Good morning, Greater Sudbury.
Here are some stories to start your day.
Rainbow Board unveils reopening plans for 2020-21 school year:
Schools in Sudbury will welcome students back to class in less than a month and the Rainbow District School Board laid out their reopening guide on Aug. 11 during a strategic planning committee meeting. Structure, stability and safety were highlighted as pillars in the board's plan with a focus on a cautious approach that prioritizes the health and safety and well-being of staff and students while maximizing the delivery of the curriculum. Rainbow District School Board director of education Norm Blaseg presented the reopening guide on Tuesday evening, with hundreds tuned into the livestream. Under the provincial reopening guidelines, Sudbury area schools, including those in the Rainbow Board, have been classified as non-designated and both elementary and secondary schools have been directed to open for in-person attendance this fall. The Rainbow Board will be accomodating parents by offering remote learning for all students who choose not to attend in person. Those who choose not to attend in person will be expected to attend school remotely on a full-time basis with access to learning materials posted online as well as live and pre-recorded learning opportunities throughout the day. Attendance will be taken daily. Full story here.
Poll: Most Canadians believe the pandemic is far from over:
Most Canadians and indeed most residents of Ontario believe the coronavirus pandemic is far from over, and things will get bad again come fall or winter. Those are just some of the results reflected in a poll carried out by Canadian accounting and management firm KPMG. The poll involved 1,010 Canadians in all parts of the country. The results were broken down by national responses, as well as responses from British Columbia, Alberta, combined Saskatchewan and Manitoba, Ontario, Quebec and the Atlantic Provinces. Ontario had the largest number of responses with 398. Ontario residents believed by 94 per cent that the pandemic "is far from over," a figure that was matched by the national response. Full story here.
‘Her babies need their mother’: Missing Sudbury woman’s family pleading for help:
Shantel Amos, the sister of a missing Sudbury woman whose abandoned car was discovered in a gravel pit north of the city, is pleading with the public to assist the OPP’s ongoing investigation. “Please come forward if you have any information about my little sister. I love her, and I need her back safe. Her babies need their mother,” she said. Constance (Connie) Richards, 26, was last seen on the afternoon of Aug. 4 when witnesses told police they saw her driving erratically near Fox Lake Lodge, according to West Nipissing OPP, but police were unable to locate her at the time. On Aug. 8, police officers received a call at around 11:45 a.m. about an abandoned car parked off Fox Lake Road in Ermatinger Township, 10 km southwest of Cartier. It was determined that Richards was the owner of the vehicle, and the OPP brought in helicopters and a canine unit to begin searching the area where the vehicle was found. Read more on this story here.
Roads report: City in the midst of $71 million in road work projects:
You would be hard-pressed to drive anywhere in Greater Sudbury right now without coming across orange pylons and crews of workers in hard hats and orange vests. Road construction season is in full swing with some major projects currently ongoing on some of the city's main roads. The City of Greater Sudbury has closed 31 capital roads contracts this year, valued at $71 million and despite the need for some adjustments to how projects are carried out due to COVID-19, the city has been full steam ahead when it comes to road repairs and upgrades. "Construction for roadways has always been deemed essential, so we haven't really slowed down with that," said Dave Shelsted, director of engineering services with the city of Greater Sudbury. "Obviously we had to transition as a group to working from home on the city side, the contractors have had to change how they do things as well, but the changes have been more onerous on the contactors in terms of having a health and safety policy for specific sites and when we inspect the work we work within the health and safety policy that they've outlined for that site." The 31 contracts that have been closed by the city run the gamut from main thoroughfares to side streets to bridges to sanitary sewer system improvements. More on this story here.
Get your good flick fix: Indie Cinema reopens Thursday for screenings:
Sudbury Indie Cinema is reopening its doors for the first time since March. The theatre opens Thursday, Aug. 13. The Indie’s board chair said they have worked with other cinemas and public health to put in place best practices to keep movie-lovers safe while enjoying a flick. Given the OK to open on July 17, the Indie has been preparing since that time to open, but open safely. “We’ve been keen to re-open but have taken the time to think through new practices, protocols, and have been busy getting enhancements in place,” said Brad Robinson, Indie Cinema’s chair. Patrons will be required to wear masks in the theatre when not eating or drinking, and will be asked to use hand sanitizer upon entering and exiting the theatre, said Indie board member Frances Huot. Find the full story here (www.sudbury.com/lifestyle/get-your-good-flick-fix-indie-cinema-reopens-thursday-for-screenings-2629635).
Discover: Pooped, groggy and tuckered out, pandemic impacting people’s sleep:
Are you tired, pooped or unproductive? Do you feel cranky, groggy or generally exhausted and worn-out? How can you ensure some good shut-eye in the middle of all that is going on in 2020? Has the bad news, the unclear messaging, the rising debt and deficit got you down? Are you sleeping in? Everyone hears about the new normal. But, what if your world has been messed up by an extended temporary lay-off, job loss, or any of the unexpected twists the pandemic has delivered? Has your sleep been affected? Are you staying up late and getting up at noon? Poor quality and quantity of sleep impacts all other aspects of our lives. In March 2020, a survey in the United States asked how the novel coronavirus pandemic was affecting respondents’ sleep. It is now summer 2020 and the turmoil continues for many, despite openings of various segments of the economy. Numbers are surging across the United States, while masks are now common sites on people’s faces across Canadian cities and provinces. Financial instability is rippling through commerce and in personal lives. Tension is high for individuals and families. Relationships in some cases are coming unraveled. Read the latest in Sudbury.com's Discover series here.
Wednesday Weather:
Gorgeous sunny day in the forecast for Wednesday. Mostly sunny skies overhead with the high getting up to 28. It's going to feel like 33 with the Humidex today. A few clouds will roll in this evening and the low will drop to 13 overnight. For current weather conditions, short-term and long-term forecasts visit Sudbury.com's weather page at www.sudbury.com/weather.
