Good morning, Greater Sudbury.
Here are some stories to start your day.
COVID-19 vaccines will soon be available to staff and caregivers at Sudbury long-term care homes:
Public Health Sudbury & Districts will soon start offering the next round of COVID-19 vaccinations to those who are at greatest risk of severe COVID-19 illness and the people who care for them. The health unit anticipates receiving vaccines next week to continue with these efforts. As more information is received, updates will be provided to help current and future groups of people know when they will be offered the vaccine and how to make appointments. “As a critical tool in our toolbox, the COVID-19 vaccine is in high demand and short supply right now. This means that the vaccines must be carefully earmarked for those who are most at risk of severe disease and death, and those who care for them,” said Dr. Penny Sutcliffe, Medical Officer of Health with Public Health Sudbury & Districts. “The supply-demand issues will be short lived—but until we have more vaccine, we have to make sure we are maximizing its potential to save lives and protect the health care system. I look forward to even a month down the road when the COVID-19 vaccine can be offered to more groups, according the provincial sequencing plan,” said Dr. Sutcliffe. Working with key partners in the community, Public Health is implementing a phased vaccination approach outlined by the Province of Ontario. First doses of the COVID-19 vaccine have been provided to all residents of area long-term care and high-risk retirement homes. Find the full story here.
Public Health Sudbury reports two new COVID-19 cases for Feb. 17:
Public Health Sudbury and District revealed Wednesday that there are two new cases of COVID-19 in the area. It was also reported there are now 37 cases being actively monitored. This is a decrease from the 41 active cases reported on Tuesday. Since the pandemic was declared in March 2020, there have been 575 total COVID-19 cases reported to the Sudbury health unit, with 538 of those cases being resolved locally. Pinning down where the new cases occurred, the PHSD daily update page reported that two cases were found to have occurred within the Greater Sudbury Area. With respect to possible causes of these cases, PHSD reported two new cases were listed as information pending or missing. Public Health Ontario reported 847 new cases of COVID-19 Feb. 17. Wednesday's report included 1,456 new recoveries and 10 new deaths, four were residents at long-term care homes. Of the deaths reported Wednesday, two were individuals between 40 and 59 years old, three were between 60 and 79 years old, and five were over the age of 80.
Southern Ontario sledders charged in Sudbury for breaching stay-at-home order:
Greater Sudbury Police handed out a few anti-love notes on Valentine’s Day to snowmobilers on various trails. Officers stopped 58 snowmobiles on Feb. 14 to ensure safe and sober operation, issuing six warnings and six Provincial Offence Act fines as a result. Furthermore, two people from Wallaceburg who were visiting Sudbury to go sledding during the stay-at-home order were fined under the Emergency Management and Civil Protection Act. On Feb. 15, CN Police issued several charges at the private crossing at Greens Lake. Although there is a lock gate and cement barriers, snowmobilers and individuals ice fishing continue to trespass on this private property to access Greens Lake. Trespassing is not only dangerous, but illegal, police said in a news release. CN Police would like to remind snowmobile riders to stay away from railway tracks and railway property, said a news release. “With the sound of the snowmobile motor combined with reduced visibility, trains can be hard to see and to hear when enjoying the outdoors,” said the news release. “Trains can also take over two kilometres to come to a complete stop.” Under the Railway Safety Act, trespassing on tracks and railway property is illegal because of the significant risk of injury and death. Trespassers can be charged criminally under the Rail Safety Act, or a fine of $125.
