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'City's future' rests on council, mayor says, in justifying move to dismiss development board

Bigger also says he's simply fulfilling a campaign promise, but GSDC board members wonder why they were blindsided by the move
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Mayor Brian Bigger says his motion to dismiss the Greater Sudbury Development Corp. board of directors is his way of fulfilling a campaign promise to make development and growth a top priority. (File)

The turbulent times at Tom Davies Square show no signs of slowing down, with the June 25 meeting shaping up to be as fiery and controversial as any in recent memory.

In addition to motions on a policy to force Greater Sudbury Utilities to pay the city annual dividends, which the utility argues against, and a motion to restrict the actions of the downtown BIA, council will also tackle a sweeping economic development reform plan from Mayor Brian Bigger.

Bigger's motion would replace the board of directors at Greater Sudbury Development Corp., giving city council control and responsibility for economic development. The board itself would be replaced with a new group, dubbed the Sudbury Select Cabinet for Economic Development.

In an interview Tuesday, the mayor said the plan is part of his 2018 campaign promises to have council put more focus on economic development.

“In the last election, I talked about how important it was for us to grow and so it's been a definite priority for me, and I believe for council,” he said. “So that's really the impetus for this — the growth of our city is the top priority right now for us. We need to attract investment into our community.”

While he appreciates the work of the existing GSDC board, Bigger said it's ultimately the elected representatives who are responsible for setting the city on a course to grow.

“The city's future rests on us,” he said. “The idea behind it is elevating economic development with presentations to council. ... I see this as kind of reducing some of the existing process to become more integrated and more responsive — a more nimble approach to opportunities that would be brought forward on economic development.”

Exactly who would sit on the select cabinet, and how it would function, is something that still has to be determined, Bigger said. This is a new, made-in-Greater-Sudbury approach not modeled on what other cities are doing.

“I think the most fitting way to look at it is it's an independent approach here in the City of Greater Sudbury by a council who's very interested in economic development and growth and investment in our city,” Bigger said. “The future is very good for Sudbury and there will be many opportunities coming our way. I'd like to make sure that we clear the path for any of these opportunities and bring them right to council's attention as quickly as possible.”

But most members of the current GSDC board, aside from Bigger, Ward 10 Coun. Fern Cormier and Ward 5 Coun. Bob Kirwan, are questioning the motives behind the massive overhaul. 

Board chair Brian Vaillancourt said in an email he would not do an interview about the mayor's plan. However, the board released an open letter Thursday signed by most members, including Ward 1 Coun. Mark Signoretti, but not Bigger or Kirwan. The letter points to a review of GSDC completed by consultant John T. Dinner last November.

The Dinner review, prompted by recommendations by Auditor General Ron Foster, called for much more independence for the board, eliminating city council representation and giving the GSDC control over its budget. And the group would be responsible for vetting all economic opportunities – the report mentions the board was upset it was consulted on The Junction, but not on the Kingsway Entertainment District.

In the open letter, GSDC board members said they tried to work with the city after the report was released to come up with a new model, one that maintained a role for city council.

“In keeping with this shared responsibility, the GSDC ad hoc committee identified options for renewed models of governance for the consideration of council that would include the participation of council and maintain council’s ultimate decision-making authority,” the letter said.

But they didn't receive a response to those efforts until they saw — without advance warning — Bigger's motion to replace them.

“It is disconcerting that the mayor chose to take this step without discussion with the GSDC in the regular course of the governance review, which the GSDC had undertaken in good faith as a response to the recommendations in the auditor general’s report,” the letter said.

The mayor's proposal lacks specifics, the letter said, which raises questions about how open and transparent the new process would be.

“The motion tabled by the mayor for presentation to council next week would be done without discussion or consultation with the GSDC, and directly reflects the concerns for transparency and accountability outlined in the recommendations of the governance consultant and the auditor general,” the letter concludes.

In response, Bigger said more clarity about what the new model will look like will emerge if his motion is approved June 25. And he flatly denied the move was a response to the Dinner report.

“No,” Bigger said. “It's not a response to the consultant's report. It's an independent strategy based on elevating economic development in the City of Greater Sudbury to the level of council and having presentations made directly to a city council.”

With the city enjoying strong economic and employment growth, it would seem an odd time to replace the GSDC, but Bigger said the opposite is true. With a number of opportunities coming to the city, he said it's vital city council plays a direct role in ensuring the good times continue.

Council has already reduced development charges for business, he said, and a liaison position has been created to help ease any issues between developers and city staff. GSDC reform is just the next step, he said.

“If people have been watching and tracking the statistics, you know how well our economy is currently doing,” he said. “This is our time to grow and I want to elevate the entire process so that people interested in investing in our community understand that council is absolutely supportive of investment and growth.”

And he said current board members could end up on the select cabinet.

“I do see a place for the people who have contributed in the past and will continue to contribute from the community ... through the select cabinet on economic development. This select cabinet would also provide reports and more frequent reports up to council. So there's a role for everyone in this.”


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Darren MacDonald

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