Good morning, Greater Sudbury.
Here are some stories to start your day.
We will rebuild: Reverend reflects during Grace United Church demolition (Video):
The Grace United Church on Bancroft Drive was demolished Tuesday after a fire destroyed much of the building on July 24. The building was 78 years old. An investigation by the Ontario Fire Marshal's Office and Greater Sudbury Fire Services determined the church was struck by lightning twice during a thunderstorm that hit the city that evening. "To see it come down has really triggered the emotions in me today," Rev. Erin Todd said. "But our loss was only material" "The church is not the building. The church is the community of faith and our community of faith is very strong. We will continue. We will rebuild and we will have all the memories that were made in this building." The church community plans to move into a temporary building by Aug. 11. The temporary location has not been announced. Video here.
Thirty HSN patients in unconventional beds as hospital battles capacity issues:
We're a long way from flu season, but overcrowding at the hospital is an issue staff have been battling with high occupancy rates all summer, a Health Sciences North vice-president told Sudbury.com today. As of July 30, Health Sciences North was operating at 107-per-cent capacity, with 97 patients designated as ALC (alternate level care), a sharp spike from the same time last year. "We have seen higher than normal numbers for the summer months of May, June and July when it comes to ALC," said Mark Hartman, HSN's VP of patient experience and digital transformation. "Last year at this time, we were mostly in the mid-60s, this year we're seeing numbers in the 80s, 90s and almost up to 100." There is no one silver bullet solution when it comes to hospital overcrowding, he said, and the now common term "hallway medicine" that refers to patients who are staying in unconventional hospital areas such as washrooms and lounges. One HSN patient shared her story on Facebook on July 30, describing the experience as degrading, as she was admitted for a severe kidney infection and has been staying in a makeshift room that is actually a TV lounge. Full story here.
A little rain is no match for a Sudbury Saturday Night at Stack's new brewpub:
Stack Brewing hosted its sixth anniversary and parking lot party at the brewery's brand new Stack Brewpub on Falconbridge Road this past weekend, which despite the weather, attracted crowds determined to celebrate their Sudbury Saturday Night. The full-day event featured live music from Barry Miles & the Congregation, Hugh Jazz and Run the Program, food from the Laughing Buddha and Stack Brewpub's new kitchen, free brewery tours, as well as a variety of outdoor games. In addition to cider and white wine, the event offered eight brews on-tap that included Stack's anniversary ale titled Seasons of Change. Seasons of Change is a sour saison, with an alcohol content of 6.5 per cent, described by Stack's brewmaster Michael Guillemette as "surprisingly easy drinking." The tarte, Belgium-style beer is a deep golden blonde, which has been soured with the same bacteria used to turn sour milk into yogurt, known as Lactobacillus. This one-time release is available for a limited time at Stack's original retail location on Kelly Lake Road. The brewing equipment has all been relocated to the new Falconbridge Road location. Check out some photos from the anniversary party here.
Sudbury YMCA reopens its aquatic centre following a nearly $600K renovation:
YMCA of Sudbury reopened its pool Monday following a nearly $600,000 renovation to the aquatic centre's lap pool, deck area and sauna. The project was supported by a $150,000 grant from the Ontario Trillium Foundation (OTF), which was presented Monday by OTF volunteer, president and vice-chancellor of Huntington University Kevin McCormick and Cindy Blais from the office of MPP Jamie West. The focus of the renovation was replacing the outdated ceramic tile lining of the deck and pool, which had a short life expectancy and health concerns relating to chipping and lifting. This was replaced by a fabric liner known as soft-walk, which as it sounds, has a soft texture and a bit of give to make for a more comfortable experience getting in and out of the pool. More on this story here (https://www.sudbury.com/local-news/sudbury-ymca-reopens-its-aquatic-centre-following-a-nearly-600k-renovation-1614341).
Timber skyscrapers could be made with Northern Ontario wood:
Northern Ontario wood will feed the province’s first cross-laminated timber (CLT) plant in southwestern Ontario. Patrick Chouinard, a co-founder of Element5, the operators of a proposed $32-million facility in St. Thomas, said the fibre sourced for their operation will come from the White River area. He said siting a CLT plant in Northern Ontario was their first option when they were deciding where the building was going to go. But after crunching the numbers, Chouinard said it made economic sense for the plant to be close to their customers. “Because of the cost of transportation, it was decided that the plant really had to be in southern Ontario where the majority of our opportunities are.” The Ontario government announced July 23 that it’s investing close to $5 million in the company’s automated plant and the 60 manufacturing jobs. That’s tacked on to a $2-million grant they were awarded last February by CRIBE (Centre for Research and Innovation in the Bio-economy), a Thunder Bay-based forestry research group. Element5 is a Toronto and Montreal-based design, engineering and fabrication group specializing in mass timber buildings.
No QB, no go, as Spartans bow out of NFC playoffs:
The Sudbury Spartans would have dearly loved to have their quarterback back. Any of them, really. With Hunter Holub, Adam Rocha and even third-string option Nicholas Rideout out with injuries, it was defensive back Riley Roy who was pressed into action. Yes, the Riley Roy who, by his own admission, had never even taken a snap under centre dating back to his days in the Joe MacDonald Youth Football League. So, despite the best efforts of Roy, who also played safety for virtually the entire game, and a Sudbury defensive unit that managed to keep things close, at least until half-time, the inevitable played out, as the Ottawa Sooners pulled away from the Spartans to the tune of a 41-0 scoreboard, eliminating the locals from the NFC (Northern Football Conference) playoffs.
Lefebvre: Sudbury can lead Canada's fight against climate change:
Sudbury MP Paul Lefebvre hosted a discussion on climate change earlier this month, focusing on what we can do today to prepare for the potentially dire effects of a planet that is getting warmer. Lefebvre expressed thanks to David Pearson, David Robinson, Cathy Orlando and Ross Assinewe for their expert insight, and to the dozens of Sudburians who came with their excellent questions and suggestions. From the discussion, Lefebvre has drawn a pair of conclusions; one: the situation is serious and we're running out of time to act, and two: Sudbury is uniquely poised to lead Canada in the fight against climate change. Read Lefebvre's guest column on Sudbury.com here.
Wednesday Weather:
A bright and sunny day is in the forecast for Wednesday. Warm weather will continue with the high sitting at 25 today. Mainly clear skies into the evening with the overnight low dipping to 10. For current weather conditions, short-term and long-term forecasts visit Sudbury.com's weather page at www.sudbury.com/weather.
