state of the city speech 2013

7/28/2019 State of the City speech 2013

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State of the City Address 2013

Mayor Marianne Matichuk

(Check against Delivery)

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City of Opportunity

Good afternoon Ladies and Gentlemen and thank you for taking time from your busy schedules

to attend this years State of the City Address.

Bonjour Aannii C'est un honneur d'tre ici aujourd'hui

This is my third address and it is something I look forward to every year.

Before I go any further, there are several people I want to thank and acknowledge.

First, the Greater Sudbury Chamber of Commerce for not only hosting todays event, but for

your relentless efforts in advocating for business and increased prosperity in Greater Sudbury.

I would like to thank todays sponsors The OLG, Eastlink and Porter Airlines

Events like these would not be possible without the support of our valued community sponsors.

I would also like to recognize city councillors who are here

And other elected officials

Id like to begin with two items that have come before City Council in recent weeks that really

stand out for me

First, our planning department tells us the population of Greater Sudbury is expected to grow in

the coming 25 years its just a matter of how much.

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In fact, during the next term of council, our population will likely return to its all-time high of

171,000 people, recorded in 1971.

After more than a generation of loss, decline and cutting back our city-wide recovery effort is

paying dividends and, as well discuss later is nearly complete.

The other item is one of our citys success stories the Greater Sudbury Airport.

The airport, as many of you know, has been restructured and reborn in the past few years.

As an independent business unit within the city, the airport is constantly improving its facilities

and services to meet the needs of Greater Sudburians and our visitors.

Even now, the airport is in the midst of a $6-million upgrade.

A sincere thank-you goes to Bob Johnston and his team at the airport

it has been transformed into a fitting symbol of our improving reputation with and

connections to the global community.

And Ill talk more about Greater Sudburys place in the world later, too.

But first, a lets spend some time on the here and now.

Last year, I spoke to you about the remarkable development boom that is transforming Greater

Sudbury.

And I asked you to consider what the next few years will bring for our community here are a

few highlights and updates to remind you

The current value of mining investment, confirmed or planned for Sudbury, over the next five

years, is still approaching $6 billion. This includes new and deeper mines smelter retrofits

and environmental initiatives.

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Northern Ontarios Ring of Fire is thought to hold as much as $50-billion worth of minerals. It is

the most important mineral discovery in North America in a generation one with the

potential to create one or two more cities the size of Greater Sudbury.

One of the biggest players in the Ring of Fire, Cliffs Natural Resources, has established plans to

build a $2.2-billion ferrochome smelter in Greater Sudbury after a delegation I led to

Cleveland secured this investment.

There has been some concern about Cliffs commitment to this project but I remain

optimistic. If weve learned anything in 100 years of mining in Greater Sudbury, its that a good

business case always wins out.

At the city, we will continue to do everything we can to facilitate Cliffs investment

It may not be quick but well get there. Just as a large ocean-going tanker cannot turn on a

dime or in this case, a nickel it still arrives in good time.

As well, one of Sudbury's oldest, most storied and most prolific mines is soon to be reborn.

Victoria Mine near Worthington is likely the largest new mineral deposit found in Sudbury in a

generation and will be hard to beat.

KGHMs investment will be a $750-million, seven-year new mine development representing a

significant expansion of Sudbury's mining infrastructure.

I AM Golds proposed Cote Lake project, between Sudbury and Timmins, is expected to mean

more than $1 billion in total investment much of it to be sourced in Greater Sudbury.

It is expected to generate 60,000 tonnes of ore a day for 15 years, and employ 1,200 workers

during construction and 500 during operation, most of whom are expected to travel from

Sudbury.

Also new this year Xstrata Zinc is on track to reopen two mines in Sudbury by 2016.

The Errington and Vermillion mines, which have been closed for decades, are proving to be

attractive again with a number of large zinc mines closing around the world.

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It's a $350-million capital project, with 250 direct jobs and more jobs during construction, which

could start as early as next year.

