Good morning, Greater Sudbury! Here are a few stories to start your day on this Tuesday morning.
Laurentian says it needs more time for FOI request on pool
Laurentian University says it needs more time to respond to a Freedom of Information Act request made by Sudbury.com last month for a repair options report on the long-closed Jeno Tihanyi Olympic Gold Pool. The document we requested was produced in December 2023 by Laurentian’s consultant, JL Richards. When Sudbury.com requested a copy of the document from university communications staff in February, the university declined to provide it. “The report will be part of further conversations within the joint planning committee about the future of the Jeno Tihanyi Pool and would therefore remain confidential,” said a spokesperson for Laurentian. With communications staff declining our request, and given the public interest in this to
Health system needs more clinics, nurse practitioner says
The operator of a nurse practitioner-led clinic in Capreol says clinics like hers can help ease the pressure on the heallth-care system. Back in January, Amanda Rainville, executive director at the Capreol Nurse Practitioner-Led Clinic (CNPLC), told a pre-budget committee that thousands of patients in Sudbury are in danger of losing their primary health care provider. Rainville took part in the hearings to request the Ontario government to convince the legislators of the need to increase base operational funding and increase human resources funding to allow the Capreol clinic to compensate staff equitably and expand team-based primary care, both existing and new teams, across Ontario. Unfortunately, the 2024 Ontario budget did not provide any new funding that would improve staffing salaries in a way that might attract more qualified staff members.
Poorly trained commercial drivers are a highway hazard, says Insurance Bureau
Inadequately trained commercial truck drivers are putting the safety of Canada's roads and highways in jeopardy, says the Insurance Bureau of Canada (IBC). The IBC has released a report that finds drivers with less training and experience are more likely to be involved in collisions and make costly claims than drivers with more training and experience. Insurance claims related to commercial trucking accidents have been increasing rapidly in recent years, said an IBC news release. MNP, a leading professional services firm, prepared the report. More than 90 per cent of all food, consumer and other material goods moves by truck across Canada. "The property and casualty insurance industry is working closely with the trucking sector to find solutions to some of the challenges it currently faces, including driver shortages and access to adequate training and risk management,” said Celyeste Power, IBC’s president-CEO.
Mine rescuers in Ontario preparing for annual competition
Ontario Mine Rescue teams are getting ready to show off their talent and training in the annual mine rescue competitions to be held in mining districts across the province in the second week of May. The events are held to measure the emergency response skills of the volunteer mine rescuers who are on the job for every shift, every day at every working mine in the province. A formal system of mine rescue became mandatory in Ontario in 1929, one year after 39 miners died in a fire at the Hollinger Consolidated Gold Mine in Timmins on February 1928. The Godson Inquiry investigated the tragedy and made recommendations to the Ontario Government that led to the creation of Ontario Mine Rescue with the creation of mine rescue stations in the Timmins, Kirkland Lake and Sudbury mining districts.
Laurentian soccer players named university athletes of the year
The Laurentian Voyageurs gave out their annual awards last week, with soccer players Hunter Jones and Timi Aliu named the Female and Male Athlete of the Year. Long jumper and triple jumper, Shelley Hladin, was named the Female Rookie of the Year, while basketball wing, Ismael Konate, was named the Male Rookie of the Year. Head coach of the men’s and women’s curling teams, Ryan Lafraniere, was named the Voyageurs’ Coach of the Year while Dr. Cole Giffin and John Sabourin were each honoured with the Special Voyageur Award. Jones was dominant in the crease throughout the season, posting a .784 save percentage. On top of being named an OUA East division second team all-star, she finished fifth in the OUA with 58 saves. Finishing the year with two shutouts, Jones also managed to be tenth best with her save percentage and she is also the first Voyageurs women’s soccer player to earn all-star recognition since 2018.
Let’s eat! Chantal Dupuis is one ‘Bizzzy Bea’
Everyone deserves a nutritious meal. That’s the premise of Bizzy Bea’s, an organization developed by adults and youth alike to help feed people who are homeless in the city. Chantelle Dupuis founded Bizzy Bea’s after her grandmother, who was a “helping hand,” and is now partnering with schools to shore up more support. She said the whole endeavour started with a social media post. “A lady on social media posted that she had received leftovers from Froogles grocery store in Hanmer and did not want it to go to waste,” Dupuis said. “I picked up the food and offered it up to help those in need and quickly saw all the red tape associated with just handing out meals. I wanted to make a difference like my grandmother Bea would want to do.” Soon after, she delivered 25 meals with her two daughters to people in need in the city. Even after working 40 hours a week, Dupuis and a team of volunteers make meals and still aims to deliver a few meals per month for her routine visits with clients.
