City Council Meeting Wrap-Up: April 30, 2024
Apr 30, 2024
The City Council meeting on April 30 included an update on next steps for the Cultural Hub at Tom Davies Square, an update from the Mayor’s 30x30 Task Force and a celebration of the Greater Sudbury Cubs, Northern Ontario Junior Hockey League champions.
Cultural Hub at Tom Davies Square
The architectural consultants for the design of the Cultural Hub at Tom Davies Square joined staff to present a project overview. The presentation included an introduction of the collaborative team led by Teeple Architects, a project timeline and next steps.
The presentation also included details and cost estimates for including ramp access between each of the facility’s four floors, based on Council direction on January 16, 2024. Based on the information presented, Council voted to incorporate ramp access from the first floor to second floor of the facility.
The Cultural Hub at Tom Davies Square will involve retrofitting both 200 Brady St. and 199 Larch St. to include a new Central Library, the Art Gallery of Sudbury and the Sudbury Multicultural and Folk Arts Association. To make room for these new services at Tom Davies Square, a Municipal Services Relocation project will move some municipal services from 200 Brady St. to the provincial tower at 199 Larch St.
The project is currently in the start-up and pre-schematic phase. Schematic design work, including initial engagement with Council, affected staff and community partners, will begin later this spring. The design for the renovated facility will continue to follow and build upon the vision and themes identified during the Junction East community engagement process in 2021. Construction is expected to begin in spring 2025 and be completed by the end of 2026.
For more information about the Cultural Hub, visit www.greatersudbury.ca/cultural-hub.
Council received an update from the Working Group Chair of the Mayor’s Task Force on 30x30, a worldwide initiative by governments to protect 30 per cent of lands and waters globally by 2030. Preliminary exploration by the Task Force has confirmed the feasibility and benefits of pursuing such a conservation goal locally.
“Greater Sudbury has been recognized as a global leader in ecological restoration, and our community enjoys access to vast greenspaces and 330 lakes,” said Greater Sudbury Mayor Paul Lefebvre. “This initiative provides a unique opportunity to contribute to the federal government’s 30x30 pledge and to continue to demonstrate how our natural environment mitigates climate change impacts and enhances our quality of life.”
Greater Sudbury’s commitment can only include protecting lands that are publicly owned and managed, such as City-owned parkland, open spaces or Crown land, in coordination with the Province.
Council passed a motion to work towards this goal by applying to have some lakes, as well as all lands that are already recognized as parks and public green space, considered for inclusion in the federal database. These lands are already “protected” under existing CGS zoning bylaws and land use planning. This protection would not change the current use or public access of these spaces.
Over the coming months, the Mayor’s Task Force on 30x30 will prepare a preliminary list of recommended existing greenspace sites that are suitable first candidates to be assessed for the federal database this year. They will also prepare a community engagement plan to consult on these sites and broader 30x30 goals.
A member’s motion was presented to reconsider Council’s April 16 decision to build a new downtown event centre, and to have staff report back on the possibility of including a question about the construction of the event centre on the ballot as part of the 2026 municipal election. The motion was defeated 12-1.
Congratulations and Good Luck to the Greater Sudbury Cubs
Council congratulated players and staff from the Greater Sudbury Cubs, who last week capped off an impressive season by being crowned the 2024 Northern Ontario Junior Hockey League champions. Best of luck to the Cubs as they advance to the Centennial Cup in Oakville next month.
For more details on these and other items from this week’s meetings, visit www.greatersudbury.ca/city-hall/mayor-and-council/meetings-agendas-and-minutes.