Morning News Tidbits – July 31

Weather – Sunny. Fog patches dissipating this morning. High 23. Humidex 27. UV index 9 or very high.
Tonight – Clear. Low 12.

Marine ForecastWind northeast 15 knots diminishing to northwest 10 near noon then becoming light early Saturday morning. Waves one half metre or less subsiding to less than one half metre Saturday morning. Fog patches.

Statistics from Algoma Public Health  – July 30, 2020 (8:45 a.m.)

Algoma regions where residents have tested positive for COVID-19 include the following:

  • Sault Ste. Marie & Area
  • Central & East Algoma
  • Elliot Lake & Area
Tested 20,769
Positive 27
Negative 20,234
Pending 508
Deceased 0
Resolved 27

Total confirmed cases by area of residence

Central & East  Algoma – 2
Elliot Lake & Area – 3
North Algoma – No
Sault Ste. Marie & Area – Yes (22)

News Tidbits:

There are nine active fires across the Northeast Forest Fire region, all of which are being observed in the far north. The fire hazard ranges mostly from low to moderate across the region with some areas near Greater Sudbury, North Bay and Bancroft showing a high hazard today.

There are currently 13 active forest fires in the Northwest Region. Two are not under control, three are being held, three are under control, and five are being observed. The forest fire hazard is mainly moderate to high with pockets of low hazard scattered across the region.

White River’s Winnie the Pooh Festival will consist of both pre-recorded and live events. The pre-recorded events will be available to watch at anytime during the weekend but spectators will have to tune into the live events at the time provided. Organizers say, “Stay tuned for a brochure with all of the details of the events!”

Former local Member of Provincial Parliament David Ramsay passed away Wednesday. David was a former MPP and Minister, representing Timiskaming and Timiskaming-Chochrane (1985 to 2011), Minister of Correctional Services, Minister of Agriculture and Food and Minister of Natural Resources. Ramsay was first elected in 1985 as a member of the N.D.P., crossing the floor a year later to become a member of the Liberal Party.

The NHL has been given permission to resume its season and hold the Stanley Cup playoffs in Canada, allowing players from 18 teams from the U.S. to enter the country.

Alamos Gold has confirmed that it will go ahead with building La Yaqui Grande gold mine in Mexico, following the positive results of the mine’s internal economic study. Construction is expected to begin in the second half of this year.

All mine activities have commenced at Harte Gold’s Sugar Zone mine. The Company is ahead on all key mining metrics, supporting the planned mill start-up scheduled for early August. Reports are that backfill, waste and ore development are meeting or exceeding expectations; longhole blasting and ore haulage rates are improving daily; and that a significant stockpile has been built-up to feed the mill on restart. Transition to owner-operator is progressing smoothly. Significant interest has been received from mine contractors looking to transition to full-time Harte Gold employees and potential new hires, with over 1,000 resumes received to-date.

John Yakabuski, Minister of Natural Resources and Forestry, will be joined by Mike Harris, Parliamentary Assistant to the Minister of Natural Resources and Forestry, and Laurie Scott, MPP for Haliburton-Kawartha Lakes-Brock, to make an announcement at 11:00 a.m.

Premier Doug Ford will be joined by Peter Bethlenfalvy, President of the Treasury Board, and Dr. Barbara Yaffe, Associate Chief Medical Officer of Health, to make an announcement at 1 p.m.