Downtown Initiatives Undertaken by City of Greater Sudbury Since the Pandemic Began

Downtown Task Team
Mayor Brian Bigger convened a Task Team last year to address many of the issues faced by the downtown and
to increase collaboration amongst key partners.

The Downtown Task Team includes members from the following service providers:

• City of Greater Sudbury
• Greater Sudbury Police Service
• Public Health Sudbury & Districts
• Shkagamik-Kwe Health Centre
• Canadian Mental Health Association (CMHA)
• Business Improvement Association
• Northern Ontario School of Medicine
• Health Sciences North

 

The team shares the same priorities when it comes to supporting our community’s most vulnerable and our
downtown. By sharing expertise, the group is taking a unified approach to address critical issues and to identify
and work to find solutions for gaps in service and support.

 

Funding for Homeless and Vulnerable Populations

Since the beginning of the pandemic, the City of Greater Sudbury has received $6.12 million from senior levels
of government in support of homeless and vulnerable populations. That funding has been provided through a
number of programs:

• Social Services Relief Fund ($4,346,332) – part of the federal-provincial Safe Restart Agreement, which helps municipalities protect the health and well-being of residents while delivering critical services likeshelters and public transit.
• Mental Health and Addictions Funding ($898,280) – an Ontario Hospital Association initiative to explore funding approaches that support and incentivize improved quality of mental health and addictions care for Ontarians.
• Reaching Home ($848,607) – a federal community-based program aimed at preventing and reducing homelessness. It provides direct funding to communities across Canada to support their efforts in developing local solutions to homelessness.
• COVID-19 Community Response Fund for Vulnerable Populations ($34,500) – a collaboration between the Federation of Canadian Municipalities and the Canadian Medical Association, it directly funds cities and communities to support vulnerable populations struggling with the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic.

 

The funding has been allocated to support a long list of important projects for our city’s most vulnerable since
the start of the pandemic, including:

• Drop-in centres, including breakfast and security (Homelessness Network and YMCA)
• Youth shelter
• Temporary shelter (Cardinal Hotel)
• Transitional Housing business case
• Mobile Crisis Rapid Response Team (HSN)

 

Each year, the federal, provincial and municipal governments also jointly fund, to the tune of $4,498,963, a
number of initiatives for our homeless and vulnerable populations:

• Municipal = $968,182
• Provincial = $3,059,602
• Federal = $471,179

 

These initiatives include, but are not limited to:

•  Emergency shelters – men, women/family, youth
•  Homelessness prevention and training
•  Homelessness Network (Centre de Sante)
•  Extreme cold weather alert
•  Support outreach for fire victims
•  Needle pickup program and Bio Bins
•  Bus tickets

 

Other Downtown Initiatives

Council invested in a security pilot program aimed at having two security enforcement officers in the downtown.
It has also funded social workers assisting those in need in the area.

Mayor Bigger has met with a number of organizations including Sudbury Temporary Overdose Prevention
(STOP), Silent No More, and various community members who are expressing their concerns about the opioid
crisis. He has spoken with Michael Tibollo, Associate Minister of Mental Health and Addictions, about getting
assistance for the most vulnerable members in our community. We are in the process of putting together a
report on the continuum of care in the community and advocating for a local treatment facility.

The Mayor has also worked with the Parkside Centre to assist in providing meals to the homeless and has had a
number of meetings to assist our most vulnerable, including at the Elgin Street Mission.

The LED streetlight replacement project was completed at the end of 2020, and included a $100,000
contribution from the Downtown BIA. City Council recently approved a business case in the 2021 Budget for
additional improvements to downtown lighting. Procurement of a contractor is complete and the work is
expected to be completed in fall 2021.

Waste service crews are in Downtown Sudbury daily from Tuesday to Friday, emptying roadside litter containers
and conducting sidewalk and laneway litter collection. Approximately $150,000 is earmarked for this activity
annually.

