Good morning, Greater Sudbury! Here are a few stories to start your day on this Friday morning.
Reminder: City testing its Sudbury Alerts system this morning
Phones with publicly listed numbers will receive a test notification from the Sudbury Alerts emergency notification system at 10 a.m. on May 12. The test, conducted by the City of Greater Sudbury, will take place in the midst of Emergency Preparedness Week, which is being held May 7-13. Those who have signed up to receive emergency notifications via text, email, TTY or mobile number via the city’s website will also receive a test notification. The alert will appear on phones as coming from 705-805-9360, and a city media release noted, “It’s a good idea to include the number in your phone’s contacts and name it Sudbury Alerts so you always know when an emergency alert call is coming in. If you have signed up for text notifications, you’ll receive information from 89362 or 89364.” The test messages will be clearly marked with the word TEST in written form and emphasized in voice recordings. The city asks people to not phone 311 or 911 when they receive the notification.
Kyla needs a kidney: Can you help?
Kyla needs a kidney. As a young mother, wife, educator and health-care professional, Kyla Roy knows it's a serious thing to ask for. But she said she has to ask, because there are some days she barely has the energy to get out of bed, let alone be a mom, a life partner and still go to work. It was eight years ago that Kyla had Crohn's Disease, but the medication she was prescribed resulted in kidney disease. "The damage was already done by the time they stopped the medication. My kidney function continued to decline over the years,” Roy said. “In July 2022, I found out I needed a kidney transplant and began the work up to see if I was a good candidate and if I would qualify.” Roy had been working as an Emergency Room nurse at Health Sciences North up until she learned she had kidney disease.
Signoretti touts outdoor recreation projects at Ward 1 meeting
Outdoor recreation in Ward 1 has received some significant boosts in recent months. So described Ward 1 Coun. Mark Signoretti during Wednesday’s town hall meeting at Verdicchio Ristorante, listing several recent accomplishments and more on the horizon. Hosted by Mayor Paul Lefebvre, Signoretti’s updates on outdoor recreation facilities was the meeting’s key update for Ward 1 residents. The event was a significantly less raucous affair than some other town halls Lefebvre has headed in recent months. Delki Dozzi Sports Complex, off of Mary Street, is “a gem” in Ward 1, Signoretti said, and it has only shone brighter in recent months. A splash pad was recently added, and Delki Dozzi’s track was resurfaced, where new lighting was installed. “We heard the concerns from the cycling groups and residents walking their dogs ... and that’s been taken care of,” he said.
Sudbury hospital not able to use all of its operating rooms
Health Sciences North (HSN), the largest hospital in Northern Ontario, is not able to fully utilize all its available operating rooms and staff shortages are a key reason. HSN revealed that Wednesday while responding to a Sudbury.com news story where NDP health critic France Gélinas was speaking out against Ontario Bill 60, an effort by Ontario’s Conservative government to allow private medical clinics to do more procedures and minor surgeries. This is designed to ease up on the backlog of surgeries in Ontario, the government argues. But Gélinas, the MPP for Nickel Belt, counters that one of the key reasons for the backlog of surgeries is the shortage of doctors in the province, not a shortage of facilities, arguing Ontario doesn’t need additional for-profit private health care clinics to speed up the process; it just needs more staff. "We already have the infrastructure throughout Ontario — we don't need extra infrastructure, what we need is extra staff to work in those infrastructures,” Gélinas said. “Like you can go to Health Sciences North right now, you will see there are brand new OR (Operating Room) suites that are built, and that have never been open to this day. They've never been open, because they haven't got the money to open them."
A rundown of the various new signs at the Bridge of Nations
There are quite a few signs along the Bridge of Nations. Southbound motorists currently face 17 construction-related signs, which are in addition to the regular permanent signs. “There’s a fairly large number of signs there, and that is something that we do keep on our radar,” city acting manager of project services Stephen Holmes told Sudbury.com. “The factor we would fall back on is that vehicles aren’t travelling at a high speed, so that combined with the fact that the traffic control is relatively simple to negotiate. “I’m comfortable with the messaging that we want to get out in the public with the communications signs combined with the contractor’s traffic control signs.” Some of the signs were automatically erected by the contractor, and are required by the Ontario Traffic Manual for temporary conditions related to bridge rehabilitation work.
Passport renewals go online beginning this fall
Canadians who need their travel documents renewed before visiting far-off shores will soon be able to skip the line at the passport office, the immigration minister announced Wednesday. Starting in the fall, Canadians with simple passport renewals will be able to apply online and upload the necessary documents and passport photo on a secure government website, Immigration Minister Sean Fraser said. He made the announcement at an event to unveil a new design for Canada's passport, which includes updated security features and colourful new pages. "The federal government is going to continue to work to improve our services and security for Canadians. This passport update is one of the many efforts that is going to improve travel and security," Fraser said at a press conference at the Ottawa International Airport. Those applying for new passports, including children, will still need to go through the traditional application process with Service Canada.
Mostly sunny today, but showers possible
Expect a sunny start to your Friday, then a mix of sun and cloud for the rest of the day with a 30-per-cent chance of showers in the afternoon. The wind will be northerly at 20 km/h, gusting to 40 in the morning. Today’s high is 23 with a UV index of seven, or high. Tonight, the skies will be partly cloudy with a 30-per-cent chance of showers early in the evening. Otherwise the skies will be clear. The overnight low is 9.
