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Good morning, Sudbury! Here are seven stories to start your day

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(File)

Good morning, Greater Sudbury.

Here are some stories to start your day.

Sudbury still among the top 10 rattiest cities in Ontario:

Sudbury dropped three spots on Orkin Canada's annual list of the province's rattiest cities, but remains in the top 10. Pest control company Orkin Canada released its fourth annual list of Ontario's rattiest cities on Sept. 15 and Sudbury came in at eighth, down three spots from fifth in 2019. Cities are ranked by the number of rodent (rat and mice) treatments the company performed from July 1, 2019 through June 30, 2020. This ranking includes both residential and commercial treatments. Toronto took the top spot on the list, with Mississauga coming in at number two, followed by Scarborough, London and Etobicoke to round out the top five. Sudbury was the lone Northern Ontario city to crack the top 10, with North Bay coming in at 21 and Timmins at 25. More on this story here.

Former Sudbury reporter back in court Wednesday:

Former Sudbury report Callam Rodya is scheduled to make an appearance in Sudbury court on Sept. 16. Rodya was scheduled to appear in court on Sept. 4 where it was expected that he would be entering a plea. Instead, his lawyer, Jacob Gauthier, told the court via teleconference there is still disclosure that needs to be reviewed. He asked the matter be adjourned until Sept. 16. It has been more than 19 months since Rodya was arrested in February, 2019, when he was charged with possession of child pornography, accessing child pornography, making available child pornography and one count of possession of a Schedule 1 substance (cocaine). Sudbury.com will bring you an update on today's court proceedings so be sure to check back with us.

Health unit reporting one new confirmed case of COVID-19:

Public Health Sudbury & Districts reported a new COVID-19 case in a Greater Sudbury resident on Sept. 15. This is the 99th confirmed case of COVID-19 in the Greater Sudbury and Manitoulin areas. It is unknown at this time how the person was exposed to the virus, as the health unit has indicated that the individual had no travel history or contact with a known case. The person was tested on Sept. 13 and is currently self-isolating. Through contact tracing, Public Health will notify all close contacts directly. If you are not contacted by Public Health, you are not considered a close contact.

Gélinas calls on Ford government to provide more hospital funding:

Nickel Belt MPP France Gélinas, the NDP health care critic, is calling on the Doug Ford conservative government to provide enough funding to end the overcrowding at Health Sciences North and to speed the process of providing "desperately needed surgeries". The government responded it is doing the best it can for now and more detailed plans will be announced soon. Gélinas raised the issue Tuesday while speaking in question period at Queen's Park. “The situation at Health Sciences North in Sudbury is getting more dire by the day.  The hospital is operating at 104 per cent capacity and last week they had to cancel every elective surgery due to overcrowding,” said Gélinas told the legislature. This was the second day in a row that Gelinas has raised concerns about the surgery backlog, which HSN has admitted is roughly 4,200 surgeries that need to be performed. When  Gélinas spoke in the house on Monday she said residents were at first excited to hear that the hospital was planning surgeries again, but that soon turned to disappointment when people learned elective surgeries were on hold again because the hospital was too overcrowded.  Gélinas said the government is claiming to have a plan to clear the backlog "But is clear they either do not have a plan, or their plan is not working.” Get the full story here.

Atikameksheng Anishnawbek unveils plans for six new housing units:

With more than 40 people on the housing wait list on Atikameksheng Anishnawbek lands, a new housing project that is years in the making will go a long way in addressing social housing needs and reduce overcrowding.. Members of Atikameksheng Anishnawbek were joined by Nickel Belt MP Marc Serré on Sept. 15 for a ground-breaking ceremony of a project that will see the construction of two semi-detached and two three-bedroom bungalows. Chief Craig Nootchtai said there are 41 people on the waiting list for housing in the community. “This project is another step toward filling that need, and to ensure we have homes for our families so that they come back to the reserve,” Nootchtai said following the ceremony. It’s taken a lot of planning to get to this point, he said. Housing studies, numerous meetings, proposals have all led to “physical progress.” Indigenous Services Canada is providing $671,850, while the Canadian Mortgage and Housing Corporation is providing $437,400 toward the project. Full story here.

‘Parents deserve to know’: New Ontario webpage dedicated to COVID-19 cases in schools:

The province has launched a webpage that includes a summary of COVID-19 cases in schools and licensed child-care centres and agencies. "We know that this September comes with a new set of challenges, as many children return to school,” said the written statement from Stephen Lecce, Minister of Education, and Peter Bethlenfalvy, President of the Treasury Board and Minister responsible for the Ontario Digital Service. “We have pulled out all the stops for Ontario's students. It is why we have ensured that schools can reopen safely, with a $1.3 billion plan that is endorsed by Ontario's Chief Medical Officer of Health, Dr. David Williams.” The webpage will be updated every weekday with the most up-to-date COVID-19 information available, including a summary of cases in schools and licensed child care centres and agencies, if a COVID-19 case is confirmed at your school and where the numbers come from. More on this story here.

