Morning News – July 31

Weather

Cloudy with 60 percent chance of showers. Risk of a thunderstorm this afternoon. High 20.
Tonight – Cloudy with 60 percent chance of showers and risk of a thunderstorm. Wind becoming north 20 km/h after midnight. Low 12.

 

Status of COVID-19 cases in Algoma

There one active case of COVID-19 in the Algoma District today (Sault Ste. Marie and Area).

Immunization Uptake and Coverage in Algoma (Last updated: 10:45 PM, July 29, 2021)

Doses administered to Algoma residents

Total doses administered – 150,810
# of people who are fully vaccinated – 68,716 /60%
# of people (12+) who have received at least 1 dose – 82,094 /80.9%

 

2021 Forest Fire Status

There are currently two specialists and five CL415’s from Quebec, 101 firefighters and staff from Mexico, two firefighters from Prince Edward Island, 12 personnel from Nova Scotia, 18 personnel from New Brunswick, one specialist from the Canadian Interagency Forest Fire Centre, 28 staff from Alberta, 20 personnel from Australia as well as 15 personnel and two CL415’s from Newfoundland assisting the province of Ontario.

Northeast Forest Fire Region

WAW12 – 0.3ha, out
WAW13 – 1.5ha, out
WAW14 – 0.2, out

Active Fires	Not Under Control	Held	Under Control	Observed
11	0		1	10

The forest fire hazard ranges from low to moderate across the region today.

 

Northwest Forest Fire Region

Active Fires	Not Under Control	Held	Under Control	Observed
141	43	10	26	60

The wildland fire hazard ranges from high to extreme in the Kenora District. A full range of conditions – from low to extreme – exists in Red Lake, Sioux Lookout, Dryden, Fort Frances, Thunder Bay and Nipigon Districts. Hazard conditions are expected to rebound quickly.

The wildland fire hazard in the region is mainly high to extreme in the Fort Frances, Kenora and Dryden sectors. Thunder Bay sector features high hazard conditions in its southern portion moving to moderate and low hazard conditions to the north. RedLake and Sioux Lookout sectors feature low to moderate fire hazard conditions. The Nipigon sector features moderate hazard conditions in the south with high hazard conditions in the far north.

ON511 continues to warn that along Hwy 105 (north of Ear Falls and Red Lake area), visibility can be reduced due to smoke from nearby forest fires. Please make sure your headlights are on and use caution travelling Hwy 105 northerly to Red Lake.

Restricted Fire Zone boundaries updated to include Thunder Bay and portions of Nipigon and Wawa districts

Due to high to extreme forest fire hazard conditions, effective 12:01 a.m. Saturday, July 10, the Ontario Ministry of Northern Development, Mines, Natural Resources and Forestry has issued updated boundaries for a Restricted Fire Zone in the Kenora, Fort Frances, Dryden and Thunder Bay Districts and portions of the Sioux Lookout, Red Lake, Nipigon and Wawa Districts.  The Restricted Fire Zone will be in effect until further notice. Outdoor fires are banned. Portable gas stoves may still be used BUT must be handled with extreme care.

 

News Tidbits:

Three successful participants from the 2019 Call for Development process Therme Group, Live Nation and Écorécréo Group that will renew Ontario Place so that it provides year-round entertainment for all ages and interests.

• Therme Group is building Therme Canada | Ontario Place, a family-friendly, all-season destination offering something for all ages, including pools, waterslides, botanical spaces to relax, as well as sports performance and recovery services. Outside, people will enjoy more than eight acres of free, publicly accessible gathering spaces, parkland, gardens and beaches.
• Live Nation is redeveloping the existing amphitheatre into a modern, year-round indoor-outdoor live music and performance venue that will attract world-class artists and events. Protecting the iconic amphitheatre lawns, the new venue will have an expanded capacity of 20,000 in the summer and close to 9,000 in the winter, offering a unique indoor-outdoor experience with operable exterior walls to accommodate events, rain or shine.
• Écorécréo Group is building an affordable, all-season adventure park for all ages. This new, environmentally friendly attraction will include aerial obstacle courses, net-based aerial adventures, ziplines, climbing walls, escape rooms and many other activities. Écorécréo Group will also operate Segway, quad-cycle, canoe and kayak rentals at the site.

The Ontario government has announced the investment of more than $62 million this year to build capacity among service providers to deliver high quality clinical services for children and youth receiving support through the needs-based Ontario Autism Program (OAP).

The Autism Workforce Capacity Action Plan, part of the province’s $600 million annual investment in the program, will expand access in rural and remote communities, provide new training for clinicians and allow service providers to hire and train new staff and support more families.