The top concern among Greater Sudburians going into the city’s 2026-27 budget deliberations next month is road conditions and infrastructure.
There is “dissatisfaction around road conditions, repairs and snow clearing,” according to a municipal report which summarizes the results of recent pre-budget online consultation.
The report, by city Strategic Initiatives and Communications director Brigitte Pilon, analyzes the data stemming from 412 surveys which area residents completed from Oct. 8-22.
Greater Sudbury roads' ongoing degradation has been well-established and a result of long-term underfunding. The city’s latest annual infrastructure gap was estimated at $62 million earlier this year, of which more than half is attributable to roads.
The survey results helped inform the draft 2026-27 city budget, which staff will release during Tuesday afternoon’s finance and administration committee meeting of city council.
“While engaged participants still represent a small portion of the overall population, the budget survey had the highest number of contributors among all projects on the Over to You platform this year,” Pilon wrote.
“Community engagement is essential in developing the budget. It allows interested residents to review, understand and provide comments.”
Respondents were asked what services were important to them, with 91 per cent of people citing road maintenance and construction and 90 per cent citing winter maintenance.
These were followed by:
- Emergency Services (84 per cent)
- Drinking Water, Wastewater and Stormwater (81 per cent)
- Garbage and Recycling (78 per cent)
- Recreation Programs and Facilities (58 per cent)
- Economic Development (55 per cent)
- Long-term Care - Pioneer Manor (52 per cent)
- Social Services (51 per cent)
- Communications and Engagement with Residents (49 per cent)
- Transit (42 per cent)
- Libraries (35 per cent)
- Museums (15 per cent)
With the survey offering a free text option for people to expand on their concerns, the most common issues people identified were road conditions and infrastructure (57 mentions) and high taxes and spending concerns (40 mentions).
Other areas with a high number of mentions include, in order:
- Homelessness and addiction (38): Strong concern over visible homelessness and open drug use; divided between policing vs. social support approaches.
- Housing and affordability (31): Rising rents and home prices noted; calls for faster housing approvals, affordable units and builder incentives.
- Government accountability and trust (28): Frequent mentions of “nepotism,” “corruption,” and “mismanagement.” Requests for audits, referendums and transparency.
- Downtown arena (25): Opposition to downtown arena due to costs or location.
- Public safety and policing (22): Worries about increasing crime, vandalism, drug use in public. Split between demands for more police and reallocation to social services.
Public perception doesn’t always reflect reality. Although “increasing crime” was flagged, overall crime was actually down four-per-cent last year, including a 10.8-per-cent drop in violent offences (2,875 incidents in 2024 compared to 3,223 incidents in 2023).
The public consultation package compiled as part of Pilon’s report also includes submissions by the Greater Sudbury Chamber of Commerce and Coalition for a Livable Sudbury.
The Chamber’s correspondence included 10 recommendations, such as various operational analyses (discretionary services, staffing complement, overtime, outsourcing) and financial accountability (zero-based budgeting, separate the budget by divisions, return to annual budgeting, publicly report on all municipal contracts).
They also recommend allowing for greater public feedback throughout the process, and public financial reporting which is easier for the public to understand.
The city transitioned to multi-year budgets in 2023, including two-year operational budgets and four-year capital budgets.
“It enables council to implement a multi-year vision, and allows municipalities to perform long-term planning for their financial future rather than just focusing on short-term goals,” city Corporate Services general manager Kevin Fowke said at the time, also stating that it would “strengthen alignment with strategic planning and introduces productivity improvements as well.”
The Greater Sudbury Chamber of Commerce contends that annual budgeting “improves adaptability, allowing council to respond to updated forecasts and evolving priorities” and would “improve transparency and strengthen financial oversight.”
In their letter, the Coalition for a Livable Sudbury urges city council to prioritize climate change.
“Our top priority is to ‘put climate in the budget’ to enable the effective implementation of Greater Sudbury’s Community Energy and Emissions and Community Climate Adaptation Plans,” they wrote.
They “strongly support” business cases to implement a sustainable waste strategy, a yellow box program for nonresidential recycling, developing Indigenous-led and youth transitional housing, updating the Parks, Open Space and Leisure Master Plan (alongside a Non-Motorized Trail Master Plan), as well as business case for a food systems co-ordinator position to be made permanent.
Tuesday’s finance and administration committee of city council will begin at 4:30 p.m. and can be viewed in-person at the Lionel E. Lalonde Centre in Azilda or livestreamed by clicking here.
It’s anticipated the city council members will debate the budget, including business cases, beginning on Dec. 2, with subsequent meetings scheduled as needed.
Tyler Clarke covers city hall and political affairs for Sudbury.com.