As well, Vale continues its $1 billion sulfur abatement program.

Though scaled down, the CLEAN AER Project remains one of the most significant environmental

investments in the history of Ontario, if not Canada.

All told a recent study showed the mining sector in Greater Sudbury alone will require more

than 21,400 new workers mostly skilled trades, technologists and engineers in the coming

10 years to meet this demand.

These are staggering numbers! And thats just mining theres so much more going on in our

community

More than 3 million tourists visit our region every year, many to take in our world-class

attractions, such as Science North and Dynamic Earth, thanks to the vision of leaders like

George Lund, Risto Laamanen, Jim Marchbank and Guy Labine. Visitors spend close to $1 billion

in northeastern Ontario every year.

Building on a world-class Northern Ontario Cancer research program, Greater Sudburys

teaching hospital has created the Advanced Medical Research Institute of Canada (AMRIC) to

investigate and develop promising new treatments that target geriatric medicine, chronic and

infectious diseases and cancer.

In its infancy, the research facility is expected to generate $45 million to $55 million this year in

spin-off activity.

Today, just as last year, there remains an incredible sense of energy, optimism and prosperity in

our city.

A few weeks ago, I was at the Federation of Canadian Municipalities conference in Vancouver,

with several councillors and one thing I heard repeatedly from people I met from across the

country was So Sudbury is really booming! Things must be great there?

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Yes! yes we are booming just as last year and the whole country knows it and much of

the country is still envious.

But what I want to talk to you about today is the longer-term future where were going as a

city and what the next generation has to look forward to.

Earlier this year, I opened up my office to a couple of remarkable young women Grade 10

students who earned the right to call themselves Mayors for a Day.

Laura Graham from Lasalle Secondary School and Paige Marcil from Marymount Academy

created thoughtful and inspiring videos on their vision for Greater Sudbury over the coming 25

years.

Not surprisingly, both said they wanted more for teenagers to do in our community, such as a

water park, laser tag and retail shopping

And, for the record, I agree whole-heartedly with them and I am still working with a couple

of groups to make these things happen

I was reminded of when I was a teenager in Sudbury and one of the most common

complaints then as now was theres nothing to do in Sudbury.

I remember class trips to the Science Centre and the Museum in Toronto and asking teachers

why cant we have these things in Sudbury?

The answer was always a shrug we just dont.

And that was it Sudbury just didnt have these things.

Well, you know what today we have Science North and Dynamic Earth, the third and seventh

largest science centres in Canada! And we have so much more that seemed inconceivable when

I was a child.

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In a generation, we went from no, we cant to yes, we can to yes, we did!

In all the kids I have the pleasure of meeting, tours through my office or out in the community, I

get a sense of this spirit of optimism this sense that anything is possible.

They ask the question Why not? just as our generation did.

Quite simply, the answer is there is no reason why not anymore

Children today get that they are as optimistic as I am as optimistic as all of us here today

and I thank them for reminding me of why I wanted to be mayor of this great city!

And so thats what I want to talk to you about today a vision for a modern, vibrant city of the

future that we all share

a city that continues down the path of environmental sustainability a city that offers

employment choices to its youth

a city that offers continuous learning opportunities a city that grows culturally and

artistically

a city that inspires optimism in our own children about their future here.

I want to share with you a vision for Greater Sudbury that our children will inherit

I want to talk about the destiny of Greater Sudbury about a City of Opportunity!

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The key to seizing opportunities is making connections the right connections at the right

times.

Ive listed some achievements already real and measurable achievements they are the

achievements of my office, of city council, of city staff and, of particular note today, of the

many partners we work with daily so many of you in this room today who have worked so

hard to make ours a great city.

So let me continue by drawing a few more connections connections within our city ... within

our people within our landscape

the kinds of connections our children will have to make as they become decision makers.

