Good morning, Greater Sudbury.
Here are some stories to start your day.
Romano: Students should be ‘comfortable to continue their studies at Laurentian’:
Students at Laurentian University should be “comfortable to continue their studies at Laurentian” as the university faces a financial crisis, said Minister of Colleges and Universities Ross Romano. The minister was asked about the situation at Laurentian following a March 10 Zoom press conference where he announced $39.5 million to create up to 8,000 paid research internships through Mitacs, an organization that builds partnerships between education and industry. It’s the time of year when students are deciding which post-secondary institution to attend, and Romano was asked by a Toronto Star reporter if the province was concerned about enrolment at Laurentian this fall, given its insolvency. He was also asked what he was doing or could be doing “so that students know it’s safe and stable to attend there.” Romano didn’t specifically address the issue of prospective students, but did say “students at Laurentian should feel comfortable to continue their studies at Laurentian, because our government is committed to Laurentian University. Get the full story here.
Sudbury’s top doc said she won’t hesitate to close local schools if necessary:
The region’s top doctor said she would not hesitate to close schools if she thought the benefits of that action outweighed the cost of kids learning in person. Dr. Penny Sutcliffe, medical officer of health for Public Health Sudbury & Districts, said her commitment has always been to have schools be the last to close and the first to open, and work is being done around the clock to protect the ability of kids to have in-person learning. “I ask myself this question absolutely every day, and it’s not, ‘Oh no, we’re never going to close schools,’ but it’s all about keeping an eye on how the system is doing, how we’re able to respond to and manage cases,” said Sutcliffe. “We still have the public health capacity to follow up on school cases, on dismissed classes, as well as outbreaks. The last number of cases we have been seeing in schools are cases that have been contained, have been within families that are self-isolating, so that’s really good news.” It’s an ongoing review, and the public health team has to take every factor into consideration, she said. According to information listed on all four school board websites, as of Wednesday morning, there were 51 active cases in 18 of our area schools. Six schools are currently closed. Six schools are currently listed as active outbreaks. More on this story here.
Public Health Sudbury reveals there are 13 new COVID-19 cases and one death for March 10:
Public Health Sudbury and Districts (PHSD) has reported that there are 13 new cases of COVID-19 in the area. PHSD also said there are now 211 active cases being actively monitored. This is the same number reported by PHSD on Tuesday. This remains the highest number of active cases in Sudbury since COVID-19 tracking began a year ago. There has also been one new death reported by the health authorities, bringing the local total since tracking began to 15 deaths. "Public Health Sudbury & Districts is reporting a COVID-19-related death in Greater Sudbury. Public Health Sudbury & Districts offers sincere condolences to the family, and friends affected by this loss and throughout this difficult time. Out of respect, no further details will be provided," said a PHSD news release. No other details were provided. Also, since the pandemic was declared in March 2020, there have now been 841 total COVID-19 cases reported to the Sudbury health unit. PHSD said 630 of those cases have been resolved locally.
Tax increase currently sitting at 4.1% as council works through 2021 budget:
The city's finance and administration committee said farewell to a pair of welcome centres on Wednesday night as they continued their work to finalize the 2021 city budget. Councillors waded through their operations budget of roughly $630 million on March 10, making tweaks in an effort to reach their target of a property tax increase of no more than 3.9 per cent. First up on the agenda Wednesday evening were the Beaver Lake and Coniston welcome centres, which were costing the city around $30,000 annually to maintain. The committee voted in favour of closing both welcome centres, netting a savings of $29,750. More savings were found later in the meeting, however they will be realized on a one-time basis and don't impact the tax levy. Ward 12 Coun. Joscelyne Landry-Altmann brought forward a motion related to tourism event support. The committee voted unanimously in favour of reducing their tourism event support to the tune of $95,000 on a one-time basis, meaning the funding will have to be reallocated elsewhere in the budget in order for the city to have the money available in next year's budget. Committee also reconsidered a motion tied to waste management at events that was brought forward by Ward 11 Coun. Bill Leduc and defeated at the last budget meeting. The motion was tweaked to become a one-time reduction of $30,000 from $65,000 for environmental services for special events. In short, the city's waste management department had $65,000 built into their budget to provide environmental services at special events such as concerts and festivals, and that will be reduced by $30,000 this year on a one-time basis. Once again, by making the one-time reduction, council must find place to reallocate the funds to the existing budget. Full story here.
