Chamber Applauds City Council’s Decision to Support the Maley Drive Extension
Yesterday, council voted 12 to 1 in favour of the Mayor’s Maley Drive motion to reaffirm its support for the Maley Drive Extension.
“The Greater Sudbury Chamber of Commerce applauds Council’s leadership in reaffirming its support for the Maley Drive Extension,” said Karen Hourtovenko, Chair of the Board, Greater Sudbury Chamber of Commerce. “We really believe this decision will be pivotal to providing the support our local MPs need to secure funding at the federal level,” added Hourtovenko.
The Maley Drive Extension has been a long-time priority of the Greater Sudbury Chamber of Commerce and its membership. The chamber struck a Maley Drive Task Force in 2014 to advocate for the advancement of the Extension and has lobbied all levels of government to invest in this important infrastructure project.
“We are happy to see council making difficult decisions today for the future of Greater Sudbury. This represents a progressive decision that will move us forward as a city and pave the way for further growth,” said David Boyce, Chair, Maley Drive Task Force.
The chamber attests that the Extension will address infrastructure deficiencies, stimulate our economy and inject much needed investment and employment in our community during a difficult economic time. At the same time, the project will improve road safety and traffic congestion. The Maley Extension represents a growth enabling project that will offer a significant return on investment for the city and will further assert us as the economic hub of the North.
“The next step is the federal announcement. We really believe we are close to an announcement. The federal government is looking for shovel-ready projects and is committed to getting dollars out the door to stimulate our economy. We look forward to hearing a federal announcement soon and getting those shovels in the ground,” said Houtovenko.
The Province of Ontario has already committed $26.7 million to Phase One of the Maley Drive Extension contingent on a one-third cost sharing partnership with the Government of Canada and the City of Greater Sudbury. The City of Greater Sudbury has more than $10 million set aside for this project.
To obtain additional information or for media inquiries, please contact:
Joyce Mankarios
Policy and Public Relations Manager
Greater Sudbury Chamber of Commerce
705-673-7133 ext. 224
c: 705-677-5735
joyce(at)sudburychamber.ca