Update:

Sudbury city council in for the last time before voters head to the polls in next month’s municipal election.

It was expected to be a long one, but after a lengthy debate about backyard chickens, it was over before anyone expected.

And it didn't take long for some spirited comments on the planned Kingsway Entertainment District to come out.

"This was just said, that there will be an entertainment centre downtown, there will be an entertainment centre on the Kingsway, that is two." said Councillor Gerry Montpellier arguing.

In an update on the progress of the controversial casino and arena, city officials say a formal agreement is close.

"We are working through the comprehensive cautionary agreement with our partners and we're close to completion on that, so we're expecting for sure in the next few weeks that we've got a signed cautionary agreement." said Catherin Matheson, City of Greater Sudbury general manager of community development.

Time was also spent discussing if backyard hens should be allowed in the city, despite the fact that officials say there were only five complaints about illegal coups last year. The matter was deferred to December 11th to allow for more public consultation. Still, members of city council lined up on both sides of the chicken debate.

"It's a small group of people who are raising hens as pets or for food, but what I’ve gathered is that most of the parents who raise them are raising them so their children can have an opportunity to get an education." said Councillor Robert Kirwan.

"We heard the word ‘pets’, I don't know, I just can't see a chicken as a pet." said Montpellier.

Things ended abruptly at nine o’clock when a vote to keep the meeting going didn't pass, meaning all five motions on the agenda were never presented.

The next gathering of city council is scheduled for November after the municipal election.

Original:

The final meeting of the current city council in Greater Sudbury is Tuesday night and began at 6 o’clock.

It could be a long one at Tom Davies Square, as there are various items on the agenda that councillors want to get through before next month's election.

This is the last time this council will meet and they're trying to get through a lot of business.

A number of reports are being presented, including:

  • An update on the 2019 budget
  • A recommendation for a new smart card fare system for transit
  • An update on how legal pot is expected to impact city programs and services.
  • A resolution about allowing backyard hens in the city, something that people in Sudbury are talking about.

Now there are five motions on the agenda, four of which are from Councillor Michael Vagnini.

One of his motions is calling for a decentralization of city services, saying that the benefits of amalgamation have not materialized.

The last council meeting was long and heated, with lots of fireworks stemming from discussion over the planned Kingsway Entertainment District, so we'll also expecting more on that tonight.

You can watch the full report tonight at 11:30, tomorrow at noon or on the web.