Good morning, Greater Sudbury.
Here are some stories to start your day.
Second bail review hearing underway for accused Renée Sweeney killer:
A second bail review hearing is underway for the man accused for killing Renee Sweeney more than 20 years ago. There is a publication ban in effect with respect to evidence during the bail review hearing. Robert Steven Wright joined a teleconference Monday afternoon with his defence lawyers, Berk Keaney and Michael Venturi. Representing the Crown’s office was Rob Parsons and Jody Ostapiew. Arguments by both sides will be given Tuesday afternoon. This is the second time Wright is seeking bail. He was denied bail in March 2019 after Ontario Superior Court Judge Edward E. Gareau cited concerns about the adequacy of monitoring devices and the ability of his proposed surety at the time to keep a close enough eye on him. Sweeney was murdered in 1998 while she was working at an Adult’s Only video store on Paris Street. She was 23. Wright was arrested in December 2018. He was charged with first-degree murder in the killing, but that charge has since been downgraded to second-degree murder. Check back with Sudbury.com as this story develops.
Ontario leading the country in COVID-19 testing:
Ontario has significantly increased testing and contact tracing capacity, allowing health experts to identify cases of COVID-19 and support efforts to stop the spread of the virus in the community, long-term care homes, and other congregate settings. In partnership with Ontario Health, Public Health Ontario, local public health units, and hospital and community laboratories, the Ontario government has developed an integrated laboratory system which has established the province as a national leader in daily testing volumes per capita. "We've been working around the clock to establish a vast and robust testing regime, which is critical in our fight against this deadly virus," said Premier Doug Ford. "We're now exceeding our target of 16,000 tests a day, with many of those tests aimed at protecting our long-term care residents and staff. This important milestone provides a strong foundation for gradually reopening our economy and getting people back to work, while protecting the health and safety of all Ontarians." Testing is being carried out in hospitals, long-term care homes, group homes, shelters, emergency child care centres, and other congregate settings. Once test samples are collected and received from frontline staff, patients, residents and children, labs are providing test results generally within 24 to 48 hours. Watch the Premier's press conference from Monday here.
COVID-19 daily update: Ontario has tested more than 342,000 people:
There were 370 new cases of COVID-19 reported by 32 public health units across the province today, along with 45 resolutions and 84 deaths. One of these new cases was reported in Timmins, in addition to one recovery in Sudbury and another in Thunder Bay. This brings the total number of cases reported in Ontario to 17,923, including 12,050 individuals that are believed to have recovered and 1,300 who have died. These results were found through the testing of 342,060 to date, up 14,555 since the latest report by Sudbury.com, of which 6,265 are pending. Of the 5,873 active cases, 984 are currently hospitalized for COVID-19, 225 in the Intensive Care Unit (ICU) and 175 in ICU on a ventilator. Health Sciences North has two confirmed COVID-19 patients and two unconfirmed cases in its ICU, along with three unconfirmed cases in other departments. A total of 59 cases have been confirmed by Public Health Sudbury and Districts since the pandemic began, including 49 resolutions and two deaths, following the testing of 4,255. Ten of these cases are associated with the outbreaks reported at four different long-term care (LTC) homes in the area, including one individual who has since passed away.
‘Heavy hearts’: Northern Lights Festival cancelled, but other major summer festivals haven’t yet made the call:
In a normal year, the warm weather brings festival season to Greater Sudbury, with more than two dozen such events — big and small — typically taking place from May to September. But as everyone knows, 2020 is not a normal year because of the COVID-19 pandemic, and you may not get a chance to participate in your favourite summer festival this year. Northern Lights Festival Boréal officially announced Monday morning that due to the pandemic, it has cancelled the festival that was supposed to take place July 9-12. While organizers of several other local festivals say it’s too soon to make a call, there have already been a few announcements. Rather than cancelling outright, Fierté Sudbury Pride has decided to hold a digital version of its annual pride week, scheduled for July 13-20. The annual Downtown Sudbury and Sidewalk Yard Sale, which was supposed to take May 30, has been postponed, possibly for the fall. Downtown Sudbury, which also organizes the city’s popular Ribfest event in the city’s downtown over the Labour Day weekend, says it’s too early to make a decision on this festival. The LOL Sudbury Comedy Festival, which was set to take place this year in late May, has been postponed, potentially for later this year. More on this story here.
'My heart breaks for the class of 2020': Crossing the stage will have to wait for many local grads:
With Laurentian University postponing its spring convocation ceremonies due to the pandemic, graduating Laurentian University sports psychology student Jordan Clancy said she can't help but be disappointed. At the same time, Clancy said the health and safety of students, faculty and staff obviously has to take top priority. But still, it's a blow. “My heart breaks for the class of 2020,” she said. “We have all worked so hard to get to this point, and it is upsetting that we will not be able to celebrate our achievements at our graduation ceremonies.” While Clancy said Laurentian will probably eventually hold a convocation for her graduating cohort, by that point, it's going to be difficult to have the same feeling about the ceremony. “Everyone is just going to be at really different points in their lives by the time we're able to celebrate,” he said. Full story here.
Sunrisers say farewell to longtime member Brad Hale:
The Rotary Club of Sudbury Sunrisers is bidding farewell to member Brad Hale. Brad has been a champion and advocate for the less fortunate in Sudbury for the past 20 years. For the last three years he has been the pastor and executive director of the Elgin Street Mission. Sunriser President David Munch said “Brad embodies the Rotary motto “Service above Self” daily. As a farewell gift the Rotary Club presented Brad with a cheque to sponsor over 400 meals in his name at the Mission. "These monies tangibly feed hungry stomachs, but Brad also fed hungry souls with his caring and sharing,” said Gerry Lougheed Jr., organizer of the Mission Food Fund. Sunriser President David Munch and President Elect Luann Belfry also announced that Brad Hale will be the club’s 2020 Paul Harris Award recipient for his outstanding and inspiring humanitarian contributions to bringing light to the darkness of poverty.
Emergency Preparedness Week will have a different look this year:
May 3-9 is Emergency Preparedness Week across Canada, but here in Sudbury the week will take on a different form this year. Greater Sudbury Mayor Brian Bigger announced on Twitter Monday that all activities that were planned for Emergency Preparedness Week in the city have been cancelled as Sudbury, along with Ontario, are under a state of emergency. The week is dedicated to informing Canadians and teaching them how to take action to protect themselves in the event of an emergency. "Due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, this week comes when we are in an actual state of emergency," said Bigger in a video message. "Unfortunately, that means that all of the activities that we had planned for Emergency Preparedness Week have been cancelled." The city will be sharing tips and reminders on their social media channels over the course of the week and the mayor encouraged Sudburians to watch for them and to share them with their friends and family. You can watch Bigger's message here.
Tuesday Weather:
Mainly sunny today, but cooler temperaturs on tap for tonight. Tuesday's high will be sitting at around 9. Partly cloudy skies overhead into the evening. Overnight low will dip down to -3, feeling like -7. For current weather conditions, short-term and long-term forecasts visit Sudbury.com's weather page at www.sudbury.com/weather.
