Morning News – August 9

Weather

Cloudy with 30 percent chance of showers. Risk of a thunderstorm this afternoon. Fog dissipating this morning. High 23. Humidex 30. UV index 3 or moderate.
Tonight – Mainly cloudy with 40 percent chance of showers. Risk of a thunderstorm this evening. Fog patches developing this evening. Low 17.

 

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 (9:45 AM, August 6, 2021)

Doses administered to Algoma residents

Total doses administered – 156,911
# of people who are fully vaccinated – 73,812 / 64.5%

 

2021 Forest Fire Status – 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
10	0		0	10

The fire hazard is low to moderate in the majority of the Northeast Region this afternoon, except for the southeasternmost and the northwesternmost portions of the region which are maintaining a high hazard.

Northwest Forest Fire Region

Active Fires	Not Under Control	Held	Under Control	Observed
119	17	1	14	87

 

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:

Rick Fall, retired teacher completed his run of 3,800kms from British Columbia to the Soo. During his run, he raised more than $75,000 for Make-a-Wish Canada and Childhood Cancer Canada. He still continues to fundraise, and will until the first anniversary of his run  (April 12, 2022).

As of midnight Sunday night, non-essential American travellers who have had a full course of a Health Canada-approved COVID-19 vaccine (Pfizer-BioNTech, Moderna, the Oxford-AstraZeneca shot, and the single-dose Johnson & Johnson option.) will again be allowed in Canada. Travellers must live in the U.S., have fully vaccinated (with at least 14 days since last shot), a negative test (no more than 72 hours earlier), and use the ArriveCAN app or online web portal to upload their vaccination details. The border remains closed for Canadians to travel into the United States.

 

Chapleau is the first region in its health unit’s service area to reach 100 per cent of eligible individuals receiving their first dose of the vaccine.

Marathon received funding through the COVID-19 Resilience Infrastructure Stream of the Investing in Canada Infrastructure Program to improve pedestrian access to Lake Superior by installing a new accessible kayak dock, wooden trails, a foot bridge, and remediating the shoreline.

 

The governments of Canada and Ontario are accelerating their investments in broadband infrastructure, beginning with investing more than $109 million in Telesat’s next-generation Low Earth Orbit (LEO) satellite Network, Telesat Lightspeed; and will also invest:

• of up to over $170 million to bring high-speed internet to over 39,000 rural households in Northeastern Ontario,
• of up to over $148 million to bring high-speed internet to over 11,200 rural Ontario households in Northwestern Ontario,
• up to $230 million to bring high-speed internet to as many as 52,866 rural Ontario households in Central Ontario, and
• up to and over $362 million to bring high-speed internet to 90,124 rural Ontario households in Eastern Ontario.

This investment is being made as part of a joint federal-provincial agreement through which the Government of Canada and the Government of Ontario have partnered to support large-scale, fibre-based projects that will provide high-speed internet access to all corners of the province by 2025.

Government Announcements:

Monte McNaughton, Minister of Labour, Training and Skills Development, joined by Lisa MacLeod, Minister of Heritage, Sport, Tourism and Culture Industries and Deepak Anand, Parliamentary Assistant to the Minister of Labour, Training and Skills Development will make an announcement about training for high school students at 9:30 a.m.