Mary Katherine Keown

Greater Sudbury taxpayers looking at tax hike of more than 5% - Take our poll 'This proposed budget reflects our continued commitment to responsible financial planning and effective service delivery'

November means #budget time. Property owners in #GreaterSudbury will likely pay at least 5.7% more in taxes on next year's bill, plus 4.8% more for water. Council will begin deliberations next month to finalize the 2026-27 budget.
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Greater Sudbury councillors call for more civility in politics and society - Take our poll Elect Respect is a movement in Ontario that asks people to ‘treat others with respect in all spaces — public, private, and online’.

Ward 7 Coun. Natalie Labbee wears a BE KIND pin, so no surprise she won a motion to restore civility and respect to municipal politics. Her colleagues agreed 11-1 to sign the #ElectRespect pledge. She said harassment is discouraging folks from getting involved.
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Longtime employees and life-long friends buy Sudbury’s Computrek New owners say they want to expand.

Two life-long friends have recently purchased #Computrek, which has been around #GreaterSudbury for nearly 40y. It started as a retail shop in the Montrose Mall. My family bought our first home computer from them waaaaaaaaayyyyyyyyy back...
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Reseau Access Network in Sudbury looking for executive director Heidi Eisenhauer, the agency’s former executive director, has left the organization.

The former ED of #ReseauAccessNetwork in #GreaterSudbury has left the org. Staff say frontline work is unaffected, but w/out leadership, will they be able to seek funding? How will they participate in the ongoing work to curb #homelessness in CGS? Lots of Qs.
www.thesudburystar.com/news/reseau-...

Christmas movies theme of this year's Santa Claus parade in Sudbury Annual parade slated for Nov. 22 in downtown Sudbury, which begins at 5:30 p.m.

Downtown Sudbury, CGS and the GSPS are gearing up for the annual #SantaClaus parade, which takes place Nov. 22 at 5:30 p.m. This year's theme is the Xmas movie. The route will be expanded to offer more viewing opportunities and to include more local businesses.
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Greater Sudbury councillor wants to expand free transit program for seniors Ward 7 Coun. Natalie Labbee proposes granting seniors one day per month of free transit.

Ward 7 Coun. Natalie Labbee will intro a motion next wk aimed at creating social opportunities for seniors. She wants CGS to offer free transit rides to seniors (65+) the first Tues every month. She says a 2023 pilot showed promising results, helped ridership.
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Sudbury Secondary choir excited to join Foreigner on stage - Watch video They will perform I Want to Know What Love Is with the iconic rockers at the Sudbury Arena on Thursday.

Get out the lighters... A choir from #SudburySecondarySchool will perform Thurs w Foreigner at the #GreaterSudbury arena. The choir will perform the hit, I Want to Know What Love Is. Beyond nurturing a love of song, choir builds community, the director says.
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Time well spent on Saturday with #KoralTheKayak. Conditions were perfect - not a cloud in the sky - and the #tamarack trees were aglow…

For Agnico Eagle, all that glitters is golden, Sudbury chamber hears Andre Leite outlines gold miner’s plans to expand, especially in Northern Ontario

Andre Leite, VP of ON ops for #AgnicoEagle, told an audience last wk nearly 1/3 of all gold produced in Canada comes from #NorthernOntario 💪🏽 The company has plans to expand operations at Detour Lake to 1M oz. gold produced annually, with an underground mine.

www.thesudburystar.com/news/for-agn...

Despite opposition, committee OKs three apartment towers in Minnow Lake - Take our poll The development will contain 84 apartments, city councillors are told.

Despite vocal opposition from nearby residents, the #GreaterSudbury planning cmte approved Mon a rezoning appy for a tract of land on Bancroft Dr. It currently contains 1 house, but 84 apartments in 3 towers are planned, wedged in btwn Seguin St and Avalon Rd.
www.thesudburystar.com/news/despite...

Greater Sudbury councillor fails to win speed camera motion Bill Leduc says if the province kills the program, it should compensate the city.