Wahnapitae couple facing $1M embezzlement charges expected to plead guilty April 14:
A Wahnapitae couple charged in a large-scale embezzlement scheme to the tune of $1 million is expected to plead guilty April 14. Karen Cady is charged with fraud over $5,000, laundering proceeds of crime, possession of property obtained by crime, failing to comply with probation order and forgery. Michael Cady is charged with laundering proceeds of crime and possession of property obtained by crime. His matter will return to court on March 31 to be spoken to before he is expected to plead guilty. Ontario’s Serious Fraud Office charged Karen Cady last spring following a six-month investigation. The OPP’s Serious Fraud Office reported May 29 that in November of 2019 they were asked by the Greater Sudbury Police Service to look into allegations from a Sudbury firm of a large-scale embezzlement scheme. The OPP said following the couple’s arrest that GSPS referred the investigation to them due to the complex nature of the investigation, and the financial crime services’ expertise in investigating these types of cases. Police have not released the name of the business, describing it as a “small engine manufacturing, exporting and service business,” where Karen Cady worked as the business’s bookkeeper for four years. Over the course of that time, the OPP said she “embezzled more than $1 million … through electronic fund transfers.” Police said the couple used the money to purchase a home, a travel trailer, a boat, personal watercraft, a backhoe and three vehicles.
In-person learning resumes at Cyril Varney, Lasalle schools; outbreaks declared over:
In-person learning resumed at Cyril Varney Public School and Lasalle Secondary School today (March 10) after outbreaks of COVID-19 at the schools were officially declared over by Public Health Sudbury & Districts. Letters from the Rainbow District School Board said individuals who were directed to remain in isolation must continue to do so. More specific information is available for the parents and guardians of Cyril Varney and Lasalle students in these letters. According to information listed on all four school board websites, as of March 10 at 10 a.m., there were 51 active cases in 18 of our area schools. Six schools are currently closed. Six schools are currently listed as active outbreaks. There are 117 schools located in our region, which includes Sudbury, Espanola, Manitoulin.
Greater Sudbury offering 60% off bike racks to promote cycling:
The City of Greater Sudbury is once again offering local businesses assistance to accommodate the growing number of cyclists in our community. The Bike Racks for Businesses program, launched in the fall of 2020, allows businesses to purchase high-quality bike racks at up to 60 per cent off retail price. This program is available to businesses operating within the City of Greater Sudbury and is the final of two pre-order periods: fall 2020 and spring 2021. The Bike Racks for Businesses program was approved by city council in 2019 as part of plans to continue to make the city more bicycle-friendly. Work continues on new cycling infrastructure throughout Greater Sudbury. Most notably, in 2020, physically separated cycle tracks were constructed on the east and west sides of Notre Dame Avenue between Wilma Street and LaSalle Boulevard. Spring bike rack pre-orders are now open and will be accepted until March 31. To order a bike rack for your business or for more information, visit greatersudbury.ca/bikeracks.
Thursdasy Weather:
Another damp and cloudy day in the forecast for Thursday. Mainly cloudy with a few rain showers this morning, ending in the afternoon. There's a 40 per cent chance of flurries today. Daytime high will get up to 8. Cloudy tonight with a 40 per cent chance of snow flurries. Overnight low will dip down to -4, feeling like -9 with the wind chill. For current weather conditions, short-term and long-term forecasts visit Sudbury.com's weather page at www.sudbury.com/weather.
