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Good morning, Greater Sudbury! Here are a few stories to start your day

Welcome to Monday! The first Monday in Fall 2020.

Good morning, Greater Sudbury! Here are a few stories to get you started on this first Monday morning of Fall 2020.

Increase in COVID-19 cases jumps by nearly 500 

The number of confirmed COVID-19 cases in Ontario continues to climb.
Public Health Ontario revealed that as of 10:30 Sunday morning, September 27, there were 491 new COVID-19 cases in Ontario. That's an increase of 12.8 per cent over the previous day's total.  Saturday's total number of COVID cases was 435, an increase of 6.3 per cent over Friday. Sunday's increase is the highest single day numerical increase since April 24th, according to provincial statistics. 
This brings the total number of COVID-19 cases in Ontario to 49,831.  It includes two new cases which were reported by Public Health Sudbury and Districts on Friday evening. These new cases bring the total number of confirmed cases in the region covered by Public Health Sudbury to 104. There are currently four known active cases in the PHSD jurisdiction.
More on that story here:

Sudbury woman raises thousands of charity dollars in a head shaving event

A Sudbury woman allowed her head to be shaved Saturday as a gesture of support for cancer victims. In the process, Karen Falldien Yawney also raised $14,700 for the Northern Ontario Families of Children with Cancer (NOFCC), an organization that provides support and relief to Northern Ontario families. The event took place at the Timberwolf Golf Club where scores of friends and supporters were on hand as the scissors came out to gradually snip away at her long blonde hair. 
Yawney was philosophical about the gesture, having done a head shave before about five years ago in support of a friend's child who had cancer. 
"Oh it will grow back; it grows fast," said Yawney with a beaming smile. She said this latest effort was inspired again by a family friend whose child has cancer. 
Read the full story here:


Black Lives Matter Sudbury creates ground mural on Elgin Street


Sudbury's Elgin Street is the scene of the newest messaging effort from Black Lives Matter Sudbury and other social awareness groups in Sudbury. Organizers said the event is being done in collaboration with: Fierte Sudbury Pride, UpHere, ROCS (Regroupement des organismes culturels de Sudbury).
The downtown street was closed at 7 a.m. as more than a dozen workers hit the pavement with brushes, rollers and several cans of paint to create a BIPOC LIVES MATTER - LES VIES NAPDC COMPTENT message.  BIPOC is the acronym for Black, Indigenous, and People Of Colour.
Read the full story here:


Concern voiced about drug overdoses in Sudbury


Sudbury's Community Drug Strategy and Public Health Sudbury and Districts (PHSD) said there has been a report of a higher number of suspected opioid overdoses in Sudbury. A news release included a warning about the inherent dangers of street drugs.
"While we cannot confirm the substance that has caused the overdoses, this situation serves as an important reminder to the community that street drugs may be cut or mixed with substances such as fentanyl or carfentanil, and that even a very small amount of these substances can cause an overdose," said the release.
The warning said overdoses occur when a person uses more of a substance, or combination of substances, than their body can handle. 

Read more about this story here:


Sudbury artist wins commission to continue painting mural at the Elgin underpass

Sudbury muralist Monique Legault is hard at work on another project designed to enhance the viewscape of downtown Sudbury. Legault, who painted a popular mural on the west wall of the entrance to the Elgin Street tunnel last summer, has been commissioned to create another mural in the same location, on the opposite wall.
Legault said she was told there was a positive community reaction to the first mural, which was a tribute to the work of late Sudbury artist and architect Oryst Sawchuk who died in 2019.  
She said she had suggested the idea of creating a second mural on the opposite wall and the idea was endorsed by the city.  
"So they're giving me the chance to finish the underpass," she said, adding that the commission was only approved in the last couple of weeks.
Legault admitted there is a bit of a time crunch now because it is late in the season for working on outdoor murals. She said that brings a bit of pressure to the job.
"Well a little bit. Usually you can't work when it's under 10 degrees. But I've got a really good propane heater and a tarp," she said.
"And so with working in the underpass, I can actually extend my season a little bit."
She said she is hoping to be finished by mid-October.
Read more about Monique Legault here:


SIU says Sudbury police officer did not use excessive force in arresting a suspect

Ontario's police oversight agency has cleared a Sudbury police officer of any wrongdoing in the arrest of a citizen who was found to have suffered a broken hand.
The SIU - Special Investigations Unit - whose job is to investigate any injury or death or sexual assault that occurs when a person is in police custody, has determined there was no evidence that the hand injury was the result of excessive force by police.
The incident occurred on June 12, 2020 in the parking area of the townhouse complex on Bruce Avenue, according to the SIU report. Police responded to a call from a housing authority official who identified a suspicious male person hanging around the parking area and occasionally laying down and sleeping on the ground beside vehicles. A closed-circuit video recording before police arrived showed the suspect appeared to have fallen to the ground, beside some vehicles, on a couple of occasions.
Police arrived and subsequently arrested a 28-year-old male and took him in for booking. During the process the suspect complained his left hand was injured as a result of a police officer stepping on it during the arrest. The suspect was taken to hospital where it was revealed his hand was broken. He was treated and returned to custody.
Read more about this story here:


Unofficial car rally in Wasaga Beach prompts OPP to send out-of-towners packing
Ontario Provincial Police shut down the Town of Wasaga Beach to non-residents Saturday night after large crowds gathered there for an unofficial car rally.
OPP confirmed that roadside spot checks were set up once it became apparent that hundreds of vehicles were rolling into town along with vintage cars and modified performance cars. Police were concerned about the large crowds become a COVID-19 concern
Police confirmed that any drivers that had out-of-town addresses were being turned away from the community. 
Read more about this story here:


Special room created at University of Sudbury dedicated to Francophone flag founders

The 45th anniversary of the Franco-Ontarian flag was celebrated in Sudbury on Friday September 25 in collaboration with l’ACFO du grand Sudbury and a live online broadcast. The event took place at the University of Sudbury, which was the location of the original flag raising event back in 1975.
Organizers revealed that the event was a virtual celebration because of the pandemic. There was also a special acknowledgement by the University of Sudbury toward the original committee that put forward this important symbol, which was recently recognized as an official emblem of the province of Ontario. 
The University dedicated one of its recently renovated rooms – a room with a view of the floating flag, and that gathers a variety of people – to the group
of individuals that achieved a unifying dream and that played an important role in the Franco-Ontarian story.
Read more about the founders here:


 


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