Good morning, Greater Sudbury.
Here are some stories to start your day.
City councillor facing suspension of two months pay:
A controversy stemming from comments made by Greater Subury CAO Ed Archer during a Dec. 21 city council meeting has landed Ward 3 Coun. Gerry Montpellier in some hot water, with the possibility of losing 60 days pay. Integrity commissioner Robert Swayze handed down his ruling on March 8 after a complaint was filed against Montpellier by Ward 4 Coun. Geoff McCausland on Jan. 26. The report will be brought before city council on March 23. In his letter to the integrity commissioner, McCausland alleged that Montpellier "publicly harassed a member of staff and disclosed confidential information from an in-camera meeting", both contrary to the Code of Conduct for Members of Council and Local Boards. Montpellier stated in January that he would be pursuing legal action against Archer, accusing the city's chief administrative officer of being a "known slanderer and harasser". The rift stems from a Dec. 21 meeting of council where Archer called Montpellier's behaviour "buffoonish" in a typed message to another city staffer. Archer reportedly believed the message was sent privately, but it was visible to councillors and anyone else watching the livestream of the meeting. Get the full story here.
Noelville couple planning to travel the nation after $70 million LOTTO MAX win:
Marc Meilleur of Noelville checked his ticket almost a dozen times before starting to believe he won the $70 million LOTTO MAX jackpot from the Feb. 26 draw. Marc and his wife, Dorothy-Ann have been dedicated lottery players for many years. Each buys their own tickets to ensure they don’t miss a draw. Marc buys Quick Picks while his wife plays her own numbers which consist of birth dates and anniversaries. The morning after the draw, the 60-year-old retired mechanic checked his Quick Pick tickets on the OLG Lottery app when he saw “$70,000,000” displayed on the screen. Even after scanning the ticket four or five more times with the same result, he was still not convinced he had hit the LOTTO MAX jackpot. “That’s when I went to the bedroom to get Dorothy-Ann and tell her ‘I think I have the winning ticket,’” said Marc while at the OLG Prize Centre collecting his incredible windfall. “But my wife thought I was joking, so I scanned the ticket again to show her the $70 million win on the screen.” Marc and Dorothy-Ann, who also have seven grandchildren and two great-grandchildren, are finally settling into the reality that their good fortune will be able to change the lives of many generations of their family. At the top of their bucket list is a new truck and RV, and when it is safe to travel again, they want to crisscross Canada. More on this story here.
Public Health Sudbury reports five new COVID-19 cases for March 15:
Public Health Sudbury and Districts (PHSD) has reported that there are only five new cases of COVID-19 in the area for Monday March 15. PHSD also said there are now 243 active cases being actively monitored. It is a big drop of 48 cases from the 291 cases that were active on Sunday. This means that since the pandemic was declared in March 2020, there have now been 1,016 total COVID-19 cases reported to the Sudbury health unit. PHSD said 773 of those cases have been resolved locally. As to where the new cases might have occurred, the PHSD daily update page reported that six cases were found to have occurred within the Greater Sudbury Area and one case was decreased from the Manitoulin district. With respect to possible causes of the new cases, PHSD reported six cases as "under investigation." HSN's COVID website page is also reporting 10 COVID-19 patients in hospital care, which includes two patients in the Intensive Care Unit (ICU). In addition, there are 13 other admitted patients currently being investigated for COVID-19 at this time. Two of those patients are also in the ICU at this time.
Sudbury district residents are not yet on the provincial vaccine booking system:
While Ontario launched its new online vaccination booking system today, Sudbury district residents are not on the system. They're being advised to use the current booking system set up earlier this month by Public Health Sudbury and Districts. The new provincial booking system and customer service desk was launched with considerable fanfare Monday morning, along with a news conference where Premier Doug Ford said 375 calls a minute were being handled in a bid to allow appointments to be booked at mass vaccination clinics across the province. PHSD informed Sudbury.com Monday that the new system will not be accepting calls or inquiries from this part of the province, which includes Greater Sudbury, the wider Sudbury District and Manitoulin Island. "In time, Public Health Sudbury & Districts will transition to the Ontario COVID-19 vaccine booking system. For the time being, individuals in our service area can continue to pre-register for vaccinations by following the directions available on our Vaccination clinics for COVID-19 page at phsd.ca, which also provides information about the groups of people who are currently eligible for vaccinations," said a statement from the health unit. Full story here.
Public Health warning about high-risk COVID-19 exposure at Sudbury restaurant P & M's Kouzzina:
A public health warning has been issued for a popular Sudbury restaurant. The health unit advises testing and isolation. Public Health Sudbury and Districts (PHSD) has advised of a potential high-risk of COVID-19 exposure for anyone who attended P & M's Kouzzina at 1463 Lasalle Boulevard in the first and second weeks of March. The dates are March 4, 5, 6 and 8, 9 or 10. "You should seek COVID-19 testing as soon as possible," said the warning statement. "Even if you receive a negative test result, you must remain home and self-isolate for 14 full days from the most recent date on which you attended the restaurant on any of the dates listed above," the statement continued. Also, during the isolation period, PHSD is directing that everyone else in your household is required to stay home except for essential reasons. "Essential reasons include attending work, school, or childcare and essential errands such as groceries, attending medical appointments, or picking up prescriptions. Everyone is expected to avoid non-essential travel, only go out for essential reasons and work remotely where possible," said the PHSD directive. On the provincial COVID-19 register Monday, the Ontario government daily website reported there were 1,268 new confirmed COVID-19 cases across the province.
Video: A look back on one year of COVID-19 in Sudbury:
Much like the wave of COVID-19 infections, Ontarians have experienced significant ups and downs this past year. It's been one year since the World Health Organization declared COVID-19 a global pandemic. Check out this video, where Sudbury.com looks back on the province's response to the virus, how Sudbury residents supported one another during times of uncertainty, and the events that led to the city’s third lockdown.
Tuesday Weather:
More sunny skies with some milder temperatures returning Tuesday. Mainly sunny today with the daytime high hovering at 4. Clear skies overhead into the evening with a few clouds overnight. Low will drop to -6, feeling like -8. For current weather conditions, short-term and long-term forecasts visit Sudbury.com's weather page at www.sudbury.com/weather.
