Sudbury city councillor announces plans to run for mayor

Two northern Ontario city councillors have launched mayoral campaigns.

Ward 11 Coun. Bill Leduc has announced he plans to run for mayor in Greater Sudbury in this fall’s municipal election.

One of Leduc’s main campaign platforms is a promise to cancel the new $215 million downtown arena and to address homelessness in the city.

“I mean, we’ve heard it loud and clear throughout the city -- people don’t want the arena downtown,” he said.

“They’re dead set against it and this gives them an opportunity to … stop the arena.”

When asked whether it would be too late to stop the project by the time the October election takes place, he said there’s still time.

“We still have to borrow another $135 million,” Leduc said.

“We currently have $60 million-$65 million sitting there earning us interest. So, at any given point, we can stop the arena and we can refocus and make it a hub for the Greater Sudbury Police, our EMS and our fire. This gives (voters) an opportunity to have a referendum … Vote for Leduc. We stop the arena.”

Leduc said the cost of the project has skyrocketed from around $90 million when it was first proposed to more than $200 million now.

He’s also promising to bring back the auditor general position to the city, provide the homeless with supportive housing and to spend a 1.5 per cent capital levy from the city budget exclusively on roads.

Leduc’s announcement comes weeks after a Sudbury judge ordered him to pay more than $63,000 in court costs for lawsuits he launched against a private citizen and the City of Greater Sudbury.

The lawsuit stems from accusations that he violated the Municipal Elections Act related to campaign contributions and expenses in the 2022 vote.

Sued the city

The city’s election compliance audit committee recommended he be charged for violating the Act, prompting him to sue the city and the citizen who made the complaint.

He later dropped both lawsuits, but a judge ordered him to pay the full court costs of the citizen – more than $33,000, and partial costs to the city of $30,000.

Leduc told CTV that he only dropped the lawsuits so that the Municipal Election Act charges could be dealt with. If convicted, he could be barred from running in the 2026 election.

He said there has been no movement in the case, adding that the election finance audit committee has not moved the case forward through the court system.

This year’s municipal vote is Oct. 26.