Parks Services has added approximately 1,000 additional crew hours to increase activity and address cleanliness
and safety in Memorial Park. Crews have also done approximately $8,000 worth of upgrades and repairs to
downtown planters, including repairs to electrical services to allow for the new downtown lighting program, in
partnership with the BIA.

The City has invested in regular cleanups of downtown streets and sidewalks, with crews committed to the
following:

•  Spring cleanup – sweeping of roads and sidewalks ($53,000)
•  Street sweeping every Sunday night during the summer maintenance season ($20,000)
•  Hand pickup of litter from sidewalks, roads and lanes ($51,000)
•  Vacuum collection of refuse from sidewalks, roads, and lanes each weekday during the summer maintenance season ($118,000)
•  Graffiti cleanup

 

Economic Development

Supporting our downtown has been identified as a key theme of the Greater Sudbury Development
Corporation’s (GSDC) Economic Recovery Strategic Plan, which was developed in consultation with local
business owners and community members. Following a strategic planning session by the GSDC Board in April,
downtown revitalization was selected as one of two main priorities for the Board in 2021-22.

In support of the Mayor's Downtown Task Team, City staff from Investment & Business Development and
Planning met with downtown businesses in November 2020 to collect feedback on their experiences and share
information on government programs and City actions to assist them. To date, all the businesses indicated their
appreciation for the outreach effort as well as actions taken by the Task Team to improve security and
cleanliness downtown.

Downtown Sudbury has been working with local artists and arts & culture groups to explore opportunities to
enhance the burgeoning patio scene while adhering to physical distancing guidelines. Facing increased concerns
with various safety challenges such as drug use and illegal activities, Downtown Sudbury is working with
community partners to address the need for support and vigilance. The organization hired a part-time staff
member to assist with daily cleanup and provide additional "eyes on the street" to advise of issues and support
downtown stakeholders.

Staff from Economic Development and Growth & Infrastructure meet weekly with BIA representatives to provide
support for the downtown patio program and its participating businesses. Staff are working with the BIA and
businesses in other areas of the community to prepare for the upcoming patio season with a streamlined
application and review process, building on the success of the approach used in 2020.

Support Local Giveaway
The Economic Development team is working on a #SupportLocalSudbury initiative to support local businesses
and encourage residents to shop local, including Downtown. Through the 2021 Local Giveaways Contest, each
month entrants have a chance to win $500 worth of gift certificates for local restaurants, retail shops and
services.

Planning and Development
Staff from Engineering/Infrastructure Capitals Projects are currently working on two projects involving the
Downtown:

• Open Streets Policy – an internal working group is looking at routes in the Downtown, Flour Mill and the Donovan to inform the business case for 2022 Budget deliberations.
• Larch Street reconstruction between Elgin and Lisgar – the detailed design phase involves discussion with the Downtown BIA for design elements including streetscaping and depressed curbs along the length of the street.

 

Downtown Community Improvement Plan (CIP)

Since March 2020, the City has paid out $487,375 in grants and loans for Downtown Community Improvement
Plan (CIP) projects, including:

•  $250,000 in interest-free loans for a multi-residential development at 124 Cedar (creation of 20 new
• units);
•  $180,000 in Residential Per-Door Grants (20 units at 124 Cedar and 1 unit at 200 Larch);
•  $57,375 in Facade Improvement Grants at 69 Young, 73 Elm, 283 Cedar, 124 Elm, 200 Larch, 50 Lisgar.

The total private investment for these projects is estimated to be over $8.25 million.

In April, as part of the 2021 Budget, Council approved funding for more Downtown Sudbury CIP projects.
Through the CIP, the City made future funding commitments of approximately $5.5 million, which would unlock
private investment of approximately $47 million, representing a public-to-private sector ratio of 1:7.5.
Projects approved as part of the Budget include:

•  150,000 square foot mixed-use redevelopment project at 300 Elgin Street (the Ledo)
•  Three standalone façade improvement projects
•  6,000 square feet of new residential development space geared for students
•  Conversion of an existing residential and office building to a mid-century style boutique hotel and café/speakeasy

 

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