Sudbury city councillors reject provincial election strategy

The City of Greater Sudbury's finance and administration committee voted soundly against a proposal to develop a strategy for identifying the city's priorities ahead of the upcoming provincial election.

City staff recommended a plan to raise awareness and generate conversation with local provincial candidates about the city's needs and interests — something Sudbury has never done before, but other municipalities like London and Mississauga have implemented in the past.

"[The provincial] election provides a valuable opportunity to highlight the importance of the strong partnerships that have to exist between all orders of government for our municipal service needs and the community outcomes we all want to be addressed," Ed Archer, the city's chief administrative officer, explained at a meeting on Tuesday.

Councillors warn against partisanship

But the committee unanimously rejected the idea, with several councillors raising concerns that it might give the appearance of interfering in the election.

Ward 5 Councillor Robert Kirwan argued that the city could come off as partisan in the process.

"We may be getting into a situation where we're identifying candidates that we feel the public should prefer, because they're closer in line with the priorities the city has identified," Kirwan said.

"I think the best thing we can do is say that we are going to work with whatever party gets elected."

Ward 10 Councillor Fern Cormier echoed those concerns, adding that city council has already forged healthy relationships with representatives from senior levels of government.

"My priority as a municipal councillor is…conveying the priorities of this municipality to the government of the day, not the 26 candidates that are in the field seeking to be government of the day," Cormier said.

Some councillors also wondered if a similar strategy should be a regular practice rather than during an election.

That's something Archer wants the city to consider in the future, citing the need to further develop intergovernmental relationships.

"Whether it's tied to the election process or whether it's simply advocacy for the sake of making sure that we have a common conversation with our senior government peers…this is a good practice."