NOSM becomes a stand-alone university
The Northern Ontario School of Medicine will start their first full week, as a standalone institution. The first of its kind in Canada and with royal assent, they will transition to becoming a degree-granting university. Since opening its doors 16 years ago, the school has produced over 700 doctors. The school is also graduating 66 new doctors this month in both Sudbury and Thunder Bay.
Sudbury’s unemployment rate takes a dip
May’s unemployment rate in Greater Sudbury… took almost an entire percentage point step in the right direction. At nearly 9% according to Statistics Canada’s monthly labour force survey, the Nickel City’s jobless rate dropped to 8.1 percent in May, down from the previous 8.8 percent in April.
Marshall Ave in North Bay closed for 8-days
Marshall Avenue East in North Bay will be closed between Lakeshore Drive and Marshall Park Drive for up to eight days starting today. The closure is part of the ongoing waterworks upgrading in the area. It’s means a tricky commute for some. The city says Lakeshore Drive will be reduced to one lane in each direction between Marshall and Howard avenues and there will be no access to Marshall Avenue East from Lakeshore Drive. A detour and signage will be in place during the closure.
38-new cases of COVID-19 reported by the PHU
38 new COVID-19 cases being reported by the Porcupine Health Unit yesterday. Ten of the cases are in Timmins, 25 are in the James Bay area, two are in the area of Cochrane, Matheson, Iroquois Falls and Smooth Rock Falls, and one is in the Kapuskasing area. The exposure of 14 cases is under investigation and 24 people are the contacts of a case.
Fire at the Fisher Wavy Plant in Greater Sudbury
Greater Sudbury Firefighters were dispatched to the Fisher Wavy concrete plant over the weekend. The fire department got the call at around 6 a.m. Saturday after equipment inside had caught fire, and spread to other areas of the building, including office and storage space. They managed to get the fire stamped out, despite being in some difficult-to-access areas. No injuries have been reported.
New fires reported by Aviation, Forest Fire and Emergency Services
A forest fire near Timmins that started June 2 is now under control. At 6.5 hectares, it is south of Forks and Lower Forks Lake, which is south of the city. Three new fires — two in the Sault area and one in Sudbury — have been discovered in the northeast region. They are all between 0.1 and 02. hectare in size and not yet under control.
Sault Ste. Marie 9 is located south of Serpent River on an island, is being held at 0.1 of a hectare, while Sault Ste. Marie 10 is 0.2 of a hectare and not under control at the time of this update. This fire is located north of Little White River Provincial Park. The third fire, Sudbury 20, located within Killarney Provincial Park, is 0.1 of a hectare and not under control at this time. The report came in yesterday. Aviation, Forest Fire and Emergency Services.
Also…
New funding coming to Nipissing area Legions
Nearly $90,000 in provincial funding is coming to four Royal Canadian Legions in Nipissing. West Ferris Legion, Branch 599, Callander Legion, Branch 445, Powassan Legion, Branch 453, and Mattawa Legion, Branch 254 were required to shut their restaurants and halls down over the last several months. Evidently all four were eligible for the Ontario Small Business Support Grant funding. The money is going towards covering fixed expenses, like utility costs and insurance, along with renovation projects.
West Ferris Legion, Branch 599: $26,111.46
Callander Legion, Branch 445: $23,684.60
Powassan Legion, Branch 453: $20,000
Mattawa Legion, Branch 254: $20,000
SAH look to reintergrate staff
The Sault Area Hospital is working on a plan to determine who will work from home, and who will work at the facility itself. They will continue to follow the provincial direction to have employees carry out duties from home where possible. Over the coming weeks, SAH will develop plans to ensure a “cautious and controlled” approach to reintegrating employees working from home.
