The Sudbury Star is the City of Greater Sudbury’s daily newspaper.
A water park and laser tag for Greater Sudbury? The mayor certainly hopes so. “I want a water park for this city. This is something I see as something we need to do,” Marianne Matichuk said, following her State of the City speech at the Radisson Hotel on Thursday.
“Laser tag, I think, is great. That’s not a hard one.” Her desire to bring the entertainment destinations to town came after spending time with two high school students earlier this year, winners of the Mayor for a Day contest.
“Both (girls) said they wanted more for teenagers to do in our community, such as a water park, laser tag and retail shopping.
“I agree wholeheartedly with them, and I am still working with a couple of groups to make these things happen. I was reminded of when I was a teenager in Sudbury and one of the most common complaints then, as now, was there’s nothing to do in Sudbury.”
In her half-hour speech, the third one of her mayoralty term, Matichuk talked at length about mining, the downtown and tourism.
Boasting of $6 billion in mining investment expected over the next five years and a number of mines reopening — including Victoria, Errington and Vermillion — the future of mining looks bright, she said.
“A recent study showed the mining sector in Greater Sudbury alone will require more than 21,400 new workers … in the coming 10 years to meet this demand.
“These are staggering numbers.”
Matichuk remains optimistic about the Cliffs Natural Resources-built smelter, despite the company’s recent announcement it is halting work on the Ring of Fire.
“At the city, we will continue to do everything we can to facilitate Cliffs’ investment. It may not be quick, but we’ll get there.”
The delay does not concern her, she said, speaking to reporters after the speech.
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