Good morning, Greater Sudbury.
Here are some stories to start your day.
Northern Ontario shutdown extended 14 days:
With COVID-19 cases rising across the province, the shutdown in Northern Ontario has been extended. Ontario has announced it will be in effect for at least another 14 days. The provincial shutdown started Dec. 26. It was slated to last for two weeks in Northern Ontario and 28 days in southern Ontario. This extension puts the entire province in a shutdown until at least Jan. 23. Students in Northern Ontario will return to the classroom this coming Monday, Jan. 11. The return to the classroom has been extended to Jan. 25 for students in southern Ontario. Full story here.
Two people charged in connection to Boxing Day homicide:
Greater Sudbury Police arrested a 30-year-old woman on Jan. 7 for the murder of Robert Keskinen. The 75-year-old man was stabbed multiple times at a residence on Kathleen Street on Dec. 26. A 36-year-old man has also been charged with accessory after the fact in connection to the incident. More to come on this story.
Sudbury Public Health reports 14 new COVID-19 cases locally:
On the same day that Ontario's Chief Medical Officer of Health announced that Northern Ontario would be in a restricted COVID-19 shutdown for an additional two weeks, the Sudbury health unit is reporting 14 new confirmed COVID cases in their local jurisdiction. Public Health Sudbury and Districts (PHSD) said the additional cases mean there are now 46 active cases being monitored by public health. Since daily case tracking began by the health unit back in March of 2020, there have been 318 confirmed cases of COVID-19. Of that number 272 cases are listed as resolved. The daily update page provided by PHSD indicates that 11 of the new cases were attributed to the Greater Sudbury area and three new cases are connected to the Manitoulin area. With respect to the cause of this latest number of infections, PHSD also reports that nine of the new cases are listed as "information pending or missing". The other five cases are listed as "close contact of a confirmed case.”
"They need to stay in lockdown" say Northern public health doctors:
As Queen's Park announced that the COVID-19 lockdown will continue in Sudbury and the rest of Northern Ontario, Ontario's Chief Medical Officer Dr. David Williams said he was told by medical officers of health across the North that the region should be staying in lockdown. The restrictive measures, which were first announced just before Christmas, began on Boxing Day Dec. 26, 2020 and were to run for 14 days until January 9th. On Thursday, the province revealed that Northern Ontario's shutdown will continue for an additional 14 days until midnight on January 22, 2021 thereby being aligned with the lockdowns in Southern Ontario. Ontario Premier Doug Ford said the idea is to keep more Ontarians at home as much as possible to minimize transmission of the coronavirus and to prevent hospitals from being overcrowded. "With the public health trends where they are across the province, our priority remains keeping students, teachers, school staff, and all Ontarians safe," said Ford in a news release. Ontario Chief Medical Officer of Health Dr. David Williams also told the news briefing Thursday afternoon that the idea of keeping Northern Ontario on lockdown was supported by all Northern health units. He said the decision was supported by the numbers and the concerns expressed by public health agencies. Find more on this story here.
Students in Northern Ontario will return to the classroom on Monday:
The provincial government has announced that elementary students and secondary students in the seven Northern Ontario public health unit regions will proceed with returning to in-person learning on Monday. However, the government will extend online learning until Jan. 25 for all students in southern Ontario an effort to curb the spread of COVID-19. Northern Ontario's lockdown has also been extended for another 14 days, aligning with the shutdown period in Southern Ontario. This decision comes as COVID-19 cases continue to rise across the province. Initially, students in Northern Ontario were slated to return to the classroom on Jan. 11. In southern Ontario, elementary students were to return on Jan. 11, and secondary students were to return on Jan. 25. Now, all students in southern Ontario will remain in online learning until Jan. 25. More on this story here.
Overnight fire at Flour Mill building being investigated as arson:
An overnight fire at a residential building on Laforest Avenue in the Flour Mill is being investigated as arson. Greater Sudbury Police said that around 1 a.m. on Jan. 7 they were contacted by Greater Sudbury Fire Services about a suspicious fire. Fire Services responded to a residential building on Laforest Street after tenants reported smelling smoke. Firefighters arrived on scene and could see smoke coming from one of the units. They entered the unit and extinguished the fire. All of the tenants were safely evacuated from the building, and no one was injured. There is extensive smoke damage to the building. Due to the suspicious circumstances of the fire, this incident is being investigated as an arson. More on this story here.
Woman wanted for break, enter and stealing a gun arrested, says OPP:
An update on a wanted person story we ran in this past fall — provincial police have arrested a 33-year-old woman who was wanted in connection to a break and enter of a motor vehicle and theft of a firearm in October. At the time, the OPP said she was known to visit the Sudbury area. The woman was arrested Jan. 1 with assistance from Barrie Police Service, said the OPP in a news release. Randalyn Larmand-Courriere is charged with breaking and entering a motor vehicle and stealing a firearm, possession of property obtained by crime under $5,000 and possession of a firearm or ammunition. She remains in custody and was scheduled to appear at the Ontario Court of Justice in Parry Sound Wednesday.
Friday Weather:
Sunny skies will return today, with some chilly temperatures this evening. Mainly sunny throughout the day with a daytime high of -5. It's going to feel like -21 with the wind chill this morning. A few clouds overhead this evening with the low dipping to -11. It will feel like -16 tonight with the wind. For current weather conditions, short-term and long-term forecasts visit Sudbury.com's weather page at www.sudbury.com/weather.
