Good morning, Greater Sudbury.
Here are some stories to start your day.
Sudbury doctor accused of sexually abusing a patient:
A Sudbury physician has been scheduled to appear for a hearing before the discipline committee of the College of Physicians and Surgeons of Ontario (College) over allegations he sexually abused a patient. It's alleged that Dr. Paul Malette of Val Caron sexually abused a patient (who is unnamed) and engaged in "disgraceful, dishonourable or unprofessional conduct" towards the patient, including "by kissing and/or attempting to kiss her, by touching her body, including her genital area, in a manner that was sexual and/or inappropriate." He is also alleged to have breached boundaries, and made inappropriate remarks and remarks of a sexual nature towards the patient. Malette's certificate of registration now has a number of conditions and limitations imposed against it. He cannot see any patients, of any age or in any jurisdiction, alone. A patient monitor, who is a regulated health professional acceptable to the College, must be present at all times. Malette must also inform the College of each and every location he practices or has privileges including, but not limited to, hospital(s), clinic(s) and office(s), in any jurisdiction. Find the full story here.
Ontario hospitals among Canada’s most efficient — they have to be, given how they’re funded:
Ontario hospitals are over-crowded and under-funded compared to other provinces, a situation that will only get worse if Premier Doug Ford and his Progressive Conservatives cut four per cent from health care spending, warns a hospital union. Ford promised before the June 7 election a Tory government would put an end to hallway medicine – a system in which patients are placed in beds and gurneys in hallways, television rooms, shower rooms and even linen closets because of a shortage of beds. Just last week, Ford appointed PC health advisor Dr. Ruebin Devlin to lead the premier’s council on improving health care and ending hallway medicine. Devlin, a former chief executive officer of Humber River Hospital, will be paid $348,000 annually and have three years to come up with solutions to ease hospital over-crowding. All the while, Devlin will collect an annual pension of $300,000 from his hospital days. The Ontario Council of Hospital Unions, the hospital division of the Canadian Union of Public Employees, is far from confident Devlin and the Tories will be able to fix a system the union says is seriously underfunded. Full story here.
Sudbury Pride fighting Doug Ford's sex ed. repeal with human rights complaint:
As Greater Sudbury's queer community celebrated pride week last week, the new Ontario PC government unveiled its plans revert to a 20-year-old version of the sex ed. curriculum until it can do its own revamp. These plans were a rallying point during Saturday's pride parade in downtown Sudbury, with many carrying signs voicing their opposition to the government's plans. Sudbury Pride is looking into filing a complaint about changes to the sex ed. curriculum with the Ontario Human Rights Commission. The group also plans to protest in North Bay this coming Saturday during a visit to that city by the province's new premier, Doug Ford. More on this story here.
Despite some scorching days, Sudbury hasn't broken any heat records for July ... yet:
Greater Sudbury has been hit with a few heat waves already in July, but despite a number of scorching hot days, we won't be setting any records for the hottest month. At the midway point of the month, the mean temperature in Sudbury has been nearly three degrees Celsius warmer than total monthly average, with a mean temperature of 21.7 degrees C compared to the July average of 19.1 degrees C. "It has been warmer than normal for the first half of the month, but we expect that mean temperature to come down closer to the average as we finish the month," said Peter Kimbell, warning preparedness meteorologist, Environment Canada. "We're forecasting some cooler than average temperatures in the coming weeks and that should bring that number down a bit." For those who like historical facts and figures, the warmest recorded month of July for Greater Sudbury was all the way back in 1921, when city saw an average temperature of 23.2 degrees C. More recently, in July of 1988 the average temperature was 21.9 degrees C. There is one category where Sudbury has completely blown away the average, and that's days with a maximum temperature above 30 degrees C. On average, Sudbury will see 2.7 days in July where the mercury gets above 30. So far in July, we've already had six days where the daytime high has soared above the 30 mark.
Hanmer resident wins $1 million:
Scott Rienguette of Hanmer for won $1 million with ENCORE on the June 8, LOTTO MAX draw. Scott matched all of the seven ENCORE numbers in exact order to win the $1 million prize. “I’ve been playing the lottery for about 20 years,” Rienguette said, while at the OLG Prize Centre to pick up his winnings. “I usually play LOTTO 6/49 and LOTTO MAX with ENCORE.” Scott was on his way home from a baseball tournament when he stopped at the gas station to check his ticket. “The machine lit up told me I was a big winner,” he said. “I couldn’t believe it!” Scott couldn’t wait to tell his wife of 14 years. “She was excited for me and told me it was well deserved,” he said. Scott works as a miner and has four children – two boys and two girls. He has big plans for his winnings. “We plan on doing some home renovations, securing our kids’ educations and taking a trip to Jamaica,” Scott said. “I still don’t believe this is real, but I feel amazing." The winning ticket was purchased at Mac’s on Lasalle Boulevard in Sudbury.
We should know soon who won that $9.3M Lotto 6/49 draw:
Just about a week ago, on July 12, we learned that someone, somewhere in Greater Sudbury was sitting on a huge lottery win, a $9.3-million windfall, to be exact. Well, it seems it won’t be long before we know who that mystery person is. This morning, Sudbury.com reached out to Dita Kuhtey, the media relations manager for OLG, to find out if anyone had claimed the prize. Turns out, someone has. “The ticket has been validated,” Kuhtey said, “which means the person knows they have a winning ticket.” Kuhtey said it won’t be long before the name of the winner is made public, both because of the claims process involved, but also because people don’t always rush to the prize office to claim their winnings.
Frozen berry mixes recalled due to possible salmonella contamination:
Health Canada says a brand of frozen mixed berries is being recalled because of possible salmonella contamination. The Canadian Food Inspection Agency says Hain Celestial Canada, ULC is recalling Europe's Best brand Field Berry Mixes. It says the recall was triggered by a recall in another country, but no illnesses associated with the product have been reported. It says the brand's 600 gram bags of Field Berry Mix and 2 kilogram bags of 4-Field Berry Mix are affected. The agency says it's conducting a food safety investigation.
Love, friendship and babies: Let’s follow the connections made at River & Sky:
From relationships to friendships, business ideas to babies, there have been a few things born out of River and Sky — some more literally than others. The 10-year-old music and camping festival that takes place in Field from July 19-22 has an undeniable charm that’s set the stage for a few notable connections over the years. The first connection I’d heard of was the one between Melanie St-Pierre and Neil Bednis of Casper Skulls, whose relationship got a full write-up last year. The two attended the festival as friends in 2011, but left as something more after they finally worked up the courage for a first kiss that weekend. They eventually started a super cool band, and the rest is history. After the story came out, people began approaching me with their own stories, or stories they’d heard from friends. Find more of stories like St-Pierre and Bednis' here.
Tuesday Weather:
Cloudy start to the day, but clearing by afternoon. Mainly sunny in the afternoon with a high of 24. Clear skies expected into the evening with an overnight low near 15. For current weather conditions, short-term and long-term forecasts visit Sudbury.com's weather page at www.sudbury.com/weather.
