Good morning, Greater Sudbury.
Here are some stories to start your day.
Woman reports scary interaction with driver on Hwy 17 outside Sudbury:
Imagine this: You’re driving down a dark highway, alone in your vehicle, when a pickup truck appears as if from nowhere, speeds up to your bumper and tails you so closely you can’t see their headlights. Then, several minutes later, suddenly brakes, pulls a U-turn and vanishes into the night. That’s what one Sudbury woman reported happened to her on the evening of May 4. Concerned about speaking out given the nature of the incident, she asked for anonymity. In agreeing to keep her anonymous, Sudbury.com confirmed with police that the woman of the same name did file a report about the incident that matches the description she provided. More on this story here.
Recoveries continue to outweigh new cases of COVID-19 in provincial report:
The number of new cases of COVID-19 in Ontario went up slightly from that reported Sunday but remains significantly lower than updates just one week prior. Provincial public health units confirmed an additional 308 cases with this latest report, along with 359 presumed recoveries, 35 deaths and the testing of 13,970. One of these new cases was identified as a resident of Extendicare in Timmins, as well as four recoveries within the Greater Sudbury area and two in the district of Thunder Bay. There are now 38 active cases in Northern Ontario of the 254 confirmed to date, including 216 resolutions and eight deaths, following the testing of 27,506. This does not include data from the North Bay Parry Sound District Health Unit, however, as those statistics are currently unavailable. Taking into consideration the statistics reported Sunday, the total number of active cases would be 41 of the 273 confirmed, including 232 resolutions and eight deaths, of the 30,799 tested since the pandemic began. Provincewide there are currently 3,746 active cases of the 20,546 confirmed, following the deaths of less than one per cent (1,699) and presumed recoveries of 74 per cent (15,131). These reports following the testing of 447,964 as of May 11 at 10:30 a.m., of which 93 per cent (418,400) have come back negative.
Sudbury’s three federated universities were already facing budget pressure, then along came COVID-19:
In the wake of an announcement by Thorneloe University earlier this month that its books are in the red and it is cutting two programs, the other two federated universities on the Laurentian University campus say they’re also facing some financial challenges. Greater Sudbury is home to three federated universities that are part of the Laurentian federation — Thorneloe University, the University of Sudbury and Huntington University. Each of these federated universities contributes unique academic programs and residential accommodations, but students at these schools are all Laurentian students and are issued Laurentian degrees. Earlier this month, Thorneloe said financial pressures from the COVID-19 pandemic have compounded pre-existing budget issues. Those include the province mandating a 10-per-cent tuition fee cut and Laurentian changing its funding formula for federated universities. This led Thorneloe to announce May 1 its theatre arts and motion picture arts will no longer operate after the end of this school year. Laurentian University also announced last month its deficit could be $6 million this year, rising to $15 million potentially by the end of 2020-2021, due to the pandemic and provincial cuts. Get the full story here.
Ridesharing service now offering delivery in Sudbury:
A Northern Ontario-conceived ridesharing service is now offering Sudbury clients same-day delivery services in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. Uride CEO and founder Cody Ruberto, who developed the smartphone-based app and service in 2017, said he had an “overwhelming” number of requests from Sudbury users seeking the delivery option. Initially, the new Uride Services will allow users to place orders from grocery stores and the LCBO, as well as send parcels. But expansion is already in the works. “We’ll be adding a number of local businesses, from restaurants to retail stores, to the platform over the coming weeks, allowing customers to get on-demand delivery from all their favourite places, and helping businesses get online with a full delivery network,” Ruberto said in a May 8 news release. Users can place orders through the Uride website or smartphone app. The announcement comes just as the province is getting ready to start the staged reopening of the economy.
Sudbury, North Bay entrepreneurs selected for Vale’s COVID-19 funding:
A team of North Bay high school robotics students and a Sudbury-based med-tech startup are among the winners of the Vale COVID-19 Challenge. In early April, the Brazilian nickel-mining giant announced a challenge seeking innovative solutions that could be rapidly commercialized to address problems posed by the novel coronavirus pandemic. Vale agreed to put forward up to USD$1 million in funding to help get the successful ideas to market. Of the nearly 1,800 solutions submitted, more than 300 came from within Canada, and two from Northern Ontario were selected among the 11 finalists to receive funding. They include Flosonics Medical, a Sudbury-based med-tech company, and First Team 1305, a group of high school robotics students from North Bay. More on this story here.
Essential Worker of the Day: Nurse Jasmine Savage:
Sudbury.com is recognizing Jasmine Savage as the May 11 Essential Worker of the Day. Savage is a nurse at the St. Joseph Continuing Care Centre. "(Savage) has sacrificed so much to continue being the amazing mother, wife, essential worker she is," Carole Cote said. "She has been living in half her home to help stop the spread of this virus. This picture says a million words." "Love you Jasmine. Thank you so much for being the superwoman you are!" Do you know an essential worker who deserves to be recognized? Say thanks to someone you know who is a front-line health care worker, cashier or truck driver by nominating them for Sudbury.com's Essential Worker of the Day. Email us a photo, their name, their job title and your words of thanks to [email protected]. Please only send photos and information with permission.
We’re living in historic times, and École St-Joseph students have created a time capsule:
École St-Joseph in Hanmer has come up with a unique way of having students document this particular time in history — creating a time capsule. For the past few weeks, students, parents and the community have been experiencing moments of uncertainty, said a press release from Conseil scolaire catholique Nouvelon. The whole world has been shaken up by COVID-19. This virus has changed the way of life on the whole planet. Students are asking questions and are living a historic moment without even knowing it. "Ms. Andrée and Ms. Sylvie from École St-Joseph developed a time capsule document that allows students to document these times of confinement and to encourage family communication,” the press release said. This document will one day enable students to gain a better grasp of history in 2020 when coronavirus traveled from country to country, said the press release. In the meantime, the school continues to share the message "Everything will be OK/ Ça va bien aller " and work together in this time capsule project to protect ourselves from this virus.
Tuesday Weather:
A few flurries expected to start the day, ending in the morning then a mix of sun and cloud. Tuesday's high will only be getting up to around 7. Clear skies overhead this evening. Overnight low will be -4, feeling like -7 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.
