As the municipal election campaign is set to go into high gear after Labour Day, the Greater Sudbury Chamber of Commerce is calling on local politicians to do a better job communicating its plans with the public.
Chamber spokesperson David Boyce said, for example, the Kingsway Entertainment District includes a new $100-million arena, and the chamber would like to ensure the cost of the project doesn't outweigh its benefits.
“It seems to us that Sudbury does need a new arena,” Boyce said. “City council has made the decision to put it on the Kingsway. Our view is, let's continue to look at what it's going to cost to build it, who's going to pay for what and what the income and costs of running the facility will be over its economic life.
“If the city chooses to finance it with debt financing, as seems likely, then we'd like to see that debt get paid off over the economic life of the facility."
It's important the public have access to information, including “sound and transparent operating plans,” he said.
"We're looking to make sure that it makes sense in terms of the amount of money they're spending relative to the economic benefits that will come from that,” Boyce said.
“We're not expecting it to make a profit, but we would say the amount you're spending on the centre should make sense in terms of the economic benefit that will come to Sudbury down the road. That includes looking at what the operating costs will be on a go-forward basis."
The project is still evolving, and legal appeals may lead to changes such as the scope and costs of what's being planned.
"We just want to make sure they regularly communicate with the community, so people can re-evaluate what's going on."
Communication was a major issue last summer when several businesses on Kelly Lake Road were told suddenly the road would close for an extended period for emergency bridge repairs.
The outcry led the city to put in a temporary bridge to allow access to Kelly Lake, but Boyce said that's a perfect example of what shouldn't happen.
"And the Kingsway, too,” he said. “There's been a lot of work on the Kingsway over the last decade. We're just trying to ensure business owners that are going to be affected by road and related construction know as early on in the process as possible."
And the perennial wish of chambers of commerce is also on the list: less red tape for developers looking to build, as well as “one-stop shopping” at city hall for the approvals process.
"There has been some progress in reducing red tape, I would say,” Boyce said. “We don't think they're there yet. There's still some work to do."
Overall, the chamber has set five priorities for this election:
- The Kingsway Entertainment District and The Junction;
- Planning our infrastructure investments;
- Supporting business at Tom Davies Square;
- Building a skilled workforce; and
- Pro-actively managing our water systems.
