Good morning, Greater Sudbury.
Here are some stories to start your day.
Sudbury long-term care is in crisis mode:
A group of roughly a dozen of Sudbury's personal support workers representing three unions (UNIFOR, CUPE, SEIU) gathered on April 20 to voice their concerns to Nickel Belt MPP France Gélinas. Representatives from seven different long-term care facilities were on hand for the meeting Friday morning where they discussed the stress that their system is under and the pressures that PSWs face on a day-to-day basis. The meeting was organized by Melissa Wood, unit chair with St. Gabriel's Villa, one of Sudbury's seven long-term care facilities. Sudbury is home to close to 2,000 personal support workers, but that number is not nearly enough to meet the demand. Across Ontario there are more than 30,000 people on wait lists for long-term care facilities, a number that has grown from 20,000 in 2014. Find the full story here.
NOHFC injects $1.8M into Greater Sudbury Airport projects:
The province is pouring more than $1.7 million into upgrading the water system at Greater Sudbury Airport. The new infrastructure will ensure adequate supplies of water to meet fire suppression standards and clean and safe drinking water are available at all current and future airport facilities. The increased capacity will allow the airport to expand and grow for existing and prospective airport clients and services. The investment is part of more than $1.8 million from the Northern Ontario Heritage Fund corporation announced Friday at Greater Sudbury Airport. In addition, $50,000 is being made available for a new maintenance facility at Greater Sudbury Airport with Porter Airlines, creating eight new full-time jobs in the process. The project includes improvements that will allow Porter to service its three new aircraft and upgrades to software and other information and communications technology.
Northern Ontario Microbrew Festival kicks is this weekend:
Stack Brewing presents the fourth annual Northern Ontario Microbrew Festival at the Caruso Club, April 20 and 21. This two-day event will showcase Northern Ontario craft beer. Attendees will have the opportunity to sample beer from Split Rail Brewing (Gore Bay), Northern Superior (Sault Ste. Marie), Lake of the Woods Brewing (Kenora), Sleeping Giant Brewing Co. (Thunder Bay), New Ontario Brewing (North Bay), Manitoulin Brewing (Little Current), Full Beard Brewing (Timmins), Highlander Brew Co. (South River), Norse Brewery (Parry Sound), and of course Sudbury’s own Stack Brewing. In addition to the beer, attendees will get to enjoy two nights of entertainment featuring Aerial Borealis & Sudbury Burlesque and music by The Sunparlour Players, The Elwins, My Son The Hurricane, and Hollerado. Friday evening (6 p.m. - 11 p.m.) tickets are $40, Saturday afternoon (1 p.m. - 4 p.m.) tickets are $10 and Saturday evening (5 p.m. - 10 p.m.) are $30.
Construction could cause parking confusion at Health Sciences North:
As part of the Learners’ Centre construction, some parking lots located at the Ramsey Lake Health Centre will be disrupted. Beginning on the evening of Sunday, April 22, there will be a partial closure of a patient/visitor parking lot P4 which is located at the front of RLHC (Emergency Department). Alternate parking is available in lots P3 and P5A. Following the completion of the construction, updated parking lot information will be made available. For more information about parking, including the parking lot maps click here.
Letter: More questions than answers following funding of multi-sport indoor complex:
Sudbury Soccer Coach Giuseppe Politi says there's more questions than answers with regards to Sudbury acquiring an indoor sports facility. Politi questions the proposed location for the facility, "I realize beggars can’t be choosers at this point; yet, the City of Greater Sudbury should still be held accountable for its lack of planning and short-sightedness," said Politi. "When the Soccer Centre (Exhibition Centre) on Falconbridge was lost two years ago and soccer was relegated to school gym floors, the city should have found an alternative for sports enthusiasts during the winter months — heaven forbid perhaps removing ice from one of its several arenas. Sadly, I still don’t understand the municipal government has contributed to this or plans to. The most I hear about the municipal government is the constant road blocks and hurdles it puts up to stop initiatives like these from moving forward. Questions now remain: When does the shovel go in the ground? What is the timeline for us, Sudbury’s citizens, to use this facility? Will it be ready for November 2018? If not, why not?"
Blizzards for Broncos raises $10K for Humboldt gofundme campaign:
Blizzards for Broncos, hosted by the Chelmsford Dairy Queen on April 12 was able to raise $10,000 to go toward the Humboldt Broncos Victims and Survivors GoFundMe account. "Words are not enough to describe our appreciation to our community," Jennifer Mallette, Owner/Operator Dairy Queen. "The overwhelming support for the Humboldt Broncos is truly amazing."
Weekend Weather:
Some beautiful spring weather is on tap for Sudbury this weekend. Mainly sunny on Saturday with a high of around 12. Clear skies with a low near 1 on Saturday evening. More of the same for Sunday with sunny skies and a high of 14. Clear with a low of 2 Sunday evening. For current weather conditions, short-term and long-term forecasts visit Sudbury.com's weather page at www.sudbury.com/weather.