Laurentian's yearly deficit would have hit $22M by 2025, government adviser says in report:
A northern Ontario university seeking creditor protection ran deficits dating back to at least 2014, a government adviser probing the school's financial troubles says in an interim report obtained by The Canadian Press. In a Jan. 29 letter to the province's minister of colleges and universities, Alan Harrison writes that a review of documents and presentations from the school suggests Laurentian University's financial woes are "long-standing". Harrison, who has 40 years of experience working at post-secondary schools, including 13 years in senior leadership roles, penned the letter a few days before Laurentian, a mid-size university located in Sudbury, Ont., filed for creditor protection. "Laurentian University cannot even state precisely how long it has been in the zone of insolvency ... (which) does not reflect well on the university," Harrison writes. "I have never seen anything remotely similar to, or as serious as, this state of affairs. On Feb. 2, university president Robert Hache said the institution was insolvent after a decade of financial strain from issues that predate the pandemic, like population decline in the region. He said court proceedings under the federal Companies' Creditors Arrangement Act were underway, but they would not affect day-to-day operations at the school. Harrison, who was appointed on Jan. 22 to probe the matter and provide advice to the government, says the school reported deficit projections of $5.6 million in 2020-2021, which would rise to $22 million by 2025-2026. Full story here.
St. Charles woman pulled over on Hwy. 17 is facing impaired charges:
A 31-year-old St. Charles woman is facing impaired driving and drug charges after the OPP pulled her over on Hwy. 17 East in Greater Sudbury Feb. 7 following a traffic complaint. The Nipissing West OPP received the traffic complaint at 1:03 p.m. Feb. 7.The vehicle in question was located, and during the investigation it was determined that the driver was impaired. The woman was arrested and transported to the Greater Sudbury Police Service (GSPS) for further testing. A search of the person revealed a small amount of drugs suspected to be cannabis. The accused was released on an Undertaking and is scheduled to appear in Sudbury court March 10. She was issued a 90-day Administrative Driver's Licence Suspension (ADLS) and the vehicle was impounded for seven days. This incident marks the tenth driver charged under the criminal impaired driving laws in the Nipissing West Detachment area in 2021.
Sudbury Indie Cinema reopens to in-person screenings as COVID restrictions loosen:
Sudbury Indie Cinema says it’s coming “flying out of the gate with an eclectic range of awards-season official selections and critic’s picks” following COVID-19 restrictions being loosened Tuesday. The region’s only art house cinema opened its doors to in-theatre screenings Feb. 16 for the first time since Dec. 22. “It’s been a long eight weeks, but we have stayed productive and positive, while doing our part to bend the curve down,” said the Indie’s lead programmer, Beth Mairs. The cinema moved into virtual screenings once it became apparent that movie theatres in the region would not be permitted to re-open mid-January either. One of the usual impacts of how the pandemic has affected the movie theatre business is that while cinemas in most major cities in Canada and the U.S. have been closed for nearly a year, smaller centres with art house cinemas like Sudbury have been in the enviable position of offering their local fans the year’s top films on the big screen, while major metropolises such as Toronto, New York, and Montreal have had to settle for virtual screenings of the same titles only. Now that the green light has been given, the cinema has pulled together a schedule of film programming for the big screen which is sure to delight the film-lovers nearby (and make envious film-lovers from afar.) Check out the schedule here.
Ontario mining supply companies get a foot in the door to Nevada market:
Northern Ontario mining supply and service companies will benefit from a new initiative to connect small- to medium-sized business with markets in the Nevada gold and silver mining district. Ontario’s North Economic Development Corporation (ONEDC), an alliance of economic development entities in Northern Ontario, is rolling out an initiative that will benefit up to 30 companies in the next two years. MineConnect, Ontario’s mining supply and services association, has been selected to lead the initiative as part of the Northern Ontario Exports Program, funded by FedNor and the Northern Ontario Heritage Fund Corporation (NOHFC). The association will hire an in-market representative to support qualifying companies from a base in Elko, Nevada. MineConnect has extensive expertise to assist companies with the development of leads and contracts in international markets. More on this story here.
Thursday Weather:
Mainly sunny today with the temperature hovering near -7. It's going to feel like -26 with the wind chill this morning. Mainly cloudy into the evening with the temperature dropping to -14. Overnight low is going to feel like -17. For current weather conditions, short-term and long-term forecasts visit Sudbury.com's weather page at www.sudbury.com/weather.
