Development Liaison Advisory Committee (DLAC)

The next phase of the City’s Employment Land Strategy Commercial and Industrial Policy Review is now online for your feedback.

As part of the implementation of the Employment Land Strategy a review of the City's current policy framework for commercial and industrial development is being undertaken. The review will examine the City's Zoning By-law and Official Plan and include community engagement to ensure that appropriate guidelines are in place to reflect current industry standards and practices.

The review will include:

• modernizing the commercial and industrial zone categories including simplifying zones and/or definitions, along with related Official Plan policy changes;
• reviewing zone standards with respect to modern requirements (e.g. lot size, frontage, parking ratios); and
• recommendations that respond to specific recurring issues that have been identified by staff as well as those that emerge through discussion with internal and external priority audiences.
  
  

To learn more, visit the Over to You page. Virtual open houses for feedback will be held on Monday, December 15, 2025 at 10 a.m. and 2 p.m.

You are invited to view the newly-updated Downtown Master Plan (DMP) on Wednesday, December 10, 2025, at one of two drop-in sessions:

• 11 a.m. to 1 p.m.
• 5 to 7 p.m.

The sessions will be hosted in the Studio Desjardins at Place des Arts, located at 27 Larch Street

These sessions will reflect the feedback that the City has collected from the community and will support a transparent planning process for this exciting initiative. Residents will have the opportunity to complete a survey, providing thoughts on the implementation of the updated plan.

Once endorsed by Council, the updated DMP will be the blueprint for a more vibrant, inclusive and thriving downtown Sudbury. These improvements capture the evolving needs of our community and are meant to better serve our Greater Sudbury residents and local businesses. Key milestones of the DMP like the construction of the McEwen School of Architecture and Place des Arts have already been realized, while exciting projects such as the Cultural Hub and Event Centre are still underway.

The review of the DMP is now in its last phase, with final completion expected in early 2026.

For more information on the DMP and the review process, visit: https://overtoyou.greatersudbury.ca/

Effective November 3, 2025, the Ontario Building Code (OBC) was amended to support policies under the Protect Ontario by Building Faster and Smarter Act, 2025 (Bill 17) that amended the Development Charges Act,1997.

These changes impact the timing and process for payment of development charges for non-rental residential developments within the City of Greater Sudbury. This bulletin summarizes the key changes for our residents, builders, and industry partners.

As preparations advance for construction of the new downtown Event Centre, several changes to parking operations — including adjusted rates, lot closures and the introduction of new parking areas — will take effect before the end of the year.

To accommodate construction activity, a section of the downtown core will be fenced off, resulting in a decrease of approximately 270 parking spots. To help offset this impact, the City is establishing new public parking areas, while also implementing additional initiatives.

The full perimeter of the Event Centre construction area will be secured as early as January 1, 2026. The following are the expected timelines for significant parking lot closures and openings:

• Shaughnessy Street West Lot
  (Located across Shaughnessy Street from the Sudbury Theatre Centre.)
  • Unavailable as early as December 1.
• Shaughnessy Street B Lot
  (Located to the south of the former Wacky Wings on Shaughnessy Street)
  • Partial closure as of mid-December.
  • Complete closure as early as January 1, 2026.
• Minto Street Parking Lot
  (Located on Minto Street across from the Sudbury Community Arena.)
  • Partial closure as of mid-December.
  • Complete closure as early as January 1, 2026.
• CP Rail Lot
  • Improvements to the lot are expected to be complete and available for monthly pass holders and daily parking as of mid-December.
• Shaughnessy Street East Lot
  (Located beside the Sudbury Theatre Centre.)
  • Work will be completed to increase available parking spaces. Bylaw Services will communicate with monthly passholders about availability for use of new space.

Monthly Pass Holder Information

Beginning December 1, 2025, monthly pass holders for the Shaughnessy West, Shaughnessy B and Minto Street parking lots will automatically transition to the CP Parking Lot monthly rate. Pass holders may continue using their existing lots until construction barriers are installed.

Free Transit Pilot Program

A pilot program for free transit for event ticket holders will be implemented on event days. Passengers can receive free transit citywide by presenting their paper or electronic ticket for that day to the bus operator, starting two hours before the event and continuing until the end of the day.

The City of Greater Sudbury marked the progress of its 2023 Innovation Blueprint highlighting key milestones and accomplishments during yesterday’s Progress Update event. These achievements have been transforming the local economy and positioning the community as a leader for innovation in clean technology, critical minerals, and health and life sciences.

The Innovation Blueprint outlines a bold vision for Greater Sudbury to lead in emerging industries. That vision is now taking shape through strategic investments, global partnerships, new opportunities for collaboration with First Nation communities and targeted talent attraction efforts that are reshaping the city’s economic landscape.

