City Council Wrap-Up: April 29, 2025
Apr 30, 2025
Here is an overview of some key discussions and decisions from the City Council meeting on April 29.
Place des Arts
On the third anniversary of the opening of Place des Arts, Executive Director Denis Bertrand provided an update on the facility’s cultural impact and its vital role in the development and beautification of the downtown core. With approximately 40,000 visitors a year, Place des Arts has an annual economic impact of approximately $15 million. The organization successfully navigated its early challenges and is now becoming sustainable in its operations and services.
Community Home Improvement and Resilience Program
In December 2024, City Council requested that staff bring forward a report with options for a community-wide home energy and resilience retrofit guidance program. Council has now approved staff’s recommendation to develop a Community Home Improvement and Resilience Program (CHIRP), which aims to help local homeowners improve their homes' energy efficiency and resilience to climate change.
CHIRP will provide coaching services to guide homeowners through the retrofit process, helping them reduce greenhouse gas emissions, lower energy costs and increase home comfort and safety. In turn, this will help Greater Sudbury mitigate climate change and achieve its target of becoming a net-zero community by 2050. The three-year trial program (2026 to 2028) will be administered by the City’s Affordable Housing and Home Energy Concierge position, which is funded by the federal Housing Accelerator Fund.
Staff will now move forward with developing the CHIRP. Council will receive annual updates on the program’s outcomes and alignment with the City's climate action and housing priorities.
2025 Capital Construction Update
Staff provided an overview of 2024 capital construction projects, with a total investment of more than $72 million into the city’s roads, bridges, water, sanitary, drainage and active transportation networks The presentation also included an update on projects that are planned for 2025 to renew the City’s infrastructure and meet the evolving needs of the community.
For more details, read the 2025 capital projects news release here.
Purchasing By-law Updates: Putting Canada First
Council approved a new procurement policy – Putting Canada First – that updates the City’s Purchasing By-law in response to ongoing U.S. tariffs on Canadian goods.
These amendments aim to prioritize procurement from Canadian and non-U.S. suppliers wherever possible, in turn supporting local businesses, promoting economic resilience and contributing to a broader national trade and economic development strategy.
The proposed changes include increasing the threshold for open-competitive procurement and defining criteria for Canadian and non-U.S. suppliers. The policy does include exemptions to address supply chain risks and budget implications, ensuring flexibility and adaptability in procurement decisions.
This policy will remain in effect for the duration of U.S. tariffs or the threat of tariffs on Canadian goods, which are not in accordance with the Canada-United States-Mexico Agreement.
Board Appointment
In February 2025, Council directed staff to receive applications from Indigenous persons in the community to be appointed to the Board of Health for Public Health Sudbury & Districts. Angela Recollet has now been appointed to this position.
For more details on these and other items from this week’s meetings, visit www.greatersudbury.ca/meetings-agendas-and-minutes.