True North Strong and the Sudbury Wolves are welcoming the decision by city council this week to build a new arena and events centre on The Kingsway.
In a close vote, councillors rejected a downtown location and agreed to build on land True North owns in that part of the city. The Wolves are owned by the same group.
“The True North Strong team is grateful to receive City of Greater Sudbury Council support to locate the new multi-purpose event centre on the Kingsway as part of a regional entertainment district,” TNS said in a news release.
“The council has worked through a process over the past 18-24 months that has been both deliberate and thorough and has led to healthy debate and strong civic engagement. We appreciate their leadership through this process and want to thank them for their confidence in our vision and investing in our community.”
They also thanked community supporters who let their ward councillor know they were in support of The Kingsway option.
“The support has been loud and it has been strong and without that support and engagement, this vision would not be what it has become,” the release said.
“Hours and hours of meetings and dialogue over the many months with citizens from across the region. It is clear that when a subject inspires our community, our citizenry responds.”
Not surprisingly, the Wolves also greeted the decision. Both TNS and the Wolves are headed by Dario Zulich. Even before Zulich bought the team, the Wolves had been pushing for a replacement to the 66-year-old Sudbury Arena.
"This is an exciting time for the Wolves organization, for our current and future players as well as our loyal and future fans," Andrew Dale, the team's vice-president of marketing, is quoted as saying in the release. "There is an enthusiasm in the wider community that hasn't been felt for some time and we look forward to continuing to build on that momentum."
For its part, TNS said they will work with Gateway, which has announced plans to build a new casino along with the arena development.
“Our first priorities will be to work with the city management and the management team at Gateway on the development process, in addition to the hotel and conference amenities that will support this entertainment cluster,” the TNS release said.
While supporters of building the new arena downtown were bitterly disappointed, the release said TNS is committed to downtown, as well.
“We are committed to the overall health of our community and will work with all stakeholders in assisting downtown Sudbury to thrive in a music and arts village fostering ideas like music city.
“We are looking forward to reaching out across the country to tourists and investors alike to visit Greater Sudbury. While a decision was made (Tuesday), the real work begins today.”
