Opinion: City council’s Year One accomplishments

As we approach the New Year, it is important to reflect on the progress and achievements of the Greater Sudbury city council.

There have been a number of important changes within the organization and strategic planning in order to prepare council for the next three years. In addition to the work of council, there has been a lot of activity in the last 12 months that have boosted our sense of community pride and international image.

It is important to understand the impact our collaborative and strong council is having and the positive direction we are headed for in the New Year.

Within council’s first month
-Greater Sudbury hosted a stop on the Rogers Hometown Hockey Tour.
-Lieutenant Governor travelled to Greater Sudbury to present Gaétan Gervais with the Order of Canada.
-The bylaws restricting store hours were repealed at the first council meeting.
-The position of an auditor general and ombudsman were reinstated.

In the New Year
-The Charter of Greater Sudbury was signed by all of council, aimed at sustaining council unity and respect. We are committed to serving in the best interest of the citizens who elected us.
-Council completed its first budget, holding taxes at the same rates for 2015. Water rates were also held for 2015.
-We re-established open town hall meetings throughout the city with participation of the mayor.
-Greater Sudbury was declared the happiest city in Canada in a Statistics Canada Survey.
-The Amazing Race Canada announced it would be featuring Greater Sudbury on the show. A community viewing party was held with our partners at Science North with over 1,500 people in attendance. This was a great way to present our beautiful city to the rest of Canada and beyond. -An investigation into the Transit Kiosk Issue was announced by the mayor.
-Greater Sudbury celebrated the 400th anniversary of the Francophone presence in Ontario and the Francophone flag was raised at city hall.
-Two Strategic Planning Sessions of Council were held to determine Council’s vision and direction during the term.

Most recently
-Over $6 million in savings were identified for 2016 and ongoing. Close to a thousand suggestions on how to save money were presented by staff and the public in order to rethink, refocus and rebalance. Further ideas have been identified through this process, providing further savings to citizens in the coming years.
-Council has approved free transit for seniors all day on Mondays starting in the New Year.
-A campaign promise was fulfilled and a new auditor general was introduced and will begin work as of Dec. 1.
-Decision-making from the Health Community Initiatives Fund has been moved from council to Citizen and Leisure Services.
-The Large Projects Input Session was a tremendous success and has presented many good opportunities for Greater Sudbury.

The mayor and city council remain focused on delivering change and real results for the citizens of Greater Sudbury.

The New Year presents many further opportunities for improvement and we are looking forward to building upon the success we have had to date.

Brian Bigger is the mayor of Greater Sudbury.