Sudbury mayor gives his two-year address

Sudbury mayor reflects on two years in office Paul Lefebvre, mayor of Greater Sudbury, spoke of the challenges the city faces as he looked on his first two years in the mayors' chair.

Greater Sudbury Mayor Paul Lefebvre reflected Wednesday on his first two years in office.

Speaking at Tom Davis Square, Lefebvre focused on the challenges the city faces.

"Housing, homelessness, mental health, addictions and overall community safety and well-being," he said.

"No single organization can solve these challenges alone but by collaborating, sharing resources, and listening to one another, we have begun creating solutions that work for everyone."

As part of his address, the mayor pledged to advocate for supportive housing for veterans.

"We're actually hearing true stories of veterans that are being helped by other veterans to be housed. And I'm saying, OK, we can help out," Lefebvre said.

"We need to help out. And so there is funding from the federal government that is available. We've seen a project in Sault Ste Marie come to fruition … I’m committed to moving this forward because there's a need and I think there's an opportunity."

He also addressed critics who say the city can't afford projects like the cultural hub and a new arena, saying it's not just municipal dollars at work.

"We are leveraging every dollar that we get from the province and with the federal government," Lefebvre said.

"(For) the cultural hub, we received $25 million from the federal government."

While the city will pay for the arena, he said the social housing projects receive support from all three levels of government.

Lefebvre said the projects will not only attract visitors and boost the economy but also enrich the cultural fabric of the community.

Jeff Mcintyre, executive director of Downtown Sudbury, said downtowns in cities across Canada all have the same issues and challenges.

"The downtowns that are succeeding are still focusing on some of those basics," Mcintyre said.

"Let's make it fun, let's make it an exciting place to visit, let's make it a great place to be and the community support that builds out of that not only helps the small businesses and helps the things thrive -- it also helps with the social."

Click here to read Lefebvre's full address.