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Good morning, Sudbury! Here are eight stories to start your day

200220_phsd
Public Health Sudbury and Districts. (File)

Good morning, Greater Sudbury.

Here are some stories to start your day.

Vaccine programs set to begin this week in Sudbury says health unit:

Public Health Sudbury & Districts (PHSD) revealed Monday that the much-anticipated vaccination program for residents of long-term care and high-risk retirement homes is to begin locally this week. PHSD is expecting to receive shipments of the Moderna COVID-19 vaccine over the next two weeks in quantities sufficient to immunize all residents of these facilities in its service area by Feb. 5. “This is wonderful news for our community, and we are very eager to immunize and protect our most vulnerable citizens,” said Dr. Penny Sutcliffe, the PHSD medical officer of health. “Vaccines are a critical tool in our fight against COVID-19. We look forward to working with our partners on a safe, effective, and efficient round of immunizations.” Sutcliffe said the announcement removes the concern that arose when Pfizer-BioNTech revealed last week it was stopping production for a week at its plant in Belgium to upgrade the operations there. More on this story here.

Bigger tight-lipped on whether KED alternatives are back on the table:

Greater Sudbury Mayor Brian Bigger says he wants council to be provided with as complete a base of information as possible when it comes to making a decision on the largest investment in the city's history. City council received a large projects update during their Jan. 20 meeting, and learned that a report that has been requested by Bigger will take a closer look at three potential sites for the city's arena/events centre. Ward 5 Coun. Robert Kirwan was vocally opposed to the outline of the report that the mayor was requesting, stating, "I don't recall the mayor saying that there would be a comparison in this report of any other locations." The mayor told Sudbury.com in a Jan. 13 interview that there was a great deal of confusion regarding the details of the Kingsway Entertainment District, both on the part of city councillors and members of the public. Bigger also stated on record during that interview that the report he was requesting was specific to the KED, the agreements and commitments that are in place, and the full scope of the project, while noting that it wasn't about weighing the Kingsway location against the downtown or the Project Now proposal. On Jan. 20, however, the mayor appeared to have shifted gears, indicating that three locations would be reported on. Sudbury.com spoke with mayor Bigger following last week's meeting to find out what had changed in the span of a week and why other options were being weighed again. "I tried to provide as complete a base of information for council and for the public as possible on this project as we have some time to review all of the information that we have available," said Bigger. Get the full story here.

Test results show possible COVID-19 variant in Sudbury resident:

A Sudburian with a history of international travel possibly has a case of a more highly transmissible strain of COVID-19, said Public Health Sudbury and Districts (PHSD). The health unit was notified on Jan. 24 that lab tests by Public Health Ontario revealed a possible case of the new, more highly transmissible strain, referred to as variants of concern. Further testing is underway to confirm results and to identify the variant. Results are expected in the next few days. “The individual involved is doing well and has a history of international travel, which requires a 14-day quarantine period following return to Canada,” said Dr. Penny Sutcliffe, medical officer of health  “This has given us time to identify the possible variant and ensure it is not spread. The rate at which these new variants spread is, of course, alarming as we have seen in other areas of the province and parts of the world. We need to do everything in our power to slow to the spread for as long as we can.” More on this story here.

Sudbury health unit confirms 12 new cases of COVID-19 reported for Sudbury:

At the beginning of another work week, Public Health Sudbury and Districts (PHSD) is reporting 12 newly confirmed cases of COVID-19 in the area. This includes at least one case that PHSD believes is a possible variant strain of COVID-19. No new deaths were reported in Monday's daily update. Five deaths had been reported as a result of the outbreak at the Amberwood Suites retirement home from Jan. 15 to Jan. 21. There have been a total of seven deaths attributed to COVID-19 in Sudbury since March of 2020. The new case count means there have been 464 confirmed cases in the local jurisdiction since COVID-19 case tracking began back in March of 2020. PHSD has also reported there are now 77 active cases being monitored at this time. This is an increase from the number of 67 active cases that were reported on the roster Sunday. The health unit said it means 387 cases have been resolved since the pandemic case count began locally.  

Sudburian charged $750 for hosting a party:

A Sudbury resident was fined $750 for hosting an illegal gathering and failing to comply with the stay-at-home orders, said Greater Sudbury Police Service today. Police said they were called to a home due to a suspected party. When officers arrived, the homeowner allowed them to enter. Police said, officers could hear whispers coming from a bedroom and found several people, who did not live at that residence, hiding. The officers attempted “to educate” the resident on the stay-at-home order, but due to what police described as the homeowner’s “complete disregard” for the legislation, the person was fined $750. Greater Sudbury Police said there has been an increase in calls for service related to the stay-at-home orders. More on this story here.

State of emergency, stay-at-home order extended another 14 days:

The province has extended the provincial state of emergency and all associated orders, including the stay-at-home order, for another 14 days. The stay-at-home order is part of the declared provincial emergency, which will now expire on Feb. 9, unless it is extended further. “Today, the government extended the declared provincial emergency for another 14 days,” said Ontario in a news release. All orders under the Emergency Management and Civil Protection Act including the stay-at-home order, enforcement of COVID-19 measures and residential eviction are extended as a result. That means anyone caught violating the stay-at-home order could still face fines and prosecution under both the EMPCA and the Reopening Ontario Act. Indoor social gatherings are prohibited, outdoor gatherings are capped at five people, and residents are able to leave their homes only for essential reasons.

