City of Greater Sudbury says 'sense of urgency' has changed; state of emergency lifted after 2 years

After almost two full years, the City of Greater Sudbury has lifted its State of Emergency.

The measure was first put in place in April 2020, early on in the pandemic.

It allowed the mayor and senior city staff to make decisions quickly to respond to various pandemic needs.

Now that provincial COVID measures are easing, the urgency in Sudbury has subsided, said Tony Cecutti, general manager of growth and infrastructure, and acting CAO.

"If decisions need to be made we still have time to bring those through a regular governance process such as if we need council approval we can get to council," he said.

"So the sense of urgency to change something does not require us to keep the emergency declaration in place; we can still respond effectively."

Urgency gone, but still responding to pandemic needs

The City of Greater Sudbury still continues to work with and meet regularly with its health care partners like Public Health Sudbury and Districts and Health Sciences North, as part of the Community Control Group.

"We are coordinating and responding as appropriate to whatever issues arise, and there is a strong degree of collaboration and we continue to support each other," Cecutti said.

"The emergency measures are not necessary for us to provide those supports," he added.

The urgency is gone, but Cecutti said the city can and will still respond to pandemic needs. 

"This is still our number one priority, to address the needs of the community during the pandemic response. Lifting the state of emergency won't change that sense of priority," he said.

"This pandemic has affected our community in ways we've never seen, and will continue to affect and influence decisions being made, for some time to come."

Cecutti admitted that recovery and reopening is as much work for municipal staff as shutting things down.

"I would say right now the city hasn't returned to normal yet because we have some really important work to do to help the community recover from the pandemic," he said.

Despite the emergency measure lifting in the community, the hospital in Sudbury continues to experience high hospitalization rates for COVID-19.

In a statement to CBC News, Health Sciences North says it does not object to the end of the local state of emergency "since its application is focused on municipal government services."

The hospital said it continues to experience challenges with its acute care capacity related to COVID-19 admissions.

As of noon on March 15, HSN had 44 confirmed COVID cases admitted, 70 past positive cases and 53 other patients who have been admitted and are awaiting test results.

In its statement HSN also stated that it appreciates the continued support from the city toward local hospital staff, as they battle the effects of the pandemic on the health care system.

"While these continued changes are a sign of better days ahead, it doesn't mean throwing caution to the wind," said deputy mayor Al Sizer in a release from the city.

"COVID-19 has not disappeared. As we learn to manage and live with this virus, let's continue to make simple, smart decisions to keep ourselves and our loved ones safe – like getting vaccinated and boosted, and staying home when we're sick," he added.

"Just as importantly, please be kind and respect the choices of others who may be approaching this new normal at a different pace."