Good morning, Greater Sudbury.
Here are some stories to start your day.
Sudbury doctor charged with child porn released on bail:
A violent incident at Sudbury District Jail overnight preceded a bail hearing Friday morning for a Health Sciences North physician facing child pornography charges. Nephrologist Dr. Ian MacDonald, 48, is charged with seven counts of accessing child pornography and two counts of possessing child pornography. He appeared in court and was released on $2,500 bail. His father, Ronald MacDonald, is acting as surety. MacDonald will live at his father's home in Belleville under a strict set of conditions. Justice of the Peace Gary McMahon maintained a publication ban on evidence in the case. He has been a staff physician in the nephrology department at Health Sciences North since October 2006, as well as the director of Ian MacDonald Medicine Professional Corporation, according to his Linked In profile. HSN has suspended MacDonald's privileges until completion of legal proceedings. MacDonald is also the co-founder and chief medical officer of Unboxed Health, an app he developed that lets people assess their blood pressure levels and provide that information to their health-care provider. He is chair of the nephrology section for the Ontario Medical Association. More on this story here.
Sudbury woman suffered days of torture, beatings prior to her death, Winnipeg court told:
The grisly details of former Sudbury resident Jennifer Barrett's death were recounted by her "sister wife" who testified during the second day of the the first-degree murder trial of Perez Adaryll Cleveland on Thursday. Jessica Reid, 36, said she witnessed the woman's last moments and helped dispose of the body. She recounted how Barrett was allegedly beaten and tortured for days by Cleveland before succumbing to her injuries. Her body was placed in a barrel with various chemicals and was only discovered by accident when the property was being cleaned up. Reid was arrested in February 2017 and charged with accessory to murder. She's awaiting her trial on that charge and said Thursday police and prosecutors haven't promised her anything in exchange for her testimony. The trial against Cleveland is expected to last three weeks. Full story here.
Two parents with MS: Kim Sweeney holding a very Sudbury fundraiser, porketta bingo:
Canada has one of the world's highest rates of multiple sclerosis, and one Sudbury family knows this perhaps better than most. Renée Sweeney's sister is holding a porketta bingo fundraiser in support of the Multiple Sclerosis Society of Canada at the Beef and Bird restaurant May 24 in memory of the murder victim as well as her late parents. This past winter, Renée Sweeney's closest living relative — her younger sister Kim Sweeney — created car decals honouring the memory of the 23-year-old Laurentian University music student who was murdered 21 years ago. She placed the stickers at several local businesses, asking for donations to the MS Society, Pet Save or SPCA Sudbury. However, Kim said most of the sticker donations actually went to Pet Save, and she wanted to do something to raise funds specifically for the MS Society. Both of her parents lived with MS. Kim and Renée's mother, Carole Strachan, passed away due to the condition in November 2016, just a couple of years before a suspect was finally arrested in her daughter's murder. “This cause is dear to my heart,” Kim said. She said she got the idea for a porketta bingo fundraiser from a similar event held in support of her son's high school hockey team. “It was a blast,” Kim said. “I thought let's do something fun to honor my sister.” As you'd expect at a porketta bingo event, you can win some delicious, spiced pork to share with your table-mates. But Kim said she's also solicited about $3,000 worth of donations from local businesses for raffles.
Overcapacity easing only slightly at HSN: Down from 113% capacity to 107%
Overcapacity at Health Sciences North has dropped, but only slightly, in recent days, falling from 113 per cent down to 107 per cent. There are currently 78 alternative level of care patients occupying beds and HSN is advising people to avoid the ER for anything care needs that are not urgent. Hospital spokesperson Jason Turnbull told Sudbury.com today that HSN is expecting occupancy rates to spike over the long weekend, as it historicaly has done. If you can, avoid the ER for anything non-urgent and seek other treatment options such as walk-in clinics or Telehealth Ontario, which is available 24 hours a day, seven days a week.
Sudbury ahead of the curve as health unit merger looms, says Sutcliffe:
Sweeping changes to Ontario's public health system are imminent and officials at Public Health Sudbury and Districts (PHSD) are now looking at the scope of their organization through the lens of before and after April 11. The day that Doug Ford announced his first budget as Ontario premier, it was made clear that there would be changes coming to the structure of public health in the province, specifically cutting the 35 public health units down to 10. During a nearly hour-long presentation during PHSD's board meeting Thursday, the organization's medical officer of health, Dr. Penny Sutcliffe ran through the history of public health in the province, while stressing the importance of ensuring that this transition is a successful one. "We don't have a choice, we're here now and this is happening," said Sutcliffe. "When we get public health wrong, bad things happen, this is a critical opportunity to create the future of public health in Northeastern Ontario." Cutting the number of health units in the province by more than half is just one of the changes coming for public health, as the funding model will also be changed to a fixed 70:30 split between the province and the municipality. Sutcliffe estimates that this will mean an annual loss of $1.2 million for Public Health Sudbury and Districts compared with 2018. Full story here.
A quarter of all Canadians drive distracted: survey:
Driving distracted is probably more common than you think. A new survey by InsuranceHotline.com says one in four Canadians admit to checking their phone while driving. In the eyes of the law, using a phone or a tablet, watching a video, and adjusting your GPS are all examples of distracted driving. If you are caught, you could face a fine starting at $615 for your first conviction, three demerit points, and a three day suspension, as well as an increase in your auto insurance premiums.
