Good morning, Greater Sudbury.
Here are some stories to start your day.
Arena report to include three potential sites:
Greater Sudbury city council will get an outline on the scope of work and timelines associated with the Kingsway Entertainment District and two other sites at their Feb. 9 meeting. Council received a large projects update Tuesday night, with executive director of strategic initiatives, communications and citizen services Ian Wood bringing council up to speed on projects such Place des Arts, Junction East, Junction West and the Kingsway Entertainment District. The latter drew some displeasure from a few councillors on Tuesday evening, as Wood explained that comprehensive reports and project summaries will be brought forward on three sites. Mayor Brian Bigger put a pause on any KED decisions during last week's council meeting, requesting a report from staff that will be presented in the second quarter of this year that will lay out the all the facts related to the proposed event centre. "As council and as a community we've all waited for the legal and various other processes to conclude on the Kingsway Entertainment District and in recent weeks we've seen an enormous amount of public and council discussion, data, information, facts, letters regarding this project, and the reality is much has changed since 2017," said Bigger during the Jan. 12 meeting. "COVID-19 has had a significant impact, we owe it to our citizens and ourselves to ensure that we have correct information to make some very big decisions in the coming months," said Bigger. On Wednesday night, the revelation that under Bigger's direction staff will be looking at the KED, new construction at Shaughnessy/Minto Streets and a renovation to the existing downtown arena didn't sit well with some members of council. Ward 5 Coun. Robert Kirwan called out the mayor directly, suggesting that he had changed from his original direction to staff. "Direction from the mayor was to conduct a comprehensive report on everything that there was to know about the Kingsway Entertainment District and the arena going there," said Kirwan. "I don't recall the mayor saying that there would be a comparison in this report of any other locations, so could you explain why you're recommending summaries on three sites when really the direction from the mayor, and the mayor can correct me if I'm wrong, but the direction was clearly that this was going to be a report that dealt only with the Kingsway Entertainment District." Get the full story here.
Woman says man impersonating police officer was following her home after traffic stop on The Kingsway:
Greater Sudbury Police are investigating a suspicious incident after a woman said she was stopped by a man impersonating a police officer on The Kingsway. Police were notified of the incident Jan. 18. The exact time and location of the incident are unknown, but it is believed that the incident took place sometime after 10:10 a.m. in the westbound lanes heading towards downtown on The Kingsway. The driver of what is believed to be a white Dodge Charger with blue and red emergency lights stopped a female driver on The Kingsway and asked her where she was going. When the woman said she was going to work, the man told her that she was not essential and to return home. The woman then turned around and began to drive towards Barrydowne Road when she noticed that the white vehicle was following her. The vehicle continued to follow her until she reached the area of Falconbridge Road, where the vehicle continued on its way. Due to the odd interaction, the woman did not feel comfortable returning home, and called a coworker, who suggested that she contact police. The man that conducted the traffic stop is described as being tall with brown eyes. He was wearing a black toque, black face mask, black fleece vest and a radio attached to the vest and a white winter jacket. A patrol officer visited multiple businesses along The Kingsway on Jan. 19 to obtain video footage. At this time, none of the video footage obtained shows the traffic stop, but additional follow up is required. The investigation into this incident is ongoing. Anyone with information related to this incident, the described vehicle, the driver of the described vehicle or a similar incident is asked to contact the Greater Sudbury Police Service at 705-675-9171.
‘Could have happened anywhere’: Amberwood did its best to keep residents safe, says family member:
In the wake of a COVID-19 outbreak that has already tragically killed four residents, a family member of a resident at Amberwood Suites said she's satisfied staff there did everything they possibly could have to protect residents’ lives. Linda Vlach is the daughter of 94-year-old Amberwood resident Gertrude Phillips, who is doing well right now after coming through her own bout with the virus and having to isolate herself. Vlach said she credits her mom's survival with the intense level of care at the home. "I felt really that Amberwood did everything they possibly could,” she said. “Once it was found out there were positive cases in the building, they just flat out ordered in all the PPE (personal protective equipment) they would need.” Vlach said rolling PPE carts were set up outside each suite so that staff and caregivers could get fresh equipment every time they went into a room. She said she is not worried for her mom's safety. She said Amberwood has been especially careful about the virus right from the beginning, and that with so many people being asymptomatic, it was the kind of thing that could have happened anywhere. Public Health Sudbury and Districts (PHSD) revealed earlier this month that an outbreak was discovered at the home Jan. 5. More on this story here.
