Good morning, Greater Sudbury.
Here are some stories to start your day.
Voices in protest: Sudbury marches to raise awareness of racism, its victims:
Together at a distance, a group of around 200 people met and marched from the Sudbury Courthouse to the Greater Sudbury Police Service station May 31, to raise awareness to the presence of racism and stand in solidarity with its victims. Echoing from the crowd were the voices of the city's increasingly diverse population, that while varied, shared a similar sentiment that change was needed. Racism isn't an issue quarantined in the United States, after all, it is an international and local human rights concern, touching the lives of many in the Nickel City. Protests and numerous cases riots have raged in U.S. and Canadian cities since the deaths of George Floyd in Minneapolis, whose death during his arrest has been ruled a homicide, and Regis Korchinski-Paquet, a Toronto woman who died after falling from the balcony while police were at her apartment. The circumstances of her death remain murky, though there are reports her death was accidental. More on this story here.
Council approves using up to $5.5 million of capital reserves to fund deficit due to COVID-19:
Greater Sudbury's finance and administration committee met Tuesday and gave the go ahead to using up to $5.5 million in funding from the city's capital holding account reserve, if required, in order to partially fund the year-end deficit due to COVID-19. The city is projecting a potential net impact of lost revenues and costs related to the pandemic to be $5.1 million by the end of June and depending on response requirements, that number could rise as high as $14 million by th ened of the year. Staff presented the committe with capital projects that are complete, those that have been cancelled and budgets that can be reduced to fund projects that require additional funds. With the approval of the finance and administration committee, $5.5 million can drawn from the capital holding account reseve to partially fund the COVID-19 deficit. Full story here.
GOVA fares will resume on June 15:
GOVA is preparing for a gradual reopening of its regular public transit service in alignment with the first stage of the Province of Ontario’s restart plan. The safety and well-being of passengers and employees are the highest priority during each phase of reopening. Beginning Monday, June 15, front-door boarding and fare collection will resume on all GOVA Transit buses. Installation of temporary clear plastic shields in the operator area of all buses will physically distance employees and passengers boarding through the front doors and using the fare box. The Downtown Transit Hub at 9 Elm St. will reopen for sales of GOVA Transit Ride Cards and Passes on Monday, June 8. One-way access to the ticket kiosk will support physical distancing. The indoor waiting area and washrooms remain closed until further notice.
Weather Network forecasting a long, warm summer for Sudbury:
The Weather Network has released its summer 2020 forecast and things are looking good for Greater Sudbury. Overall, it's expected that Sudbury will be trending toward a slightly warmer than normal summer without a lot of shocks to the system that the region has seen over the past month. May saw Sudbury experience both record snowfalls and record high temperatures in the span of mere weeks, but Weather Network meteorologist Doug Gillham says that things should settle into a more normal weather pattern over the coming summer months. "We think the final numbers will tip towards the warm side of normal and that holds for much of Ontario and the Great Lakes region," said Gillham. "We had such an abrupt transition from cold weather to record heat in May, but that's not the beginning of a relentless summer, we're still going to see some shots of spring in June." Gillham says that Greater Sudbury will get a good stretch of warm weather throughout the summer months, slightly eclipsing seasonal average highs of 25 degrees C for July and 23 degrees C for August.
COVID-19 taking its toll on seasonal tourism in Northern Ontario:
Killarney Mountain Lodge is looking at a $4-million loss in revenue as a result of travel restrictions and measures put in place to prevent the spread of COVID-19, said the facility’s general manager. Kelly McAree said Killarney Mountain Lodge, like many other seasonal tourism destinations in Northern Ontario, has felt a “significant hit” from the novel Coronavirus, including $300,000 in cancellations for weddings or from leisure guests. The lodge is slated to open June 15, but is usually open for the season on May 1 with about 6,000 regular guests throughout the season. Furthermore, the Sportsman’s Inn Resort and Marina in Killarney, which has the same ownership, won’t be opening this season. Find more on this story here.
CMHA Sudbury helps launch new Supported Isolation Centre:
The Canadian Mental Health Association-Sudbury/Manitoulin, in partnership with the Sudbury District Nurse Practitioner Clinics, City of Greater Sudbury and Autumnwood Mature Lifestyle Communities, announced the opening of the COVID-19 Supported Isolation Centre on June 1. The Supported Isolation Centre is located at 1500 Regent St. on the second floor of Canada’s Best Value Inn, the temporary home of CMHA’s Off the Street emergency shelter. It provides opportunity for those who are homeless or without appropriate housing to safely isolate while they await the results of a COVID-19 test or following a diagnosis of COVID-19. The centre is staffed 24/7 by shelter workers with support from clinical providers, primary care, specialists and community service providers. Referrals are directed to a primary care provider who completes an assessment of each individual’s eligibility and develops a support plan for their stay.
Wednesday Weather:
Mainly cloudy today with a 30 per cent chance of showers in the afternoon with risk of thunderstorms. Wednesday's high will get up to around 22. Partly cloudy this evening with some chances of rain showers. Skies will clear up overnight with the low sitting at 11. For current weather conditions, short-term and long-term forecasts visit Sudbury.com's weather page at www.sudbury.com/weather.