These connections are:

Taxes and Spending

Partnerships and the Economy

Pride and Image

A Healthy City is a Wealthy City

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Taxes and Spending

Of course, our citys finances are always top of mind so lets start with Taxes and Spending.

There is genuine unfairness about a tax system that sees municipalities receiving 11% of tax

revenue generated along with maintaining 65% of the capital infrastructure.

A true legend of Canadian politics and one of my political inspirations, Mississauga Mayor

Hazel McCallion, a leader Im proud to call a friend describes the situation best

Many times Hazel has said that the federal government has all the money, the province has

all the power and the municipalities have all the problems.

Im proud of the progress city council and staff have made in keeping taxes low. Consider what

weve done in three years:

I started going through the budget line by line three years ago, and staff and council are

now doing it, too.

As a council, we have now set inflation as the benchmark for tax increases.

As a council, we will also be looking for more savings throughout 2013 through

efficiencies and attrition. Look for the city to sell off buildings we dont need any more

and put more services under the microscope.

In the mayors office, I have led by example by freezing my salary and coming in

substantially under budget in each of the last two years and councillors have also

come in under budget.

But its not just a matter of shaving a little money off this cost centre or that budget that is

important work and its something Ive been doing for three years going line by line,

questioning our spending and finding ways to cut back.

As I said earlier Im proud of the work our city council and staff have done on this front and

the commitments we have made to continue to find savings for taxpayers.

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For the 2013 budget, for example, some of the initiatives driving down costs include:

Co-ordinating grass cutting across departments;

Rationalizing user fees and aligning them with costs;

Reducing the size of the citys fleet and reducing leased vehicle usage;

Reducing amount of contracted services and doing more work in-house;

Review of energy use expect more savings in the future as energy costs decline;

Review of city-owned lands and buildings for consolidation or disposal.

All of this amounts to a savings of $2.8 million in the budget in 2013 through efficiencies and

attrition. Thats more than one percentage point off the tax levy or the property taxes from

560 hard working Greater Sudbury families put back in their pockets.

Thats great news

However, the real work and the tough decisions still lie ahead.

The biggest savings for taxpayers lie in one simple question:

What services must the city of Greater Sudbury provide to citizens?

Vs.

What services does the city choose to provide to citizens?

In this question lies infinite opportunity

Opportunities to better understand the services we provide citizens and taxpayers

opportunities to improve those services

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Opportunities to determine what programs and services are most valued by citizens and

taxpayers and ensure they are put on a long-term sustainable path

Opportunities to assure were providing value for money to the citizens and taxpayers of our

community!

In 2012, for example, we spent more than $60 million on programs that are neither mandated,

nor considered essential.

Many are traditional and valuable services, such as land reclamation and lake water quality

programs, that contribute immeasurably to the quality of life in Greater Sudbury.

Many more, however, will need to be put under a microscope in the coming years:

Taxpayers will subsidize a municipal child-care program close to $300,000 in 2013.

Taxpayers subsidize trailer parks and campgrounds to the tune of $110,000 a year;

Taxpayers also subsidize two fitness centres a total of $370,000 a year;

We subsidize community halls a total of $600,000 a year.

Recently, Ive also asked questions about the way we tender contracts in particular, the

provision that contractors have to purchase all new or refurbished equipment.

As Ive said all along, there is potential to save taxpayers millions of dollars by asking questions

like these.

All in all we need to do more to strike the right balance between what we need to do at Tom

Davies Square and what we want and can afford to do

Weve asked the right questions and gotten most of the right answers.

We have developed the tools to deliver efficient, effective and accountable services to citizens

of our great city and now we need to use them.

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And maybe we can do better still maybe, with these tools at our disposal we can start

moving towards a 0% tax increase!

Other cities have done it why cant we?

Its a simple question why not?

We are 12 full years into the 21st Century but in many ways we continue to operate in a

culture and framework that dates back decades.

While the city and its economy are firmly progressing into the century, its important that our

institutions like municipal government, are not still operating as if it were the 1990s.

