. Russell Landry said across Ontario, police services are seeing an increase in calls for mental health crises. Landry is the Northeastern Ontario lead for Mobile Crisis Rapid Response Teams (MCRRT). In Sudbury, the MCRRT has been developed in collaboration with Health Sciences North, Greater Sudbury Police Service and the Ontario Provincial Police. A MCRRT provides on-site assessments conducted by mental health and addictions professionals providing referrals and recommendations to community services, allowing for appropriate diversion from the emergency department.
Roosting bruin: It's not everyday you see a black bear up a tree standing in a heron's nest
It’s not often one goes birding and sees a roughly 125-pound specimen high up in a tree. But that’s what happened to Midland residents Ken and Susan MacDonald during an expedition Tuesday to view a heronry in Severn Township. Expecting to view a colony of adult great blue herons and their chicks, they were astonished to see a medium-sized black bear high up in a tree, hovering over a heron’s nest. "My wife saw a big black shape so we got our binoculars and there was a bear standing upright," said MacDonald, who serves as program director of the Midland-Penetanguishene Field Naturalists. “This must have been one determined bear. As far as the height of the tree, I thought it looked like the height of a four- or five-storey building, which puts it in the 60- to 75-foot range. "We wondered whether he might come down undercover of nightfall because we were a little surprised that none of the adult birds in the herony seemed to be making any sweeps, or doing any defensive tactics."
Public Health Sudbury reports two new cases of COVID-19 for June 11, Ontario reports 574
Public Health Sudbury and Districts (PHSD) has reported two new cases of COVID-19. PHSD also reports 19 active cases being watched locally. The region hasn’t seen a double-digit increase in COVID-19 cases since May 8. Public Health Ontario has reported 574 new COVID-19 cases in its latest report (June 11). Daily case counts in the province have remained under 1,000 new cases since May 31 and have been below 600 cases every day since Monday (June 7). Today's update also includes 850 new recoveries and four deaths.
Read both stories on the Sudbury.com homepage.
Temporary wage increase for support workers extended until August
Personal support workers (PSWs) will see their temporary wage increase extended to Aug. 23, 2021. Originally announced in October 2020, $461 million allocated to enhance wages for PSWs and direct support workers was an effort to "stabilize, attract and retain the workforce needed to provide a high level of care during the COVID-19 pandemic," according to a media release issued by the provincial government. The wage increase was extended on March 18 and was slated to expire on June 30. It will now run until Aug. 23 when it will be re-evaluated by the provincial government.
Laurentian’s men’s basketball coach named to coaching staff for U19 World Cup
The head coach of the Laurentian Voyageurs’ men’s basketball has been tapped by Canada Basketball to serve as an assistant coach at the upcoming FIBA U19 World Cup in Latvia from July 3-11. Shawn Swords will join a team led by former University of New Mexico head coach, Paul Weir, while a pair of OUA head coaches will serve alongside Swords as assistant coaches; Wilfrid Laurier’s Justin Serresse, who played under Swords at Laurentian from 2008-2010, and McMaster’s Patrick Tatham. Swords is no stranger to the international game, having suited up in more than 100 games wearing the Team Canada colours, highlighted by a trip to the Sydney Olympics in 2000. On the sidelines, he was an assistant coach with the Canadian Junior National team in 2010 and 2011, the team leader of the U18 Canadian 3x3 team in 2012 and a guest coach with the Canadian Senior National team in 2012 and 2016. He also served as the assistant coach on the FISU Games Canadian men’s basketball team in both 2013 and 2015 and the head coach of the FISU team in 2019. “Canada continues to produce some amazingly talented young basketball players,” he said. “I'm grateful for this opportunity to share with them some of the things I've learned as a former player and now coach.”
It’s shaping up to be a decent weekend weather-wise
There should be some decent weather this weekend for the Nickel City. Saturday expect a high of 24 under mostly sunny skies, with increasing cloudiness in the afternoon. The UV index will be nine, or high. Tonight will be mainly cloudy with a 30-per-cent chance of showers and a low of 13. Sunday will be cloudy with a 40-per-cent chance of showers, but a high of 23. The chance of showers will continue for this evening. Low of 13.
