City Council Meeting Wrap-Up – August 15, 2023
Aug 15, 2023
The City Council meeting on August 15 included updates on housing supply and demand, approval of the renaming of the George Armstrong Community Centre and Arena and approval of a revised Strategic Plan 2019-2027.
Housing Supply and Demand Analysis
Staff provided Council with an overview of the supply and demand analysis of Greater Sudbury’s housing needs, which was funded by the Province’s Streamline Development Approval Fund. This study resulted in a number of key findings regarding affordable housing and the local ownership and rental markets. This is just one of a series of background studies that will support the development of the City’s Housing Supply Strategy.
Council directed staff to apply to the Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation’s (CMHC) new Housing Accelerator Fund, which provides funding to municipal governments to increase housing supply across Canada at an accelerated rate.
As part of the application, staff will include an action plan that outlines a housing supply growth target, additional targets for multi-unit and affordable housing, and a number of initiatives that will help the City achieve those targets. This action plan aligns with the work being undertaken as part of the Streamline Development Approvals Fund and the Housing Supply Strategy.
CIP Amendment to Encourage Multi-Residential Development
The City’s Housing Supply and Demand Analysis identified an immediate need for approximately 500 new rental units to achieve a healthy vacancy rate of five per cent and an average of approximately 70 new rental units per year to meet anticipated demand.
Council directed staff to amend the current Strategic Core Areas Community Improvement Plan (CIP) to create a new, limited-time program that would provide financial incentives to private developers to spur the creation of new multi-residential units along the City’s strategic corridors. This new program is intended to support the City’s Housing Supply Strategy that is currently under development.
Renaming of George Armstrong Community Centre and Arena
Council approved the renaming of the Garson Community Centre and Arena (100 Church St., Garson) to the George Armstrong Community Centre and Arena, in recognition of the outstanding achievements of George Armstrong. An official renaming ceremony will be held at a date to be determined.
The Nickel Centre Minor Hockey Association applied for the renaming earlier this year, in honour of the Hall of Fame forward and captain of the Toronto Maple Leafs hockey team which won four Stanley Cup championships in the 1960s, former resident of the communities of Skead and Falconbridge, and one of the first players of Indigenous decent to score in the National Hockey League.
Council approved an updated Strategic Plan 2019-2027, which will form the basis of annual business planning. The revised plan reflects key themes and direction provided by Council earlier this year.
One of the most significant changes to the plan is the addition of a new strategic objective: Focus on Advancing Caring Services Based on Lessons Learned through our COVID-19 Experience. This recognizes the lessons learned from our experience during the COVID-19 pandemic and emphasizes the corporation’s values, particularly the values of trust and compassion.
At the Operations Committee meeting, members were provided with a summary of findings from the second phase of the Sustainable Waste Strategy, which is intended to guide the City in achieving its waste management planning goals over a 10-year period. The work done in this phase established a vision statement, guiding principles, metrics and evaluation criteria that will be used to identify and evaluate future options in the next phase of the project.
Home-sharing and short-term rental accommodations are becoming more common throughout Ontario, but Greater Sudbury does not currently have any regulations government these arrangements. Council directed staff to report back by November 7, 2023 with some options to implement regulations that outline the responsibilities and protect the safety of providers and users, and ensure these accommodations do not impact Greater Sudbury’s supply of long-term rental housing.
Through a member’s motion approved at Community and Emergency Services Committee and endorsed at Council, staff was directed to report back to the November committee meeting with options for alternative service levels that could be implemented by Council in the areas served by volunteer firefighters.
Staff has also been directed to update Council in the second and fourth quarters of each year on the status of volunteer recruitment and retention activities and the progress being made in meeting firefighter certification requirements.
For more details on these and other items from this week’s meetings, visit www.greatersudbury.ca/city-hall/mayor-and-council/meetings-agendas-and-minutes.