Good morning, Greater Sudbury.
Here are some stories to start your day.
Nine new cases of COVID-19 reported in Greater Sudbury:
Public Health Sudbury & Districts reported nine new COVID-19 cases in residents in Greater Sudbury on Nov. 5. Seven of the nine cases have been linked to close contact with another confirmed case, while two have no known epidemiological link. All of the nine cases were tested on Nov. 4 and each person is currently self-isolating. With the most recent cases, the total number of cases for Greater Sudbury and Manitoulin since March now sits at 142. There are currently 18 active cases of COVID-19 in the area.
Nickel City continues to lead the North in COVID-19 cases:
Public Health Sudbury and Districts is reporting more COVID-19 cases than any other public health jurisdiction in Northern Ontario with 142 confirmed cases so far. This includes nine new cases reported on Nov. 5. Of that number, 124 cases are resolved. A total of 18 cases are active. The nearest jurisdiction that comes close to Sudbury is the Thunder Bay District Health Unit, which updated its statistics Wednesday morning to reveal 117 total cases, but no active ones as of this writing. In the eight-month period from March 1 to Nov. 1, the health unit also reported two deaths attributed to COVID-19 that occurred in the Sudbury jurisdiction. Both were senior citizens. By comparison, the Porcupine Health Unit has reported nine COVID-19 deaths and Thunder Bay has reported one COVID-19 death in the same period of time. Full story here.
Pandemic precautions forcing sick, elderly people to wait in the cold:
Northern Ontario is presenting a unique problem for people waiting for an appointment at the local health lab. France Gélinas, MPP for Nickel Belt and the opposition Health Critic raised the issue in the Ontario legislature Wednesday when she revealed that senior citizens can have a difficult time because they're not being allowed to sit in a waiting room at LifeLabs in some communities within her riding. “The private lab system in Ontario always always had customer issues. Since the pandemic, the problems have increased to the point that they are literally leaving seniors out in the cold," said Gélinas. She described a couple of instances where local residents have had difficulties in getting appointments and having to wait outside because of COVID-19 restrictions. "Yolande Gignac tried for several weeks to get into Lifelabs but they had no record of her requisition. When she was finally able to book an appointment, she worried about how long she would have to wait outside. There is always a crowd waiting outside Lifelabs in her community," said Gélinas. More on this story can be found here.
Ontario government presents $187B pandemic-era budget:
Ontario will spend a record $187 billion this year as it lays out a plan to recover from the COVID-19 pandemic, with money earmarked for the health-care sector, to support for seniors living at home and to subsidize electricity rates for businesses. The province's first budget since the start of the global health crisis shows it will spend $45 billion over the next three years to respond to the pandemic -- $30 billion was previously announced this year, and $15 billion in new funding will be spent over the next two years. The fiscal plan presented Thursday also shows a record deficit of $38.5 billion for this year, consistent with the government's summer projections. A path to balance is expected in next year's budget. Full story can be found here.
White moose illegally killed near Foleyet: police:
Police are trying to find out who shot and killed two cow moose. One was a white moose. According to this week's Cochrane District Crime Stoppers, during the week of Oct. 26 unknown suspects shot and harvested the two moose northeast of Foleyet on Nova Road near Kilometre 18. It is illegal to shoot and harvest white moose in the local Wildlife Management Units 30 and 31. "Hunting is a privilege and should not be taken for granted. As a community let's catch the people responsible for this senseless act," reads the news release. Crime Stoppers said the Ministry of Natural Resources and Forestry needs the public's help to catch the people responsible for illegally killing the moose. If you have any information, call Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-TIPS (8477) or visit P3tips.com.
Editorial: This Christmas, local shopping has never been more important:
Now that November has arrived and many of us start noticing just how quickly Dec. 25 is approaching, the shop local message has never been more important. There is no doubt the Canadian economy is on the rebound after the country-wide shutdown from March to May as part of the COVID-19 pandemic response. As cases eased over the summer and society was slowly reopened, real GDP increased by three per cent in July and a further 1.2 per cent in August, a month that also saw overall economic activity climb to within five per cent of pre-COVID-19 levels. GDP grew again in September, but by less than a percentage point (0.7 per cent). Looking at the third quarter overall, StatsCan finds real gross domestic product grew by about 10 per cent. This is certainly good news. But it is also news that is being delivered from 10,000 feet. Yes, the economy is rebounding at the macro level, but when you look at the situation from the street level, that rebound is not hitting every sector of the economy evenly. Full editorial can be found here.
Then & Now: Alma and Baxter Ricard built a media empire in Sudbury:
Sudbury's first French-language radio station, CFBR AM, went on the air in December, 1957. The "BR" stood for its owner, Baxter Ricard. The private French station, an anomaly at the time, lost money and never attracted a large audience. In an interview with Northern Ontario Business in December, 1984, Ricard was asked why he didn't close the radio station. Ricard spoke about the influence of his father, Félix, a long-time school trustee who had fought against Ontario's Regulation 17 that restricted the teaching of French in provincial schools from 1912 to 1927. Ecole Félix Ricard is named after his father. The French radio station was a passion project that by 1984 had lost an estimated $1 million. Thankfully, Richard’s other broadcasting interests in Northern Ontario made a fortune. Before their deaths, Ricard and his wife, Alma, gave their money away to charity. Find more on this story here.
Video: A look inside Bombay Spices, Sudbury's only Indian grocer:
Tucked in Greenvale Court on Westmount Avenue is Sudbury's first Indian grocery store. In truth, Bombay Spices is one of the only two Indian grocers in Northern Ontario. The store carries an extensive list of staples, including flour, beans, spices and fresh produce to make delectable Indian dishes, as well as frozen and ready-made foods, popular Indian snacks, and even small kitchen appliances and cosmetics. Co-owners Jimmy and Leena Rathod gave Sudbury.com a tour inside. Watch the video here to see what they have in store. Bombay Spices is located at 428 Westmount Ave., unit 6 and 7 in Greater Sudbury. Visit their website at bombayspices.ca for more information.
Friday Weather:
More beautiful fall weather on tap as we head into the weekend. A few clouds this morning, clearing by the afternoon. Friday's high will be hovering at around 12. Clear skies into the evening on Friday. Overnight low will be sitting at 8. For current weather conditions, short-term and long-term forecasts visit Sudbury.com's weather page at www.sudbury.com/weather.
