Anti-Kingsway Entertainment District Group Seeks Provincial Help

Kingsway Entertainment District image
Sudbury. Image Credit: Shutterstock

A group opposing the development of the Kingsway Entertainment District have sought help from Ontario’s municipal affairs and housing minister.

The Kingsway Entertainment District (KED) development project continues to be at the centre of controversy, with an activist group demanding its immediate halt.  The group, calling itself the Sudbury Concerned Citizens Group, has written to the municipal affairs and housing minister of Ontario, Steve Clark, seeking a full forensic audit of Greater Sudbury.

KED, an event centre project, is planned to be built on the outskirts of Sudbury and was greenlighted by the city council last summer. According to recent reports, the project is on schedule for launch in 2024 and will cost roughly CA$100 million of taxpayers’ money to complete. KED is also set to feature a CA$60 million Gateway Casinos & Entertainment centre.

Provincial Audit Request

The anti-KED group is headed by Arthur Peach, Lionel Rudd, Hazel Ecclestone, Tom Price, Patrick Crowe, Ian Berdusco, and Evan Roberts. The group will also present a 2,800-signatures petition against the project at the upcoming city council meeting. Recently, the group penned a letter to minister Clark to seek provincial help and prevent the project from materialising.

In the letter, the Sudbury Concerned Citizens Group mentioned that they have numerous apprehensions of legal nature and debatable administrative actions taken by the city. The group said that these actions could have adverse financial and legal effects on the region.

The main argument of the anti-KEDers is that the city is advancing with the project without reassurances from all parties. The group also pointed out that the project faces a judicial review, which the non-profit Minnow Lake Restoration Group launched in August. This action team aims to nullify the council’s decision to proceed with the development plans for the event centre.

Another of the group’s arguments is that there is an ongoing OPP investigation for alleged bribery. This refers to ward three councillor Gerry Montpellier, who shared those representatives with Dario Zurich, the site developer, earlier this year. The gaming company approached Montpellier before the 2017 vote to convince him of the benefits of the project.

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