Ward 11 Coun. Bill Leduc intro'd motion Tues asking Premier #DougFord to reimburse cities for expenses incurred due to proposed cancellation of ASE prgm. Only Leduc voted in favour of the motion. Ford intro'd legislation Monday to kill the cameras.
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Greater Sudbury Development Corporation lists its accomplishments City’s economic arm says it had a busy - and successful - 2024.

Economic momentum is building in #GreaterSudbury, the GSDC said this wk. During a presentation, the board chair said CGS approved just under $1.1M, allowing businesses to leverage $2.4M in funding from other sources. It also contributed $605K to 44 arts groups.
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Leduc wants Queen's Park to reimburse Greater Sudbury for cancellation of ASE program Ward 11 Coun. Bill Leduc believes Queens Park should reimburse municipalities for some of the costs incurred as a result of cancellation.

Ward 11 Coun. Bill Leduc will intro motion tmrw asking #QueensPark to reimburse CGS for expenses incurred due to looming cancellation of ASE prgm. #GreaterSudbury earned abt $750K in revenue from #SpeedCameras in 2024, but Premier Doug Ford wants them gone.
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Pierre Poilievre comes to Sudbury with his elbows up - Take our poll Conservative leader rips into Prime Minister Mark Carney on a host of subjects, ranging from trade wars with Donald Trump to the Ring of Fire.

The @sudburystar.bsky.social in conversation with #PierrePoilievre, leader of the #ConservativePartyOfCanada. He met Thurs w workers at Consbec, and spoke abt need to protect jobs and national security, and need to harness the power of our natural resources.
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Jennmar to expand Sudbury operations, with help from city Company will receive tax relief worth almost $1 million under Community Improvement Plan program.

The City of #GreaterSudbury will contribute abt $924K to #Jennmar, enabling them to expand their local footprint and grow the work force by abt 21 FTEs. The company even plans to relocate some jobs from the US. Jennmar is investing $7M to grow their space.
www.thesudburystar.com/news/jennmar...

Greater Sudbury committee agrees to increase speed limit on parts of Municipal Road 15 Slower speed is frustrating drivers, especially those trying to avoid truck traffic along the route, city councillors told.

This doesn't happen very often in #GreaterSudbury. The ops cmte voted this wk to increase #SpeedLimits on parts of MR15 from 60 km/h to 70 km/h. Apparently motorists had been complaining the speed limit was too low.

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Greater Sudbury councillors vote against pay increase for themselves As of today, the average city councillor earns $49,433 a year.

The #GreaterSudbury finance cmte opted Tues not to raise cllr salaries. Councillors make abt $49K annually, abt $1200 less than in other ON communities, but with perks, staff advised against a raise. The changes that were approved will carry nominal costs.
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City of Greater Sudbury unveils plan to fix the downtown It must act to help the city's homeless and vulnerable while protecting the downtown's economic interests, CAO Shari Lichterman says

The City of #GreaterSudbury said Tuesday it has developed a 5-pronged action plan to revitalize the city core. It will help create a social services hub at #EnergyCourt and will work on keeping downtown cleaner. The BIA is also working on an ambassador prgm.
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Up to 30 apartment units approved for Lively Developer looking to build three, four-storey apartment buildings containing 10 dwelling units each.

Good news for renters. The #GreaterSudbury planning cmte approved an appy Mon that will enable construction of 30 apartments in Lively, along MR55. Three 4-storey towers will be built, each w 10 units. There aren't many apartments in Ward 2, so this is nice.
www.thesudburystar.com/news/up-to-3...

As number of homeless grow, Greater Sudbury spends more money on shelters Nearly $1.75 million will be spent this winter to provide warm spaces on those with no where to go.

