In Sudbury.com’s ongoing efforts to ensure you have all the information you need to make informed voting decisions in the Oct. 24 municipal election, we have reached out to candidates for ward councillor and each of them to provide responses to a short questionnaire.
Besides a photograph, we requested a response from each candidate, limited to 200 words each, under each of the following three categories:
- Tell me a bit about yourself
- Why are you seeking election?
- What are your key platform points?
In the interest of fairness, candidates’ responses have been provided in full, with only minor corrections made for clarity and grammar. In the event a candidate went over the 200-word limit per category, their response was cut off to the end of the nearest sentence. In cases where candidates did not separate their response by the three topics, they were cut off at the 600-word mark to the nearest sentence.
The photographs provided have been included in this coverage, cropped to adhere to Sudbury.com’s sizing requirements.
Candidates were sent the inquiry on Oct. 4, at which time a deadline of Oct. 9 was announced. A follow-up email to those candidates who did not respond was issued on Oct. 11 with a noon deadline the following day.
Four candidates are seeking election in Ward 7, which is the only among the city’s 12 wards in which the incumbent councillor is not seeking re-election.
With seven candidates vying for election, Ward 8 is the most popular seat in Greater Sudbury.
In addition to incumbent Al Sizer, candidates include Carla Ross-Arsenault, Vital Rainville, Bill McElree, Patrick McCoy, Gordon Drysdale and Patrick Augé.
Ward 8 includes a swath of New Sudbury east of Barrydowne Road around several blocks of Lasalle Boulevard. It has a population of 11,066 and an area of 15.8 square kilometres.
To find out whether you live in Ward 8, click here.
The following is what came in for Ward 8.
Patrick Augé
Tell me a bit about yourself
I’m Patrick Augé, a lifelong resident of the City of Greater Sudbury and the fifth generation of my family to proudly call it home. I’m a young candidate continually learning while growing my network to be able to collaborate to get the job done now. I have studied a variety of programs at our most cherished post-secondary institutions. Fortunately, I discovered my enthusiasm for public service, helping others and improving quality of life for all early on. This led me to join numerous social committees and the Ontario Educational Leadership Centre. Plus, I have actively volunteered throughout my life to support positive changes within the community.
Why are you seeking election?
My goal is to elevate our city to better reflect the priorities of our neighbours in Ward 8. I will do this by canvassing the neighborhood and talking with as many citizens as possible. I promise to continually address the ideas and concerns of our community. I will maintain a record of this valuable information during my networking efforts, and when collaborating with my comrades. I am a young candidate and wish to bring more representation in council for the people of my generation. Regardless of the outcome of this election, I will continue working and volunteering for all of you. I believe this makes me an ideal candidate in the upcoming election.
What are your key platform points?
Leadership & Collaboration
- consultation with organizations and community leaders
- collaboration and open dialogue with community members
- encouraging participation and leadership within the community
Financial Responsibility
- openness
- value for service
- reduce fiscal inefficiencies
Environmental Stewardship
- appropriate zoning
- environmental innovation
- continued regreening effort
Housing Affordability and Homelessness
- support unhoused citizens
- investment in neighbourhoods
- maintaining affordable housing
Protecting Our Institutions and Assets
- continued innovation
- protecting our greatest assets
- supporting the restructuring of Laurentian University and Université de Sudbury
Maintaining Our Infrastructure
- supporting local businesses
- properly allocate investments
- maintenance of our existing infrastructure
Gordon Drysdale - No response
Patrick McCoy
Tell me a bit about yourself
Hi, I’m Patrick! I’m a lifelong Greater Sudburian who has always believed in making communities better. It wasn’t until I spent a few years working and exploring southern Ontario that I realized our city’s true potential. As a young staffer at Queen’s Park, I learned the value of bringing people together to achieve common goals. I’ve worked across party lines because good ideas don’t come in partisan colours. Through this work, I’ve served residents, prepared legislation, and researched many of the most significant issues of our time. I’m proud of my work standing up for people and fighting for what’s right.
An entrepreneur at heart, I launched my first communications company in 2011 at age 23, conducting field research for campaigns across Canada. Over the past three years, I’ve worked on building a marketing consultancy that works exclusively with non-profit campaigns and causes in North America and Europe.
I’m proud to call Ward 8 my home – where I live and work. It’s my neighbourhood. I’m running to represent my neighbours because my life has prepared me for this role.
Why are you seeking election?
I'm running to be the new city councillor for Ward 8 New Sudbury because it's time to shake up city hall. Like many, I've watched our city hurt over the past eight years. Our roads are crumbling, tax dollars are wasted, the Kingsway Entertainment District is effectively dead, and we're moving ahead with a $100-million downtown library. This council couldn't even get the basics right but is willing to borrow hundreds of millions for projects they can't even get started.
