Good morning, Greater Sudbury.
Here are some stories to start your day.
More than 80% of COVID-19 cases resolved in Northern Ontario:
Around 84 per cent of COVID-19 cases confirmed by health units in Northern Ontario have reportedly recovered, bringing the total number of those currently infected with the virus in the region down to 43. One more case and seven new resolutions were logged by the Thunder Bay District Health Unit (TBDHU) since the last report by Sudbury.com, as well as one more case by the Porcupine Health Unit (PHU) in connection to an outbreak at Golden Manor long-term care facility. There have been 262 cases confirmed in Northern Ontario as of May 6 at 1:30 p.m., of which 219 have been resolved and seven have died. A total of 20,934 tests have been conducted in the region that these units are aware of, around 90 per cent (18,746) of which have come back negative. PHU once had the most cases in Northern Ontario — currently it has 62 cases, including 48 resolutions and four deaths — but has since been surpassed by TBDHU. Thunder Bay now has confirmed 76 cases since the pandemic began, including 65 resolutions and one related death. Third in the region for the total number of cases confirmed to date is Public Health Sudbury and Districts, with 59 cases, 49 presumed recoveries and one death, following the testing of 4,617. This has contributed to a provincial total of 18,722 cases as of May 6 at 10:30 a.m., including 13,222 resolutions and 1,429 deaths.
Young driver killed in early-morning crash on MR35:
A 19-year-old man died following a early-morning crash Wednesday on Municipal Road 35, while a 21-year-old female passenger is in hospital with serious injuries. The single-vehicle crash happened at 2:30 a.m. Wednesday morning, said Greater Sudbury Police in a press release. The man was driving a 2005 silver Infinity G35 travelling north on MR 35 towards Azilda when the vehicle left the roadway and ended up in the ditch. Both the driver and passenger were transported to hospital with serious injuries, where the man later succumbed to his injuries. His name won't be released out of respect for the family. Anyone with information related to the collision is asked to contact Greater Sudbury Police Services' Traffic Management Unit at 705-675-9171 ex. 2307.
Ontario steps out of the weeds: Landscaping and greenhouses set to welcome back customers:
Although not fully through the pandemic, Ontario has begun taking steps to return to business as usual, with the announcement in the past week of the full or partial re-opening of a particular list of businesses and construction projects. May 6, Premier Doug Ford announced further relaxation of restrictions. As of midnight on Friday, May 8, garden centres and nurseries will be open for in-store purchases and payments, operating under the same guidelines currently in place for pharmacies and grocery stores. Hardware stores and safety supply stores can do the same as of midnight May 9. On May 11, all retail stores with a street entrance can begin offering curbside pickup and delivery. In the meantime, garden centres and nurseries continue to offer curbside pickup and delivery. Get the full story here.
Chelmsford woman bilked out of $2,000 in loan scam:
A Chelmsford woman is trying to pick up the pieces after being scammed out of $2,000 by what she thought was a legitimate company. The woman, who requested that she remain anonymous, came across the company in February when she was looking online for a way to consolidate some of her debts. "I went online and did some research and filled out a couple of applications and one of the companies that I had applied with got back to me," she said. "They sent me a contract, I called them and asked a lot of questions, did some research and I spoke with someone who had a financial background and they even thought that it looked legitimate." The woman was then asked to e-transfer money up front in order for the company to begin consolidating her debts. "I made a transfer at the beginning of March and the middle of March," she said. "In total I paid roughly $2,000." The Better Business Bureau of Eastern and Northern Ontario stated in an email on April 28 that these types of advance fee loan scams are becoming more prevalent, especially in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic with many Canadians out of work. More on this story here.
City extends services for Greater Sudbury's vulnerable population during COVID-19:
Based on the evolving COVID-19 pandemic situation, and the continued impact on the downtown Sudbury vulnerable population, the City of Greater Sudbury is extending access to indoor rest areas, social services and meals. Since March 20, the city has opened the Sudbury Community Arena to allow people access to washrooms and a safe place to eat their meals while maintaining physical distancing. As of May 4, extended hours are in place at the arena to ensure a safe, indoor space for people outside of overnight shelter hours. The arena is now open from 10:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m., and from 5 to 9:30 p.m. (previously 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. and 5:30 to 7:30 p.m.). Closing the arena mid-day is necessary for proper cleaning and disinfecting between mealtimes. The City’s H2O Water Buggy will provide clean drinking water to vulnerable people downtown during arena operating hours. The city has provided financial and technical support to the YMCA as they open their facility to provide free public access to a phone and computer, daily from noon to 5 p.m., which allows people to connect with social service, justice and health supports.
Planning is underway at the city for restoration of services:
City of Greater Sudbury council was provided with an update on May 5 on the impacts that COVID-19 has had to city services. It has been one month to the day since mayor Brian Bigger declared a state of emergency on April 6, which will remain in effect for the duration of the provincial state of emergency. On April 7, city staff provided a report to council that classified municipal services under three categories: suspended, modified, or remain ongoing. Greater Sudbury CAO Ed Archer provided a report to council on Tuesday, updating them on the impacts of COVID-19, while indicating that a staff team is working to assess municipal services affected by the Covid-19 response and recommend an approach for how/when to restore services to a routine, non-emergency state. Restoring the city to pre-pandemic levels of service will be done in a measured way, following the advice of the province and public health officials, though Archer said that the changes that have been brought upon them by COVID-19 could spawn new ways of doing business in the future. "We have several staff teams that are being led by my office through Ian Wood's leadership to assess the services we're providing now, see the opportunities that we've created by changing services that should continue in a new form," said Archer. "We've made improvements to some of the services through the use of technology. Most of us spend our days looking at our devices and video meetings because we're all working from home and still making sure services are being delivered. There are opportunities to leverage some of these process improvements and changes on a permanent basis, and so we've got a team looking at those." More on this story can be found here.
Repatriation ceremony held for six CAF members killed in helicopter crash:
A repatriation ceremony was held Wednesday for the six Canadian Armed Forces members killed in a helicopter crash off the coast of Greece during Operation REASSURANCE. Following the ceremony, a motorcade traveled from CAF Base Trenton to Toronto, via the Highway of Heroes. Six military personnel were aboard the helicopter when it went down in the Mediterranean Sea as it was returning to the Halifax-based frigate, HMCS Fredericton. The body of Sub-Lt. Abigail Cowbrough, a marine systems engineering officer originally from Toronto, has been recovered. Other victims of the crash include Capt. Brenden Ian MacDonald, originally from New Glasgow, N.S., and Capt. Kevin Hagen, originally from Nanaimo, B.C., both pilots. You can watch the ceremony here.
Thursday Weather:
Cloudy today with a 70 per cent chance of flurries or rain showers late in the morning and in the afternoon. Chilly day ahead with the high only getting up to 5. Flurries are possible this evening with the low dipping to -5. Overnight low will feel like -12 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.
