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5 February 2026 at 9:28 am in reply to: 🗳️ Looking ahead to the 2026 Municipal Election in Greater Sudbury #10631
I agree that we absolutely need to talk about lower taxes, but that conversation has to be grounded in how municipal finance actually works.
Municipalities don’t have the same tools as the province or federal government. Cities can’t run deficits, can’t borrow freely to cover operating costs, and rely heavily on property taxes to fund services residents expect. Meanwhile, provincial and federal governments can run deficits, upload or download responsibilities, and adjust funding levels year to year.
In Greater Sudbury, we’re still feeling the long-term effects of amalgamation. Responsibilities that were once provincial (like portions of what used to be Highway 69, now MR 80) became fully municipal obligations. As that infrastructure reaches the end of its life, the cost of replacement and maintenance falls entirely on local taxpayers.
Add to that an aging infrastructure network, a massive geographic footprint, and a relatively low population density compared to southern Ontario cities. Maintaining roads, water, sewer, and services across such a large area is far more expensive per household, and decades of short-term planning only compound the problem we’re facing today.
So yes, we should talk about lower taxes. But doing so responsibly means also talking about:
Fair and stable provincial funding
Realistic service levels
Long-term infrastructure planning
And being honest about what municipalities can and cannot control
If we skip those parts, “lower taxes” becomes a slogan instead of a solution.
3 February 2026 at 8:54 am in reply to: 🗳️ Serious Concerns About Councillor Bill Leduc’s Mayoral Bid #10625In response to his recent announcement of selling his Florida home, I have the following to add regarding councillor Leduc’s mayoral bid.
I appreciate any effort by candidates to demonstrate commitment to Greater Sudbury, and I agree that year-round presence in the community matters for anyone seeking the city’s top job.
What I find difficult to reconcile, however, is the message being sent here.
Only now — in the context of a mayoral campaign — is full-time, year-round physical presence being framed as essential. Yet for the past two terms as a city councillor, that same standard was not applied. Constituents were repeatedly told that the job could be fully executed while spending portions of the year out of the country and attending meetings remotely.
That contrast raises legitimate questions.
Council work doesn’t pause in the winter. Budget deliberations, committee work, stakeholder meetings, and informal conversations all continue — and those moments matter just as much as formal votes. Presence is about more than logging in; it’s about being accessible, engaged, and immersed in the community you represent.
If year-round presence is now being acknowledged as important leadership behaviour, it’s fair for residents to ask why that importance was not reflected earlier — and what has actually changed besides the office being sought.
These are reasonable questions for voters to consider as we head into the 2026 municipal election, and they deserve thoughtful discussion as part of a healthy democratic process.
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