I decided to run in this election when city staff suggested a nearly 10 per cent tax increase to maintain the same level of service. To make this suggestion when people are just starting to recover from the COVID-19 pandemic, soaring inflation, and the increasing costs of living is absurd.
Taxpayers need to know why it costs our municipality so much to provide the most basic services to people.
I have a solid track record working for mayors, MPPs and MPs. I know what it takes to be an effective representative who gets results. Most importantly, I believe that I can bring generational change to city hall. We will have a new mayor on Oct. 24. It's time to vote for a new council, too.
What are your key platform points?
I'm running to represent my neighbours at city hall because I feel it's essential for people to have a say. I've committed to being a full-time city councillor because the residents in Ward 8 deserve a representative who works as hard as them.
The foundation of my platform is built on affordability and accountability. Residents no longer see the value in the taxes they pay. We cannot continue asking them to spend more when they expect to get even less. We must fix our roads, build infrastructure, attract new investment, and provide the necessities people deserve from their city government. My key priorities include the following:
- Freezing property taxes for two years while getting our fair share of the mining royalties
- Hold a referendum on Junction East and the KED
- Cap the salary of the mayor and all senior staff at $165,000 (same as a cabinet minister)
- Get housing built by freezing development charges and cutting the red tape
- Make record investments in fixing local roads: not the same arteries year after year
- Protect, enhance, and build on the network of parks, green spaces, trails, and pedestrian infrastructure across Ward 8
Bill McElree
Tell me a bit about yourself
I moved to Sudbury in 1990 to become the mid-day announcer for CHNO. In that first year I participated in well over 100 community events and fell in love with the region. From radio to the wedding industry, the relationships formed have provided me opportunities to work with charities like raising more than $20,000 for the Iris Addiction Recovery Centre for Women, the Absolute Charity Gala for Ukraine raising $26,000 in less than three weeks assisting victims of the war. I’ve officiated Celebrations of Life, more than 800 weddings and, during the pandemic, wore out workbooks in every mining site in the region to come to know the community I am proud to call home.
I have a son who makes me so proud every day, and that relationship reminds me of the future I want to leave for him. He deserves a community he can be proud of but also a father he can be proud of. Service to each other is our highest calling and I hope he continues my example.
I chose to stay here and make Greater Sudbury my home 32 years ago. It’s now time to give back.
Why are you seeking election?
Complaining becomes whining if you are not willing to solve the problem. There’s no time for study, another consultant or ignoring the problem until the next council takes over. Doing so has made our problems worse, more expensive and left no easy solutions. Our deputy mayor and Ward 8 councillor doesn’t seem to have provided any innovative solutions and seems to favour the way things have always been done both as a city employee and councillor in charge of city hall oversight on our behalf.
And where is the communication with those that chose their councillor? So many in my ward don’t even know who he is, which is failing to be accountable and allowing the elector to feel heard. Communication is a councillor’s first and most important responsibility. I will do better by standing up before every quarterly meeting of the Ward 8 Community Action Network to explain my decisions and, more importantly, listen to my neighbours.
Council has let problems fester such as maintenance, the expanding tragedy downtown and roads that have become a laughing stock. It’s fiscally irresponsible to ignore the challenges we face as well as the cumulative harm it does to our community.
What are your key platform points?
1. Enabling our front line workers at city hall to become case workers for new and existing businesses to navigate the burdensome red tape needs to be the priority. New and expanding business means a stronger tax base to pay the bills.
When the deputy mayor and Ward 8 councillor took office, our debt load was $19 million. Today it’s more than $355 million, not including the $2.7 billion needed just to bring our facilities and infrastructure (such as roads) up to date. We can’t expect our fixed income seniors or youth entering the workforce to pay the taxes needed to pay the bills. Our existing tax base is shrinking. Encouraging new and expanding businesses is the solution.
2. Seniors and families need help now and with solutions like Friendship Calls to reach out to the elderly that can no longer self-advocate and courses on how to shop for healthy food choices families struggle with inflation don’t need provincial funding only leadership at the grass roots level.
3. Not prioritizing the downtown is costing us in lost businesses, health-care services, municipal resources, lower public transportation participation and allows the homelessness, trafficking and addiction problem to fester to the point where it’s spreading to other wards including Ward 8.
