Good morning, Greater Sudbury.
Here are some stories to start your day.
Home Care Ontario calls for wage increase, scheduling overhaul for PSWs:
A wage increase and a scheduling overhaul for personal support workers in the home-care industry would be a good start and would go a long way in ending hallway health care, said the executive director of Home Care Ontario. Wages for PSWs who provide care for patients at home have been stagnant for a decade, said Sue VanderBent, who leads Home Care Ontario, which represents more than 50 home-care organizations across the province. Currently, PSWs working in the home-care field earn between $16.50/hour to $19/hour. “We know that we are not competitive with hospitals or long-term care,” said VanderBent. “A lot of PSWs are drawn to home care, because it's less institutionalized than hospitals and LTC environments, but they gravitate towards hospitals and LTC homes because of the wage differences.” PSWs are also choosing to work in other fields, such as retail or the service industry, because they have families to support, VanderBent said. That's why Home Care Ontario, in its pre-budget submissions, is asking the province to increase wages five per cent per year for three years, VanderBent said. Full story here.
Tampon Tuesday is March 10, so collect a few packages for those in need:
Periods are a fact of life, and although menstrual hygiene products are a necessity, many people in our community, especially those living in poverty, simply cannot afford to purchase them. United Way Centraide North East Ontario/Nord-est de l’Ontario (UWCNEO) and the Sudbury & District Labour Council invite you to be a part of this year’s Tampon Tuesday campaign by collecting and donating much-needed menstrual products to help individuals who are struggling. “Menstruation is not a choice, and neither is the need for products, yet so many individuals go without,” said Charlene Legacy, director of labour and community services, UWCNEO, in a press release. “Tampon Tuesday is about dignity. It’s an initiative that provides us with the opportunity to raise awareness and encourage action. In 2019, approximately 3,025 products, as well as monetary donations, were collected. This year, with the support of our community, we hope to do even more.” There are several ways to participate in Tampon Tuesday. Launch a collection drive at your workplace, school or with your community group from now until March 10. People can also join in the United Way's event Tuesday, March 10 from 6-9 p.m. at Spacecraft Brewery. Admission is a donation of a box (or two) of menstrual hygiene products, and everyone is welcome to attend.
Video: The making of the world's largest Nanaimo bar:
Ella and Austin Kurtis' first attempt at making a Nanaimo bar could very well go down in history as the siblings attempt to make it into the book of Guinness World Records. With help from their parents, who own the Northwest Fudge Factory in Levack, Ella, 10, and Austin, 5, have constructed a Nanaimo bar that weighs a whopping 530 pounds. "It probably took us about 10 hours in total," Ella said. Over the course of two days, the siblings worked before and after school, mixing the ingredients and pouring them into a wooden form. Watch the video here to see how they did it.
Police wish to check on well-being of missing woman, 34:
Greater Sudbury Police are asking for the public's assistance to locate missing woman Ashlee Kutchaw. The 34-year-old woman is described as being 5-11 tall, 130 pounds, with dirty blonde hair and brown eyes. Police don't have any clothing descriptors. Kutchaw was last seen March 5 in the area of Murray Street. Police are looking to locate Kutchaw to check on her well-being. Anyone with information is asked to contact police at 705-675-9171 or Crime Stoppers at 705-222-TIPS, online at www.sudburycrimestoppers.com.
Police holding discussion to keep citizens safe from fraud:
The Greater Sudbury Police Service and Ontario Provincial Police will be leading a discussion on fraud awareness on Thursday, March 12. March is fraud prevention month and the two police forces have partnered with RBC and the Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre for an hour-long discussion next week about different types of fraud. "Learn more from these specialists about topics such as cyber awareness, password compromise, debit and credit card fraud, social engineering, malware, identity theft, financial abuse and more," said a news release from GSPS. The discussion will be held at the Lionel E. Lalonde Centre in Azilda (239 Monte Principale) from 1-2 p.m.
Young Sudbury Singers accepting registrations for new Valley East Choir:
Young Sudbury Singers, a local choir for children and youth, is inviting children age 8-12 to register for its new Valley East Choir. Rehearsals will be every Tuesday evening from 6 to 7 p.m. at Valley View Public School, from March 24 to April 28. Participants will engage in a variety of musical games and exercises over the six weeks, learning simple unison songs in a safe and supportive environment that will foster a lifelong love of singing. The Valley East Choir will have an opportunity to perform with Young Sudbury Singers' three existing choirs in a community concert featuring local folk musician Duncan Cameron. The concert will be held on Sunday, April 26 at 2 p.m., in the Sheridan Auditorium at Sudbury Secondary School. The choirs will also give a free lunch-hour concert at the Living with Lakes Centre on Friday, May 1. For more information about the choir and its activities, or to download a registration form, visit www.youngsudburysingers.ca, phone general manager Ralph McIntosh at 705-662-0115 or email [email protected].
Letter: Just say 'no' to wants, council:
John Lindsay writes that 'we’re wasting our limited resources planning on building new stuff that will pay no real financial return' in a letter to the editor this week. "We all want our roads, streets, and sidewalks maintained. It’s the base level of municipal competency: Are we able to take care of what we have built and promised to maintain?" writes Lindsay. "This is a question that many Sudbury citizens are asking, especially with further road deterioration now evident. It would seem we are so obsessed with new projects that we don’t ask the simple question: Can we afford to maintain what we already have which would include other neglected infrastructure?" Read more here.
Tuesday Weather:
Damp day ahead with rain and snow in the forecast. Rain this morning, changing to snow and ending late in the morning then clearing. There is a risk of freezing rain in the morning. Temperature falling to -5 in the morning then rising. Clear skies into the evening but becoming cloudy overnight. Low will dip to -11 this evening, feeling like -16 with the wind chill. For current weather conditions, short-term and long-term forecasts visit Sudbury.com's weather page at www.sudbury.com/weather.
