For years, Sudbury.com has been so much more than a trusted source of hometown news. We’ve been a hub for genuine connection in our community.
This news site has published thousands of articles, celebrated local heroes, recognized the good work of our neighbours and partnered with hundreds of local businesses, non-profits and grassroots community organizations.
We don’t just report the news (good and bad). Our site is a gathering place for residents to learn, debate and pursue common ground. Day after day, headline after headline, Sudbury.com is a constant reminder that each one of us has a stake in this community — and that we all belong.
This week, we’re taking the next step in strengthening our community by bringing residents together to talk, listen and chart a better path forward. We’re calling it a “Community Conversation.”
Our ultimate goal is to normalize citizen participation — to make it feel natural and expected that people show up, deliberate and help shape the city’s direction.
In a recent poll, you told us the biggest challenges facing our community: affordability and availability of housing, homelessness, addiction and mental health and the state of local infrastructure. Community organizations and civic leaders have echoed those same concerns.
Our next step was to issue a callout, asking people to participate in a two-day workshop designed to help us better understand our shared challenges and identify solutions that make sense locally. The response was overwhelming.
From the list of applicants, we selected a diverse and representative group to come together for two days of sessions, scheduled for this Thursday and Friday. It will not be a debate or forum. It will be a working conversation aimed at generating tangible ideas about what should — and can — be done.
Attendees will brainstorm with peers and help develop insights. The end result will be shared with the mayor and reported on Sudbury.com, helping guide future conversations among residents, community leaders and local government.
At Village Media, which operates Sudbury.com, we don't believe democracy needs to be reinvented. We believe it needs to be rehoused. Part of our mission as a local news company is to help rebuild the habitat where democracy can thrive again, grounded in truth, empathy and participation.
This isn’t about advocacy. It’s about facilitating democratic dialogue and documenting it honestly so people can see themselves, their values and their neighbours reflected in the public record.
We couldn’t be more excited to get the conversation going.