Good morning, Greater Sudbury.
Here are some stories to start your day.
HSN budget: 'We can't do more with less, we're done,' says nurses' union president:
The president of the union representing 1,300 registered nurses at Health Sciences North says years of cuts to nursing positions are taking their toll on members, many of whom are booking off more sick days, are burning out and whose morale is sagging. Kelly Latimer, president of Local 013 of the Ontario Nurses Association, sounded grim when speaking about the balanced 2019-2020 budget that hospital officials unveiled with a flourish Wednesday. HSN president and chief executive officer Dominic Giroux announced that senior managers and members of the hospital’s board of directors had wiped out an $11-million deficit from last year and started a new fiscal year April 1 in the black. For years, nurses have put smiles on, along with their uniforms, when they start shifts where they face increasing pressure to provide patients with good health care while being stretched to their limit, according to Latimer. Giroux indicated some help may be on the way because budget planners have added 50,000 or more front-line staff hours to this coming year’s budget while trimming expenses on $512.1-million in operating costs. Full story can be found here.
Don't blame us for delay in opening of cannabis stores, province says:
As of Thursday evening, 13 of the 25 cannabis retail stores were still waiting for their operating licenses to allow them to open, including the two slated for Greater Sudbury – one on Marcus Drive and the other on Long Lake Road. But a spokesperson for the Alcohol and Gaming Commission of Ontario says the province isn't to blame for the delays, it's the 13 owners themselves, or the partners they are working with. Raymond Kahnert, a senior communications adviser with the AGCO, said in an email the province is ready to do its pre-opening inspections, but the retailers have to do their part first. “All those selected in the expression of interest process in January had a specific deadline to submit an application for a retail operator licence – Jan. 25,” Kahnert said. “All 25 applicants met that deadline – and therefore were all at the starting line evenly, so to speak. “I can’t speak to specific applications, but from that point, each moved through the process and submitted the required information at different times. Some applicants provided all the necessary information in a timely way. “For others, the information was incomplete, changing or slow to be provided. For others, highly involved business arrangements were entered into with third parties requiring in-depth analysis.” The AGCO can't make a decision on a license without all the necessary information, he said, so the onus is on the operators. More on this story here.
Video: Man cuffed, taken away by ambulance after young woman attacked on Paquette:
A 44-year-old man is in custody after an incident in New Sudbury on April 4. Greater Sudbury Police received the call just after 9 a.m. on Thursday that a man was hitting a young woman outside a residence on Paquette Street. When passersby stopped to assist the young woman, the man fled on foot into a residence. Officers secured the area until a warrant to enter the home was granted. The tactical unit entered the residence just before noon and arrested the man. He has been charged with assault, resisting arrest and assaulting a peace officer. His name can't be released at this time as the information has not yet been sworn in through the court process. Cellphone footage taken at the scene shows the alleged attacker sitting on a stretcher after he was handcuffed and removed from the residence by police. Watch the video here.
Trio of Wolves announced as OHL Awards finalists:
The Ontario Hockey League announced the finalists for seven of the league's major awards on Thursday, and there's no shortage of representation from the Sudbury Wolves. First overall pick from the 2018 OHL Priority Selection Quinton Byfield was named as one of six finalists for the league's Rookie of the Year award. Byfield enjoyed an outstanding first season in the OHL, racking up 29 goals and 32 assists for 61 points in 64 games. To no one's surprise, Wolves netminder Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen was named as a finalist for goaltender of the year, after finishing the regular season at, or near the top of every statistical category. Wolves head coach Cory Stillman got the nod as a finalist for the OHL's Coach of the Year award, along with London Knights coach Dale Hunter, the Wolves second round opponent Andre Tourigny and his Ottawa 67's, and a trio of others. Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen was also nominated as the Wolves' representative for the Red Tilson Trophy as the league's most outstanding player. The 2019 OHL Awards Ceremony takes place on Wednesday June 5 at the Hockey Hall of Fame in Toronto, however award recipients will be announced periodically throughout the remainder of the 2019 OHL Playoffs.
Water Safety statement in effect until April 12:
Conservation Sudbury has issued a water safety statement for the Greater Sudbury watersheds effective April 5 and will remain in effect until 10 a.m., April 12. All watersheds within the City of Greater Sudbury still have a significant snowpack that holds more than 200mm of water content. Environment Canada's forecast for the weekend and into early next week is calling for warmer temperatures nearing 10 degrees C with light precipitation. These conditions will speed up the snowmelt, resulting in a rapid increase in water levels in area streams. Currently stream flows are within the seasonal range and therefore flooding isn't expected, but localized ponding in low-lying areas is possible. Public safety is the number one priority, especially for children who may be attracted to the edge of creeks or rivers. The cold, fast-flowing water must be avoided. Stream banks will be very slippery and unsafe, and should be avoided as well.
$100K lottery win for Sudbury's Robert Boucher:
Sudbury's Robert Boucher has won $100,000 with ENCORE (the March 23 LOTTARIO draw). Boucher matched six of the seven ENCORE numbers in exact order to win the $100,000 prize. ENCORE can be played in conjunction with most online lottery games for an extra $1. There is an ENCORE draw every day. The winning ticket was purchased at Your Independent Grocery on Lorne Street in Sudbury.
The Pothole Reporter: See a hole, report a hole with Sudbury.com:
Pothole season is here and Sudbury.com has partnered with Fuel Media to create an easy and convenient way for you to report potholes to the City of Greater Sudbury, right from your cellphone. You can find the Pothole Reporter by visiting Pothole.Sudbury.com. There you can upload photos and descriptions of the pothole you found, and the app will produce a report that you can send along to Tom Davies Square. Let's help the city not miss any potholes this year. Check with Sudbury.com every week day to find out what our Pothole Crew is up to. Drive safely out there.