Private business has its own discipline for companies that cannot innovate to keep up with the

pace of change.

They go out of business.

In government, we face the same relentless changes but we dont have the same external

force driving continuous improvement.

So we need to create conditions that will foster that change.

That is an ongoing process a challenge but one I assure you I remain as committed to today

as the day I was elected.

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Partnerships and the Economy

The second theme I would like to explore is the key to economic growth in the modern world

Partnerships and Opportunity.

As weve established, Greater Sudbury is in the midst of a generational development boom.

All of this growth requires workers. It requires skilled trades, technologists, engineers and

designers

In short, Greater Sudbury needs to reverse a decades-long brain drain.

One of the principal challenges our great city faces over the next few years is ensuring there are

enough skilled workers to meet this demand.

I am working with community leaders now on a skilled labour attraction and retention strategy

designed to meet our long-term labour needs, including some international partnerships.

I know the chamber has also been instrumental in advocating for measures designed to close

the skilled labour gap in our community

And I thank Debbi Nicholson and chair Mark Weiman for their leadership on this issue as well

as Reggie Caverson from Workforce Planning

Resolving these issues now will be crucial to our city down the road.

In September, we officially opened a new film studio in Greater Sudbury I remember clearly

when David Anselmo and Pierre Bonhomme came to my office and met with me and councillors

Belli, Kilgour and Craig about their dream of a production facility.

And I thought why not? and the result is we were able to help them out and take an oldarena off the citys books.

A new made-in-Ontario television show Hard Rock Medical based loosely on characters in our

new school of medicine has been shot in and around Sudbury and is premiering now on

TVOntario.

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Today, film production brings about $10 million a year in direct spending and it is employing

and mentoring young people in our city.

And it has brought the likes of Ryan Reynolds, Richard Dreyfuss and Lou Gossett Jr. to our

community and the promise of more Hollywood stars to come.

A few months ago, I helped Health Sciences North announce plans for the Advanced Medical

Research Institute of Canada

Thanks to the leadership of Dr. Denis Roy, Dr. Francisco Diaz-Mitoma and the hospitals board

of directors AMRIC is projected to make a substantial contribution to the economy of

Northern Ontario with direct spending of over $20 million per year.

By 2021 it is estimated that AMRIC will add approximately $250 million to Greater Sudburys

economy.

AMRIC is an excellent example of how Greater Sudbury and its partners continue to

enhance our reputation as a world-class centre of research and innovation

And of what is making our community successful in the 21st century.

Sudbury is strategic and forward thinking Constantly looking to the future, we have learned

how to overcome challenges and turn trials into opportunities, and opportunities into

successes.

And the world is taking notice.

Last year, I connected with the Canada Nevada Business Council during the MINExpo

conference in Las Vegas.

Not long after, Frank Spady, the CEO of CNBC, Bob Groesbeck, Vice President Government

Affairs/General Counsel, and Larry Scheffler, COO, were invited by me to visit Greater Sudbury

and make connections with the citys business and community leaders.

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Why is this important?

Canada is Nevadas largest trading partner. Nevada exports $1.3 billion in goods to Canada and

imports $814 million in goods from Canada. The largest percentage of goods from Canada are

equipment and machinery, making up 20%.

In Nevada, 60,300 jobs depend on trade with Canada while 9,700 people are employed by 150

Canadian-owned businesses operating in Nevada, mostly in the mining sector.

This is a significant opportunity to foster partnerships and promote Greater Sudbury on a global

stage.

The CNBC quickly realized expertise in our community extends well beyond mining

In Greater Sudbury, they found applied research in environmental technology and land

rehabilitation, as well as in occupational health and safety

they found SNOLAB, the worlds deepest underground laboratory, and one of the most

prominent astro-particle research facilities in the world

and they found a world-class teaching and research hospital and medical school.

In short, what they found what everyone who comes to Greater Sudbury finds is

OPPORTUNITY.

