City Council Approves Development of New Downtown Event Centre

At the meeting on April 16, City Council voted unanimously to proceed with building a new event centre in Greater Sudbury’s downtown South District.

Last September, Council directed staff to provide further detailed analysis on two options: a new build event centre and a renovation of the Sudbury Community Arena. In addition to reviewing previous reports produced over the past several years, staff engaged two third-party experts to assist with this analysis.

This work included:

• An updated structural condition assessment of the Sudbury Community Arena, including recommendations for additional investigation, if necessary.

• Analysis and recommendations that considered both options, while considering previously completed evaluations.
• Evaluation of the potential for private sector participation in each scenario.
• Preparation of a financial plan for each scenario.

Based on this analysis, staff concluded that a new event centre provides the best opportunity to meet Council’s objectives with the least impact, the greatest opportunity for complementary investment and the least risk during construction. This option directly provides capital investments that support community goals for downtown renewal, asset renewal, climate change leadership and economic development. 

“The decision to build a new event centre aligns with Council’s vision for redevelopment of downtown’s South District. This is an important investment in our city’s future,” said Greater Sudbury Mayor Paul Lefebvre. “Part of building a healthy and prosperous city means pursuing opportunities for growth, investment and employment. Making thoughtful investments in community infrastructure, specifically in the South District of downtown, will not just present a welcoming image for residents and visitors, but will send a confident message to businesses and investors.”

In 2023, City Council voted to acquire several properties in downtown’s South District to advance redevelopment and reiterate their support for economic development priorities and strategic goals. This land will be available for redevelopment, which increases capacity to respond to new opportunities and stimulate an economic hub. As the City embarks on an updated Downtown Master Plan, choices about specific future land uses in the South District will be subject to further consideration. 

The new building cost estimate is $200 million. Considering the funds currently available, this estimate will require up to $135 million in additional financing, which falls well within both Council’s debt management policy and provincial limits on municipal debt levels.

Funds to repay the debt will come from a combination of adjustments resulting from the ongoing Core Service Review update, the Enterprise Asset Management Plan update, private contributions, alternate revenue sources such as the Municipal Accommodation Tax and a portion of the special infrastructure renewal levy. Together, these funding sources help manage financial implications that would otherwise require future property tax levy increases.

Staff will now take the following steps:

• Prepare, issue, evaluate and award the necessary Request for Proposal to procure a lead architect and engineering team for the project.
• Recruit a project director.
• Begin the process to identify a site for the new event centre in the South District.
• Prepare a Request for Expressions of Interest to begin the engagement process with the private sector to realize South District redevelopment.
• Commence the process to secure additional debt financing following a timeline that reflects market conditions and project cash flow requirements.
• As directed by Council, adjust the financing plan so that it does not introduce a new special capital levy or a new increase in the tax levy, but instead:
• Directs the use of funds identified as savings from service reviews currently underway,
• Assigns non-tax revenue sources such as the Municipal Accommodation Tax and, if required,
• Allocates funds raised from the special capital levy to support the city’s asset renewal needs.

Staff will report to Council on a regular basis with updates on both the progress of the event centre and the status of redevelopment of the South District.

To see the reports from the Council meeting, project FAQs and more information on the event centre, visit www.greatersudbury.ca/eventcentre.