Good morning, Greater Sudbury.
Here are some stories to start your day.
Extendicare plans to build two new long-term care homes in Greater Sudbury:
Extendicare's plan to build two new long-term care facilities and the redevelopment of at least one existing facility in Greater Sudbury got a boost April 26. The province announced it's adding 54 new long-term care beds in Sudbury to help seniors better access care and continue to live happy and healthy lives. Extendicare's plans are awaiting approval from the Ministry of Health, so there aren't a lot of details available yet, but president and CEO Tim Lukenda said the company has secured some property on Algonquin Road in the South End where they would like to build one of the new facilities. Overall, the goal is to create 523 new long-term care beds in Greater Sudbury, in addition to the 54 beds announced by Thibeault at Extendicare York. Find more on this story here.
GoodLife grant will help special needs kids learn to ride bikes:
NEO Kids & Family Program Children’s Treatment Centre (CTC) at Health Sciences North (HSN) is bringing the iCan Bike Camp to Greater Sudbury for its third year. This program allows individuals with disabilities to learn how to ride a bike. On April 25, GoodLife Kids Foundation made a grant donation of $13,600 which will allow CTC to host the iCan Bike Camp once again this year. The money was raised through GoodLife's Spin For Kids event, a fundraiser that impacts more than 250,000 kids across Canada. The iCan Bike Camp is a five day camp taking place from July 23 - July 27 at St. Benedict Catholic Secondary School, 2993 Algonquin Road in Sudbury. With the direction of trained professionals and volunteers, participants will learn how to safely ride a conventional two-wheel bicycle. Participants will attend five 75-minute sessions which will provide them with the necessary confidence and skills to independently ride a bicycle by the end of the week. To date, 59 riders have attended the iCan Bike Camp in Greater Sudbury.
Health Sciences North celebrates grand opening of RAAM clinic:
Health Sciences North will host a grand opening ceremony for their Rapid Access Addiction Medicine (RAAM) clinic on Pine Street on Friday, April 27. Members from the Local Health Integration Network (LHIN) and HSN staff will be on hand for the grand opening that gets underway at 10 a.m. The North East LHIN's base funding has been increased by $1.6 million to implement an opioid strategy. Much of the new funding will go to expand the number of RAAM clinics in the north east region. The clinics provide an addictions pathway between the clinic and different places where the client is likely to seek care. That includes emergency departments, primary care providers, mental health and addictions agencies and withdrawal management programs. Sudbury.com will bring you coverage from today's grand opening so be sure to check back with us.
Chapter 3 of Reading Town hits Sudbury May 3-13:
Reading Town has become Canada's largest multilingual literary festival and it's returning to Greater Sudbury for its third edition this spring. Reading Town Sudbury Ville Lecture 2018 is set for May 3-13. This year's festival promises to be the most inclusive and largest literary celebration in Ontario, said festival co-ordinator Derek Young. This year's theme is Reading Rocks the North, with activities for all ages in Greater Sudbury. Check out the full schedule of events here.
United Way doles out praise, awards to supporters:
United Way Centraide North East held their annual United Achievement Awards on April 26 at the Northern Watersports Centre. Individuals, families, businesses, partners and community stakeholders all gathered from across Northeaster Ontario to celebrate the success of United Way in 2017. During the event, a number of people and organizations were presented with awards in tribute to their contributions and support for United Way. Be sure to check back with Sudbury.com later today for a full list of winners.
Get your game face on at the Northern Game Expo this weekend:
Gaming fans will be treated to full slate of all things video games this weekend as the Northern Game Expo returns to Sudbury. Cambrian College will be the site of the one-day expo that features more than 90 vendor tables, video game tournaments, a cosplay masquerade, and giveaways. The event is Sunday, April 29 from 12-5 p.m. Retro and modern games will be display, alongside comics, anime and much more. A unique highlight to this iteration of this expo will be special guest Syd Bolton, the curator of Canada's Video Game Museum. Bolton is the owner of Canada's largest video game collection and will bringing some games and items that have never been seen. There will be a special event with Bolton one day early — from 7 - 9 p.m. on Saturday, April 29 — where attendees can get an up-close look at some of the rarest video games around and get a crash course in Canadian video game history. VIPs can get into the expo 30 minutes early (11:30 a.m.) on Sunday to get first crack at some hard-to-find items. Doors open to the general public at 12 p.m. and admission is $5. Kids under the age of 10 get in free if accompanied by someone paying admission.
Friday Weather:
Mainly cloudy today with some rain in the morning. Showers could turn to snow this afternoon. Friday's high will be 7 but falling to 2 by late afternoon. Periods of snow expected this evening, ending near midnight then mainly cloud. Overnight low will be -5. For current weather conditions, short-term and long-term forecasts visit Sudbury.com's weather page at www.sudbury.com/weather.