Council voted on Tues to inject abt $1.75M into three spaces frequented by the #GreaterSudbury #homeless population. The warming space at Energy Court will operate 24/7; and the Samaritan Centre and Off-the-Street shelter will have extended hours. Good start 💪🏽
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Greater Sudbury failing to make downtown safe: Business leader - Take our poll Unless security is stepped up, it will drive people and businesses away from the downtown core, she says

Several business owners in downtown #GreaterSudbury are starting to ring alarm bells abt conditions DT. The owners of 66 Elm say a major tenant is considering leaving the core. Two others have shuttered or are considering retirement. We need a solution NOW.
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Donate to Helping Jim Moodie recover from a catastrophic fire, organized by MARY KATHERINE KEOWN Overnight on Aug. 14, my colleague and friend, Jim Moodie, lo… MARY KATHERINE KEOWN needs your support for Helping Jim Moodie recover from a catastrophic fire

Dear readers, on Aug. 14, my friend and colleague lost most of his possessions, as well as his two cats, in a terrible fire. I've started a @gofundme.com campaign to help him recover. If you feel so inclined and are able, please consider contributing a few dollars...
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City to establish Indigenous advisory panel Move in keeping with commitment to calls to action, as outlined in Truth and Reconciliation process

Following a resolution passed last month, city council will establish an #Indigenous advisory panel to help amplify the voices of our Indigenous kin at city hall.

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Residents of Long Lake petition to have wake boats barred from waterway Ward 9 Coun. Deb McIntosh presented a petition to her colleagues bearing 110 signatures — mostly from residents of East Bay on Long Lake.

A group of residents in the East Bay of #GreaterSudbury's Long Lake has submitted a petition to CGS, asking that #WakeBoats be barred from their part of the lake. One woman with whom I spoke said she has had to spend $$$ to keep her home from slipping into LL.
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Beacon Ride 2025 to light up Greater Sudbury Streets on Sunday Cycle North is hoping to raise $25,000 to purchase 100 new bikes for children and families in need, in the Greater Sudbury community.

#CycleNorth will host the annual #BeaconRide on Sunday, setting out from the Steelworkers Hall. Riders will complete an 18 km or 60 km loop, w a party afterwards. Organizers are hoping to raise $25K to buy 100 new bikes for those in need in #GreaterSudbury.

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City council being asked to approve solar field at Greater Sudbury Airport Project would produce enough energy to power at least 6,000 homes for a year.

I think it'll be an easy yes... At next week's council mtg, the cohort will vote on supporting a #SolarProject at the #GreaterSudbury airport. The proponent wants to install a 15 MW project, which will feed the provincial grid. #PowerUp #SustainablePower

www.thesudburystar.com/news/city-co...

Tenants at 1960 Paris St. living in 'fear,' workers say Crime was an increasing problem there before two people were shot to death in housing complex last week, they say.

I spoke earlier this wk w 2 people who work at 1960 Paris St., formerly #RumballTerrace. They said in the wake of a #DoubleMurder last wk, tenants are afraid and uneasy. The day I visited, it was quiet. The pair said conditions have deteriorated in the past yr.
www.thesudburystar.com/news/tenants...

If Sudbury's trees are healthy, so are its people: City's tree warden Derrick LaPorte and his crew help keep Greater Sudbury's tree population in good health.

This sounds like a very cool job... The City of #GreaterSudbury employs a #TreeWarden who oversees the city's trees (outside parks). An #arborist by training, Derrick LaPorte has a passion for trees, and has introduced several unique species to the landscape.
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Marc Serre settles into new job, reflects on today's political climate Former Liberal MP for Nickel Belt is the new CAO and clerk for the Municipality of Markstay-Warren.

Former Liberal MP Marc Serre has taken a position in #MarkstayWarren as its newest CAO/clerk. He is very excited abt the opportunity to contribute to a northern town. Serre said he couldn't relocate to Ottawa or TO - he's a #NorthernOntario boy at heart.

www.thesudburystar.com/news/marc-se...

Sudbury's volunteer firefighter union, city clash over new radio system CLAC says it does not object to new radios but says training was poorly handled.

#GreaterSudbury's volunteer firefighters are clashing w admin over a radio system CGS will intro. CLAC, the VFF union, filed a grievance w the MOL. CGS says the two systems are nearly the same. CGS has been doing training, but still placed 20 VFFs on leave.
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