THE FUTURE OF MARKET SQUARE
by Larson Heinonen
Almost two years ago our city hall chose to sell our Market Square to Laurentian University. I do not want to open old wounds by discussing the decision to sell our Market, but would rather tell you what has happened since, which is ‘not much’. On March 26th, I attended a council meeting at Tom Davies Square where the future of Market Square was discussed. What I learned was this: the question of who would manage the Market was deferred, that the Market is to be located at the CP train station on Elgin Street, and that because of the much smaller size of the CP station, the Market will be a much more modest one from now on. Also, because renovations need to be done, it is doubtful if there will even be a Market this summer. If our city hall somehow manages to pull a rabbit out of the hat and produces a Market, it will be a small and pathetic Market indeed.
I do not object to Laurentian University having the old location at Elgin and Elm for their School of Architecture, in fact I look forward to finding out how it impacts our downtown. However I think it was unwise to sell the old Market before having another one to move to. I wouldn’t get rid of my home unless I was damn sure I had another one to move to! I was a vendor at the old Market for three seasons and observed how many Sudburians used it as a place to meet their friends and have a cup of coffee at one of the many indoor tables. The new Market is too small for this. Many vendors, myself included, will not be able set up at the new location because space is limited. Also, because of the much smaller size, many local vendors will be excluded and therefore out of work.
Most cities in the world have a Market that is valued and appreciated by the locals and tourists alike. Not so in Sudbury. Our Market has always been inferior to those of cities of comparable size. Now our Market will be even more inferior. For some time, Sudbury has struggled with its image. Sadly we are now also known as the city that wanted to be inhumane to panhandlers! Our police gained national attention by encouraging citizens to snitch on their neighbors, and our city council got rid of the Ombudsman because he had the courage to object to Sudbury councilors holding secret meetings. And now to add to the disgraces, Sudbury may also be known for it’s substandard Market.
At the Council meeting in question, one of the councilors thanked the advisory panel members for their hard work in coming up with this plan. I left scratching my head and wondered, ‘what hard work?’ This plan is almost two years late, is terribly inadequate and does not address the issue of governance. At Sudbury city hall, if you are not chastised for inadequate work that is years late, you are thanked instead. I am not surprised that people outside of Sudbury don’t have anything good to say about our city and bypass it when travelling. Thanks to the incompetence of city hall, I find it increasingly difficult to hold my head high when I say I’m from Sudbury.
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The Sudbury working-group of The Media Co-op was formed to create independent media in the North, to speak to our issues and outlooks on our communities as well as the world around us. Independent media provides an avenue for people who are wishing to gain critical perspective on the issues that matter most to us, and to give a voice to those people and stories that you won't find in the mainstream media.
The Sudbury working-group site is no longer being updated and has been archived.