Sudbury mayor pushes for city to be declared a special economic zone

Sudbury Mayor Paul Lefebvre is calling for the city to be declared a special economic zone, giving the city a larger portion of mining revenue.

Sudbury Mayor Paul Lefebvre is calling for the city to be declared a special economic zone, which would redirect a larger portion of the massive revenue generated by the local mining sector back into municipal infrastructure and housing.

“We’re at nine mines and we’re going to be, probably, 15 mines in the next couple of years and servicing those will be expensive,” Lefebvre said.

He is calling on both the provincial and federal governments to grant the city special Economic zone status.

While the province grants the designation, Lefebvre is appealing to the federal government for financial support.

“We’re really contributing to the economy of Canada,” Lefebvre said in a phone interview with CTV News.

“Not just on regular businesses, but on a very special one, which is critical minerals. The importance of that industry is higher now than ever.”

Mining royalties

In an op-ed released this week, he outlined a vision where the designation would allow a percentage of mining royalties to stay within city limits.

The goal is to create a sustainable fund for building housing, repairing roads and training the next generation of miners.

While the term ‘special economic zone’ is common in emerging global markets, it’s relatively new in Canada, said John Kirton, a political science professor at the University of Toronto.

“It’s an unfamiliar term to Canadians,” Kirton said.

“Even to specialized economists or business development officers ... they think of developing countries.”

The legal framework for the request exists within the province’s controversial Bill 5, which came into effect on Jan. 1. Designed to cut red tape around approvals for mining projects, it has faced criticism.

‘Would make a lot of sense’

“It is really written for big mining companies to be able to do away with a lot of the laws that exist to make a profit faster,” said Nickel Belt MPP France Gelinas.

“But to look at it through the lens of a municipality that wants to gain that power, it would actually make a lot of sense for Sudbury.”

However, the speed promised by Bill 5 has raised alarms regarding environmental protections and Indigenous rights.

Gelinas said a lot of what happens with the concept depends on the upcoming municipal election.

“There is a little bit of, I would say, apprehension as to what will happen after the election,” she said.

Strengthen Indigenous partnerships

“But right now I feel very confident that with the municipal council we have in place, with the value that they’ve put toward, as I say, respecting the environment, respecting workers, respecting First Nations.”

Sudbury MPP Jamie West said the city must be careful not to jeopardize its relationships with local First Nations, including Atikameksheng Anishnawbek and Wahnapitae First Nation.

“If the request is for the government to inject the money and the resources so we can do the things that we’ve done best in Sudbury together in the best way possible, that’s a great idea,” West said.

“If we’re going to hand that kind of sovereignty over to the government for them to decide how they think is the best way to move forward, I think that would be a mistake and a move backwards.”

Lefebvre said the designation would strengthen Indigenous partnerships by providing the financial resources needed to protect the local environment and co-develop projects.

He said that at the PDAC conference in Toronto this week, he had positive talks with Sudbury MP Viviane Lapointe and Stephen Lecce, Ontario’s Minister of Mines.

“The provincial and federal governments are working very closely together,” said Lappointe.

“We’ve seen the one project, one process that the provincial governments of Ontario have rolled out. And we, as a federal government, have committed to saying we’re going to do the same thing because we know there’s some things that are under provincial jurisdictions and some things under federal jurisdictions.”

Lefebvre is expected to bring a formal motion for his idea to an upcoming city council meeting. If approved, the request will head to Queen’s Park.

CTV News reached out to the province for comment, but we did not receive a response.