Good morning, Greater Sudbury.
Here are some stories to start your day.
One person dead after head-on Hwy. 17 collision between pickup truck, tractor-trailer:
One person is dead after a head-on collision between a pickup truck and a tractor-trailer on Highway 17 in West Nipissing June 4. At around 6:15 p.m. Thursday evening, members from the Nipissing West Detachment of the Ontario Provincial Police (OPP) along with West Nipissing Emergency Medical Services (EMS) and West Nipissing Fire Services responded to a two-vehicle collision on Highway 17, near Mosquito Creek Road, in the Municipality of West Nipissing. Investigation revealed a westbound pick-up truck crossed the centre line and collided head-on with an eastbound tractor-trailer. Upon impact, the pick-up truck became engulfed in flames. The driver of the tractor-trailer was transported to hospital with minor injuries. The driver of the pick-up truck, who was the vehicle’s lone occupant, was pronounced deceased at the scene. The identity of the deceased has not been confirmed.
Sudbury’s unemployment rate jumps to its highest since 2010:
Greater Sudbury’s unemployment rate jumped to 9.5 per cent in May, using a three-month moving average, the highest it has been since October 2010 when it was at 9.6 per cent, Statistics Canada said on Friday. About 7,000 Sudburians were unemployed in May, up from 5,800 in April. About 76,000 Sudburians were employed last month, down from 79,400 in April. Beginning in mid-March, a number of travel restrictions, business closures and physical distancing measures were put in place in Canada in response to COVID-19. These actions, taken by various levels of government to protect public health, amounted to an intentional shutdown of the economy. From February to April, 5.5 million Canadian workers were affected by the shutdown. This included a drop in employment of three million and a COVID-19-related increase in absences from work of 2.5 million, said Statistics Canada. Full story here.
Local author hopes overlooked 2019 ‘Pandora’s Box’ report on PSW crisis finally gets action:
It was just a year ago that an advocacy group in Sudbury tabled a hard-hitting report that predicted a crisis was looming for the role of Personal Support Workers especially for those working in long-term care homes. It is now apparent that many of the warning bells sounded in the document from Workforce Planning for Sudbury and Manitoulin have rung true according to executive director Reggie Caverson, one of the chief authors of the report. "I think the warning bells had been there for a long time. They had been ignored," said Caverson. "We were often hearing from the policy makers, the agency directors and ministry people, but not hearing directly from the workers that were most impacted. And that's why we did the survey in the first place," she added. The report outlining the concerns of PSWs was released in late May of 2019 and revealed that a majority of those surveyed believed they were being overworked, underpaid and undervalued. Get the full story here.
Dentists are back, but it’s not business as usual:
After receiving the go-ahead from the province and their regulatory college, as of this week Ontario dentists are once again allowed to provide all of the services they did before the COVID-19 pandemic, from emergency to elective procedures. But the president of the Ontario Dental Association said that doesn’t mean it’s business as usual at Ontario dental offices. Dr. Lesli Hapak, a dentist who practises out of Windsor, Ont., said because dentists have only been doing emergency dentistry since March at the directive of their regulatory college, there’s a substantial backlog of patients. A worldwide shortage of personal protective equipment also limits the number of patients dentists can see in a day. Hapak said she's been able to procure a small stock of PPE for her office, but it won't last her very long. The Royal College of Dental Surgeons of Ontario has also issued a number of guidelines so that dentists can work safely in the pandemic. More on this story here.
There are 7 known confirmed cases of COVID-19 in the North:
There were 344 new lab-confirmed cases of COVID-19 reported in Ontario Friday, according to Public Health Ontario. While the number of cases in the province has increased by 1.2 per cent with the new cases announced today, the number of recovered cases increased by 375 or 1.6 per cent according to the daily report. The province’s public health agency has reported a total of 29,747 COVID-19 cases to-date, and now indicates 25,583 of those cases (79.3 per cent) are considered recovered. A case is reported as recovered if the person is not currently hospitalized and once 14 days have passed since the onset of symptoms. There have now been 2,372 deaths reported by Public Health Ontario, which is an increase of 15 deaths since yesterday’s report. Three of the people who died were between the ages of 60 and 79, and the remaining 12 were over the age of 80.
‘We share our collective grief’: Public Health Sudbury expresses ‘outrage’ at racism:
Sudbury's health unit has published an anti-racism statement proclaiming outrage at the injustice of racism. The statement, signed by Medical Officer of Health Dr. Penny Sutcliffe, said racism is known to harm mental and physical health. "We share our collective grief over the recent, tragic deaths of Regis Korchinski-Paquet in Toronto and George Floyd in Minneapolis," said the statement issued Thursday by Public Health Sudbury and Districts. "We mourn lives and the potential that has been lost. We are outraged at the injustices caused by racism. However, we know that these tragedies must somehow transform into constructive action so that we can be part of the solution. We believe Public Health has a role to play in creating the equitable future we want for our children, our families, our communities, and ourselves," Sutcliffe's statement continued. Public Health Sudbury & Districts stands firmly in support of racial equity and in solidarity with all who work for it, said the statement, which also encouraged all citizens to speak out, to listen, to stand united and act in ways to eliminate all forms of racism in our communities and institutions." Throughout the COVID-19 crisis, Public Health Sudbury also said it has not weakened its resolve toward racial equity and Indigenous engagement.
Buse: Sudburians step up in a pandemic crisis, whether in 1918 or today:
Sudbury historian Dieter Buse found the 1918 Sudbury public health officer’s report, and it makes for some interesting reading. During the month of October (1918) a serious epidemic of Spanish (sic; actually Kansas) influenza broke out, and from the 10th to the 15th we estimate there were some 800 cases. It was deemed advisable at a joint meeting of the (town) Council and the Board of Health, held on the 15th, that all public premises, schools etc, be closed .. .An emergency committee was formed … A volunteer staff of some 150 men, young women and boys got together and gave valuable assistance to the stricken families; the women doing nursing and caring for the houses, boys doing general errands and chores and the men found endless work in visiting and helping in many ways. Find out more here.
Suspicious person arrested and charged after OPP find crystal meth on him:
A complaint about a suspicious person on a property near Sturgeon Falls June 3 led to drug charges against the 24-year-old man after he was found with crystal meth. On June 3 at 10:50 a.m., members from the Nipissing West Detachment of the OPP responded to a complaint of a suspicious person at a property on Highway 17, west of Sturgeon Falls, in the Municipality of West Nipissing. Shortly after responding to the complaint, officers located the man in question and investigation revealed he had an outstanding warrant from another jurisdiction, and arrested him. Upon arrest, officers seized a small quantity of drugs suspected to be crystal methamphetamine. The street value of the drugs is approximately $70. As a result of the investigation, a 24-year-old man of no fixed address, was charged with: Possession of a Schedule 1 Substance - Methamphetamine, Fail to Comply with Probation Order. The accused was released on a promise to appear in court in West Nipissing Sept. 3.
