Voters want to know where the candidates stand on the issues and so does Sudbury.com.
To that end, we’ve created this election special feature: Where Do They Stand? We reached out to the council candidates and invited them to participate.
Each candidate has 250 words or less to stake out their position on each of these issues: the Kingsway Entertainment District (KED); downtown Sudbury and the urban-rural divide in our amalgamated city and; the top three issues facing the ward in which they're running.
We’ll be rolling a new story on a new ward every weekday, as we work our way through all 12 wards, save Ward 2 and Ward 3 where the incumbents (Michael Vagnini and Gerry Montpellier, respectively) have been acclaimed.
From Ward 8, we have answers from three of four candidates: incumbent Al Sizer, and challengers Rob Franceschini and Kyle McCall. Candidate Stefano Presenza did not supply answers.
The three questions we asked are:
1.Kingsway Entertainment District
People want to know: Do you support the construction of an event centre / casino / hotel complex on The Kingsway east of downtown? Do you support using taxpayer dollars to build a $100-million arena that will be paid off over a generation? Do you support expanded casino gambling? Explain your position.
2. Downtown and the urban-rural divide
The prevailing wisdom is that a healthy downtown equals a healthy city. Great downtowns attract new residents and new businesses (to the community, but not necessarily to the downtown core), and are a measure of a community’s economic health. But in our amalgamated city, municipal spending downtown is unpopular in rural parts of the community, which feel the urban areas receive more spending and more services. Are rural concerns legitimate? Are we doing enough for downtown? What should we do? Explain your position.
3. Ward issues
Thinking about your ward, what do you see as the top three issues facing your area of the city? How do you propose to address those issues?
You can click on each candidate's name to visit their election website on Sudbury.com.
Rob Franceschini
Kingsway Entertainment District
Right from the beginning when council voted 10 – 2 in support of the new arena location I was on board with their decision. We as taxpayers voted in the current council and have given them the right to represent us as a city and to make decisions that they feel is for the betterment of the City of Greater Sudbury.
As far as using taxpayers’ dollars to pay for this development that is a very good question, but one I will have a hard time to answer because maybe the new council can find ways to save money in other areas that can be used to help pay down this debt. Time will tell how much of the taxpayers’ dollars are going towards the financing of the new arena.
Not being a gambler having the casino in this location will not increase my visits to the casino. On the other hand, if it helps to land a major hotel chain and other retail operations I feel this would be a very positive development for the growth of Sudbury.
My biggest issue with this development is all the red tape delaying the project from moving forward I feel all this does is send out the wrong message to potential investors or business’s looking to expand in Sudbury.
That the Greater city of Sudbury is not open for business.
Downtown and the urban-rural divide
That is something that I can understand because even thought we had amalgamation many of the outlining areas still maintain their independence and feel they should have every right to have money invested into their communities. They do have reasons to feel this way about spending because over the past four years we really have not seen a lot of development in the outlining areas as far city investments.
As far as the downtown is concerned we have one very large obstacle to overcome and that is the location of the large rail station downtown across from the arena. This is something that should have been addressed many years ago and maybe at that time they could have been relocated. If done this would have enabled us to have developed the downtown the way people would like to see it and we wouldn’t have this issue with the new arena location.
Right now, there must be a plan in place in how to vitalize our downtown. This is not going to be an easy fix, but I believe it is attainable. This process and being part of the new council is something that I would attach myself to with open arms.
Ward issues
After canvassing for the past four weeks I have had the privilege to listen to the tax payers and see what their concerns are.
One of the biggest concerns is the lack of stop signs on the main roads especially in the areas where we have schools located. Having walked these roads for the past four weeks I have to agree the traffic on some of these streets moves at an alarming speed making it very dangerous when our young children are getting on and off their buses. We would need a survey done to identify these areas and come up with a solution that would rectify the people’s concerns. In other areas I see the signs posted indicating your rate of speed having these signs posted I feel this is also an option that could help.
Second is property taxes and how would I be able to maintain a minimal increase to match the rate of inflation. My answer to that is this will not be an easy task, but I feel that the new council must find ways to save the city money and help keep our taxes at a minimum. We also have many seniors on fixed incomes and pensions that do not even match the rate of inflation every year. How are they going to be able to live in their homes if every year they have a large tax hike? We again will have to look at ways to help our seniors out.
Thirdly is the water park at Twin Forks. They would like to know when this will be finished. Again, this is a question I would only be able to answer if I was to win the election and investigate what it will take to get this completed.
I would also like to thank all the people who answered the door when I knocked and gave me the chance to introduce myself. For those of you I have not got to yet I will be canvassing up until the last minute.. This has been an amazing time and I look forward to Election Day.
Kyle McCall
Kingsway Entertainment District
I support the development of a new arena, and the use of tax dollars to construct it. As a key piece of community infrastructure, and a tool for attracting new investments and other developments, we need to move forward with infrastructure projects of this nature. However, my preference would be to follow our City’s Official Plan (before recent amendments), and Downtown Master Plan, that call for investments in our downtown core, including the refurbishing or construction of a new arena.
Planning documents are essential pieces of public policy. They are created with significant community consultation, expert analysis (which we pay for) and provide the framework for evaluating new developments. Projects either fit into the overarching vision and support the plan, or they don’t. There is flexibility to these plans, but by sticking to them a city gains the confidence of investors and developers. They know if they bring forward a project that conforms to these plans that they are likely to proceed. A perfect example of this is what the city of Kitchener has been able to achieve by sticking with a decades-long plan to renew their downtown core. As a result, they are set to reap the benefits of billions of dollars of new investments in their community.
It may be hard to see now, but I firmly believe that a similar transformation can take place here in Sudbury. Ultimately though, the decision is before the LPAT and we will have to wait and see what verdict is rendered.
