With U.S. tariffs threatening to disrupt longstanding trade routes alongside retaliatory actions from Canada, Ward 11 Coun. Bill Leduc wants two major municipal projects put on hold.
The intent, Leduc told Sudbury.com this week, is to wait out the storm.
“We need new governments in, both provincially and federally, before we can even think of moving forward with an events centre, and we definitely can’t be supporting a venue operator from America,” Leduc said.
This is in reference to the two United States-headquartered companies which have pre-qualified to manage the downtown Sudbury events centre.
Tariffs, he said, will “have a direct impact on our local economy.”
In a draft of the motion Leduc plans on tabling for the Feb. 18 city council meeting, it’s noted that the events centre should be paused “pending the presentation of a staff report for council’s consideration outlining all of the impacts that the tariffs could/will have on the cost of construction of the event centre.”
In conversation with Sudbury.com, Leduc said the full impact won’t be known until after both the provincial and federal elections have taken place and governments have received fresh mandates, so it should be put on hold until after then.
It’d also be good to clarify what kind of financial support the city might receive for the project, Leduc added, noting that governments tend to tell municipalities about funding approvals long before the information is made public.
The $25 million the federal government announced for the Cultural Hub at Tom Davies Square in September 2024, for example, was “not new money to councillors that have been sitting around the table,” Leduc said.
Ward 7 Coun. Natalie Labbée recently shared a similar account with Sudbury.com regarding $34.9 million the province pledged in October toward infrastructure in Lively/Walden.
“That was money slated to be given to us a long time ago, so he’s been holding it back,” Labbée said last week of Premier Doug Ford. “It’s just playing political games.”
Since city council members have already greenlit the $225-million events centre, Leduc’s motion is a reconsideration, meaning it will require a two-thirds vote of city council members for it to be discussed on Feb. 18.
His motion does not include the $65-million Cultural Hub at Tom Davies Square project because Leduc was not present for the city council meeting at which the project was approved, so is ineligible to table a motion for its reconsideration.
“I’m hoping that one of the other councillors will throw in the cultural centre,” Leduc said, clarifying that his concerns for the events centre also apply to the library/art gallery project.
Leduc said he does not have a seconder for his motion, which is why he has gone to the media with his proposal prior to Tuesday’s meeting.
Just prior to U.S. President Donald Trump putting a 30-day pause on tariffs, Mayor Paul Lefebvre sent a statement to local journalists throwing his support behind provincial and federal pushback.
Lefebvre also pledged to work with other mayors “to explore every available option to support our local industries, protect jobs and strengthen our communities during this challenging time.”
In a written response to an inquiry by Sudbury.com, a representative from Lefebvre’s office noted that the mayor and city staff were monitoring the situation closely to determine whether tariffs would impact municipal projects.
“These are important projects to the community and continue to be a priority,” according to the statement.
“The large projects are in the design phase and there will be opportunities to adjust the design if possible and if the situation warrants. These projects are also following a construction management model which offer the benefit of working with the contractor during the design phase to optimize efficiencies in layout and material choices.”
Earlier this month, Sudbury District Home Builders Association president Derek Cashmore told Sudbury.com that the tariffs might be enough to delay projects on the cusp of breaking ground while builders wait out market disruptions.
Although he was speaking in generalities, neither the Cultural Hub at Tom Davies Square nor the arena/events centre have broken ground.
The Feb. 18 city council meeting is scheduled to begin at 6 p.m., and can be viewed in-person at Tom Davies Square or livestreamed by clicking here.
The evening’s agenda includes a report on both the arena/events centre and Cultural Hub at Tom Davies Square projects, whose highlight is the selection of an exact site for the events centre.
Tyler Clarke covers city hall and political affairs for Sudbury.com.