Despite facing what he describes as tough 2026 budget deliberations next month, Ward 5 Coun. Mike Parent said he’s optimistic a business case to improve Kalmo Beach will prevail.
The $463,000 one-time expenditure to improve accessibility to the park on Whitson Lake near Val Caron would result in another 0.12 per cent added to the 2026 tax levy hike.
The tax levy increase is tentatively 5.2 per cent (per the staff-drafted base budget from which city council members will launch next month’s budget deliberations), and Parent said he’d like it to come in lower.
“I’m not a fan of seeing these greater than four-per-cent increases four years in a row,” he said, in reference to prior successive tax levy hikes of 4.6 per cent, 5.9 per cent and 4.8 per cent.
Still, Parent said improvements to Kalmo Beach, to make the popular public space more accessible, is a worthwhile expenditure which he said he can’t see residents opposing.
“Looking at The Valley, which (in addition to Ward 5) includes Ward 6 and a little bit toward 7, you're looking at 26,000-plus residents,” Parent said. “I don’t think the ask of just under a half-million dollars is outrageous for this kind of investment. … They pay property tax and they’d like to see some capital investments in their community and their ward as well.”
Although some city council expenditures spark debate, he said, “I didn’t have anyone not supporting some improvements in the community, especially when you have a jewel like Kalmo Beach right in the centre of the Val Caron area.”
The city sought funding from senior levels of government for the project, but was not successful.
The accessibility improvements would chip away at the long-proposed Kalmo Beach Master Plan drafted in 2019. With past estimates carrying a total cost of as much as $6 million for the entire plan, which Parent said the likelihood of council approving in its totality to be “very, very low,” the Valley East Community Action Network has urged the city to proceed with its most important part; accessibility.
“The biggest challenge is getting from the parking lot down to the beach area,” Parent said. “The one main pathway is fairly steep, and anybody with mobility challenges would struggle with that.”
The Kalmo Beach Master Plan makes note of this topographical shortcoming, which it said “makes most of the park inaccessible for those with mobility issues.”
The business case calls for the installation of an Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act-compliant walkway for beach access, the creation of accessible parking areas, improvements to existing pathways and lighting, and site restoration.
A push for Kalmo Beach improvements has been longstanding, beginning with a Valley East Secondary Plan published in 2000 which would have redeveloped the day park area and added a campground/RV park, activity centres, an outdoor recreation centre, trails and a water park activity area for children.
The Kalmo Beach Master Plan updated this strategy in 2019, and then-Ward 5 Coun. Robert Kirwan pushed for the city to follow through with its recommendations in 2022. After replacing Kirwan on city council later that year, Parent was urged to delay work at Kalmo Beach while the city completed its Aquatic Service and Facility Review.
This review capped off last year and reaffirmed the importance of Kalmo Beach, recommending the city “implement the recommendations of the Kalmo Beach 10-year Plan, prioritizing those projects that improve circulation, accessibility, parking, wayfinding, and support facilities (washrooms and changerooms).”
In August, city council members approved a $50,000 Healthy Community Initiative Fund grant toward a design and engineering plan for park improvements, and Parent introduced a successful motion requesting the since-drafted business case seeking accessibility improvements.
At the time, Valley East Community Action Network chair Suzanne Leblanc told Sudbury.com that the community organization supports Parent’s advocacy for accessibility improvements.
“It’s got quite the slope, so anyone with walking problems can’t get to it,” she said, adding that she has mobility issues herself so can’t enjoy the beach with her grandchildren.
Budget deliberations are scheduled to begin at 9:30 a.m. on Dec. 2. Meetings will be held at the Lionel E. Lalonde Centre in Azilda, with subsequent meeting days anticipated to take place as needed. These meetings can be viewed in-person or livestreamed by clicking here.
Tyler Clarke covers city hall and political affairs for Sudbury.com.