Kingsway Entertainment District in Sudbury moves forward
The Kingsway Entertainment District development went before the Greater Sudbury city council Wednesday night, leading, as usual, to a divided debate.
But after four hours, a motion was put forward shortly after 10 p.m. to "end the discussion on the issue," which passed 7-to-6, with Mayor Brian Bigger casting the tie-breaking vote.
Now that the latest report and feasibility study is out and has been presented to council, the city is set to move forward with the Kingsway location for a new community arena.
The development also includes private developments -- a new Gateway Casino and a hotel. It was approved in 2017, and has gone through several legal challenges before they were all dismissed last year.
KED developer Dario Zulich said he’s pleased with the outcome.
“I was happy that mayor and council decided to continue to move forward with their decision made four years ago and to move forward to create jobs and tourism, and add that economic of ripple effect of the KED,” said Zulich, who owns the land where the development will be built.
He sold the land to the city for the arena for a nominal sum.
Zulich said there is a “drop-dead” date of no later than six months to firm up agreements to move forward, and to close deals with casino and hotel partners.
“Nothing really happens without a date, and I just want to demonstrate my commitment to making things happen," he said. "COVID is almost behind us now and we have a lot of work in front of us, and we got to get things moving. So it’s just demonstrating my commitment to the project -- and I am committed.”
Ward 4 Coun. Geoff McCausland said he’s disappointed, and said a new downtown arena would be the better option.
“The consultant brought every successful example was in the downtown," McCausland said. "He had example after example of decreased vacancy, increased assessment value, new businesses, huge benefits, and I asked him for one ... what’s one example of a suburban arena in similar circumstances that is successful? He could not give me one example.”
McCausland said the city needs to live within its means instead of spending $114 million on the project.
“There’s a lot of uncertainty right now and if we can get all that benefit, get the outcomes we want, with only 50 or 60 per cent of the cost … I think that’s going to serve our city the best,” he said.
McCausland said he will be presenting a new motion at the next council meeting June 29.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
CRA no longer requiring 'bare trust' reporting in 2023 tax return
The Canada Revenue Agency announced Thursday it will not require 'bare trust' reporting from Canadians that it introduced for the 2024 tax season, just four days before the April 2 deadline.
NEW More unauthorized products for skin, sexual enhancement, recalled: Here are the recalls of this week
Health Canada and the Canadian Food Inspection Agency recalled various items this week, including torches, beef biltong and unauthorized products related to skin care and sexual enhancement.
Where is the worst place for allergy sufferers in Canada?
The spring allergy season has started early in many parts of Canada, with high levels of pollen in some cities already. Experts weigh in on which areas have it worse so far this season.
Do these exercises for core strength if you can't stomach doing planks
Planks are one of the most effective exercises for strengthening your midsection, as they target all of your major core muscles: the transverse abdominis, rectus abdominis, external obliques and internal obliques. Yet despite the popularity of various 10-minute plank challenges, planking is actually one of the most dreaded core exercises, according to many fitness experts.
Polar ice is melting and changing Earth's rotation. It's messing with time itself
One day in the next couple of years, everyone in the world will lose a second of their time. Exactly when that will happen is being influenced by humans, according to a new study, as melting polar ice alters the Earth’s rotation and changes time itself.
Grandparent scam: London, Ont., senior beats fraudsters not once, but twice
It was a typical Tuesday for Mabel Beharrell, 84, until she got the call that would turn her world upside down. Her teenaged grandson was in trouble and needed her help.
Sunshine list: These were the Ontario public sector's highest earners in 2023
Ontario released its annual sunshine list Thursday afternoon, noting that the largest year-over-year increases were in hospitals, municipalities, and post-secondary sectors.
NEW 'Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire': A crowd pleaser that turns it up to 11
Hot on the heels of last year's 'Godzilla Minus One' comes 'Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire,' the first ever Academy Award winner in the giant reptile's decades-long film career.
Deaths of 4 people on Sask. farm confirmed as murder-suicide
The deaths of four people on a farm near the Saskatchewan village of Neudorf have been confirmed a murder-suicide.