Sudbury park renamed after long-time volunteer
A park in Sudbury's Flour Mill community has a new name honouring a long-time volunteer.
City officials gathered on Percy Avenue late Thursday afternoon to rename the neighbourhood playground the Parc Claude Charbonneau Park.
Charbonneau, who was born and raised in the neighbourhood, has volunteered thousands of hours. His fundraising work helped improve the Percy Park fieldhouse and rebuild the outdoor rink.
"It's amazing, the feeling that I have being so grateful for what's gone on here today," Charbonneau told CTV News in an interview.
"Thankful for all the support I've received, the leaders from our society here, the city, it's just an honour."
Long-time Sudbury volunteer Claude Charbonneau has Percy Park renamed after him. Dec. 8/22 (Ian Campbell/CTV NorthernOntario)
It was the Labourers' International Union of North America (LiUNA) that put forward the request to have it renamed.
- Download our app to get alerts sent to your device
- Get the latest newsletter sent right to your inbox
Percy Park had been named for Percy Johns, the Sudbury-area businessman who had donated the land to the city in 1941.
The city said it sought the permission of the Johns family, who were present via Zoom for the dedication, before the renaming.
"For me, this is a place where when the kids come here, they can forget about everything," said Charbonneau.
"It's great that we have a beautiful facility here, it's safe and it's new. Kids love it. We have adults that come and use the exercise equipment. It's great to see a variety."
In his speech, he gave credit to his neighbours who he said were instrumental in helping maintain the park.
Councillor Joscelyne Landry-Altmann said the honour couldn't go to a more deserving individual.
"He means everything to this community. He's the support, he's the person you go to when you need help. He's the person that will organize an activity and or an amenity, making sure the ice is in good condition, or making sure the kids have skates or they have something hot to eat at least once a week," she said.
"He's the one when you have vandalism in the park, instead of calling the police, he goes to visit the parents to see if there's something he can do to help. That's the person we're talking about."
Landry-Altmann, who represents the Flour Mill as part of Ward 12, said it's just a small token for the amount of work Charbonneau's given to the city.
"40,000 hours and $14 an hour, you do the math," she said.
"I had the pleasure of getting to know Claude in my former role and saw his advocacy and how passionate he was about this area. Once you get to know Claude, you see the leadership in him, the passion in him about his community," said Sudbury Mayor Paul Lefebvre.
Charbonneau received the City of Greater Sudbury Civic Award in 2008 and the June Callwood Award for Outstanding Volunteer in 2016.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Indian envoy warns of 'big red line,' days after charges laid in Nijjar case
India's envoy to Canada insists relations between the two countries are positive overall, despite what he describes as 'a lot of noise.'
Stormy Daniels describes meeting Trump during occasionally graphic testimony in hush money trial
With Donald Trump sitting just feet away, Stormy Daniels testified Tuesday at the former president's hush money trial about a sexual encounter the porn actor says they had in 2006 that resulted in her being paid to keep silent during the presidential race 10 years later.
U.S. paused bomb shipment to Israel to signal concerns over Rafah invasion, official says
The U.S. paused a shipment of bombs to Israel last week over concerns that Israel was approaching a decision on launching a full-scale assault on the southern Gaza city of Rafah against the wishes of the U.S.
Former homicide detective explains how police will investigate shooting outside Drake's Bridle Path mansion
Footage from dozens of security cameras in the area of Drake’s Bridle Path mansion could be the key to identifying the suspect responsible for shooting and seriously injuring a security guard outside the rapper’s sprawling home early Tuesday morning, a former Toronto homicide detective says.
Northern Ont. woman makes 'eggstraordinary' find
A chicken farmer near Mattawa made an 'eggstraordinary' find Friday morning when she discovered one of her hens laid an egg close to three times the size of an average large chicken egg.
Susan Buckner, who played spirited cheerleader Patty Simcox in 'Grease,' dead at 72
Susan Buckner, best known for playing peppy Rydell High School cheerleader Patty Simcox in the 1978 classic movie musical 'Grease,' has died. She was 72.
Jeremy Skibicki has 'uphill battle' to prove he's not criminally responsible in Winnipeg killings: legal analysts
Accused killer Jeremy Skibicki could have a challenging time convincing a judge that he is not criminally responsible for the deaths of four Indigenous women, a legal analyst says.
Bye-bye bag fee: Calgary repeals single-use bylaw
A Calgary bylaw requiring businesses to charge a minimum bag fee and only provide single-use items when requested has officially been tossed.
Alcohol believed to be a factor in boating incident after 2 men die: N.S. RCMP
Two Nova Scotia men are dead after a boat they were travelling in sank in the Annapolis River in Granville Centre, N.S., on Monday.