A couple of months ago, I accepted an invitation to sit as an honourary member of the CNBC

board.

In April I travelled to Las Vegas as a guest of the council to meet with key community, business

and mining industry executives.

I want to thank Don Duval at NORCat and Doug Morrison at CEMI for reaching out and making

these connections with Nevada

Memorandums of understanding are in place with more to come stay tuned!

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I know members of the CNBC are excited about the future of our city and very much want to be

a part of it. This is the beginning of a long and prosperous partnership.

Similarly, I had the opportunity late last year to attend Toronto Region Board of Trade event at

which I met dozens of business people with global reach.

I have also met provincial and federal officials about the citys long-overdue Maley Drive

project, and I have met and will continue to meet with leaders from other communities and

even other countries to promote Greater Sudbury.

Being able to share with others the wealth of experience, knowledge and opportunity in

Greater Sudbury is one of the highlights of this office.

As mayor, Im prepared to knock on doors to make these connections and build these

relationships.

As a city, we must be committed to fostering these new partnerships. We must be able to say,

to ourselves and to potential partners: We are here to help you realize your goals. Because,

when you are successful we are all successful!

Our growing reputation as the Silicon Valley of mining innovation is well earned. Our task now

is to continue to tell the world that we are open for business and then get down to business.

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Image and Community Pride

The third theme I would like to explore is one I hear about constantly leveraging Greater

Sudburys always-improving Image and Community Pride to tell the world how great we are.

Do you know what sets Greater Sudbury apart from most other communities? What is

attracting investors here from all over the world? What is inspiring these partnerships?

One word INNOVATION

As Dick DeStefano from SAMSSA has likely told all of us at one time We need to sell our

intelligence to the world.

Greater Sudbury was built on a solid foundation as a hard rock mining centre it has been built

on generations of vision and entrepreneurial spirit

Our citys leaders asked the question Why Not? and the answer was to create a city that

has become a globally recognized centre of innovation and applied research in mining and

mining related technology.

That tradition has continued Greater Sudbury has become a world leader in environmental

restoration, specialized process and product development even astrophysics research all

because of mining.

Greater Sudbury is an exporter to the world not just of nickel and other minerals more

importantly, we now export ingenuity we sell our ideas, our skills and our expertise to the

world.

How are we doing this?

Well, it all starts at home and often with small or simple things.

Late last year, Sudbury was named most entrepreneurial city in Ontario by the Canadian

Federation of Independent Business.

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In its analysis, the federation singled out cities where local governments are trying their

hardest to support entrepreneurship and where business owners themselves rate their

governments most highly.

The city has also launched a new, easy-to-navigate website as well as a comprehensive

communications strategy called City With a Voice.

We are working with community partners to establish a Rock of Fame in the downtown core to

celebrate successful, dedicated members of our city and to recognize our citys ambassadors.

Over the past century, Sudbury introduced hundreds of interesting and successful people to the

world people who went on to be leaders in their fields

Now is the time to introduce the world to Sudbury

I have asked the GSDC to design a marketing and branding campaign for the city. Work on this

strategy has already begun.

The purpose of the campaign will be to connect and position the city, tourism, business

development, Regional Business Centre and other brands.

We are a city of innovation and technology development a centre of excellence in mining,

health care, education and tourism and that is the message we need to communicate to the

world in everything we do and say.

This strategy is expected to be rolled out next fall.

While were on the subject of image, I want to make something else clear something I dont

think has been spoken about enough

The investments were making in our downtown a healthy city needs a healthy downtown

and our downtown is being transformed before our eyes.

The Downtown Master Plan lays out a number of exciting opportunities and many are already

in the pipeline.

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The new Downtown Market, the Elgin Street Greenway, the Rock of Fame, the new school of

architecture all represent opportunities to build infrastructure and confidence in our

downtown.

Eighteen months ago, I spearheaded negotiations to sell the old market to Laurentian

University and get a fair price for taxpayers

And last summer, I again spearheaded the purchase of the new market property the historic

CP Rail building. We paid one dollar for that building, and $475,000 for the property it sits on

well under market value, and well within the project budget.

