Good morning, Greater Sudbury.
Here are some stories to start your day.
Seriously ill COVID-19 patient from the south transferred to Health Sciences North ICU:
The seriousness of the COVID-19 pandemic in Ontario has taken a step closer to Sudbury. Health Sciences North confirmed Monday that one seriously ill Southern Ontario COVID-19 patient is being transferred to Sudbury. More COVID-19 patients are expected and Sudbury patients, who are not seriously sick, might be sent to other hospitals across Northern Ontario for the time being. "We are in a tough spot provincially with active cases, hospitalizations and ICU admissions. The situation is serious and we know these trends will continue this way for the short term, which is why most hospitals have ramped down activities to redeploy staff to repurpose acute beds into critical care beds," said Dominic Giroux, the president and CEO of HSN. "At this stage, we have received a request to accept one COVID patient from the GTA (Greater Toronto Area). That patient has not been transferred yet (3 p.m. Monday). And the Sault area hospital has also been asked to admit a COVID patient in critical care from central Ontario," Giroux said, saying he expects a number of similar requests to happen in the coming days. Giroux said that so far, the transfers of critical care patients from the south have all been COVID-19 patients. He said the method of transportation, whether by land or air, depends on availability of transport and the location of the hospital in Southern Ontario. Giroux also confirmed that the arrival of additional patients from the South would mean some services being ramped down at HSN. Get the full story here.
Sudbury Public Health reports 7 new cases of COVID-19 for Monday April 19:
Public Health Sudbury and Districts (PHSD) reports seven new cases of COVID-19 for Monday, April 19. Public Health also said there are now 171 active cases being monitored. Also, since the PHSD began tracking COVID-19 cases just over one year ago, there have been 1,845 total COVID-19 cases confirmed locally. PHSD also said 1,674 of those cases have been resolved. On the provincial COVID-19 register Monday, the Ontario government daily website reported 4,447 new confirmed COVID-19 cases across the province.
Police, bylaw hand out 19 tickets to protestors upset with lockdowns, restrictions:
Organizers and participants of the rallies against pandemic restrictions and lockdowns during the COVID-19 pandemic have “shown a complete disregard” for the stay-at-home order and have been fined as a result, said Greater Sudbury Police today. Police officers and bylaw enforcement attended the most recent rally on April 17. In total, 19 Provincial Offences notices were handed out for failing to comply under the Emergency Management and Civil Protections Act. Each ticket is $880. Greater Sudbury Police said they respect everyone’s right to freedom of speech and peaceful assembly, but large public gatherings, whether they be organized or social gatherings, pose an increased risk of transmission of the virus and threaten the health and wellness of the community, especially when public health guidelines are ignored. “The organizers and participants of the MADSudbury rallies have shown a complete disregard for the current orders after being educated multiple times,” said GSPS spokesperson Kaitlyn Dunn in an email. “We will continue to work in collaboration with the City of Greater Sudbury and Public Health Sudbury and Districts in relation to enforcement of the COVID-19 provincial and federal Orders with a focus on high complaint, high-risk areas/situations that pose an elevated threat to our community.” Find more on this story here.
Firearm-toting men kicked in apartment door, assaulted residents in home invasion, say police:
Two men have been arrested and face numerous charges following a home invasion on Attlee Avenue on April 16, said Greater Sudbury Police. Officers responded to a call shortly after 1:30 p.m regarding a home invasion in progress. Police were told two men had entered a residential building and forced their way into one of the units by kicking in the door. Once inside, the men allegedly assaulted the people inside the unit while brandishing firearms. The residents sustained non-life-threatening injuries. When officers arrived, they found the suspects trying to flee in a vehicle. They were stopped and arrested. While searching the vehicle, officers found a handgun and an airsoft pistol. “This is believed to be a targeted and isolated incident as the individuals are believed to be known to each other,” said police in a news release. Two men were arrested and were held in police custody overnight in order to attend Weekend and Statutory Holiday (WASH) Court on April 17 to answer to the charges. Full story here.
