It was the city’s Latin motto, Aedificemus, that gave rise to the theme of Mayor Paul Lefebvre's annual State of the City address, which he translated as "Come, let us build together."
Hosted by the Sudbury Chamber of Commerce, the May 1 speech was the mayor's third address since he was elected in 2022.
A packed house heard the mayor speak to the economic progress and vision for the city, and saw the first ever showing of the artist rendition of the new downtown events centre facade.
With the city’s nine operating mines, with two in development, as well as two refineries, two smelters and a concentrator, Lefebvre underscored Sudbury's unique position in critical minerals, with significant infrastructure and talent.
“Nowhere else in the world do we have this type of infrastructure and ability to mine critical minerals,” he said.
“Our mines and businesses are competing against Chinese state-owned enterprises that don't hold the same environmental and safety standards."
Lefebvre advocated for federal and provincial support to maintain domestic competitiveness against China.
“It’s not easy to remain competitive, and make sure that we keep the mining activity going when we are confronted with that,” he said. “And the federal government and the provincial government, in my discussions with them, are just starting to realize how important minerals are but the challenges faced by our industry.”
He said because the Chinese “own the whole supply chain,” they care little if one part of the supply chain loses money.
“They'll make sure that they suppress the price in some of the pieces of the supply chain, to make sure that there's no entry. That's what we're seeing right now, and that is one of our challenges.”
In light of the tariffs imposed by U.S. President Donald Trump, Lefebvre spoke of a global shift toward economic sovereignty and the importance of controlling production in order to benefit from that prosperity.
He stressed the importance of supporting Sudbury’s citizens with the infrastructure they need.
“Since this new council, 2022, we've approved the creation of over 3,000 new housing units, and we're not done,” he said. “On the industrial, commercial side, in 2022 the value of the permanent building permits that we issued was around $110,000,000, in 2023 around $120,000,000, in 2024: $270,000,000.”
In 2025, he said, the city “will surpass 300,000 square feet of new industrial, commercial buildings.”
And to service the needs of all the customers, suppliers and businesses that will use that space, the return of WestJet to the Greater Sudbury Airport will be a boon for all.
Lefebvre further spoke of the city's founders, noting how many of them are first generation children of immigrants to Sudbury, and that’s why newcomers to Sudbury are so important. He pointed to the success of the Rural and Northern Immigration Programs as driving forces for new Sudburians.
“In fact, we've already welcomed 1,400 candidates through the program for a total of 3,000 residents, and achieved an incredible retention rate of 98 per cent,” he said.
Lefebvre has stated his goal of increasing Sudbury’s population to 200,000 by 2050.
“As we welcome newcomers: who bring perspective, stories and experiences, we also strengthen the creative energy that fuels our arts community,” he said, noting that the film and television industry in Sudbury will bring 30 projects to town.
But for all this growth, Lefebvre still pointed to the city's aims to balance growth with environmental sustainability and cultural preservation.
Lefebvre said the city's efforts to protect 30 per cent of lands and water by 2030, includes the identification of 2,000 hectares of green space and the planting of over 10,000 trees.
He emphasized need to build Indigenous reconciliation into these plans.
“The story of Sudbury, our community has pulled together to transform damaged industrial landscape back to green, but we can, and we must do more,” he said. “This is a city with rich history that began with the Anishinaabe people, who cared for this land since immemorial.”
A new federal program could support national urban parks across the country, he said, noting the potential for 15 of these parks in the city.
“So we would be working with Chief Larry Roque (Wahnapitae First Nation) and Gimaa Craig Nootchtai (Atikameksheng Anishnawbek) to try to make sure that Sudbury has the potential to receive a national urban park, where the Lake Laurentian land is.”
It would be “another feather in our cap," he said, highlighting the importance of collaboration and advocacy in achieving the city's goals.
“We want to have a city that we can be proud of, that our parents can age healthy and happy, and that our kids want to stay here and they want to invest here,” he said. “So let's build more homes. Let's build more businesses and jobs. Let's build stronger services and a stronger economy. Let's build a city where everyone can succeed.”
Jenny Lamothe is a reporter with Sudbury.com.
