Good morning, Greater Sudbury.
Here are some stories to start your day.
Restaurant patios, hair salons can open as of Friday:
The Ontario government announced Monday that it is getting more people back to work and more recreational activities open by moving forward with a regional approach to Stage 2 of reopening the province. In consultation with the Chief Medical Officer of Health and local health officials, the government is easing restrictions in communities where it is safe to do so, based on trends of key public health indicators such as lower rates of transmission, increased capacity in hospitals, and progress made in testing. Effective Friday, June 12, 2020 at 12:01 a.m., the province will increase the limit on social gatherings from five to 10 people across the province, regardless of whether a region has moved to Stage 2. Get the full list of businesses and services that will be permitted to open on June 12, here.
Mayor reminds residents to stay safe as more local businesses begin to re-open:
Greater Sudbury mayor Brian Bigger issued a statement Monday in response to the province's announcement that more businesses will be permitted to re-open this Friday. Among the list of businesses that will be allowed to re-open at 12:01 a.m. June 12 are outdoor dine-in services at restaurants, bars and other establishments, including patios, curbside, parking lots and adjacent properties, tattoo parlours, barber shops, hair salons, beauty salons, water recreational facilities such as outdoor splash pads and wading pools and all swimming pools, and a host of others. The mayor welcomed the news, while advising that Sudburians continue to respect social distance guidelines in order to stay safe. "This is good and welcome news for everyone in Greater Sudbury. It is a testament to your patience and endurance, we sacrificed early and those efforts have shown positive results," said Bigger in his statement. "As we slowly step back closer toward normal with the opening of some small business, restaurant patios, public spaces and houses of worship - let's still remind ourselves of the need to be diligent and safe. Let's respect space and each other as we are finally able to enjoy just a few of the small aspects of life that we could not access the past couple of months."
COVID-19 update: There are 9 known active cases in Northern Ontario:
Public Health Ontario reported 243 new cases of COVID-19 Monday, which was a 0.8 increase in overall cases reported in the province to-date. The daily update also notes there have been 240 new recoveries and 24 more deaths attributed to the coronavirus. The deaths reported included six people between the ages of 60 and 79 and 18 people over the age of 80. There are now 603 patients hospitalized with COVID-19, including 118 patients in intensive care and 81 patients on ventilators. Public Health Ontario has confirmed there were 15,357 tests processed since Sunday’s report. In Ontario, there have been 30,860 confirmed cases of COVID-19, of those 24,492 are reported recovered (79.4 per cent) and 2,450 people have died (7.9 per cent).
Getting tested for COVID-19: We made our editor get swabbed so you know what to expect (video):
In order to better understand the spread of COVID-19, the Ontario government is urging more people to get tested - even if they are not experiencing any symptoms. Sudbury.com editor Mark Gentili volunteered to get tested at one of the city's drive-thru testing sites. Watch as our cameras followed him through each step, from booking an appointment with the COVID-19 Assessment Centre at Health Sciences North (HSN) to getting his nose swabbed and getting the test results back. If you're concerned you may have been exposed to COVID-19, make an appointment to get tested by phoning Health Sciences North's COVID-19 Assessment Centre at 705-671-7373. Video can be found here.
Three more retail cannabis shops set to open in Sudbury:
Three more pot shops are in the process of opening in Greater Sudbury. JTS Buds will open at 1485 Lasalle Blvd., while Happy Life will open at 1021 The Kingsway. Fire & Flower Cannabis Co. will be located at 1400 The Kingsway, in the same building as Five Guys and Party City. All three shops are currently listed as “in progress” on the Alcohol and Gaming Commission of Ontario’s website. The public notice period for Happy Life ended April 10, while the public notice period for Fire & Flower ended May 5. In late 2019, the province announced it was scrapping its lottery system for cannabis shop permits in an effort to open up the weed market, with the first new licences distributed in April. Isaac Watson, vice-president of product development and retail experience at Fire & Flower Cannabis Co., said construction at their Kingsway and Barrydowne location will finish up in about a month. Then they will start hiring their team of employees. More on this story here.
