Good morning, Greater Sudbury! Here are a few stories to start your day on this Friday morning.
Ontario embarks on Alberta's failed for-profit surgery scheme
A western Canada health policy researcher said the idea of for-profit surgeries that was put in place in Alberta three years ago has been a failure. Andrew Longhurst has authored a new 68-page report on the Alberta Surgical Initiative (ASI) titled Failure To Deliver, which examines the impact of the out-sourcing policy that began in 2020 when the Government of Alberta decided to finance for-profit surgeries with an eye to reducing wait times. The report was released on Tuesday. The report said the Alberta Surgical Initiative represented a significant expansion of for-profit corporate health care in Alberta with the province committed to spending $400 million and doubling-up the number of outsourced surgeries over three-years from 15 per cent to 30 per cent of surgeries provincewide. But the data, Longhurst found, shows not only did the initiative not achieve its goals, it had no impact on wait times (and in fact increased some); it didn’t increase the province’s surgical capacity (it actually reduced it), and; it diverted resources away from public hospitals. The report might draw considerable interest in Ontario since the Doug Ford Conservatives are moving in the same direction in much the same way with Ontario Bill 60, the Your Health Act, which was passed on May 8.
‘Brampton Batman’ special guest at Big Truck event Saturday
The Northern Ontario Railroad Museum and Heritage Centre presents its sixth annual Big Truck Showcase May 20. The event takes place at the railroad museum at 26 Bloor St. in Capreol from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday. The event will be a fun-filled family day with numerous large trucks, heavy equipment, and everyday trucks commonly seen on our streets, such as fire trucks, buses, garbage trucks and more on display. Families and children are encouraged to climb inside, explore, sound sirens, honk horns and take tons of pictures. Admission is free. There will also be a barbecue and several vendors on site. This year, the event will welcome special guest “Brampton Batman” and his iconic Batmobile built using a Chevrolet Caprice modelled after the vehicle used in the 1989 Batman movie starring Michael Keaton.
CIty council moving toward multi-year budgeting
A shift toward multi-year budgeting was approved by the city’s finance and administration committee of city council on May 16. With this change, the city’s budget process will now include two-year operations budgets and four-year capital budgets. That is, assuming city council as a whole ratifies Tuesday’s decision. With only Ward 2 Coun. Michael Vagnini voting against the plan, it’s likely to proceed. He cited a need for the city to proceed with zero-based budgeting. Multi-year budgeting was proposed by Ward 9 Coun. Deb McIntosh earlier this year. The councillor argued the method’s potential to assist with longer-term goals was worth looking into. This week’s meeting saw city administration table a report regarding its implications, in which they note approximately 3,000 hours of staff time would be saved in each two-year cycle by going with a multi-year budget.
Sudbury MP knocking on doors for feedback
Sudbury MP Viviane Lapointe is going door to door in the riding. She says she is looking for honest feedback from her constituents on the job that she’s doing. “I call it my Feedback Tour,” said MP Lapointe. “It’s an opportunity to hear directly from constituents about what is top of mind. We are having good, meaningful conversations about how they are doing, and how our government is doing.” The MP said since January, she and her team “have made calls, conducted surveys, and hosted town hall sessions; also dropping into local coffee shops to chat with residents.” But with the coming of warmer weather, Lapointe is taking the show on the road in neighborhoods across the city. “Some people ask why I’m going door-to-door when there isn’t an election. The answer is simple: I tell them I want to hear from them. They really appreciate being listened to.”
Sudburian needs your votes to become ‘Ms. Health and Fitness’
In attempting to win an online contest to become Ms. Health and Fitness, Sudburian Emma Carniello said she hopes to act as a role model to other young women. If she were to win the contest, Carniello would not only take home the title of Ms. Health and Fitness, but also appear on the cover of the magazine “Muscle and Fitness HERS” and take home $20,000 cash. The deadline to vote for Carniello to get into the next round of the contest is tonight (May 18). You can vote for her online here. Carniello, who both plays and coaches hockey, works at the South End Walmart, and is also starting a job at ARC Climbing & Yoga soon. She said she spends a lot of time weight lifting and rock climbing, goes for daily jogs or walks, and sometimes plays pickleball with her dad. “For me, to be physically active, it keeps my mind, my body, it keeps everything happy, it keeps me healthy,” she said. “It just keeps me away from the negativity.”
Caruso Club names award in honour of outstanding volunteer
Sudbury's Caruso Club has honoured a local woman for her significant contributions as a community volunteer for more than sixty years. Ofelia Morassutti of the Societé Caruso Ladies Auxiliary was recently presented with an award of recognition by other members of the auxiliary who felt her contributions were so outstanding that not only should Ofelia be recognized, but a new award was created in her name to honour future recipients for outstanding volunteer work. Auxiliary member Emily Ungaro explained that Morassutti was deserving of special recognition. "As we were reminiscing, especially, just prior to COVID, we obviously wanted to acknowledge all of her time and effort," said Ungaro. "She still continues to be a part of volunteering for many events that are at the Caruso Club. And so we decided that we wanted to celebrate Ophelia for what she brings to us and who she is."
Cloudy, rainy day for Friday
Expect increasing cloudiness this morning with a few showers beginning before noon. The wind will be southerly at 20 km/h, gusting to 40 in the morning, then light early in the afternoon. Today’s high is 15 with a UV index of three, or moderate. Tonight, expect more clouds with a 60-per-cent chance of showers and a low of 8.