NOSM study looks at bringing more immigrants to work in Northern Ont. health care:

Government research involving the Northern Ontario School of Medicine (NOSM) and Lakehead University is looking to find ways to bring more immigrants to Northern Ontario to work in primary health care. The Ontario Human Capital Research and Innovation Fund (OHCRIF) is providing more than $330,000 to Lakehead and NOSM. The study aims to build a consensus model of community-specific needs, recognizing that primary care in the North often includes emergency department coverage and in-patient care. The team will investigate how the workforce of Northern Ontario is evolving differently from that of the rest of Ontario, and will examine models of planning for workforce sustainability involving different demographics and different conditions of health-care demand, said a news release from Lakehead. The funding includes $250,000 from OHCRIF going to researchers Dr. Erin Cameron, Dr. Diana Uranijik, Dr. Brianne Wood and John Hogenbirk. Researchers from the Northern Ontario School of Medicine (NOSM) and Lakehead University are receiving more than $330,000 from the Ontario Human Capital Research and Innovation Fund (OHCRIF) for projects that will benefit health-care workers and immigrants. Get the full story here.

Wednesday Weather: 

More rain in the forecast with chances of a thunderstorm. Cloudy to start the day with a 30 per cent chance of morning showers. There's a risk of a thunderstorm this afternoon. Daytime high will get up to 21, feeling like 26. Showers expected to taper off into the evening then clear skies tonight. Overnight low will drop all the way down to 1. For current weather conditions, short-term and long-term forecasts visit Sudbury.com's weather page at www.sudbury.com/weather.

Current Weather

Mostly Cloudy

Mostly Cloudy

-4.0°C

Pressure
101.5 rising
Visibility
24.1 km
Dewpoint
-8.0 °C
Humidity
74%
Wind
W 10 km/h

Radar Satellite


Hourly Forecast

Today
2 AM
-6°C
Cloudy
Today
3 AM
-6°C
Cloudy
Today
4 AM
-6°C
Cloudy
Today
5 AM
-6°C
Cloudy
Today
6 AM
-6°C
Cloudy
Today
7 AM
-6°C
Cloudy
Today
8 AM
-6°C
Cloudy
Today
9 AM
-4°C
Cloudy
Today
10 AM
-2°C
Cloudy
Today
11 AM
0°C
Cloudy
Today
12 PM
0°C
Overcast
Today
1 PM
0°C
Overcast

7 Day Forecast

Chance of flurries

Tonight

-6 °C

Cloudy. 60 percent chance of flurries early this evening. Wind southwest 20 km/h gusting to 40 becoming light this evening. Low minus 6. Wind chill near minus 10.


Overcast

Friday

3 °C

Overcast. Wind becoming west 20 km/h near noon. High plus 3. Wind chill minus 8 in the morning. UV index 2 or low.


Cloudy

Friday night

-7 °C

Cloudy. Wind up to 15 km/h. Low minus 7. Wind chill minus 12 overnight.


Chance of flurries

Saturday

3 °C

A mix of sun and cloud with 40 percent chance of flurries. High plus 3.


Chance of flurries

Saturday night

-6 °C

Cloudy with 40 percent chance of flurries. Low minus 6.


Sunny

Sunday

6 °C

Sunny. High 6.


Clear

Sunday night

-4 °C

Clear. Low minus 4.


Sunny

Monday

9 °C

Sunny. High 9.


Cloudy

Monday night

-3 °C

Cloudy. Low minus 3.


A mix of sun and cloud

Tuesday

4 °C

A mix of sun and cloud. High plus 4.


Chance of flurries or rain showers

Tuesday night

-3 °C

Cloudy periods with 30 percent chance of flurries or rain showers. Low minus 3.


Chance of flurries or rain showers

Wednesday

5 °C

A mix of sun and cloud with 40 percent chance of flurries or rain showers. High plus 5.


Yesterday

Low
0 °C
High
0 °C
Precipitation
0.3 mm

Normals

Low
-7.1 °C
High
3.2 °C
Average
-2.0 °C

Sunrise and Sunset

Sunrise
7:08 AM
Sunset
7:50 PM

Record Values

Type Year Value
Max 1977 14.7 C
Min 1970 -22.2 C
Rainfall 2009 26.6 mm
Snowfall 1975 8.1 cm
Precipitation 2009 27.2 mm
Snow On Ground 1959 94.0 cm

Based on Environment Canada data