City Council Wrap-Up: February 18, 2025

Here is an overview of some key discussions and decisions from the City Council meeting on February 18.

Update on the Cultural Hub and Event Centre

Throughout 2024, staff and project partners worked to advance the Cultural Hub at Tom Davies Square, including engaging with First Nations, advisory panels and community groups; presenting Council with the schematic design, renderings and a Class C cost estimate; and securing $24.9 million in federal funding.

Staff issued a Request for Prequalification, which generated significant interest and resulted in prequalification of six firms that specialize in construction management of complex projects. A Request for Proposal for a construction manager is being finalized and will be posted to those prequalified firms soon. The contract is anticipated to be awarded this spring, with construction slated to begin in the third quarter of 2025.

Meanwhile, staff conducted a comprehensive evaluation of all pertinent information to identify the optimal site for the new Event Centre, and the site has now been selected. This modern facility will be built in the blocks bordered by Minto, Van Horne, Brady and Shaughnessy Streets. Read the February 18 news release here.

Read the Cultural Hub and Event Centre update report here.

Motions Related to Event Centre

• Council defeated a motion to reconsider the April 2024 resolution to build a new event centre, based on the threat of tariffs from the United States.
• Council approved a motion directing staff to prepare a report for the development of the downtown South District. The report will be brought forward for Council’s consideration by the end of June, and is to include:
  • a recommended approach to attract, solicit and review development proposals for the South District that align with the City’s goals;
  • opportunities to reduce barriers to development in the area and make it attractive for investment,
  • a plan for the best use of the existing Sudbury Community Arena and its land,
  • a summary of steps to be taken to update studies for parking in the downtown, and
  • a summary of how the site location will be integrated into the Downtown Master Plan.

Window and Door Replacement at 1960B Paris

Council approved a recommendation to draw $1 million in additional funding from the Capital Holding Account Reserve to complete the replacement of all single-pane windows and balcony doors at 1960B Paris Street. This project is a second phase to work previously completed at 1960A, when 101 units received window and door upgrades in 2018.

Read the report here.

Appointment of Deputy Mayors

Councillor Sizer and Councillor Landry-Altmann were reappointed as Deputy Mayors for the term ending November 14, 2026.

The City’s Procedure By-law (2019-50) outlines that Council must appoint two members as Deputy Mayors for one-half of the term of Council, to act in the Mayor’s place if he is absent or unable to perform any duty of office, and to chair closed Council and Nominating Committee meetings. Councillors Sizer and Landry-Altmann were also Deputy Mayors for the first half of this Council term.

Board Appointment

Due to a vacancy on the Board of Health for Public Health Sudbury & Districts, Council directed staff to receive applications from Indigenous persons in the community. A representative will be appointed to the Board by the City’s Nominations Committee.

Member’s Motion on Naturalized Areas in Yards

Council approved a motion from Councillors Sizer and McIntosh aimed at recognizing the importance of naturalized area as habitats for pollinators like birds, butterflies and bumblebees. The motion directed staff to review options for the inclusion of naturalized areas in applicable yard maintenance by-laws, including a comparison to other municipalities. Staff will present a report for Council’s consideration by October 2025.

Read the motion here.

Member’s Motion on Tariffs

Given the United States government’s threat of significant tariffs against Canadian products, Council approved a member’s motion from Mayor Lefebvre asking the provincial and federal governments to work with municipalities to provide clearer guidance and make it easier for cities to prioritize Canadian companies when making procurement decisions. The motion also directed City staff to:

• continue to investigate alternative products, supplies and materials to current municipal purchasing from United States suppliers.
• develop a framework that enables the prioritization of products, supplies and materials from countries other than the United States.

Read the motion and the Mayor’s statement here.

Other Items

Council meetings often include reports as “Correspondence for Information Only”. At this meeting, those reports included the following:

• A summary of Council member attendance at outside Board meetings in 2024. Read the summary reports here.
• A report from the Ontario Ombudsman about their investigation into a meeting of the Flour Mill Community Action Network on April 8, 2024. Read the report here.
• A report on a potential enhanced property tax deferral program for older adult and disabled homeowners was deferred to the next Council meeting.

For more details on these and other items from this week’s meetings, visit www.greatersudbury.ca/meetings-agendas-and-minutes.