Ontario Premier Doug Ford announces $34.9M for Sudbury wastewater facility

Ontario Premier Doug Ford made a visit to Sudbury on Monday afternoon for a $34.9 million wastewater infrastructure announcement.

The news conference was held at 2 p.m. Oct. 28 at the Lively-Walden wastewater plant and CTVNewsNorthernOntario.ca had the event streaming live online.

Watch the full, raw video including Ford taking questions from the media above. 

The money will help enable the construction of 3,300 new homes in the city, the province said in a news release and is coming from the first round of allocations under the Housing-Enabling Water Systems Fund.

The fund will help municipalities build, repair, rehabilitate and expand drinking water, wastewater and stormwater infrastructure needed for residential development.

"We’re working with our municipal partners here in Sudbury and across Ontario to get more homes built faster,” said Ford.

"With billions of dollars in investments in housing-enabling infrastructure, our government is helping get more shovels in the ground to keep the dream of homeownership alive and help more families across Ontario find a home that meets their needs and their budgets."

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'Sudbury needs a voice'

At the end of the news conference, Ford appeared to take a shot at the current Sudbury MPP Jamie West, of the New Democratic Party (NDP).

While not naming him, Ford said "Sudbury needs a voice" at Queen's Park, not someone "sitting in the corner playing cards."

 

Later in an interview with CTV News, West said Ford seems to enjoy making jabs in NDP-held ridings.

"Doug Ford, for the last six years, has developed a tradition of insulting me while leaving behind provincial funding," West said.

"It's been a long-standing tradition, and honestly, my feelings won't be hurt as long as he's going to leave behind the funding for the riding I represent."

Ford seemed to insinuate two northern cities are enjoying more ministerial visits and more funding after voting in two Progressive Conservative candidates over NDP candidates.

"It's one of those things where I think he's trying to bribe people with their own tax dollars," West said.

"Ford isn't uncle Dougie coming with the bag of money that he you know, squirreled away at home. These are taxpayer dollars." 

George Pirie went from Timmins Mayor to Tory MPP in 2022, a spot previously held by Gilles Bisson of the NDP, and was appointed the minister of mines.

Ford also mentioned Thunder Bay in his remarks, where the city changed from orange to blue as well in 2022 in the Thunder Bay-Atikokan riding.

A spokesperson for the premier told CTV News in a phone call he was referring to PC MPP Kevin Holland, who is serving his first term as the associate minister of forestry and forest products.

Meanwhile, NDP Lise Vaugeouis is MPP for Thunder Bay - Superior North.

Another northern riding that switched from NDP to PC representation is Kenora-Rainy River with MPP Greg Rickford's election in 2018.

He is currently serving his second term as MPP and holds leads two ministries: Indigenous Affairs and First Nations Economic Reconciliation and Northern Development.

His election ended a 19-year reign by the NDP in that riding.

The Ontario PC party is holding a Sudbury leader's dinner Monday at 5 p.m., but the location has not been disclosed on its website. The cost to attend is $750 per person.

Ford was in the Nickel City last November to announce $4.1 million for five mining supply and services projects.

More from reporter Amanda Hicks to come.

New rehab hospital

Dignitaries also gathered Monday afternoon for the grand opening of Phase 1 for St. Joseph's Continuing Care Centre Lasalle site, next to the Canada Revenue Agency building at the corner of Lasalle Boulevard and Notre Dame Avenue.

"The grand opening marks the completion of Phase 1 of the new rehabilitation hospital, which will provide critical care to older adults living with frailty throughout the region," St. Joseph's Continuing Care Centre said in a media advisory Oct. 15.

"The event will include a tour of the facility and the opportunity to hear from local and provincial leaders about the importance of this new healthcare development."

Construction for the new 72-bed facility began earlier this year and 36 patients from the temporary site at the Clarion Hotel are expected to take occupancy with the completion of the first phase. 

Sudbury Mayor Paul Lefebvre and Ontario health critic Nickel Belt MPP France Gelinas are expected to be joined by the province's health minister and deputy premier Sylvia Jones for the opening.

Phase 2 is expected to be complete next fall.