Good morning, Greater Sudbury.
Here are some stories to start your day.
Gateway Casino in Sudbury scheduled to reopen Wednesday:
In a news release issued Tuesday, Gateway Casinos and Entertainment Limited announced that its northern Ontario locations will reopen Wednesday. The announcement comes after the province lifted its stay-at-home order in much of Ontario. Locations in Sault Ste. Marie and Sudbury are scheduled to open at noon Wednesday. "All locations will operate using the reservation system introduced as part of the original re-opening of these properties last October," the release states. "Due to the continued 50-customer capacity restrictions, properties will only be open to invited My Club Rewards members at this time. Invited members will be notified by email with details on how to make reservations." Gateway Casinos Sault Ste. Marie will operate daily from 9 a.m. to 1 a.m. Sudbury will be open from 10 a.m. to 2 a.m. More on this story here.
Second search warrant finds more than 30 explosives at Reginald Street building:
Greater Sudbury Police said Tuesday they found more than 30 explosives at a Reginald Street apartment building after executing a second search warrant at the property over the weekend. Police initially searched the apartment on Feb. 5, arresting a 28-year-old Sudbury man after receiving a weapons complaint from a neighbour in the building. On Feb. 12, detectives investigating the Feb. 5 incident applied and received a second search warrant after police said new information suggested more explosives had been moved into the apartment after the first search had ended. Residents of the building were relocated for their own safety, GSPS said. On Saturday, bomb disposal officers with the GSPS Emergency Response Unit, assisted by an OPP K-9 unit trained in bomb detection, executed the search warrant, finding more than 30 explosives inside the unit, police said Tuesday. “Our explosive disposal technicians rendered the explosives safe on scene and then safely transported them to a secure location where the explosives were safely detonated and disposed of.” After the second search warrant was executed, a 36-year-old woman was arrested and charged with possession of explosives and possession of explosives for an unlawful purpose. She was released on an undertaking with a court date of April 28. Her name has not yet been released. Get the full story here.
Mayor prepared to work with police as Trudeau introduces new handgun legislation:
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau announced Tuesday that the federal government is tabling legislation that would allow municipalities to ban handguns by restricting people's ability to possess, store and transport them. The prime minister also stated that new penalties are in the works that will include jail time for those who flout municipal handgun bylaws. Should the legislation pass, municipalities across the country would have the authority to impose their own individual handgun restrictions. In terms of enforcement, the prime minister said there will be tougher penalties for gun smuggling and trafficking, as well as beefing up the capacity of police and border officers to combat illegal guns. Canada will also have new laws to punish those who alter firearms to make them more deadly and create new rules to govern the import of ammunition. "With this being brand new legislation, the Mayor and councilors will need to review what is involved and how it will impact the city of Greater Sudbury," said mayor Brian Bigger in an email to Sudbury.com. Greater Sudbury Police Chief Paul Pedersen says that he hopes that the new legislation will keep illegal firearms out of the wrong hands. "The legislation addresses smuggling, theft and diversion of firearms while placing a greater emphasis on education and training for responsible, legal gun owners," said Pedersen in an email statement to Sudbury.com. "This will hopefully assist in ensuring that otherwise legal firearms do not end up in the wrong hands leading to potentially tragic outcomes and will strengthen our Boarder Control’s ability to intercept and disrupt firearm smuggling operations." More on this story here.
Public Health Sudbury reports six new COVID-19 cases for Feb. 16:
Public Health Sudbury and Districts reported Tuesday that there are six new cases of COVID-19 in the area. At the same time it was reported there are now 41 cases being actively monitored. This is an increase from the 37 active cases reported on Monday. Since the pandemic was declared in March 2020, there have been 573 total COVID-19 cases reported to the Sudbury health unit, with 532 of those cases being resolved locally. With respect to where the cases occurred,the PHSD daily update page reported that six cases were found to have occurred within the Greater Sudbury Area. In terms of possible causes of the new cases, PHSD reported four new cases were close contact of confirmed cases. Two new cases were listed as information pending or missing. At Health Sciences North, there are six patients confirmed with COVID-19 for Feb. 16.
Confirmed case of COVID-19 at Cyril Varney P.S.:
A confirmed case of COVID-19 has been reported at Cyril Varney Public School. The student who tested positive is self-isolating and is being monitored by Public Health Sudbury & Districts. A letter dated Feb. 15 posted on the Rainbow District School Board's website said the school remains open for in-person learning. The Grade 4/5 class has been asked to self-isolate up to and including Feb. 25. Affected students, parents, guardians and staff members have been notified and received a letter from the health unit with specific guidance. Public Health Sudbury & Districts will directly contact all those who have been identified as close contacts. The school board said there is no impact on transportation.
Sudbury’s newest cannabis dispensary opens its doors on The Kingsway:
Greater Sudbury’s newest cannabis dispensary has opened its doors on the day many businesses across the city are getting back into the swing of things following the end of lockdown. Happy Life, located at 1021 The Kingsway, is now fully operating with its mission in mind: to ensure Sudburians have a happy life with cannabis. John Law, owner and operator, said Happy Life employs about 25 people. The store is open from 10 a.m. to 11 p.m. Law said he prefers to operate the shop with a wholesale treatment, meaning he will offer lower prices than other dispensaries in the city, because he wants to make the product available for people who need it. “This has been a year in the making,” said Law, adding Happy Life is the first dispensary to open outside of the lottery system that was first introduced when the federal government legalized cannabis. Happy Life is located beside another business owned and operated by Law’s wife, The Wellness Studio. The couple owns the building, as well as several other businesses in Sudbury.
France Gélinas speaks out against private eye-care clinics providing cataract surgeries:
France Gélinas, Ontario's opposition Health Critic, is not pleased with the idea of having private eye-care clinics stepping up to address the surgery backlog for cataracts resulting from the pandemic. Gélinas, the NDP MPP for Nickel Belt said in a news release that ophthalmologists and health care leaders across the province are objecting to a Ministry of Health plan that supports for-profit, independent cataract clinics. The program was part of a province wide funding announcement revealed by the province last fall. The Ministry’s plan was meant to address long wait times for cataract surgery in Ontario, with wait periods made worse by the pandemic. Gélinas said most independent clinics have only one operating room and will have little to no effect on the backlog, especially in Northern Ontario where only one of these clinics exists. Gélinas expressed her concerns in a letter to the Minister of Health sent on February 2. Part of her concern was a lack of government oversight. “There are many reports of private clinics charging patients excessive fees for lenses, costly diagnostic tests and ‘cutting edge’ technology," said the letter. Full story here.
Wednesday Weather:
The deep freeze will break today with some "warmer" temperatures in the forecast. Mix of sun and cloud for Wednesday with the daytime high sitting at -7. Mostly clear skies overhead tonight with some chilly temperatures. Overnight low will get down to -19, feeling like -24 with the wind. For current weather conditions, short-term and long-term forecasts visit Sudbury.com's weather page at www.sudbury.com/weather.
