Good morning, Greater Sudbury.
Here are some stories to start your day.
Majority of Sudburians believe province was unprepared for pandemic: OCHU:
A majority of Sudburians polled by the Ontario Council of Hospital Unions (OCHU/CUPE) and Canadian Union of Public Employees (CUPE) Ontario believe the provincial government failed to properly prepare for the COVID-19 pandemic. Of those polled, 68 per cent said the province did not adequately prepare for the pandemic. Furthermore, the poll revealed 58 per cent of Sudburians believe the government should move long-term care residents ill with COVID-19 symptoms to hospital to protect other residents. Across Ontario, more than 1,538 long-term care residents have died from COVID-19, said Michael Hurley, president of the Ontario Council of Hospital Unions/CUPE, said during a press conference May 27. More on this story here.
‘Rollercoaster’ temps mean Sudbury set both a snowfall record and a heat record in May:
Just when you thought things couldn’t get any stranger, Greater Sudbury set both a snowfall record and a heat record in the month of May. Of course, living in Northern Ontario, severe fluctuations in temperature are nothing out of the ordinary. As they say, if you don’t like the weather in Northern Ontario, wait five minutes. May 27 brought with it sweltering heat, with the temperature reaching a blistering 32.1 C, according to Environment Canada. That beats the record of 30.7 C set back in 1977, said Peter Kimbell, a meteorologist with Environment Canada. Beating a heat record that is 33 years old is one thing, but beating a snowfall record that is more than 90 years old is another. Remember the snowstorms on May 7 and May 8? Over those two days, 16.4 centimetres fell, breaking the 1929 record of 15.7 centimetres.
Ford said ‘just show up’ at COVID-19 assessment centres: Not so fast, says HSN:
Ontario Premier Doug Ford announced over the weekend that anyone in the province can get tested for COVID-19, regardless of whether they have symptoms, and they should “just show up” at an assessment centre. “If you are worried you have COVID-19, or that you’ve been exposed to someone who has COVID-19, even if you’re not showing symptoms, please go get a test,” Ford said during a televised speech on Sunday. “You will not be turned away, you don’t need an appointment, just show up.” However, Health Sciences North said all three COVID-19 assessment centres here in Greater Sudbury are by appointment only. Hospital spokesperson Jason Turnbull said the assessment centres are designed to protect health workers and patients alike from being exposed to the virus. For safety reasons, “walk in” appointments are strictly prohibited. HSN said patients will first be screened by a nurse over the telephone first and then referred to an assessment centre for testing. On its website, Health Sciences North said it has capacity to test hundreds of more people for COVID-19. HSN said no one who is symptomatic for COVID-19 or who is concerned they have been exposed to COVID-19 will be declined a test.
Ford has been "taking bullets" for union inspectors who refused to go into LTC homes:
Ontario Premier Doug Ford said Thursday that Ontario Public Service Employees Union (OPSEU) inspectors were flat out refusing to enter long-term care homes during the peak of COVID-19. During the question period of his press conference today, Ford was asked about a letter sent in April from OPSEU representative Warren "Smokey" Thomas, addressed to the premier and Long-Term Care Minister Merrilee Fullerton that stated the inherent risks of having inspectors go into long-term care homes was not necessary. Ford was asked if inspectors refused to go into the long-term care homes and the answer was yes. "I'm just going to lay the chips on the table, I've been taking bullets for the union every day," said Ford. "The truth of the matter is they were refusing to go into these homes." Ford qualified his comments by stating that he has a great deal of respect for Thomas and understood the challenges that he was faced with. "They refused to go in, what do you do when you have the union saying they aren't going in the door? Believe me, Smokey's an incredible leader and thanks to him they're going back in, so by no means is this Smokey Thomas' problem, but the union's," said Ford. "Let me be fair to them, too, and that's why I've been taking the bullets for them every time people ask me that question. I understand they were scared, this was in April, this was the peak of the peak of COVID and all heck was breaking loose, and they were nervous about their families, they were worried about their health. But I'm not going to continue taking bullets … when the unions refused to go in." More on this story here.
Council to debate where to spend $4.1-million capital levy:
Road repairs, arena upgrades, transit improvements and more are all on the table as options for where the city will invest a 1.5-per-cent capital levy, equal to $4.1 million. The city's finance and administration committee will meet on June 2 and weigh out the options in a capital levy allocation report and decide on where the money should be spent. Council's 2020 budget includes a 1.5-per-cent capital levy for investment toward the city's aging infrastructure. A staff report filed in January outlined the three main categories for projects: Arterial roads, Local roads. Buildings and facilities. The finance committee will also have the option to consider the alternatives of spending the capital levy of $4.1 million, borrowing over a 30-year period in the amount of $80 million and borrowing over a 20-year period in the amount of $61 million. Get the full story here.
Bay Used Books now open for in-person shopping:
If you need some new reading material, there’s good news. Bay Used Books reopened for in-store shopping as of Saturday, May 23. “We are ready to welcome you back!” said a Facebook post from the store. “Thanks to Querney's Office Plus and Cosmos Glass we have the prettiest plexiglass barrier in town. Gloves and hand sanitizer are ready to use and social distancing markers and guidelines are in place.” The used book store, located at 124 Elm St. in downtown Sudbury, has new store hours of 12-5 p.m. Monday to Saturday. It’s closed on Sunday. The store is offering shopping by appointment from 10 a.m. to 12 p.m. Monday to Saturday.
Tommy and his mommy celebrate final show with grad party:
When Sudbury.com staffer Heather Green-Oliver first began livestreaming her adventures while working from home with her five-year-old son Tommy, she never imagined the video series (or the school closure, for that matter) would have lasted for more than a few weeks - let alone a few months. Last week, the Ontario government announced that schools will remain closed for the rest of the school year. Students will continue to learn online until the end of June. With that, Tommy and his mommy decided to bid farewell to their fans that have tuned-in over the past 33 episodes which included recipes, how-tos, nature hikes, interactive games and learning. Tommy and his mommy celebrated their final episode with a graduation ceremony. You can watch the video here.
Friday Weather:
Showers in the Friday forecast with risk of a thunderstorm in the afternoon. We could see up to 25 mm of rain today. Daytime high will only get up to 17. Showers are expected into the evening. Overnight low will be 9. For current weather conditions, short-term and long-term forecasts visit Sudbury.com's weather page at www.sudbury.com/weather.