Key achievements to date include:

• Unlocked new industrial land through infrastructure upgrades and risk mitigation, including an investment of $19 million in Lasalle/Elisabella Industrial Area to support business growth and new development.
• Approved three Employment Land CIP applications, resulting in the creation of 93 full-time jobs and generating $10.6 million in construction value.
• Completed successful global trade missions to Kazakhstan, Japan and Korea, which expanded market access for local firms.
• Strengthened relationships with First Nations partners, with collaboration continuing to grow.
• Fostered health and life sciences advancements through new med-tech investments, expanded clinic services, and the recruitment of new physicians via the Practice Ready Ontario program, providing primary care access to 12,000 residents.
• Achieved talent attraction success, welcoming over 2,700 newcomers through the Rural and Northern Immigration Pilot, and recommended 407 candidates through the Rural and Francophone Community Immigration Pilot programs.
• Accelerated innovation and job creation through strategic investments via the Sudbury Catalyst Fund, supporting 12 companies across emerging sectors and contributing $2.97 million to date, resulting in 63 new jobs.

To read more about the progress made, visit https://investsudbury.ca.

The City of Greater Sudbury is pleased to share that Melissa Riou has been promoted to the role of Director of Planning Services overseeing development approvals, geographic information systems and strategic and environmental planning.

Ms. Riou joined the City as a Senior Planner in 2016 and was most recently Interim Manager of Strategic and Environmental Planning. She is a Registered Professional Planner and a member of the Canadian Institute of Planners. Melissa holds a Bachelor of Arts (Honours) in Geography from Laurentian University and a Master of Applied Environmental Studies from the University of Waterloo.

Before her time with the City of Greater Sudbury, she also served as Director of Planning for the Sudbury East Planning Board from 2011 to 2016, and as a Planner for Oxford County from 2005 to 2011. Since joining the city, she has led several significant policy development initiatives, including the Employment Lands Strategy and the Housing Supply Strategy. Her extensive experience in municipal planning will serve her well in her new role.

“Melissa’s depth of experience and demonstrated leadership in key growth portfolios for the City make her an excellent fit for this role,” said Kris Longston, General Manager of Planning and Growth. “She has been an integral part of the Planning Services department’s initiatives during her career with the City so far, and I look forward to continuing to work with her in this new capacity.”

"I am honoured to take on this new role within the City," said Melissa Riou. "The work we are doing to drive growth in our community is essential, and I have an excellent team to work alongside. My time with them has prepared me well and I am excited to take on this new challenge."

Ms. Riou begins her new role on Monday December 1, 2025 reporting to the General Manager of Planning and Growth.

We are proud to share that Zoocasa has ranked the City of Greater Sudbury among the hottest real estate markets in Canada for 2025!

While we know this already, it's wonderful to see that we are being recognized on a national level for being a place that people want to live, work, play and invest. Not only are we a hot market in 2025, we've seen Y-O-Y growth, meaning our marketing is constantly growing and improving.

Interested to read the full report? Click here: https://www.zoocasa.com/blog/autumn-markets-2025/

Zoocasa is an award-winning prop-tech company, leveraging data and technology to provide an intelligent, end-to-end real estate experience.

The City of Greater Sudbury’s proposed budget was presented to the Finance and Administration Committee at its meeting Tuesday.

The proposed budget outlines a balanced approach to maintaining core services, investing in critical infrastructure and supporting Council’s strategic priorities, including housing, economic growth and community well-being.

The City’s proposed budget includes an increase of 0.9 per cent to support municipal operations, ensuring continued delivery of essential services to residents. In addition, capital funding to support roads, public facilities and other vital infrastructure brings the total municipal budget increase to 2.7 per cent. Including service partners such as the Greater Sudbury Police Service (GSPS), Public Health Sudbury & Districts and the Greater Sudbury Public Library (GSPL), the overall property tax impact is 5.7 per cent.

The proposed budget outlines a total capital investment of $583.2 million over two years, focused on renewing and maintaining the city’s critical infrastructure. The budget also includes the costs for continued support for key community partners such as GSPS, Public Health Sudbury & Districts, GSPL and Conservation Sudbury, along with several business cases for Council’s consideration.

City Council will review the proposed budget during public deliberations scheduled to begin December 2, 2025. Once approved, the budget will guide City operations and investments. Meetings can be viewed online at greatersudbury.ca/agendas.

For more information, visit greatersudbury.ca/budget.

The Greater Sudbury labour force survey results for October 2025 are in.

The unemployment rate for Greater Sudbury (Census Metropolitan Area) in October is 6.6%. For comparison, the unemployment rate in Ontario is 7.8% and Canada is 7%.