Good morning, Greater Sudbury.
Here are some stories to start your day.
Vale says overnight 3.6MN seismic event occurred after development blast at Creighton Mine:
Did you feel the ground shaking around Greater Sudbury early Thursday morning? Earthquakes Canada reports a 3.6MN seismic event at 3:10 a.m. Thursday morning. The seismic event was centred about three kilometres from Lively at a depth of about 2.4 kilometres. Stephen Crane, a research scientist with Natural Resources Canada, called the seismic event “mining related,” and said it was associated with Vale’s Creighton Mine. “It was fairly strong for a mining event,” Crane said. “Usually we do not see them this big.” Vale spokesperson Danica Pagnutti confirms the seismic event occurred on the 8,070 foot level of the mine after a development blast. Three smaller aftershocks followed.
Two new confirmed cases of COVID-19 in Greater Sudbury:
Public Health Sudbury & Districts reported two new COVID-19 cases in residents in Greater Sudbury. The total number of confirmed cases in the area is now 49. Case number 48 is a woman in her 50s who was in close contact with another case. She was tested on April 22 and is currently self-isolating. Case number 49 is a woman in her 20s who was in close contact with another case. She was also tested on April 22 and is currently self-isolating. If you think you may have COVID-19 symptoms or have been in close contact with someone who has it, first self-isolate, then contact an assessment centre or use the online self-assessment tool to see if you need to seek further care. For more information on self-isolation, self-assessment, and assessment centres visit phsd.ca/COVID-19 or call Public Health Sudbury & Districts at 705.522.9200 (toll-free 1.866.522.9200).
More than 1,100 home-made masks donated to HSN through challenge:
More than 1,100 home-made cloth masks have been donated to Health Sciences North through the HSN Mask Challenge that launched on Thursday, April 9. To help keep the community healthy and safe during the COVID-19 pandemic, HSN said it has partnered with Sudbury Steam Cleaners and issued a challenge to all Northeastern Ontario sewers to make as many cloth face masks as possible. These masks are being given out to all approved visitors, patients who are going home, as well as members of the broader community. More than 950 have been given out so far. Full story here.
USW Local 6500 ratifies new one-year agreement:
United Steelworkers Local 6500 announced Thursday that members have voted to accept a new one-year collective agreement. The deal was ratified with 62.8 per cent support. Due to the ongoing COVID-19 crisis, Vale and Local 6500 agreed to a one-year renewal so that attention is focused on the health and safety of members and their families during these extraordinary circumstances. Members voted electronically after being mailed a package containing details of the tentative agreement. "We have heard the membership loud and clear and we look forward to meaningful negotiations in 2021," said a news release from USW Local 6500.
Pioneer Manor director describes LTC's 'aggressive' response to COVID-19:
Outbreaks of COVID-19 in Ontario long-term care homes are very much in the news this week. At his daily press conference, Premier Doug Ford became emotional talking about the situation. His mother is in a long-term care home and he acknowledged that Ontario's long-term care home system "is broken," but said that can't be done until after the pandemic. "We're going to fix the system but right now the No. 1 crisis is making sure we take care of these most vulnerable people," Ford said. Also today, the Ontario Health Coalition released a report aggregating how serious the situation is in Ontario's long-term care homes. To date, the coalition found, there have been more than 400 deaths in LTCs, accounting for more than half of Ontario's total number of COVID-19 fatalities. Nearly 4,000 staff and residents have been infected. There are outbreaks in at least 80 LTCs. Northern Ontario has so far escaped the brunt of the COVID-19 pandemic and there has been an outbreak declared at only one LTC so far. This week it was announced that one staff member and one resident of St. Joseph's Villa had tested positive. More on this story here.
Column: Loss in the time of COVID-19, finding ways to grieve:
Stunned by the horror of the Nova Scotia shootings, Geoffrey Lougheed discusses the challenges of grieving during a pandemic and the amazing ways he has seen people shine a light in the darkness in a column submitted to Sudbury.com. "I have watched people bring flowers to the sites of the shootings and heard many of the community speak with anger, with sadness and with shock. I witnessed a street filled with neighbours clapping as a wounded officer safely returned home," writes Lougheed. "These are all elements of grief. It is said that grief shared is grief lessened. This illustrates the strength of support we find in sharing and caring." Read the full column here.
Another 634 confirmed COVID-19 cases in Ontario, and 54 more deaths:
Another 634 COVID-19 cases have been confirmed in Ontario since yesterday, for a total of 12,879. There have also been 54 more COVID-19 deaths in Ontario over the past day, for a total of 713, with about half of those deaths — 359 — occurring in long-term care homes. Ontario’s long-term care homes, which have been hit hard by the virus, now report 135 outbreaks, an increase of 10 outbreaks from the previous report. A total of 194,745 people have been tested for COVID-19 in Ontario so far. There are currently 6,757 people in the province still under investigation for the virus. The Ontario Ministry of Health reports 6,680 “resolved” cases, meaning the patient has recovered. There are 887 people in Ontario who are hospitalized with COVID-19, 233 of whom are in the ICU, while 185 of those are on ventilators.
Friday Weather:
Finally some spring-like conditions are arriving in Greater Sudbury. A mix of sun and cloud this morning, clearing late in the afternoon. Friday's high will get up to double digits, sitting at 10. Clear skies tonight with the low dipping to around -5. It's going to feel like -7 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.