Pius XII School, Marymount Academy classes will be closed again on Tuesday:

The Sudbury Catholic District School Board has suspended all classes at both Pius XII Catholic Elementary School and Marymount Academy for Tuesday, Jan. 26. The closure has been put in place to allow the board to review their health and safety protocols and sure that they're providing a safe environment for both students and staff. Classes are expected to resume at both schools on Wednesday, Jan. 27. Additionally, the Lorne Street Beer Store is closed after a security guard tested positive for COVID-19. The store has implemented a full COVID-19 cleaning protocol, including thorough disinfectant deep cleaning, said the company in a news release. The security guard’s last shift at The Beer Store was Jan. 20. All potentially affected employees will either monitor for symptoms or self-isolate based on circumstances.

Lynn Beyak, who defended 'good' of residential schools, retires early from the Senate:

Ontario Sen. Lynn Beyak is leaving the upper chamber three years before her mandatory retirement and defiantly standing by her views on residential schools on her way out. Named to the Senate on the advice of Conservative prime minister Stephen Harper in 2013, she says she was committed to serving just eight years. That is the term limit that would have been imposed on senators under the Harper government's original plan to have an elected Senate, which never came to fruition. Thirty other senators named on the advice of Harper are still in the Senate and all but one — Alberta Sen. Scott Tannas — have now been there more than eight years. Announcing her early retirement Monday, Beyak said she stands by her controversial statements on residential schools, which played a role in her being ousted from the Conservative caucus and suspended from the upper chamber. Full story here.

Tuesday Weather:

Mix of sun and cloud for Tuesday with some chilly temperatures. Tuesday's high is only expected to get up to -10, feeling like -18 with the wind chill. Mainly cloudy into the evening with the low dipping to -18. Overnight low is going to feel like -24 with the wind. For current weather conditions, short-term and long-term forecasts visit Sudbury.com's weather page at www.sudbury.com/weather.

Current Weather

Partly Cloudy

Partly Cloudy

-2.6°C

Pressure
101.5 steady
Visibility
24.1 km
Dewpoint
-9.0 °C
Humidity
61%
Wind
WSW 10 km/h

Radar Satellite


Hourly Forecast

Today
11 PM
-5°C
Mainly cloudy
Tomorrow
12 AM
-5°C
Mainly cloudy
Tomorrow
1 AM
-6°C
Cloudy
Tomorrow
2 AM
-6°C
Cloudy
Tomorrow
3 AM
-6°C
Cloudy
Tomorrow
4 AM
-6°C
Cloudy
Tomorrow
5 AM
-6°C
Cloudy
Tomorrow
6 AM
-6°C
Cloudy
Tomorrow
7 AM
-6°C
Cloudy
Tomorrow
8 AM
-6°C
Cloudy
Tomorrow
9 AM
-4°C
Cloudy
Tomorrow
10 AM
-2°C
Cloudy

7 Day Forecast

Chance of flurries

Tonight

-6 °C

Cloudy. 60 percent chance of flurries early this evening. Wind southwest 20 km/h gusting to 40 becoming light this evening. Low minus 6. Wind chill near minus 10.


Overcast

Friday

3 °C

Overcast. Wind becoming west 20 km/h near noon. High plus 3. Wind chill minus 8 in the morning. UV index 2 or low.


Cloudy

Friday night

-7 °C

Cloudy. Wind up to 15 km/h. Low minus 7. Wind chill minus 12 overnight.


Chance of flurries

Saturday

3 °C

A mix of sun and cloud with 40 percent chance of flurries. High plus 3.


Chance of flurries

Saturday night

-6 °C

Cloudy with 40 percent chance of flurries. Low minus 6.


Sunny

Sunday

6 °C

Sunny. High 6.


Clear

Sunday night

-4 °C

Clear. Low minus 4.


Sunny

Monday

9 °C

Sunny. High 9.


Cloudy

Monday night

-3 °C

Cloudy. Low minus 3.


A mix of sun and cloud

Tuesday

4 °C

A mix of sun and cloud. High plus 4.


Chance of flurries or rain showers

Tuesday night

-3 °C

Cloudy periods with 30 percent chance of flurries or rain showers. Low minus 3.


Chance of flurries or rain showers

Wednesday

5 °C

A mix of sun and cloud with 40 percent chance of flurries or rain showers. High plus 5.


Yesterday

Low
0 °C
High
0 °C
Precipitation
0.3 mm

Normals

Low
-7.1 °C
High
3.2 °C
Average
-2.0 °C

Sunrise and Sunset

Sunrise
7:10 AM
Sunset
7:49 PM

Record Values

Type Year Value
Max 1977 14.7 C
Min 1970 -22.2 C
Rainfall 2009 26.6 mm
Snowfall 1975 8.1 cm
Precipitation 2009 27.2 mm
Snow On Ground 1959 94.0 cm

Based on Environment Canada data