City praises Greater Sudbury’s economic and population growth

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The city touts its economic growth in 2021.

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The city said in a statement Thursday that “local economic growth, diversity and prosperity” remain top priorities and continue to be supported “by local successes in development, entrepreneurship, business growth and evaluation in our community”.

For one thing, Statistics Canada’s new census showed that Greater Sudbury’s population has grown by about 4,400 – or 2.8% – since 2016, from 161,531 to 166,004 in 2021. New data has also revealed that the number of occupied households increased by 3.4%, from 68,152 in 2016 to 71,467 in 2021.

“The census data supports the continued growth we have continued to experience in our community over the past four years,” said Mayor Brian Bigger. “This new data reflects one of the largest increases in population and household growth we’ve seen in years, telling us that our hard work is paying off in getting people to see our community as one. good place to live and do business.”

A small, but significant, part of this growth is the result of newcomers and immigrants. The city said the number of newcomers to Greater Sudbury has increased thanks to the rural and northern immigration pilot program.

“In 2021, the program recommended 84 people to apply for permanent residency,” he said. “Including family members of these individuals, there were a total of 215 newcomers to our community through the program.”

The municipality has also contributed to job creation.

The city’s regional business center has helped support the launch of 33 new businesses in 2021 and five business expansions. A total of 45 jobs were created, five more than in 2020.

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The Regional Business Center is preparing to launch its business incubator, the Innovation Districts. Developed in partnership with NORCAT and the Greater Sudbury Chamber of Commerce, the program will support start-up, innovative and high-growth businesses in a variety of industries. It plans to support 30 graduate companies, for a total of 60 jobs created over the next few years.

Although there has been a downturn, the city’s film and television industry still pumps millions into the local economy.

“The film and television sector continues to be an economic driver for the community, with more than $11 million in local spending in 2021 resulting from 10 productions and 356 days of filming,” the city noted. “More than half of the crews in these productions – 53% – were local.”

The new census data also supports the overall economic growth experienced in the community through initiatives linked to the city council’s strategic plan. This includes developing the Affordable Housing Strategy and implementing policy changes to encourage the creation of new housing in the community. The city said the number of new residential units created in the past two years has increased. From 2019 to 2020, the number of units increased by 67% and last year, 449 units were created.

“Consistent with trends, building permits continue to contribute to housing opportunities for the growing population, with 2020 posting an all-time high permit value at $324.2 million and $290.2 million in 2021, which remains the ‘one of the highest values ​​in Northern Ontario,’” noted the city. “Industrial, commercial and institutional building permits increased from 2020, with 328 permits issued in 2021 valued at $151.3 million. Building permit activity in this sector contributes to strong employment growth in the community.

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In addition to the development, the city said it has seen improvements in other areas that will contribute to the overall economic growth of the community.

This includes streamlining municipal services, as well as several policy changes.

“City services have been consolidated to better serve the community through the new one-stop service at Tom Davies Square, which is expected to launch in line with the provincial reopening plan,” the city noted. “This new streamlined process will create a central area for residents to easily access municipal services, including a specific area for construction, planning and development.”

Several policies and programs have been implemented in recent years with a focus on creating housing opportunities. The Affordable Housing Strategy and several Community Improvement Plans provide grants and other financial incentives for residential developments that meet certain affordability and location criteria.

The nodes and corridors strategy, for example, gives priority to investment and densification in the city’s strategic cores and on its main corridors.

“Recent official plan and zoning by-law amendments are helping to create more mixed-use and residential options on Lasalle Boulevard, with additional zones to track,” the city noted. “Recent zoning bylaw changes (also) encourage housing development through the introduction of secondary unit policies and changes to residential parking requirements. In addition, multi-residential buildings, retirement homes and long-term care facilities have been added as permitted uses within the mall’s commercial area to increase opportunities for related development.

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Innovation plays a big role in city operations and the success of its economic growth, said city manager Ed Archer.

“I thank City Council and staff for their continued commitment to ensuring our community remains resilient and competitive while positioning Greater Sudbury as a place where people want to live, work and do business,” Archer commented. “We continue to find innovative ways to adapt our policies and make process improvements that positively impact the overall economic growth of our community. »

Those interested in learning more about Greater Sudbury’s economic growth in 2021 can visit greaterudbury.ca/plans. Related information will be shared and reported quarterly in 2022.

dmacdonald@postmedia.com

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