Good morning, Greater Sudbury! Here are stories to start your day.
COVID admissions up more than 50% at Health Sciences North
Health Sciences North, the largest hospital in Northern Ontario, said it is experiencing a surge of COVID-19 cases and the staff is feeling the pressure.
HSN's daily COVID summary page showed there are five separate outbreaks at HSN venues, with three outbreaks on different floors of the hospital itself and two outbreaks at other locations.
"Like other hospitals across Ontario, HSN is currently experiencing a surge in COVID cases that’s putting pressure on our front-line staff," said HSN communications manager Jason Turnbull.
He said the situation across Ontario is urgent as COVID numbers continue to rise.
"In the past month, COVID hospitalizations have been on the rise across the province, with an increase of 53 per cent in 24 days. It is the first time since May 2022 that COVID hospitalizations have exceeded 1,600," Turnbull explained.
For the full story, click here.
Victim hit by car, beaten by the occupants in West Nipissing assault
PP are investigating a serious assault that occurred on Highway 64, after a pedestrian was hit by a vehicle and then assaulted by the occupants of said vehicle.
On Oct. 16, at 2:30 a.m., members from the Nipissing West Detachment of the Ontario Provincial Police (OPP) responded to a 9-1-1 call on Highway 64, West Nipissing, involving a pedestrian struck by a vehicle.
Their investigation revealed that after being struck by the vehicle, the pedestrian was assaulted by its occupants, who then fled prior to the arrival of police.
The pedestrian was transported to a local hospital, with serious, but non-life-threatening injuries by Nipissing Paramedic Services.
For more information about the incident, you can find the story here.
Downward changes noted in opioid incidents and emergency visits
Newly released numbers from Public Health Sudbury and District (PHSD) show a downward change in the number of opioid related incidents so far this year, according to Greater Sudbury Paramedic Services.
The updated information is posted on the Community Drug Strategy page of the PHSD website.
The numbers revealed that from January to the end of September this year, Sudbury Paramedics responded to 543 suspect opioid-related incidents.
Compared to the same period in the year before, from January to September of 2021, the paramedics responded to 638 suspected opioid-related incidents. This represents a decrease of 14.8 per cent in paramedic calls.
For the full story, click here.
Upcoming Sudbury house concert to feature Suzie Vinnick
Acclaimed roots and blues singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist, Suzie Vinnick, will perform in a great new venue in a private Ramsey Lake home in Sudbury Oct. 22, with the return of Sudbury House Concerts.
A Saskatoon native transplanted to the Niagara Region of Ontario, Vinnick is known for her gorgeous voice, prodigious guitar and bass chops, and an engagingly candid performance style.
She was recently awarded the Saskatchewan Jazz Festival 2019 Special Recognition Award and was nominated for a 2018 Canadian Folk Music Award for Producer of the Year with her co-producer, Mark Lalama.
Vinnick has won 10 Maple Blues Awards, a Canadian Folk Music Award for Contemporary Vocalist of the Year and is a three-time Juno nominee who has toured nationally with Downchild, Stuart McLean’s The Vinyl Café, the John McDermott Band.
She has just released her seventh solo album entitled “Fall Back Home.”
For more information about the show, find the full story here.
NOSM University receives $10M gift from FDC Foundation
NOSM University, formerly the Northern Ontario School of Medicine, has received a $10 million gift from the FDC Foundation of Mississauga.
As Canada’s first independent medical university, NOSM U said in a news release it "is driving forward a bold, transformative plan that will change the future of health care in Northern Ontario — and it has a visionary partner to thank."
NOSM said the gift from FDC will change the lives of NOSM University learners, while challenging like-minded philanthropists to do the same.
Dollar for dollar, every gift made to NOSM University for student financial aid will be matched up to $10 million, said NOSM. The family foundation supports health care and education and is dramatically strengthening the impact of NOSM University’s philanthropic efforts, which leads to more doctors in the North and better access to health care close to home for the 800,000 people who live in the region, said NOSM.
You can read the full story here.
Ward 7 and Ward 8: A rundown of who’s running
In Sudbury.com’s ongoing efforts to ensure you have all the information you need to make informed voting decisions in the Oct. 24 municipal election, we have reached out to candidates for ward councillor and each of them to provide responses to a short questionnaire.
Besides a photograph, we requested a response from each candidate, limited to 200 words each, under each of the following three categories:
- Tell me a bit about yourself
- Why are you seeking election?
- What are your key platform points?
You can find the Ward 7 council candidates' answers here.
You can find the Ward 8 council candidates’ answers here.
