If he’s elected mayor of Greater Sudbury, Bill Crumplin said he’ll “do all he can” to prevent development in the Howard Armstrong Regional Park.
“The Howard Armstrong Park is the only regional park in Valley East,” Crumplin said in a news release this week. “Regional parks are intended to be special places for all residents. We wouldn't contemplate paving over Bell Park or Moonlight Beach – yet under the leadership of Mayor Brian Bigger, the planned destruction of Howard Armstrong Park has been quietly moving forward.”
In May, public consultation began on a proposal to build a twin-pad arena on 10 acres at the Howard Armstrong Park.
But, Crumplin said, city council never asked the public whether it wanted “the dismemberment” of the park to go ahead.
“Again, council is making decisions first, and going through sham public consultation after the fact,” Crumplin said in a news release.
“Howard Armstrong Park is a place of recreation valued by citizens for trails and links to the natural environment. It shouldn't be on the chopping block for the kind of public infrastructure that would better be located in a more accessible part of Valley East. There's no good reason to destroy the Valley's only regional park, and as mayor, I'll do everything that I can to put a stop to it.”
Crumplin said the Greenspace Advisory Panel's 2010 Final Report states regional parks are to be focal points for the city due to their unique attributes, function and size.
“Presently, half of the Howard Armstrong Park remains in a natural state and contains Rainbow Routes and other informal trails,” Crumplin said. “The city's Green Space Classification System indicates that Natural Parks should be 15 hectares or larger to better enhance ecological and recreational benefits. The City's 2014 Parks, Open Space and Leisure Master Plan indicates that the City will have a limited ability to acquire land for regional parks in the future.”
However, Crumplin said under Mayor Brian Bigger’s tenure, the public’s wishes have taken a backseat to “the whims of council members and developers.”
“The public in Valley East have been very vocal that they want to see the Howard Armstrong Park remain a naturalized space for recreation and enjoyment,” he said.
“As for replacing as many as three existing arenas with a new twin-pad, I do not support the closure of local facilities that help keep our communities strong and vibrant. I realize that there may be short-term cost savings associated with closing local arenas, but I don't think that this council has done a good job of determining whether those short-term savings work in the long-term interests of communities like Capreol. As Mayor, I will ensure that public consultation and engagement is a part of the process and not treated as an afterthought – especially where cherished and important public infrastructure is impacted.”
Crumplin’s “Openness and Transparency” platform includes:
- A new Code of Conduct for Members of Council and Staff that includes modern policies for dealing with Conflicts of Interest.
- Ending secretive backroom agreements with private for-profit developers.
- Strengthening and speeding up the City’s Open Data initiative, so that more data is available to the public in advance of decisions being made.
- Social Media Code of Conduct for elected officials that will require online discussions of City business to be available for access by all residents.
- The establishment of a Lobbyist Registry to help shine some light on backroom meetings between members of Council and those who wish to influence Council decisions for their own benefit and gain.
- Championing a Ranked Ballot voting initiative to help make everyone’s vote count.
