Greater Sudbury: changing times.

• Author: LYMER, RICK
• Position: Brief Article - Statistical Data Included

The most important local economic event in 2001 is the creation of the City of Greater Sudbury. Changes in everything from transit to waste collection services are now occurring. Infrastructure changes are always important to business because they provide a basis for profit opportunities. Basic working assumptions held before the consolidation may no longer be true. Reexamination or re-questioning of long-held assumptions can help one examine where opportunities may be. As well, the consolidation of municipal services provides an opportunity to reflect on the importance of government services and policy on the local economy.

Government is an important part of any economy. By providing general social services such as public health, education and law enforcement, governments produce important public goods. Public or social goods and services are "consumed" by everyone. Personal security is a good example. Having reliable police, fire and medical services available means everyone enjoys a better sense of personal well-being, a better quality of life, and also results in better economic productivity.

Amalgamation, then, will produce changes that will have both planned and unplanned effects. Rationalizing a social and capital infrastructure that was designed for other considerations will affect commercial opportunities both positively and negatively. Profit opportunities, for example, will arise from decisions made for zoning, road development, and water and utilities based on the new integrated concept of local government.

One of the important planning issues that will face the new City of Greater Sudbury is that of providing services in a large area with a relatively small population. As separate municipalities, each centre had its mix of town and country areas within its boundaries. As a single municipality, the result is a patchwork of urban cores and a mix of suburban and rural areas. The final result is a low overall population density for the City of Greater Sudbury.

Local economy and labour market

Sudbury is noted for its mining, and it is likely the most closely identifiable economic activity connected to the city. As a source of direct employment, however, local mining has diminished in terms of the number of local jobs. In the coming years, however, the two large operating mining firms will be hiring new employees because of turnover occurring from retirement and vacancies. This will cause the creation of new employees, but not...