Good morning, Greater Sudbury! Here are a few stories to start your day on this Wednesday morning.
Signs taken down in error, city speed traps still not active
Signs alerting motorists of upcoming automated speed enforcement cameras were taken down in error and are expected to be reinstalled soon. A city spokesperson clarified the situation to Sudbury.com this week, during which they also noted they aren’t sure when the city’s collection of six automated speed enforcement cameras will be installed and operational. “We will be giving plenty of notice to the public and our media partners once we do,” they noted in email correspondence with Sudbury.com. Although the city is required to provide a 90-day warning period via signs before speed trap cameras can be used to ticket motorists, the city prematurely removing signs in error does not trigger the warning period to restart, according to the spokesperson. “This would be more akin to a sign being knocked down and reinstalled,” they explained.
COVID, flu and respiratory diseases all on the rise in Sudbury
An update from the Sudbury health unit Tuesday shows there are 22 active outbreaks of COVID-19, influenza, respiratory disease and enteric disease happening in the Greater Sudbury jurisdiction. The numbers, which were updated as of 8:55 a.m. Jan. 16, showed there were 29 outbreaks in all, but seven of those outbreak notices have been deemed inactive in the past week. The numbers included two active COVID outbreaks at Health Sciences North — fifth floor Kirkwood and eighth floor North Tower — and one active respiratory virus, cause unknown, on the seventh floor North Tower. The list of COVID outbreak locations also includes Pioneer Manor’s York-Ramsay Unit, the Wikwemikong Nursing Home, and St. Joseph's Clarion Site third floor. Nine of the active cases listed enteric disease, which is described by Public Health Ontario as "diseases that are caused by micro-organisms such as viruses, bacteria and parasites that cause intestinal illness. These diseases most frequently result from consuming contaminated food or water and some can spread from person to person".
Hospital and research institute maintain Top 40 ranking
Sudbury's Health Science North (HSN) and the associated Health Sciences North Research Institute (HSNRI) continue to enjoy being ranked among Canada's Top 40 research hospitals, said a news release. HSN and HSNRI said they were pleased to be ranked among Canada’s Top 40 Research Hospitals of 2023, via RE$EARCH Infosource and the Ontario Hospital Association. A recent news release from the Ontario Hospital Association said half of the top research hospitals in Canada were located in Ontario. Sudbury’s HSNRI was listed as 40th in the list of 40. By placing a focus on advancing patient care through evidence-based practice, HSN and HSNRI strive to generate research that will contribute to improving health outcomes for the people of Northeastern Ontario, said the hospital release.
Bail reform alone is not enough, prisoners’ rights groups say
With funding now in place to reform the bail system in Ontario, including a $24-million grant to be used by police forces to better monitor adherence to bail conditions, some community groups in Sudbury are saying that without further consideration to investment in community-based supports while in custody, and upon release, bail reform won’t prevent re-offence. In April, 2023, the government of Ontario announced $112 million in new funding intended to address the bail system, hoping to ensure that high-risk and repeat violent offenders comply with their bail conditions. Part of that funding was the creation of a new Bail Compliance and Warrant Apprehension Grant, which came through Jan. 11. A release states the $24 million will be made available over three years “to help the OPP and municipal and First Nations police services establish dedicated bail compliance teams.” These teams will also assist prosecutors with gathering evidence and assessing public safety risk during the bail hearing stage. This grant funding may also be used to “acquire bail compliance technology or support a network that police services could use to share bail offender information.”
RBC Training Ground coming to Sudbury for first time
For the first time in its nine-year history, the RBC Training Ground is coming to the Nickel City. If you’ve never heard of it, the Training Ground is basically a talent search for the next generation of Olympians. A partnership between the Canadian Olympic Committee and Canadian Olympic Foundation, and supported by the Canadian Olympic and Paralympic Sport Institute Network, RBC Training Ground is a nation-wide talent identification program to find future members of Team Canada. For the first time, the program is coming to Greater Sudbury. It will be held March 17 at Laurentian University. “At each qualifying event, participants from a wide range of sport backgrounds perform speed, strength, power, and endurance benchmark testing in front of National Sport Organizations (NSO) partners,” RBC Training Ground said in a news release. “Following the National Final later this year, where 100 hopefuls will compete, the top 30 athletes will be selected as RBC Future Olympians to receive funding, mentorship, and other resources to pursue their Olympic dreams.”
Prices for single-family homes in Sudbury jump 16% in December
Average prices for single-family homes in Ontario were up 0.9 per cent in December, compared to December of 2022, figures released by the Canadian Real Estate Association Monday show. The numbers are seasonally adjusted and do not take inflation into account. Inflation, depending on what measure you choose, is running at between 3.1 and 3.5 per cent. On a province-wide basis, prices for condos were down by 0.7 per cent, and townhouses were up by 1.4 per cent. Nationally, sales volumes were livelier — they rose 8.7 per cent month-over-month in December — but the MLS price index was up only 0.7 per cent year-over-year, roughly in line with Ontario. “Was the December bounce in home sales the start of the expected recovery in Canadian housing markets? Probably not just yet,” said Shaun Cathcart, CREA’s senior economist.