Downtown and the urban-rural divide
Our outlying communities are a key part of our history and identity as Sudburians, and from what I can tell, they are experiencing the same frustrations urban residents are (i.e. roads). When key pieces of infrastructure are ignored, it is easy to understand why citizens would feel like they are being neglected. Addressing these issues would go a long way in easing their frustrations, and tension between urban and rural.
On the subject of spending, I believe this particular issue comes down to communication and having a transparent discussion about how we grow our city sustainably for the next 50+ years. If we want growth we need to make investments that encourage and support that growth, but also keep in mind the associated long-term costs. Cities across the globe have found that for the best return on their investment, spending focused on growing downtown cores and their tech sector, as well as supporting densification and infill along key corridors, yields the best results. Sudbury is no different. What we can do differently though is include everyone in the discussion on how we build our city for the future.
If the issue is at the service level, then we need to find efficiencies and better models for deployment. As has been suggested recently, providing more autonomy to the communities to look after services could be a solution. However, how that is governed and resourced will take time and resources to figure out.
Ward issues
The conversations I’ve had with residents of Ward 8 have made it clear, they are tired and frustrated with the state of our neighbourhood roads. Many point to examples, quite literally, at their doorstep where the city has neglected or ignored their concerns, or have provided a Band-Aid solution instead of fixing the problem.
For main roads, randomized core sampling is one solution for quality control. Taking a more systematic approach that addresses the underlying issues vs. the seemingly ad-hoc nature of patch-work is another. Holding our contractors accountable, and changing our approach so that the problem is actually fixed the first time, instead revisiting it year after year, would be a welcome change.
Parks and greenspace also comes up frequently. Ward 8 is very fortunate to have some of the larger parks in the city. However, many of them are in need of some revitalizing. New equipment and amenities such as basketball or volleyball courts would be welcome additions, especially for those with young families in the ward.
Finally, affordable housing, both for low-income families and seniors on fixed incomes, is a big issue. We need to stop saying no to new developments that would address these problems, and actively seek out opportunities to build them in our neighbourhoods. With Cyril Varney P.S. slated for closure, some residents have openly wondered if a retirement home type development could be considered for the site. I would support this, along with other developments that would address our lack of affordable housing stock.
Al Sizer (incumbent)
Kingsway Entertainment District
I do support the construction of an event centre /casino /hotel complex at the Kingsway east site and support the use of taxpayers’ dollars to build the arena. We are in need of a new arena and I do believe the cost of the building will be less than the $100 million budgeted for this facility. We have no other options available to consider.
The Sudbury Community Arena has served this municipality for so many historic and community events, but it is losing its ability to meet new industry standards for entertainment events, including the needs required for an OHL hockey franchise. It’s a topic near and dear to my heart; in all my years working for the city, I held the position of assistant manager of arenas for five years.
As for expanded gaming opportunities, I am in favour of the new casino. The share of revenue the city will receive casino is expected to increase through additional spending generated by tourists. Residents currently travelling out of town to gamble will now be able to have a local establishment to enjoy their pastime. The casino will also pay annual property taxes on what’s expected to be a $60-million building.
I am convinced the city will benefit further through future development at the entertainment district property, providing more taxation revenues.
Downtown and the urban-rural divide
The statement a “healthy downtown equals a healthy city” is a loaded statement as there are many tenants that contribute to a liveable community. We are seeing much transition in many downtown areas resulting in a different value placed on city cores. As for municipal spending downtown being unpopular within rural parts of the community, I don’t feel the sentiment is justifiable. Amalgamation didn’t change the geographical location of all the amalgamated communities; Sudbury, prior to amalgamation, was the largest centre in the Nickel District. People from surrounding communities have always come to Sudbury for a range of products and services.
I do believe the downtown will never be the retail centre for the region the way it once was. This is not because of amalgamation but because the spreading out and population growth was witnessed not only in Sudbury but in all of the Greater Sudbury communities. This isn’t doom and gloom, but more of an opportunity for us to create a destination place with the transformation we are already beginning to witness. Downtown Sudbury is, and will continue to evolve as, the arts and cultural centre of Greater Sudbury. Investment in the Art Gallery, a new library, Place des arts, and a performing arts and convention centre will complete the transformation.
Downtown Sudbury, as well as the other town centres in communities, are able to participate in our Community Improvement Program that see grants provided to help businesses improve their establishments and offer assistance in providing for more downtown residential units. As for downtown Sudbury, making the investment in the large projects we have committed to will show our belief that downtown Sudbury is a destination place that will help secure its position as an arts and cultural centre not only for Greater Sudbury but for the North.
Ward issues
There are many issues that are not unique to just one ward, but the ones I will list here are perhaps more relevant to Ward 8.
During my campaigning, the most common concern I heard focused on the condition of our infrastructure, particularly our roads. Taxes are also of equal importance to residents in Ward 8. I need to mention these two priorities together because of the interconnectedness they have with any potential improvements made in assets or the delivery of services.
The condition of our roads is mentioned frequently by residents. People certainly shout loud and clear they feel improvement is needed. Concern over an increase in taxes is also a major issue – especially with seniors. Within the context of taxes, another concern is affordable housing for seniors who live on a fixed income and finding ways to provide the housing within Ward 8.
Another issue within our Ward is a need for a Community Hub to benefit our senior population. Residents are supportive of remedying this need. So how do I propose we deal with improving roads and infrastructure while keeping a tax increase to the minimum?
I am of the firm belief that if this city is to address the many concerns residents have, we will have to continue to look for efficiencies within our operating departments. Staff has had success in finding efficiencies but we must continue to do so. The phrase “that’s good enough” is no longer evident in our pursuit of service delivery excellence.