Third person dies following house fire on Bruce Avenue earlier this month:
A third person has died following an April 11 house fire on Bruce Avenue, said Greater Sudbury Police. A 33-year-old woman who had sustained critical injuries in the fire was pronounced dead on April 16 at Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre in Toronto after being airlifted there April 11. Her name will not be released out of respect for her family’s wishes, said police. “Our deepest condolences go out to her family and friends and all those impacted by this tragic event,” said GSPS in a news release. A post-mortem exam will be conducted through the Coroner’s Office today, April 19, in order to assist in determining the cause of death. Two people also died April 11 as a result of the fire, said Greater Sudbury Fire Services.
Sudbury could see $100M economic impact from massive Laurentian cuts, says economist:
The massive cuts last week to jobs and programs at Laurentian University will likely have a $100-million or more impact on Greater Sudbury’s economy, says a Northern Ontario economist. That’s about a two-per-cent hit to the city’s GDP. “You’re probably looking at $30 to $40 million in direct wages,” said Livio Di Matteo, an economist in Thunder Bay who teaches at Lakehead University. “You apply a multiplier to that, and you start to get up to $100 million in impacts through direct and indirect effects.” But beyond those direct wage impacts, there are the impacts from the impact the restructuring will have on the student population that comes to Sudbury to study at Laurentian. “There’s also the foregone economic activity from students coming to the community,” Di Matteo said. “Not all the students going to Laurentian are from Sudbury. They’re from around the region. Those students may decide not to come to Sudbury. “If they don’t come, that’s going to have spillover effects into the community’s economy, because students rent accommodation, they shop, they do things.” Laurentian University announced earlier this year it is insolvent, and is undergoing restructuring under the Companies’ Creditors Protection Act (CCAA), a situation unprecedented in the post-secondary sector. The university has until April 30 to come up with a restructuring plan. Full story can be found here.
TVO’s Steve Paikin has resigned as Laurentian’s chancellor:
TVO journalist Steve Paikin, who had been chancellor of Laurentian University since 2013, said he resigned from the post a week ago. Also a week ago, Laurentian announced massive cuts to both its programs and employees. Dr. Janelle Jenstad, an English professor at the University of Victoria, tweeted at Paikin April 14, referring to the Laurentian cuts. She said “Chancellor @spaikin: You have a platform; please use it on behalf of Laurentian's faculty and students.” Paikin didn’t answer this tweet until Monday. He said “I actually don't have a platform. I resigned a week ago,” later clarifying that he had stepped aside in his role at Laurentian, not at TVO. Paikin did not say in any of his tweets why he has stepped down from his role at Laurentian. More on this story here.
Letters continue to pour in as community calls for Sudburians to fight for Laurentian:
Sudburians continue to speak up as Laurentian University undergoes massive cuts to its programs and employees. Sudbury.com has received numerous letters from community members, calling for action to save the university. "Fight Like Hell. It is not over. Our city is being gutted as we speak. It is being stripped of its life right before our eyes," writes Sarah Wendorf. "Let's show them what we are made of Greater Sudbury. Fight to save Laurentian. Fund Laurentian with tax reform," writes Cathy Orlando. Former VP Academic at Laurentian from 1998-2004 Douglas Parker writes "Some say, with some justification no doubt, that government underfunding is the issue, but when has it ever been otherwise in the Ontario university system? I can never remember a time when universities in this province haven’t complained to whatever government was in power that they couldn’t fulfill their mandates because they had to do more with less."
Tuesday Weather:
Chilly day ahead with periods of light snow expected. Mainly cloudy Tuesday with snow in the morning, ending near noon. Daytime high will be -1 and there's a 40 per cent chance of flurries this afternoon. Skies will clear into the evening and temperatures will drop. Overnight low will get all the way down to -11. For current weather conditions, short-term and long-term forecasts visit Sudbury.com's weather page at www.sudbury.com/weather.