Officials: No ill effects to environment or vehicles from sulphuric acid spill on the weekend:
About 20 litres of sulphuric acid leaked from a faulty valve on a transport truck on Friday, but the amount of the material that escaped was such that there are unlikely to be any environmental impacts, officials told Sudbury.com today. The sulphuric acid spill was reported in Lively this past Friday, with clean-up completed by the following morning, Public Health Sudbury and Districts said today. PHSD said the leak poses no threat to public health or safety. On June 5, a tanker truck loaded with sulphuric acid from the Glencore smelter facility in Falconbridge was transporting the material to Domtar’s Espanola operation at around 4:30 p.m. A faulty pressure valve caused small amounts of the acid — totalling around 20 litres — to drip from the tank, creating intermittent patches of acid across a little more than 30 kilometres of the driver's route. Roadways affected by the spill include Falconbridge Road, the Garson-Coniston Highway, Highway 17, and the southeast bypass, said Iyo Grenon, a Sudbury Integrated Nickel Operations spokesperson. The Ministry of Environment, Conservation, and Parks (MECP) told Sudbury.com each of these small spills was contained to the asphalt and likely didn’t flow into catch basins or ditches. Get the full story here.
3D scanning helps pave way to faster, more environmentally friendly road rehabilitation:
Having finished rehabilitating a five-kilometre stretch of Highway 17 days ahead of schedule, it’s clear a relatively new-to-Canada 3D scanning model is living up to its hype. The Highway 17 project was started on Monday near the southwest bypass from Hannah Lake to Highway 69. Construction crews finished work on Thursday. In the North, it’s said there are two seasons: winter and construction. Northerners are in the thick of construction season right now, and road projects are in full swing. No matter where you go, motorists are sure to be stuck in a lineup of traffic at some point, perhaps for long periods of time. For Northerners, it has become commonplace. What set this particular project apart from others is the fact it utilized a three-dimensional milling model established by Control Systems CA, a Czech company that is making inroads in Canada and has completed similar projects around the world, said spokesperson Antonio Bauce, who works for the Consulate General of the Czech Republic in Toronto. Bauce said the technology has the potential to cut construction time by 25 per cent, reducing the amount of time motorists have to wait in lineups, as well as cost and carbon footprint of road rehabilitation projects. Find more on this story here.
New hearing date for KED planning appeal expected to be set on Wednesday:
The Local Planning Appeals Tribunal (LPAT) will be looking to set a hearing date on June 10 at 9 a.m. in the matter of the Kingsway Entertainment District. The original hearing date had been set for May 5, but was cancelled due to COVID-19, and a phone meeting this Wednesday will be aimed at setting a new hearing date. Standing in support of the Kingsway Entertainment District are Sudbury Wolves owner Dario Zulich and Gateway Casinos, while local businessman Tom Fortin of Casino Free Sudbury, Laurentian University professor Christopher Duncanson-Hales, activist Steve May and the downtown Sudbury Business Improvement Association remain in opposition. The Minnow Lake Restoration Group had their Kingsway Entertainment District appeal dismissed in April. Casino Free Sudbury has filed an application with the Superior Court of Justice on issues related to the process that the city followed, which the planning tribunal ruled was outside of its jurisdiction. Hearing dates at the Superior Court of Justice are scheduled for June 29 and 30; both dates will be virtual hearings that will be open to the public. Greater Sudbury city council is scheduled to get an update on the KED on Tuesday, June 9 during their regular meeting, as executive director of strategic initiatives Ian Wood will be providing a large projects update.
Tuesday Weather:
Mainly clear skies overhead today with some warm temperatures on the way. Sunny with a high of 29 today, feeling like 34 with the humidex. Clear skies into the evening with clouds rolling in overnight. Rain showers expected after midnight with risk of a thunderstorm. Overnight low will be 18. For current weather conditions, short-term and long-term forecasts visit Sudbury.com's weather page at www.sudbury.com/weather.