The City of Greater Sudbury recently learned that it is out of the running for Noront's ferrochrome production facility. The decision should come as no surprise as the process was flawed from the onset.
I was present during the town hall meetings in Capreol when Cliffs Natural Resources was initially considering the former Moose Mountain Mine site for the construction of a ferrochrome smelter.
Prior to any official pitch, the community and the neighbouring First Nations were presented with the project, the proposed benefits along with the potential concerns. The project had a mayor in Marianne Matichuk working in concert with Ward Coun. Dave Kilgour and strong support from local MPPs to ensure that citizens felt invested in the process and were given the opportunity to voice their concerns.
The process showed leadership, vision and a willingness to collaborate and listen to constituents. The result was a strong bid with support from the community that ensured Cliff's would be investing in our city should they have decided to move ahead with construction.
With respect to the Noront proposal, the citizens of Coniston had every right to be upset when they were not consulted prior to any decision to host the facility. They were not granted the opportunity to be part of any discussion and were ultimately blindsided by the announcement.
There was never any guarantee that Noront was going to choose Greater Sudbury. There was never any guarantee that Greater Sudbury would have welcomed the facility should it have been chosen.
What is certain is that the proposal lacked leadership in bringing all the necessary pieces forward to attract a significant economic investment to our community. If we are to move Greater Sudbury forward and prove that our city is the place of choice for new business, then we need to do it through consultation, transparency, and a willingness to work together. This is a model that works, and one that I would follow as the mayor of Greater Sudbury.
Cody Cacciotti
Candidate for mayor of the City of Greater Sudbury