Good morning, Greater Sudbury.
Here are some stories to start your day.
‘You must stay home’: Premier says stay-at-home orders will be enforced:
Premier Doug Ford reiterated a message today he’s been hammering home often of late: Stay home. In the latest media briefing Wednesday in advance of the stay-at-home order that took effect at 12:01 a.m. on Jan. 14, Ford was joined by Christine Elliott, Deputy Premier and Minister of Health, Solicitor General Sylvia Jones, and General Rick Hillier (retired) for an update on the vaccine rollout and the COVID-19 response. Ford led off the briefing with a straightforward message. “Unless it is an essential reason — getting food, medicine, visiting the doctor or exercise, going to work — you must, you must — I repeat — you must stay home. It is the law and it will be enforced.” The premier said abiding by the stay-at-home order is very simple. “If you’re unsure if the trip is essential, it probably isn’t.” Watch Wednesday's presser here.
Report aims to clear the air on KED misinformation, mayor says:
Inaccurate information on the Kingsway Entertainment District is contributing to a polarization of opinion on the project among both city councillors and members of the public, Mayor Brian Bigger said last night as he pushed pause on discussions about the project and called for a staff report to clear the air. The decision to have staff prepare a report on the KED puts all investment in the project on hold until council can have further discussions. It’s a time-out of sorts to review, Bigger said. In an interview with Sudbury.com today, the mayor said he expects the report in the second quarter of the year, possibly within eight to 10 weeks. Bigger also said that after more than three years of developments on the KED, there is a great deal of confusion regarding the details of the project — both on the part of city councillors and members of the public. Full story here.
Crown seeks minimum 2-year jail term for David Case and Celine Loyer:
Superior Court Justice Patricia Hennessy has reserved her decision in sentencing well-known former track coach David Case and his protege, Celine Loyer. On March 5, Loyer was convicted of sexual assault, while Case was convicted of aiding and abetting in that sexual assault of a woman at Case’s home in 2011. The Crown said Case and Loyer acted as a team in the sexual assault, and they both have the same degree of moral blameworthiness. As such, the Crown was seeking the same sentence for both. Assistant Crown attorney Stephanie Baker is seeking a two-to-three-year penitentiary term. Should Hennessy decide a lesser sentence is appropriate, the Crown is seeking a jail term of two years less a day, as well as three years of probation and a number of other conditions. Loyer is represented by defence lawyer Michael Haraschuk, while Case is represented by Nicholas Xynnis. Both are seeking a six-month jail term, as well as three years probation. Full story here.
Court grants another adjournment in former reporter's case:
It has been nearly two years since former CTV reporter Callam Rodya was arrested and no resolution has been reached to date. Rodya was arrested on Feb. 14, 2019 and 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). On Jan. 13, 2021, Rodya was scheduled for a court appearance, roughly a year after he was expected to enter a plea. Rodya's lawyer, Jacob Gauthier told the court on Wednesday that the matter was not ready to reach a resolution and that he was waiting to obtain additional instructions from his client. Instead, Gauthier was granted an adjournment on the matter and Rodya will be scheduled to return to court on Jan. 27.
Eight more COVID-19 cases reported by Public Health Sudbury:
As Sudbury and the rest of Ontario is about to embark on a 28-day emergency shutdown coupled with a stay-at-home order, Public Health Sudbury and Districts is reporting eight new cases of COVID 19. This follows Tuesday’s case count which had 13 new local cases, all connected to an outbreak at Amberwood Suites on Regent Street. Wednesday’s count means there are now 76 active cases being monitored by public health. Since PHSD began its case count last March, there have been 380 confirmed cases of COVID-19, and 304 of those cases have been resolved. Of the eight new cases reported, seven are listed as being in the Greater Sudbury area and one case is attributed to the wider area of the Sudbury district. One of the new cases is listed at being the result of a “close contact of a confirmed case” while the other seven are listed as “information pending or missing”. There were zero cases listed in the category of outbreak.
The ‘infodemic’ is not helping people truly understand COVID and vaccines, panel says:
Misinformation has become so much a part of the wider discussion on COVID-19 and vaccines in Canada that communications experts have labelled it as the infodemic. The infodemic was the topic of an online panel discussion hosted by Laurentian University and Science North in Sudbury on Wednesday. The event was moderated by Science North staff scientist Amy Henson and featured a panel of several researchers in the field of science communication. They included Samantha Fowler, a graduate of the Science Communication program at Laurentian University, Dr. Chantal Barriault, director of the Science Communication program at LU and Dr. Timothy Caufield, a Canada Research Chair in health, law and policy at the University of Alberta, as well as being a television host and author. Henson started the webinar by asking Caulfield to talk about some of "the really absurd claims that are out there" about COVID 19. "You are right," said Caulfield. "There is so much misinformation that is out there." He highlighted the 5G conspiracy, which suggests the coronavirus is being transmitted by advanced mobile telecommunications, as well as the belief COVID-19 is a bio-weapon and the notion the virus can best be treated by cow urine. "There was also the hydroxychloroquine debacle. That's a very good example of misinformation," said Caufield, partly because it emanates from a traditional medical source. Caulfield also displayed visible dismay at the idea that 28 per cent of Americans were said to believe that wealthy philanthropist Bill Gates caused the pandemic himself as part of a conspiracy. Get the full story here.
Missing: Andrew Martin has not been seen since Dec. 7; there is concern for his well-being:
Greater Sudbury Police say they are still trying to locate 31-year-old Andrew Martin, who has been missing since Dec. 7. There is a concern for his well-being. Anyone with information on Andrew Martin's whereabouts is asked to contact GSPS at 705-675-9171 ext. 2318.
Thursday Weather:
Another mild day in the forecast with a few flurries possible tonight. Mainly cloudy for Thursday with the daytime high sitting at 1. Cloudy into the evening with a 30 per cent chance of flurries. There's a risk of some freezing drizzle tonight. Overnight low will be -5, feeling like -7 with the wind. For current weather conditions, short-term and long-term forecasts visit Sudbury.com's weather page at www.sudbury.com/weather.
