Good morning, Greater Sudbury.
Here are some stories to start your day.
Dog parks, sports fields, tennis courts and more slated to re-open by next week:
As part of the safe and gradual reopening of public facilities and services, and in line with the first stage of the province’s reopening framework, the City of Greater Sudbury is re-opening a number of its outdoor recreational amenities over the coming days. “We are very fortunate to live in a community that has so many wonderful outdoor amenities for residents to enjoy,” said Greater Sudbury Mayor Brian Bigger. “These reopenings come as welcome news, especially with the beautiful weather we’ve been having. At the same time, the virus has not gone away and we must continue to act responsibly. As we start to spend more time in public, it’s important to practise physical distancing, limit gatherings to no more than five people, wash your hands often and be prepared to wear a non-medical cloth mask for situations where distancing is not possible. Let’s not undo all the good work we’ve done so far.” Slated to open as early as this weekend are off-leash dog parks along with community parks and trails, with basketball courts, tennis courts and sports fields expected to open early next week. Get the full story here.
City re-opening household hazardous waste depot on Saturday:
Effective Saturday, May 23, the City of Greater Sudbury will re-open the household hazardous waste depot to residents. The depot will be open from 8:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. on the following Saturdays: May 23, May 30, June 13, July 11, Aug. 8, Sept. 5, 12, 19, 26, Oct. 3, 10, 17, 24, 31, Nov. 14 and Dec. 12. In order to maintain physical distancing, residents will be asked to remain in their vehicles as the site attendants remove the hazardous waste from their vehicles. Please ensure that all hazardous waste is delivered in sealed and labelled containers.
Ontario reports 413 new COVID-19 cases Thursday:
Public Health Ontario reported 413 new cases of COVID-19 Thursday, which is a 1.7 per cent increase in the total number of cases confirmed in the province. The provincial agency indicated there are another 310 people considered recovered from COVID-19, and 31 more people have died. Among the latest victims of the coronavirus are 11 people between the ages of 60 and 79, and 20 people over the age of 80. The province has reported 24,187 lab-confirmed cases of COVID-19 since the start of the pandemic. There are now 18,509 reported recoveries (76.5 per cent) and 1,993 reported deaths from the coronavirus (8.2 per cent). Public Health Ontario reports there have been 1,242 deaths of residents living in long-term care homes, which is 62 per cent of the total number of deaths reported. The province has also reported four deaths of long-term care staff as a result of COVID-19.
Premier wants Ontario to be a global leader on COVID-19 research:
The Ontario government is quickly moving forward with innovative research to prevent, detect and treat COVID-19. These projects, part of the government's $20 million Ontario COVID-19 Rapid Research Fund, focus on areas of research such as vaccine development, diagnostics, drug trials and development, and social sciences. Additionally, Ontario is leading the country with 22 clinical trials investigating COVID-19 vaccines and treatments. Thursday's announcement was made by Premier Doug Ford, Christine Elliott, Deputy Premier and Minister of Health, and Ross Romano, Minister of Colleges and Universities. "Ontario is leading the nation in the battle to defeat this deadly virus. We have some of the most incredible researchers and innovators anywhere in the world right here in our province," said Ford. "There's no reason why a new rapid testing method, vaccine or treatment can't be found right here in Ontario. Our government is investing in some very promising research proposals, which have the potential to save lives and help us get back to a way of life that is as close to normal as possible." You can watch Thursday's press conference here.
Gélinas: Distribution problems making it hard for small operators to access PPE:
Nickel Belt MPP France Gélinas said issues with distribution of personal protective equipment (PPE) from the provincial stockpile is disproportionately impacting smaller operators, particularly those in Northern Ontario. This week Gélinas, the NDP health critic, said she has been hearing from frontline health care and other essential workers that accessing ample PPE is still an issue. In question period on Tuesday, she highlighted accounts by health care workers of consistent shortfalls of critical PPE like masks and gowns — especially N95 masks. “In my constituency of Nickel Belt, I have been contacted by a chiropodist, occupational therapist, physiotherapists, nurses, family physicians and PSWs; all of them cannot access the PPE they need to be properly protected to do their jobs,” Gélinas said. “Workers in long-term care homes from across Ontario are still struggling to access PPE that are either kept under lock and key, or not available at all." The MPP told Sudbury.com the issue is not so much with supply, saying the provincial COVID-19 command table is “working really, really hard” to source PPE for frontline health care workers, but with distribution, particularly to small operators, who aren’t sure how to find a source of personal protective equipment. More on this story here.
Roads projects continue but COVID-19 has changed public consultation:
The COVID-19 pandemic has ground many businesses to a halt across the province and here in Sudbury, but the city's capital projects have been moving forward at a steady pace. Greater Sudbury's director of engineering services, David Shelsted, provided city council with a capital projects update on May 19, highlighting the more than 20 contracts that have been closed so far this year. In total the city has closed 24 contracts to date, valued at over $50 million. Some of the contracts highlighted by Shelsted included the Paris-Notre Dame active transportation project, valued at $2.68 million, asphalt rehabilitation on Skead Road, MR55, Desmarais Road and MR 80, valued at just over $5 million, and the Vermillion River bridge on MR55, valued at nearly $6.5 million. Roads make up the largest portion of the city's capital projects, with a total of $55 million in road contract work planned for the year. To date, the city has closed $25.2 million worth of roads contracts, with more to follow in the coming months. Find more on this story here.
Friday Weather:
More wonderful weather as we head into the weekend. Sunny skies overhead with the high soaring up to 26. Clear skies into the evening with the low dropping to around 9. For current weather conditions, short-term and long-term forecasts visit Sudbury.com's weather page at www.sudbury.com/weather.
