Good morning, Greater Sudbury! Here are a few stories to start your day on this Saturday morning.
OPP arrest 58-year-old man after locating arsenal of weapons
The Ontario Provincial Police (OPP) have arrested and charged one person with weapons related offences. On Nov. 1, members of the South Porcupine OPP Detachment, North East Region Crime Unit executed search warrants at a residence in Westree, Unorganized Township, Ontario. Westree is located on Highway 560A on the north shore of Duchabani Lake, about 110 kilometres northwest of Sudbury. They were assisted by members of the Provincial Operational Intelligence Bureau, North East Region Emergency Response Team, OPP Tactics and Rescue Unit, Canine Unit, Critical Incident Command, Crisis Negotiators and OPP Aviation. A search of the residence led to the seizure of prohibited weapons and firearms with ammunition. A 58-year-old man from Oshawa was arrested and charged with: four counts of careless storage of firearm, weapon, prohibited device or ammunition and three counts of unauthorized possession of a prohibited or restricted firearm.
City hall appears ‘a good fit’ for library, says chief librarian
A final decision on the Greater Sudbury library/art gallery project is still on the horizon, but Greater Sudbury Public Library CEO Brian Harding said the city’s latest plan is promising. Initial planning between the city and library board has been “very productive,” the library CEO/chief librarian told Sudbury.com. “We’re seeing there’s a good fit between the existing facility and our functional requirements,” he said, describing Tom Davies Square as an “iconic building” reminiscent of other libraries with open atriums, such as the Toronto Reference Library. The city’s new central library project has taken many forms in recent years, most notably a $98.5-million Junction East Cultural Hub project, which was to take shape next to the Sudbury Theatre Centre building downtown. This library/art gallery project was put on pause earlier this year, when city council voted to shave $33.5 million from the project by looking at alternative locations.
Users talk benefits, drawbacks of Sudbury’s consumption site
A new qualitative study published by the PLOS Journal (Public Library of Science) highlights how the users of Sudbury’s supervised consumption site (The Spot) feel about the service, including what’s working and what isn’t. The site is slated to close at the end of the year due to a lack of provincial funding. The report is based on surveys and interviews with 20 people who regularly use The Spot. The study, Client experiences using a new supervised consumption service in Sudbury, was conducted from September 2022 to August of this year to better understand the overall service utilization and uptake of the site. The participants “described the importance of the site in preventing and responding to overdoses, providing a safe and comfortable environment to consume their drugs, and decreasing public drug use, which they suggested may potentially reduce stigmatization in the community.”
Board of governors approves Laurentian’s transformation plan
Laurentian University announced this week that its board of governors has approved the school’s transformation plan, the latest step forward as the facility reimagines itself in the wake of its 2021 insolvency declaration. “We believe this Transformation Plan, along with the upcoming Strategic Plan, will lay the foundation for a sustainable future where Laurentian University fosters growth and opportunity for all,” Dr. Sheila Embleton, the university’s interim president and vice-chancellor, said in a news release. “While there is still a lot of hard work ahead, we emerge confident that we have the right plan for a vibrant future.” While the board of governors has approved the plan, it still awaits the approval of the Ministry of Colleges and Universities, Laurentian said. The drafting of the plan involved “months of consultation and engagement sessions with faculty, staff and the community” by Deloitte, the consulting firm contracted by the university to put the transformation plan together. The plan focuses on four key areas, Laurentian said: Information Technology (IT), Finance, Human Resources (HR) and Registrar Services and Student Affairs (RSSA).
NDP uses Movember to call for OHIP to cover prostate cancer testing
With people in Ontario preparing to observe Movember, a fundraising effort for prostate cancer, Ontario's New Democrats are calling on the province to provide OHIP coverage for the cost of prostate cancer testing. In Ontario, the cost of a Prostate-Specific Antigen (PSA) test is between $30 and $40. At LifeLabs, the cost of the PSA test is $37 said that company's website. New Democrat MPP Wayne Gates said the Ford Conservatives should mark the month of November by extending OHIP coverage for the PSA test. “Today is the first day of Movember, where people across the world raise awareness of health issues affecting men, including prostate cancer,” said Gates. “We know that early prevention and detection of prostate cancer saves lives, yet this government refuses to make this critical tool more available and accessible. Why?” Gates asked.
Health minister's office comments on doctor shortage story
The office of health minister Sylvia Jones has responded to Wednesday's Sudbury.com story about the concern over the shortage of doctors in Ontario, in particular Northern Ontario. The story quoted Northern Ontario physicians Dr. Sarah Newbury, Dr. Lauren Laakso and NOSM University president Dr. Sarita Verma as saying the shortage of physicians is creating a crisis for health care in rural and remote communities in the North. Press secretary Hannah Jensen from the health minister's office responded to say that Ontario residents enjoy a level of patient-doctor care better than most of the country. “Ontario is leading the country with 90 per cent of Ontarians having a primary care provider. Since 2018 we have grown our healthcare workforce by over 63,000 new nurses and 8,000 new physicians," said Jensen. "But we know more needs to be done, that’s why earlier this year our government launched Your Health," she added.
