Good morning, Greater Sudbury.
Here are some stories to start your day.
Public Health, HSN in readiness mode over coronavirus:
Sudbury's health officials are taking a "hope for the best but prepare for the worst" approach when it comes to the coronavirus. There is one confirmed case in Ontario, one presumptive case (the spouse of the confirmed case) and one confirmed case in B.C. as of today. The Canadian government is now advising citizens against all travel to the Chinese province that’s at the centre of the outbreak, stepping up an earlier warning about the region. While the risk of a coronavirus outbreak in Sudbury seems unlikely, health officials and their partner organizations are taking steps to ensure open lines of communication and preparedness in the event of a case of the virus in the community. More on this story here.
City may start fining businesses over stray shopping carts:
Greater Sudbury councillors voted last week to have staff prepare a report on a shopping cart bylaw, similar to the one in use in Ottawa. When that city's bylaw to regulate shopping carts came into effect in January 2014, nearly 600 of the stray carts were rounded up in 60 days. Not only did it send a message to local retailers, it netted the city $30,000 in fines, charging stores a $53 per cart "storage fee" that had to be paid if they wanted the property returned. Other cities have followed suit, such as Mississauga, where not only business owners, but people who remove the carts from the store property can be fined. Closer to home, Sault Ste. Marie is considering a similar bylaw, for the same reasons as Sudbury: they are a nuisance and a potential safety hazard. Find more on this story here.
The surprising Nickel City connection to the 'We Will Rock You' musical tour:
It's really thanks to a man we can claim as one of our own that Sudburians are being treated to a touring show of “We Will Rock You” featuring the music of rock music icons Queen at the Sudbury Arena on Thursday evening. JP Thibodeau, the production's director, was born in Sudbury, and spent most of his younger years in the Northern Ontario communities of Elliot Lake and Timmins. Although he lives in Calgary now, where he's the artistic director with StoryBook Theatre, Thibodeau said his parents live in Azilda and most of the rest of his family lives in the Greater Sudbury area too. Some family members saw “We Will Rock You” at Madison Square Garden in New York City last year, but Thibodeau said he's excited for the rest of his family to see it too. Check out the full story here.
Nickel prices go from red hot to ice cold:
Nickel, the world's hottest commodity in 2019, is having a poor start to 2020, dropping this week to its lowest level since July. The metal was trading for just more than US$5.75 a pound on the London Metals Exchange on Monday, after breaking past US$8 in September. With Indonesia – the worlds largest producer – imposing an export ban, and long-term demand for nickel for electric vehicle batteries, Goldman Sachs revised its price forecast, predicting nickel would rise to US$11 a pound before the end of the 2019. By December, however, Indonesia had reversed its export ban, and fears over a trade war between China and the United States tempered demand forecasts, and nickel struggled to stay above $6. Complicating markets even further, the emergence of the coronavirus in China has sparked fears about that country's economic prospects, said a story by Reuters on Monday.
Opinion: Kirwan defends city’s measures aimed at supporting seniors, elderly:
Ward 5 Coun. Robert Kirwan responded to recent public criticism directed towards city council with respect to the way they have been addressing the needs and concerns of older adults. "The criticism unfairly implies that staff have also been insensitive to seniors with respect to the issues they are dealing with, since staff are the ones who recommend and/or implement most of the policies approved by council," writes Kirwan in his response. "For the record, despite what you might hear from some of the local detractors, staff and city councillors are indeed listening and responding to seniors living the City of Greater Sudbury. In fact, 2019 especially was a year when we made tremendous strides forward, laying the groundwork for some transformational changes that will enhance the overall health and well-being of all citizens in our city, especially seniors. We can’t do everything in a year, and we can’t be held responsible for what has gone on in the past. But we are doing what we can today to build a better tomorrow for our seniors." You can find Kirwan's full response here.
Up and down January continues for Voyageurs basketball team:
The nation's seventh ranked university basketball team had another up and down weekend, splitting games with Lakehead and York. Laurentian's men's basketball team has been nationally ranked since November, bouncing between the 10th spot and as high as the seventh ranking that they currently occupy. The team travelled to Thunder Bay last week to take on the Lakehead Thunderwolves who sit one spot ahead of the Voyageurs in the national rankings at six. The ball didn't bounce the Voyageurs' way on Friday as they were handed a 73-59 defeat at the hands of their Northern Ontario foes. The boys got right back in the win column the next day however, with a hard-fought 84-76 win over the York Lions. Laurentian's ladies were on the same two courts on Friday and Saturday and fell to both Lakehad and York by scores of 85-72 and 75-48 respectively.
Discover: 21st century mining tech developed right in the Nickel City? Meet Clickmox:
The mining industry is experiencing innovation everywhere. It is arriving fast and in ways unexpected. Dr. Syed Naeem Ahmed is president and CEO of Clickmox, 1545 Maley Drive, a resident in the NORCAT community since 2014. Clickmox, known in the industry for its scanning systems, is not your typical mining services company. “Like many others we have been developing innovative technologies for the mining sector,” Ahmed said. “We have laser scanning products that do 3D scans from either stationary or mobile platforms. We can mount them on wheeled or tracked vehicles or even drones.” The surveying tool used is LiDAR (a portmanteau of light and radar) and it captures information rapidly to deliver digital 3D representations of spaces like drifts, stopes and tunnels. Weighing little more than a kilogram, the scanner often travels aboard a modified airborne platform, allowing it to travel over rough terrain with ease and speed. Full story here.
Wednesday Weather:
The sunshine is expected to return Wednesday, but it's going to be a chilly day. Mainly sunny with the high only getting up to -9, feeling like -25 with the wind chill this morning. Some clouds rolling in overhead tonight with the low sitting at -15. It's going to feel like -21 with the wind chill overnight. For current weather conditions, short-term and long-term forecasts visit Sudbury.com's weather page at www.sudbury.com/weather.