Sturgeon Falls man shares his COVID story: 'My stupidity could have made a lot of people sick’:
Steve Fortin and his family survived a harrowing COVID-19 infection and he wants to share it with everyone “because it may save a life.” Fortin, a trucker and musician, said he and his wife started to notice mild symptoms Dec. 22, three days after exposure. “Sniffles, slight cough, and a dry, sore nose,” he wrote, but they weren’t sure if it was sinus problems or a cold. “Here is our mistake, we should have immediately been tested,” Fortin said, adding they were being careful in case they were infected that they wouldn’t spread it. “We are new to the area so we didn't really go anywhere to spread it but I did go to work and went to the store but wore a mask and sanitized regularly and kept a safe distance at all times,” he said. By New Year’s Eve, he and his wife “became terribly ill” with the full laundry list of symptoms. Full story can be found here.
Sudbury health unit reporting eight new confirmed cases of COVID-19:
The mid-week COVID-19 update in Sudbury revealed there were eight newly confirmed cases of COVID-19 in the city. There were no new deaths reported. The new case count means there have been 410 confirmed cases in the local jurisdiction since the case count began in March of 2020. There are also 337 resolved cases meaning there are 73 active cases currently being monitored by the health unit. Public Health Sudbury and Districts reports that of the new cases, all eight were found to have occurred within the Greater Sudbury area. As for the causes of the new cases, PHSD reports that 10 cases are attributed to outbreak, meaning that previously undetermined cases were added to the daily update sheet. There were also four new cases determined to be the result of close contact of a confirmed case and six cases with information pending or missing. At Health Sciences North, the daily hospital update page for January 20, 2021 revealed that there are eight confirmed COVID cases at the hospital, with none assigned to the Intensive Care Unit (ICU). Full report here.
2nd COVID case reported in Laurentian University residence:
A second individual living in Laurentian University’s residence has tested positive for COVID-19, and is currently in quarantine. “As always, if Public Health identifies any close contacts of cases they are in touch with them as soon as possible,” said a written statement issued by Laurentian president Robert Haché on the university’s website Wednesday. The first COVID-19 case in Laurentian’s residence was reported last week. Haché said the second case in residence is not linked to the first. Laurentian is offering rapid COVID-19 antigen testing on campus for asymptomatic students living on campus at their request. Haché reminded those living in residence who may be exercising outdoors to wear a face covering if physical distancing of two meters cannot be maintained. “This commitment to public health is a shared endeavour and we all play our part,” he said,
Downtown transit hub waiting area has reopened to the public:
Greater Sudbury announced today that it has reopened the GOVA downtown transit hub waiting area to the public. The area was closed last week in response to the second state of emergency declaration by the province. The city said it received the OK to reopen the waiting area from Public Health Sudbury & Districts. A maximum of 25 people are allowed in the building at one time in order to preserve social distancing guidelines. “Riders are encouraged to plan ahead for their trips and dress warm,” the city said in a news release. Riders are reminded to wear a mask on the bus and when social distancing isn’t possible, and to keep a safe distance from others.
Thursday Weather:
Snow to start the day, ending near noon then mostly cloudy. There's a 60 per cent chance of flurries this afternoon. Daytime high will be sitting at -1, feeling like -10 with the wind chill. Partly cloudy this evening with a 40 per cent chances of flurries. Overnight low will dip to -12, feeling like -20. For current weather conditions, short-term and long-term forecasts visit Sudbury.com's weather page at www.sudbury.com/weather.
