Good morning, Greater Sudbury! Here are a few stories to start your day on this Wednesday morning.
Why Ontario's sluggish death reporting system frustrates public health experts
Ontario publishes statistics about death more slowly than nearly any other province, and much more slowly than other peer countries. That frustrates public health experts, who say that Ontario's sluggish processes miss the chance to spot emerging public health issues quickly, something the University of Toronto's Colin Furness calls "an absolutely gigantic mistake." Many other jurisdictions are much faster. American mortality data, for example, is very current because of the way U.S. doctors get paid, Furness says. "Despite the fact that the U.S. is far more decentralized than we are and way bigger, they should have a way more massive problem counting deaths, but in fact they do a really remarkable job. When I've been looking at the impact of COVID, I almost always just use U.S. data."
GoFundMe launched for murder victim’s funeral, children
Friends of Carol Fournier have launched a GoFundMe campaign to raise funds for her funeral and children after she was found dead in a wooded area in Greater Sudbury on Nov. 8. Fournier’s death is being investigated as a homicide. Police say she died as a result of blunt-force injuries. The GoFundMe crowdfunding page was launched over the weekend by Kelly Villars and Leo Martel, who say they are Fournier’s childhood friends. So far, it has raised $5,640 of its $20,000 goal. “She leaves behind three beautiful children who miss her dearly,” said the GoFundMe page. “We are reaching out to help with the cost of her funeral and hopefully help her children out afterwards. At the young age of 40 her life was taken from her. As everyone can imagine, no one was prepared for this. We do not want her children to be burdened with the stress of the costs to bury their mother.
Journeys: At 78, new challenges still drive Gary Michalak
Gary Michalak is packing for a bucket-list adventure, a cruise on the Mediterranean, that will provide him an opportunity to learn about other cultures. At the age of 78, he is still learning, enjoying challenges and making a contribution to his community. It's what keeps him young at heart. His life's journey has been one of discovery with many stops along the way. "Sometimes you don't know where the road is going to take you," the volunteer executive director of Café Heritage said. "My life has been a journey based on strong principles leading with kindness and relationships, working with people who share the same passion for making our community a better place to live."
Pursuit: Afro-Heritage squad claims men’s league title
The 16 members of the Sudbury Afro-Heritage Seniors soccer club knew going in that many shared a common cultural bond, one that could be reached via an equally shared passion for the sport that reached so many across the globe. Turns out they also share a very real talent on the pitch, at least based on their incredible run during the summer of 2023. Battling through the warm weather months right through to the end of October, the gents would go toe-to-toe with eight other worthy foes in the Outdoor Over 40 men’s league run under the leadership of the Sudbury Regional Competitive Soccer League (SCRSL). Thankfully for this crew, they didn’t just battle; they prevailed, far more often than not. The Afro-Heritage seniors emerged as league champions in addition to capturing the Milan Vrab Tournament Cup mid-season showdown, all while being tested regularly by the likes of the Italia Flyers, Caruso Club, SC Italia, Orient Dragons, RPG, Pharmaright, SC Italia II and the Sudbury Athletic.
Sudbury's Pace Global launches new Online Digital initiative
With the federal government pushing for more businesses to go digital, a Northern Ontario-based firm has kicked off a new digital-adoption business and is encouraging the business community to get online and sign up. The new company is known as Digital First and describes itself as dedicated to fostering innovation and maximizing efficiency, for small- and medium-sized operations. Digital First is an offshoot of Pace Global, a Sudbury-company that focussed on change management and digital adoption in the mining industry. The newer initiative lays out the plans offered by the Canada Digital Adoption Program (CDAP) which offers grants to help businesses get online, reduce costs and boost product sales. "We have a long history of effectively applying change management principles and digital adoption to mining giants, and we are now extending our support to smaller virtual/hybrid teams through Digital First," said Pace Global Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Neha Singh of Sudbury.
Durkac Festival of Lights returns on Dec. 1
Derek Durkac is back once again with his awesome front-yard Christmas light display. The Cambrian Heights resident brightens up everyone’s holiday season each year in benefit of the Edgar Burton Sudbury Christmas Food Drive. The lights are on from 6-9 p.m. from Friday to Sunday, from Dec. 1 through Dec. 25. There are also special appearances from Santa Claus from 7-9 p.m. Friday, Dec. 8, Sunday, Dec. 10, Saturday, Dec. 16, Sunday, Dec. 17, Friday, Dec. 22 and Saturday, Dec. 23. The Sudbury Grinch appears on Dec. 8, 16 and 23. Everyone who visits is asked to bring a donation of non-perishable food and cash for the food drive.
