There are at least three Greater Sudbury city council members who reside outside of the wards they represent on council.
These members include Ward 8 Coun. Al Sizer, Ward 5 Coun. Mike Parent and Ward 6 Coun. René Lapierre.
In all three cases, the city council members live nearby in adjacent wards.
Both Sizer and Parent started off their political runs residing in the ward they currently represent on city council, but have since relocated to adjacent wards.
Lapierre first sought election in Ward 6 in 2014 because there were fewer candidates running there than in Ward 5 (three opponents versus five), where he resides, and has continued running in Ward 6 out of familiarity.
“Since I live in The Valley, I thought, Ward 5, Ward 6, it’s all The Valley,” he said, clarifying that he resides 1.5 kilometres from the Ward 6 boundary.
Neither Ward 11 Coun. Bill Leduc nor Ward 12 Coun. Joscelyne Landry-Altmann acknowledged our correspondence.
This is regular practice for Landry-Altmann, who routinely ignores Sudbury.com inquiries.
All other city council members confirmed they reside within the ward they represent on city council.
Sudbury.com sent an email inquiry to all city council members on Nov. 20, which was chased by a phone message the following day to those who hadn’t responded and another email on Nov. 22, with a deadline shared for them to respond by the morning of Nov. 24.
There are no rules in place which require city council members to reside in the ward they represent, but they must be a resident of the municipality, “or a property owner or tenant or the spouse of an owner or tenant in the municipality.”
Our inquiry was spurred by reader comments and correspondence claiming city council members do not reside in the wards they represent on council, often with a critical tone.
From her written response to Sudbury.com, Ward 7 Coun. Natalie Labbée expressed understanding of this criticism.
“Most people remember a time before amalgamation, and they are still very sensitive about how that process continues to affect those of us in the outlying wards,” she said.
“While it's not something that is mandated, I do believe that it's important to a lot of people that we do indeed live in the ward we represent (or very close to it, or have some sort of ties to it).”
Labbée noted that all three candidates who ran against her in the 2022 civic election resided outside the ward, which she raised on the campaign trail.
In his response, Ward 3 Coun. Michel Brabant similarly wrote, “My opinion is that you should reside in the ward you represent.”
Lapierre was less particular about the issue of council members’ residences versus wards.
Although he said residing in or near a ward will give candidates a clearer understanding of the area they’re representing right off the hop, he added, “Would it be a make or break? I don' t think so. … I think you can represent any area of the city well if you’re well-informed, participate well and participate in community events in the ward you represent."
When he was elected to serve Ward 5 in 2022, Parent resided in the ward.
A new relationship resulted in him relocating, and despite his efforts to find a place in Val Caron or Blezzard Valley, he and his partner ended up finding a home in Val Therese, one kilometre from the ward boundary.
Oddly enough, by residing approximately one kilometre from the northern boundary of his ward and working in Sudbury, Parent said he actually sees more of Ward 5 than if he lived in it.
“I respect that you probably don’t want to live far outside of your ward, it would be a challenge to be there and serve your constituents, but for me, it’s almost an advantage living at the north end of it, I’m forced to drive through it twice every day.”
Regardless of where he resides, Parent said, “My job is to serve all corners of my ward equally.”
Parent plans on seeking re-election in next year’s civic election, in Ward 5.
“I’ve become very familiar with it and I think the residents have become familiar with me,” he said.
Sizer resided in Ward 8 when he first sought election in 2010, which he lost to Fabio Belli.
Between that and Belli’s death late in his term on council, Sizer said he relocated to the adjacent Ward 7, but put his name forward in Ward 8 to fill Belli’s position, having already run in that ward, and was selected by city council.
Sizer said that he was familiar with Ward 8 by that time, which he has represented ever since.
Although uncertain as to whether he’ll seek re-election next year, Sizer said that if he does, it’ll be in Ward 8.
“I’ve represented them for the last three terms and I’m quite comfortable and know the issues and concerns and would be able to carry on seamlessly.”
As for those who didn’t respond, Landry-Altmann has represented Ward 12 since 2006, and Leduc has represented Ward 11 since 2018.
Additional context Sudbury.com sought from Leduc was how many months of the year he spends in Greater Sudbury. He has faced criticism from readers in the past for spending winters in Florida, and Labbée brought up Leduc’s snowbirding during the May 14, 2024, council meeting. Leduc’s latest in-person appearance at a city council or committee meeting was on Oct. 7.
Sudbury.com will publish a similar report on where candidates reside in the lead-up to the Oct. 26, 2026, election, after the nomination period ends on Aug. 30 and we have a full slate of candidates.
Tyler Clarke covers city hall and political affairs for Sudbury.com.