Good morning, Greater Sudbury! Here are a few stories to get you started on this Monday morning.
Public Health Sudbury reports four new cases Sunday
Public Health Sudbury & Districts is reporting four new cases of COVID-19 in the region today. Three of those cases are in Greater Sudbury while the fourth is in the Manitoulin District. Two of the new cases were linked by contact tracing as close contacts of other confirmed cases. The two remaining cases are of unknown exposure. The genders of the people infected were listed as 'unspecified.' Public Health also reported seven resolved cases today. With those people have recovered, the current number of active known cases is 10. There have been 218 known confirmed cases in the Public Health Sudbury & Districts coverage area. Up to today, there have been 102,951 COVID-19 tests performed in the region.
Police release name of civilian fatally shot in Gore Bay on Nov. 19
The Special Investigations Unit (SIU) has released the name of the 60-year-old man involved in an altercation on Manitoulin Island that left an OPP officer — and the suspect — dead. SIU had been withholding the name of the 60-year-old man pending consent from his next of kin. Today (Nov. 21), the man was identified as 60-year-old Gary Brohman of Gore Bay. Anyone who may have information relevant to this investigation is urged to contact the lead investigator at 1-800-787-8529. The Unit is also urging anyone who may have any video evidence related to this incident to upload that video through the SIU website. Greater Sudbury Police Service has been asked by OPP to assist in the provincial police service's investigation into the incident.
As the holiday season approaches, Festive RIDE Campaign almost set to launch
The annual Festive Reduce Impaired Driving Everywhere (RIDE) Campaign launches Nov. 26, and runs until Jan. 3. Police services across the province take part in holiday RIDE programs aimed at taking alcohol and drug-impaired drivers off our roads. As of 2018, the Mandatory Alcohol Screening (MAS) law allows police officers in possession of an approved screening device who lawfully pull over a driver in a RIDE initiative (or through any other lawful traffic stop) to demand a breath sample without having reasonable suspicion that the driver has alcohol in their body. Police can also demand a driver to submit to a Standardized Field Sobriety Test (SFST) and a Drug Recognition Expert (DRE) Evaluation. SFST-trained officers and DREs have the expertise to detect impairment by alcohol, drugs or both in a driver.
Ontario reports 1,542 new cases, 14 deaths in Sunday’s pandemic case report
Public Health Ontario has confirmed 1,534 new cases of COVID-19 today, as well as 14 deaths and 1,429 recoveries. Of the 14 deaths reported today, three people were between the ages of 60 and 79 years old, and 11 people were over the age of 80. Seven people who died were residents at long-term care homes. Since yesterday, at least seven people have been admitted to intensive care units with COVID-19 and 51 people have been hospitalized with COVID-19. Not all hospitals report new coronavirus hospitalizations on the weekends. Of the 1,534 new cases reported Sunday, more than 60 per cent are from Peel (490 new cases) and Toronto (460 new cases). There are currently 110 active known cases across Northern Ontario, with the most of those cases now in northwestern Ontario.
City looks local in hiring new director of Economic Development
Following a recruitment search that attracted candidates from across the country, local business leader Brett Williamson has been hired as the City’s new director of economic development, effective Dec. 14. The director of economic development is responsible for a large portfolio of economic-related services, including investment and business development, tourism, entrepreneurship, arts and culture and immigration, and is part of the city’s executive leadership team. “Brett brings a wealth of knowledge and experience from the private sector, with a proven track record of leading change, meeting targets and supporting staff in achieving operational excellence,” said Greater Sudbury Mayor Brian Bigger. Brett is currently CEO of the Palladino Auto Group, which includes 13 automotive, marine and RV businesses, and 584 staff.
Campaign for a second MRI in Sudbury gets $500K boost
The drive to raise enough money for a new $7-million MRI machine at Health Sciences North (HSN) in Sudbury has been given a huge boost. The Northern Cancer Foundation (NCF) and Glencore’s Sudbury Integrated Nickel Operations (Glencore Sudbury INO) have jointly announced a $500,000 donation to the Unlock the Potential campaign. An MRI is a diagnostic imaging machine that provides real time images inside the human body. It has become a staple of modern medicine. The fundraising drive for the new MRI is in place to acquire a second, newer machine for the hospital. HSN is the only academic hospital of its size in Ontario that operates on only one MRI. Because of that, the average patient waits 84 days for a scan when the provincial average is 24 days, said a news release from the cancer foundation. HSM's current machine is in demand 24 hours a day, not just for patients in Sudbury, but from across Northeastern Ontario.
Laurentian able to welcome back international students not currently living in Canada
Laurentian University said in a press release it has been added to Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada's Designated Learning Institution List. The list names all Canadian colleges and universities with federally approved COVID-19 readiness plans. This paves the way for the arrival of international students to Laurentian. The press release said this announcement follows weeks of productive discussions with partners at the provincial and federal levels of government, and would not have been possible without the combined efforts of many departments within the university to keep our community safe. Laurentian University's International Student Services and Residence teams continue to support international students with their arrival and quarantine plans. Currently, Laurentian has enrolled 602 international students from 75 countries, studying remotely from their home countries or in Canada.
Public Health Sudbury approves $27.4M budget for 2021
Sudbury's board of public health has approved a $27.4-million budget for 2021 that is reported to be a spending increase of 1.5 per cent over the Public Health Sudbury and Districts budget for 2020. The increase is estimated to represent a municipal per capita levy of $2.46 for every person living in the PHSD jurisdiction, which includes the City of Greater Sudbury and 17 surrounding towns and communities such as Espanola, French River and Chapleau. PHSD board member and finance chair Carolyn Thain explained that although the spending increase is only 1.5 per cent higher, the actual contribution from the member municipalities will be an increase of five per cent. Part of the reason is because the province has cut back its share of funding for public health spending that kicked in on Jan. 1 of this year. The policy change saw Queen's Park cutting back its share of public health funding to 70 per cent, meaning local municipalities would be picking up the remaining 30 per cent. Then the pandemic happened. It meant spending priorities changed for every public health agency in Ontario, including PHSD. In August, Ontario’s Ministry of Health sent a letter to PHSD promising top-up funding of up to $2,249,900 for 2020 and up to $1,179,500 for 2021.