Securing 79 votes against his opponent’s 18, Richard Charette was elected chair of the Minnow Lake Community Action Network during Thursday evening’s meeting.
His goal, he told Sudbury.com, is “to bring everybody out of the house ... and just be there when we need help or volunteers.”
Between community events for kids and ongoing efforts such as the community gardens, he said his goal will be galvanizing a strong enough volunteer base to get things going in Minnow Lake.
“There’s no ‘I’ in team,” he said. “My whole team is Minnow Lake, not just me.”
Charette was elected over his lone opponent, Christopher Duncanson-Hales, a past political opponent of Ward 11 Coun. Bill Leduc.
Earlier this week, Duncanson-Hales criticized Bill Leduc’s involvement in Thursday night’s election. In advance of the election at the Sudbury Curling Club building, Leduc was out in the neighbourhood knocking on doors to promote both the meeting and Charette as a candidate.
“He wants to better the community,” Leduc told Sudbury.com of Charette at the time. “I’ve got to hand it out to the guy that he’s worked very hard going door-to-door talking to people and communicating with them, so kudos to him, and a good job.”
In emailed correspondence with Sudbury.com, a City of Greater Sudbury spokesperson clarified, “There is no policy about city councillors supporting individuals running for community groups, including CANs, or boards and committees.”
Duncanson-Hales reiterated his commitment to better separating CAN business from city council during brief introductory remarks he made during Thursday’s meeting. He also addressed what he described as the “elephant in the room,” Leduc campaigning for Charette.
His comments received a cool response from Thursday’s packed crowd, with several audience members heckling him and demanding he stick to talking about himself and not Leduc.
Charette’s speech focused on family, noting he has four kids, seven grandkids, and loves spending time with them.
“I want to help my community look better,” he said. “I have a lot of ideas to bring forward for the kids, grandparents, the families. We should be together, because we’ve been locked up for so many years in houses, we need to come out and do some nice things again.”
Blaine Lachance was elected as vice-chair during Thursday’s meeting. He ran against Dorothy “Dot” Klein. Jessica Troke was acclaimed as secretary and Linda Cartier was acclaimed as treasurer.
During Thursday’s meeting, city community initiatives and engagement co-ordinator Barb McDougall-Murdoch provided a brief refresher on what the city’s 20 Community Action Network organizations are all about.
They are non-profit, community-driven volunteer organizations that facilitate and promote activities in their neighbourhoods, community information and foster open communication between the community and the city and its elected officials.
Part of the information side of Thursday’s meeting included presentations by Greater Sudbury Police Service Const. Mickey Teed and city traffic and transportation engineering analyst Ryan Purdy, who provided the community with updates in their respective fields.
Teed noted there wasn’t much to report, but that copper theft is on the rise and that people should keep their air conditioners locked and secured.
With spring comes a jump in vehicle thefts, so he encouraged people to lock their vehicles and report crimes, even those that seem insignificant, to the GSPS online filing system.
“If it’s reported, we track it with our crime analyst,” he said, adding that it helps to better inform where targeted patrols take place.
Purdy noted that this year will see the Minnow Lake neighbourhood will have traffic-calming bollards installed in three locations, including:
- Levesque Street, from The Kingsway to Bancroft Drive
- Gemmell Street, from Attley Avenue to Barrydowne Road
- Dublin Street, from Attley Avenue to Arthur Street
An additional three streets in Ward 11 are expected to be added to the traffic-calming bollards program next year.
This year will see gateway speed limits (40 km/h in most places and 30 km/h in school zones) imposed throughout an area west of Barrydowne Road north to Lasalle Boulevard.
Roads opening into that area of the city will indicate motorists are entering a gateway speed limit zone, throughout which the 40 km/h and 30 km/h speed limits will apply.
One location in each of the city’s 12 wards is slated to receive a gateway speed limit this year.
Between two and six automated speed enforcement cameras will be set up throughout the city this year, and will change locations every few months. Purdy said potential locations in Ward 11 includes the arterial roads Moonlight Avenue, Bancroft Drive, Second Avenue and Howey Drive.
For more information on the Minnow Lake Community Action Network, visit their Facebook page by clicking here.
Tyler Clarke covers city hall and political affairs for Sudbury.com.