Council has made it clear the city needs and wants a strong and successful farmers market in

the downtown core but it must be financially sustainable.

We must rebuild the market better than ever and set it on a sustainable course.

I should also point out the impact Laurentian Architecture will have on our downtown and on

our city .

Though it will open this fall with its first 60 students, in full operation it will have more than 400

undergraduate and graduate students, most of whom will live in or around downtown.

The student body alone will spend about $15 million annually in downtown Sudbury pubs and

restaurants on food, books, supplies and clothes. That does not include more than 40 faculty

and staff.

And these are not normal students This group will be particularly creative, energetic and

urbane and this is the real opportunity for Greater Sudbury.

These students and faculty will come to downtown Sudbury from across Canada not just for a

university degree, but to turn our city into a living laboratory for ideas and designs.

This school is going to inject new life into downtown the new school will foster a better

understanding of the far-reaching benefits of good design while nurturing a northern culture of

design.

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Again, because of the leadership of community leaders and dedication of our partners

Dominic Giroux, Rick Bartolucci and the Northern Ontario Heritage Fund, Tony Clement and

FedNor Laurentian Architecture, once a dream, will soon be a reality.

I also need to thank this council for its support and hard work in ensuring this project remains

downtown.

From the initial sketch to a $40-million investment in our downtown Together, we asked the

question Why Not? and it turned out there was no reason why not so we did it!

Laurentian Architecture like Science North, the medical school, the hospital and so many

other community partners will redefine Greater Sudburys identity and also play a lead role

in promoting our city and its new identity.

And so, this fall, we will celebrate the next step in our evolution from a mining camp to world-

class centre of research and innovation to a centre whose people create knowledge and

wealth

A city that is a global a leader in design and development

A city that is a beacon of sustainable growth and development for Ontario for Canada

and beyond

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A Healthy City is a Wealthy City

The last theme I would like to explore is the truly superior quality of life Greater Sudburians

enjoy because a Healthy City is a Wealthy City.

No city in the world has been more dramatically transformed over the past 30 years than

Sudbury.

The fruits of regreening are obvious to everyone who steps outdoors. These efforts have

brought his community a raft of awards and recognition but more importantly, they present

us with a wealth of opportunity.

In fact, the city almost swept the Federation of Canadian Municipalities Green Cities awards

this year the Brownfield strategy won the FCM sustainable communities award and Bill

Lautenbach, our general manager of Growth and Development, won the Green Champion

award.

Our new Biodiversity Action Plan takes regreening much, much further.

Researchers are perfecting a plan to cut out mats of shrubs and wildflowers from floors of

healthy forests and transplant them to less mature forests.

You know, only a generation ago, Sudbury was famous for having no trees but in a generation

or two, Sudbury's pine forests, some as old as 80 years, will be mature and abundant enough to

selectively harvest again.

Another key step taken by this council is the directive for the city to undertake watershed level

studies to ensure the protection of one our most precious resources our 330 lakes and

countless rivers and creeks.

You will hear more about this exciting new development in the coming months.

Speaking of council, in the past year weve also passed a strict new smoking ban in local parks,

playgrounds and playing fields and more may be coming

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and we are the first community in Ontario to implement a phosphorus ban to protect lakes

and rivers

And, I hasten to point out, these progressive measures were the results of unanimous votes at

city council.

Our city is also developing strategies to recognize the changing face of our population.

In the past couple of years, Ive attended many events organized by and for older adults in our

community. New residences, older adult recreation centres, games, celebrations, competitions

seniors truly are among the most active segments of our population!

The face of the elderly population in Greater Sudbury is changing, with older adults accounting

for the fastest growing segment of our city. This age category is expected to increase

dramatically during the next 25 years and nearly double its share of the total population in

2031.

Clearly, were living longer and healthier lives and, as a community, we have to be ready for

this.