Vital Rainville
I was born and raised in Sudbury, specifically in the Flour Mill area. Later as a teenager, our family moved to New Sudbury, so I attended MacDonald Cartier Secondary School, the closest in our area. Immediately after graduating, I was hired at INCO and retired with 35 years of service. I then worked for the Rainbow District School Board as a cleaner and retired again after five and a half years of service.
When my wife and I married in 1980, we chose to live in Ward 8 and continue to live in this area of prime choice. One would say also in our favourite city.
I am mostly interested in running because of the knowledge and our rich history in our area. I feel the need to give back to our community and have lived in the same neighbourhood I love for 42 years.
I also wish to keep all the beauty and values that are so easy to misuse. We have two schools that have been closed and this will soon give opportunities for the community's well being.
We have an aging population, and Cyril Varney public on Garry street offers a perfect opportunity to be used without much money and infrastructure change as a senior residence and or community centre.
Saint Benedict on Auger Street has other opportunities and the local residents of that particular area must have input before it is put on the auction block and or the city changes the zoning bylaws for the benefit of a large and perhaps outside developing firm. The local residents must have input. I will work hard, help and make sure that we do not lose any green areas and further develop these for the benefit of our next generation. Westmount Avenue Public School will also be available for some development and or changes and this is also part of my ambitions for our ward.
I volunteer at Rosemary playground mostly in winter and wish to prioritize this small but much-needed venue for our children. This was neglected in the past and with little money can be much improved.
The mining companies have had free tax reign in our community and we will shift a portion of the burden to the mining companies. A Highway-407 style toll system for Maley Drive and also a royalty taxation system is not out of reach and will be pursued.
Working with the province council and the new Mayor we can and will accomplish this...
Key points are, our parks need to be improved and maybe schools that are now closed or closing will be kept for this purpose and improved. Road repairs are a priority and speed-calming strategies must be used on Lansing Avenue and the rest of our city. There are far too many accidents causing fatalities and bodily harm. This must stop.
Carla Ross-Arsenault - No response
Al Sizer
Tell me a bit about yourself
I am a lifelong resident of the City of Greater Sudbury, born, raised and educated here.
I’ve witnessed the city evolve from a hard rock mining town to one of international prominence and stature.
I retired from a career with the city, where I started as a Zamboni driver in one of the local rinks and served in many roles. I finished my career with the City of Greater Sudbury as administrator of the city’s 24 cemetery properties. After retirement, a lifelong ambition to serve as a city councillor was realized when I received an appointment to city council. I have since been re-elected twice. During both terms, I have served as deputy mayor. I am also a member of the Community Services Committee, the chair of the Greater Sudbury Police Services Board, Sudbury Airport Development Corporation Board, Solid Waste Advisory Panel, Board of Directors for the Art Gallery of Sudbury and was most recently appointed as a director of the FONOM Board.
While a full-time employee of the city, I returned to Laurentian University on a part-time basis, graduating with a degree in Political Science.
Married to Simone, we have two grown sons, and one granddaughter.
Why are you seeking re-election?
I am seeking re-election to continue to better our great city. Much has been accomplished in the previous four years of council and I want to maintain these initiatives and improve our community for every one of our residents.
This city has been home to me my entire life, and as a former city employee, I have witnessed the expertise and talent the City of Greater Sudbury has in the arts, sports, industry and leadership in various sectors. Our re-greening success story is but one example of our ability to provide solutions to world problems.
My entire professional life has been one of serving and working with residents (volunteers) and providing them with the best of conditions and facilities for them to host national and provincial events or best practices, for whatever service they needed.
I want to continue to provide the expertise and leadership required to help this City of Greater Sudbury be the best it can be.
What are your key platform points?
I will continue to serve with the quality representation you deserve.
Individual concerns raised by residents will receive my utmost attention. I want to concentrate on a governance model that highlights a “back to basics” platform that will help provide more attention to our neighbourhoods.
Accountability and transparency have always been important for me to provide information on city policy or projects. I will continue to provide information to any resident. Councillors and council must meet that minimum requirement.
Infrastructure, roads, water wastewater, and buildings must be maintained. Part of the need is to address these needs in our wards. Money should be redirected to improving our local roads.
I will advocate for tax dollars to be redirected to enhance winter sidewalk maintenance, to improve trails, advocate for continuing our Active Transportation Network as recommended through our Transportation Demand Policy. This will deliver incentives for cycling, pedestrian and transit infrastructure.
I will continue to demonstrate leadership in the development of policies and actions that positively influence climate change as the City of Greater Sudbury works to reduce carbon emissions through our Climate Energy and Emissions Plan.
Election day is Oct. 24, which will be preceded by two weeks of online voting and advance paper ballot opportunities. For a rundown of voting locations, click here.
