The city councillor who has been most vocal in his opposition to the Kingsway Entertainment District is calling on residents in the city to use the Oct. 22 municipal vote to take a close look at candidates who are opposed to the project.
“What we have here, which the public and candidates for local government are seeing very clearly, is a well-orchestrated plan by staff, unelected local power figures, and some around the council table, to put so much skin in the game that we cannot turn back,” Signoretti writes. “I am not prepared to tie the hands of the future council with this decision.
“I am extremely gratified that many local candidates for both council and the mayoral seat are joining me to bring light to this financial incompetence ... The Kingsway entertainment district development will be the controversy that will probably result in a much needed clean-up at city hall.”
The Kingsway project includes a $100 million community arena, a $60 million casino, as well as a proposed hotel on the site. Opponents of the plan want the arena to stay downtown, and have strong financial and moral objections to allowing a casino.
Approved by a close 7-6 vote in spring 2017, the project is the subject of several planning appeals at the provincial Local Planning Appeals Tribunal, with a first conference set for November. Council voted last week to award a $8.5 million contract to begin excavating the site, despite the legal action.
In his letter, Signoretti said it's crazy to keep spending money on a project that could be stopped by a legal process.
“I am on record over the last year strongly, and independently, raising alarm bells about city tax dollars being foolishly spent on a development on the Kingsway that has yet to be given a green light by the province,” he said in his letter. “Sadly, the citizens of this community are being disrespected, and are being taken for fools.
Signoretti was on vacation last week and didn't take part in the vote, but says in the letter that the appeals have been declared valid by the LPAT, putting the project in jeopardy.
“Who in their right mind would spend millions of dollars without even knowing whether those buildings will even be allowed to be built?” he wrote.
“More seriously disturbing is the notion that city staff, and some local politicians, think it is all right to take hard-earned tax dollars from our citizens and spend it on non-city owned land. What is the rush? It is not our concern or responsibility to help the casino meet a deadline to be in their new facility. That is the responsibility of the Kingsway landowner; not the city, not the citizens.
“People of Greater Sudbury, please make your voice heard. I encourage all citizens of Greater Sudbury to share their opinions of how they expect their tax dollars to be spent.”
Full text of Signoretti's letter:
A Movement To Clean Up Local Politics Is At Hand
The Kingsway entertainment district development will be the controversy that will probably result in a much needed clean-up at city Hall.
I am on record over the last year strongly, and independently, raising alarm bells about city tax dollars being foolishly spent on a development on the Kingsway that has yet to be given a green light by the province. Sadly, the citizens of this community are being disrespected, and are being taken for fools.
At the Aug. 14 council meeting, it was revealed that staff has further led the march to spend public dollars on privately-owned land on the Kingsway.
Unfortunately, I was on a preplanned family holiday and could not attend this Council meeting, but I assure you that staff and my colleagues on Council were, and are, fully aware of my unwavering, strong opposition to ANY taxpayer dollars being spent on the Kingsway site prior to the LPAT appeals being concluded.
This provincially-mandated committee has stated that there are grounds for the appeals of both the arena and casino developments. Who in their right mind would spend millions of dollars without even knowing whether those buildings will even be allowed to be built?
More seriously disturbing is the notion that city staff, and some local politicians, think it is all right to take hard-earned tax dollars from our citizens and spend it on non-city owned land. What is the rush? It is not our concern or responsibility to help the casino meet a deadline to be in their new facility. That is the responsibility of the Kingsway landowner; not the city, not the citizens.
What we have here, which the public and candidates for local government are seeing very clearly, is a well-orchestrated plan by staff, unelected local power figures, and some around the Council table, to put so much skin in the game that we cannot turn back. I am not prepared to tie the hands of the future council with this decision.
I am extremely gratified that many local candidates for both council and the mayoral seat are joining me to bring light to this financial incompetence. It is incredible how millions of dollars are being spent by the city on a developer’s land, when every other developer in this town absorbs all onsite costs for their projects.
Every contractor in this town, whether small or big, should be inundating the press with their thoughts on this inequitable activity.
It is incredible, unfathomable, and totally ridiculous, that economic priorities in this community change as quickly as it takes for the sun to set and rise. In the past years, a huge emphasis was placed on the logical need to increase the local inventory of serviced industrial land. The future progress of Greater Sudbury depends on new industries coming to town.
This fact is well known and documented. In the past, a lot of time, effort, and resources were allocated to an economic plan which would see upgraded services on Isabella and Fielding roads for example, to provide ready-to-develop, job-creating, industrial lands.
The city, to the dismay of local industrial landowners, never could come up with the dollars to maximize the inventory of lands in which new businesses could be attracted to, or lands which current businesses can expand on. Yet, all of a sudden, eight and a half million tax dollars have been found to support a Kingsway development which still cannot apply for a building permit due to appeals to the province.
People of Greater Sudbury— please—make your voice heard. I encourage all citizens of Greater Sudbury to share their opinions of how they expect their tax dollars to be spent. The Kingsway development epitomizes an effort by staff, some local politicians, and unelected power groups to direct YOUR hard-earned tax dollars in a manner that benefits one private developer.
The city does not do this for ANY other developer.
Ask everyone who is running for council, as well as the mayoral candidates, how they will ensure that public tax money is spent with the interests of the whole city in mind?
How do the candidates feel about whimsically changing Greater Sudbury’s priorities and plans without full disclosure to the public of how decisions are made?
Will all candidates commit to being independent, and not be influenced by outside lobbying?
I end by saying once again, the movement for real change towards accountable, transparent and local government is here.
Let the Kingsway project be the impetus for a strong declaration by the community that enough is enough.
