'We have a bright future': Sudbury mayor gives second state of city address
Greater Sudbury Mayor Paul Lefebvre delivered his state of the city address at the Caruso Club on Thursday, his second since being elected in 2022.
"We have a bright future," he said during his closing remarks.
Sudbury Mayor Paul Lefebvre gives second 'State of the City' address at chamber of commerce event at the Caruso Club. May 2, 2024 (Amanda Hicks/CTV Northern Ontario)
In an interview with CTVNewsNorthernOntario.ca after his speech, Lefebvre said he was feeling optimistic about the city's future.
"There's hotels being built, we're investing in our roads, there's more housing opportunities as well, so there's a lot of investments in our community," he said.
"A lot of development and so we're doing what we can as a city to facilitate that, welcome that."
The event, titled 'Investing in Our Future,' was hosted by the Greater Sudbury Chamber of Commerce.
The mayor's speech touched on investing in the city's infrastructure through renewal and promoting economic growth.
Lefebvre reflected on the city's infrastructure investments, including construction projects, the cultural hub and the recent decision to build a new events centre downtown to replace the aging arena.
The project was recently greenlit by council with a price tag of $200 million.
Construction is set to start in 2026 and be completed by 2028.
"It's been debated for decades," Lefebvre said in his speech.
"Now, we're finally getting it done."
- Download the CTV News app now
- Get local breaking news alerts
- Daily newsletter with the top local stories emailed to your inbox
Additionally, Lefebvre renewed his goal to achieve a population of 200,000 in Greater Sudbury by 2050, emphasizing on the need to continue to address a housing shortage.
In 2023, the city surpassed its housing target, in turn, receiving funding from the province.
Many business owners and leaders in the community were in attendance for the address.
Members of the Greater Sudbury business community gather for the mayor's second annual 'State of the City' address hosted by the chamber of commerce at the Caruso Club. May 2, 2024 (Amanda Hicks/CTV Northern Ontario)
Kendra MacIsaac, Downtown Sudbury co-chair, said she thought Lefebvre's speech was great.
"Obviously, there has been a significant investment in the downtown core and the downtown Sudbury BIA could not be more thrilled," MacIsaac said.
"Is there more to do? Absolutely, and we're here to cheerlead our city partners and support them all the way."
Dario Zulich, CEO of Sudbury Wolves Sports & Enterainment, said he found Lefebvre's speech inspiring.
"He's done what other mayors, other council have not done in years, decades," Zulich said.
"It was very impressive, very inspiring and the future looks bright for Sudbury."
As for immediate priorities, Lefebvre said ensuring there is enough staff to start major projects, attracting more businesses to the city and finding solutions to help the most vulnerable will be top of mind.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Child under 5 dies of measles in Ontario: PHO
A young child has died of measles in Ontario, marking the first death in the province from the highly contagious virus in more than 10 years, a Public Health Ontario report confirms.
NEW Pack the macaroni necklace: Lessons on evacuations from a woman who fled one of Canada's worst wildfires
Carol Christian had 15 minutes to evacuate her home during the Fort McMurray wildfires in 2016. She ended up losing the house and everything inside. Now, she wants to share the lessons she learned.
Think twice before sharing 'heartbreaking' social media posts, RCMP warn
Mounties in B.C. are urging people to think twice before sharing "heartbreaking posts" on social media.
'Ugly produce': One way Canadians are shrinking rising grocery bills
As the cost of food in Canada has risen, grocery shoppers are looking at ways to reduce their grocery bill, and more are choosing price over beauty, turning to companies that deliver so-called 'misfit' produce at a fraction of the cost.
Vatican revamps norms to evaluate visions of Mary as it adapts to Internet age and combats hoaxers
The Vatican on Friday radically reformed its process for evaluating alleged visions of the Virgin Mary, weeping statues and other seemingly supernatural phenomena, insisting on having the final say in whether the events are worthy of popular devotion.
Wildfires burning across Canada: Communities threatened as flames creep closer
Thousands of residents fled Fort McMurray this week, fearing a repeat of the 2016 wildfire that forced out the entire community and torched more than 2,400 homes.
5 secrets to moving better and preventing avoidable injury
Countless people seek emergency care for back pain, muscle strains and similar injuries resulting from “moving wrong” during mundane, everyday tasks such as bending over to tie shoes, lifting objects or doing household chores.
Zach Bryan and girlfriend Brianna Chickenfry are 'happy and alive' after 'traumatizing' car accident
Zach Bryan and his girlfriend Brianna LaPaglia were involved in a scary car accident earlier this week, according to LaPaglia, who recalled the experience in a candid video posted to her TikTok page earlier this week.
Trudeau calls New Brunswick's Conservative government a 'disgrace' on women's rights
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau assailed New Brunswick's premier and other conservative leaders on Thursday, calling out the provincial government's position on abortion, LGBTQ youth and climate change.