Older adults are increasingly influencing our local economy and are playing an ever expanding

role in society.

That presents our city with a lot of challenges but also with opportunities.

One of the goals established by the City of Greater Sudbury and many of our partners is

becoming a more seniors friendly community a community that allows our growing older

adult population to continue to thrive and prosper.

Recently, we have moved to set the North East Specialized Geriatric Services on a sustainable,

long-term path. This centre, along with Pioneer Manor, leads the way in designing health and

exercise regimens and rehabilitation and restorative care programs in northeastern Ontario.

At the city, we have passed a Healthy Community Charter and strategic plan, as well as the

Sustainable Mobility Plan.

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In fact, the Sustainable Mobility Plan is an ideal example of community building through

partnerships

The plan strives to make Greater Sudbury the most pedestrian friendly city in Ontario by 2015

based on the 8 to 80 principle that anyone between the ages of 8 and 80 should be able to

walk, ride or take the bus through the community in relative comfort and safety.

The plan stemmed from the City of Greater Sudburys Healthy Community Cabinet a

partnership was formed between City staff, the Sudbury & District Health Unit, the Greater

Sudbury Social Planning Council, YMCA Sudbury, the Sudbury Regional Hospital and Rainbow

Routes Association.

In this spirit, city council has committed $215,000 to complete the 18-kilometre Junction Creek

Waterway Trail from Maley Drive to Kelly Lake.

Finishing the trail would enhance Greater Sudbury's image, serve as a tourist destination,

promote healthy lifestyles, offer an alternative transportation route through the city and show

off a precious resource for the city.

1As mayor, I am proud of the work the City and our many partners are doing to make Greater

Sudbury a world-class city in which to live, work, play and retire.

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Conclusion

So what do I want you to take away from today?

I want you to take away the same inspiring message Laura and Paige and so many other young

people have brought to me over the past couple of years.

Be positive. Greater Sudbury is in great shape. City council is committed to keep Sudbury as a

thriving, prosperous, inclusive community through strong fiscal management, innovation and

partnerships.

Be open to change. We have a meaningful Strategic Plan in place with a focused council and

staff that understands our citys priorities.

Be confident. We have so much to envy so much intelligence and resources at our disposal.

Be active. We will continue to look at how we engage the community as we work through our

priorities and meet new challenges.

You know what?

Every community has potholes. Every community has infrastructure deficits. Every community

has social challenges.

Every community has budget constraints. Every community has disagreements from time to

time on key issues

Whats important to remember is that, in Greater Sudbury, we have the tools to overcome all

of these challenges.

What other community has successfully re-invented itself the way Greater Sudbury has, in justone generation?

What other community has transformed its economy as completely as we have in just one

generation?

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What other community has so successfully taken advantage of the opportunities it has been

presented with and continues to create new opportunities?

Last October, our city hosted the annual Ontario Building Officials Association conference

more than 500 building officials from across Canada.

And you know where they met? In a tent in the Holiday Inn parking lot because there is no

single facility in Greater Sudbury large enough to hold such a gathering.

And I thought to myself Why Not? Why cant we have a convention or multi-use space in

our city?

And then the province reveals its casino modernization plans to us in a matter of months, the

OLG will likely introduce us to an investor we hope will bring millions of dollars to our

community.

Will that mean a new convention centre or multi-use space? A hotel? An OHL-ready arena?

City council has already moved to ensure this investment is part of any new casino project at

no cost to taxpayers, of course.

And why cant Greater Sudbury have an indoor water park? Stay tuned!

So I ask again Why Not? Its worked before!

Its in our DNA this ability to reinvent ourselves to reinvent our people our institutions

our economy we have even reinvented our landscape!

We know what we want we know what we need and we know we are in this together.

And together we will continue to build a world-class city in which to live, work and play

We will continue to build a City of Opportunity.

Thank you chi meegwetch merci

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state of the city speech 2013

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