Kingsway Entertainment District back in front of city council Wednesday
The controversial Kingsway Entertainment District is back on the agenda at a special city council meeting Wednesday night.
In light of the COVID-19 pandemic, city council commissioned a new study to determine whether the Kingsway is still the best location for a new arena.
City council already voted in favour of the location back in 2017, with Sudbury Mayor Brian Bigger making the tie-breaking vote.
In light of the special council meeting, KED developer Dario Zulich wrote a letter to Bigger asking for his support on the project once again.
"I believe that you and I have always been on the same page, that doing nothing is not an option, especially as we look to boost our local economy emerging from COVID," Zulich wrote.
"You have always had what is in the best interest of Greater Sudbury at heart, and we count on your leadership in your doing what’s right for our city and future."
Zulich said the event centre will include a hotel and casino, and said the project won’t proceed until partners in the KED have been properly vetted.
For the first time, Zulich put a timeline on getting shovels in the ground, outlining a six-month timeline to ensure all criteria are met, otherwise he would consider the project cancelled.
"We are completely aligned… there will NEVER be an event center built at the KED without a casino and hotel," the letter said.
Meanwhile, Downtown Sudbury released a statement ahead of council on Wednesday rejecting the findings in the newest report, prepared by PricewaterhouseCoopers.
"It appears as if this is a report looking for content to support a predetermined conclusion," said the statement from Rob Jones, co-chair of Downtown Sudbury
"We were told this would be a fact-based report, and yet it is made up almost entirely of opinions and conversations with predictions of success on the Kingsway framed as facts, and downtown information ignored or dismissed."
The statement said that downtown parking issues were ignored as well as the Project NOW proposal that called for renovating the existing arena.
"The post-COVID reality of decreased demand for commercial space and retail square footage, due to increased e-commerce and work-from-home trends," was also ignored, the statement said.
The report will be presented at 6 p.m. during a special city council meeting. While no vote is scheduled, it is expected opponents of the project on city council will introduce a motion to stop the project.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Expert warns of food consumption habits amid rising prices
A new survey by Dalhousie University's Agri-Food Analytics Lab asked Canadians about their food consumption habits amid rising prices.
Documents reveal Ottawa's efforts to get Loblaw, Walmart on board with grocery code
It was evident to the federal government as early as last fall that Loblaw and Walmart might be holdouts to the grocery code of conduct, jeopardizing the project's success.
opinion The special relationship between King Charles and the Princess of Wales
Royal commentator Afua Hagan writes that when King Charles recently admitted Catherine to the Order of the Companions of Honour, it not only made history, but it reinforced the strong bond between the King and his beloved daughter-in-law.
Charlie Woods, son of Tiger, shoots 81 in U.S. Open qualifier
Charlie Woods failed to advance in a U.S. Open local qualifying event Thursday, shooting a 9-over 81 at Legacy Golf & Tennis Club.
Improve balance and build core strength with this exercise
When it comes to cardiovascular fitness, you may tend to focus on activities that move you forward, such as walking, running and cycling.
'I just want to be safe': Ukrainian man in Canada faces limbo amid consular freeze
A recent decision to restrict consular services for fighting-aged Ukrainian men has made a Ukrainian man in Canada feel less certain of his next steps — and worried he could be pulled back to the war.
B.C. tenants evicted for landlord's use after refusing large rent increase to take over neighbouring suite
Ashley Dickey and her mother rented part of the same Coquitlam duplex in three different decades under three different landlords.
Mountain guide dies after falling into a crevasse in Banff National Park
A man who fell into a crevasse while leading a backcountry ski group deep in the Canadian Rockies has died.
$70M Lotto Max winners kept prize a secret from family for 2 months
During a special winner celebration near their hometown, Doug and Enid shared the story of how they discovered they were holding a Lotto Max ticket worth $70 million and how they kept this huge secret for so long.