Welcome to The City of Greater Sudbury. With
a population of 165,000 people, it is the largest centre in northeastern
Ontario.
Sudbury is officially a bilingual (English and French) city with a multicultural population. French is the mother-tongue of 28% of Sudbury's citizens. The remaining 72% is mostly English but includes many other languages such as Finnish, Ukrainian, and Italian.
Sorry I'm not fluent enough in French to provide a francophone version of this website but francoSudbury.com offers a wealth of Sudbury info en francais.
Sudbury
is known as the Nickel City because of its nickel and
copper mines, scattered throughout the area known as the Sudbury Basin.
Until late 2006, these mines were owned and operated by two companies - Inco Ltd and Falconbridge Ltd - which together provided Sudbury with the largest integrated mining complex in the world.
In the late fall of 2006, Brazil's Companhia Vale do Rio Doce (CVRD) gained control of Inco. The takeover made CVRD the world's second largest diversified miner after BHP Billiton.
Also, in the fall of 2006, Xstrata , a major global diversified mining group headquartered in Zug, Switzerland, took over 100% ownership of Falconbridge.
These takeovers marked the end of an era for Sudbury, while at the same time opening up new opportunities for a strong and successful future for the City.
Already the two newcomers are talking about pooling resources in order to work together for the best interests of all concerned.
Sudbury's future looks bright indeed.
But there's much more to
Sudbury than mining, you
know!
There was a time when people in southern
Ontario didn't think too highly of poor old Sudbury.
They used to call it some pretty nasty
names in fact.
Well, up until about 25
years ago, some of those names - "Moonscape" for instance - kind of suited
some parts of the city. The mining industry didn't used to be as kind to
the environment as it is today.
In fact, the Region of Sudbury was
eventually cited by the United Nations for its land
reclamation program. As well, it has won many international, national
and provincial awards for its successful environmental initiatives. Over
the past quarter of a century, more than 8 million trees have been planted under
the Sudbury Regional Land Reclamation Program!
At the same time, both Inco and Falconbridge
have played very active roles in the re-greening of Sudbury too.
Water quality in Junction Creek,
along with other lakes and streams in the Sudbury area, has improved as
a result of land reclamation carried out by the municipality, INCO Ltd.
and Falconbridge. In 1999, the Junction Creek Stewardship Committee launched a concerted effort to expand the clean-up and promote public awareness of the project.
In 1978, what had been rooted (couldn't
resist the pun) six years earlier as the 'Technical Tree Planting Committee',
officially changed its name to V.E.T.A.C., the Vegetation Enhancement Technical
Advisory Committee, to better reflect its broadened mandate -
"Committed to enhancing and sustaining
a healthy environment for residents of the Regional Municipality of Sudbury
through the restoration and protection of our air, land and water."
V.E.T.A.C. formed a sub-committee
to broaden awareness about healthy, natural environments through the development
of promotional, marketing and educational tools and activities.
To celebrate the new millennium, this
sub-committee initiated a beautiful book of artistic photographs
by
local photographers Don Johnston and Mike Grandmaison, showing Sudbury's
environmental renewal, entitled Healing
the Landscape dedicated to the regreening of the Sudbury Region.
Proceeds from sales are donated to
the Sudbury Community Foundation for the Tree Fund.
Sudburians enjoy many municipal parks, situated
around the region. For instance, lovely Bell Park
- nestled along the southwest shore of Lake Ramsey
- is home to the Sudbury
Canoe Club, the Yacht Club, the Bell Amphitheatre, trails, boardwalks,
smooth sandy
beaches, and glorious floral
displays.
There are several breathtakingly beautiful
provincial parks in and around Sudbury, so camping
is a very popular activity among Sudburians.
YMCA
John Island Camp is the summer camp and residential outdoor and environmental
education centre of the Sudbury Family YMCA.
The region offers museums, art galleries,
professional theatre,
the symphony, opera, and many venues for multi-cultural activities.
The The Sudbury
Jazz Society is an organization of local jazz lovers who present annual
concert series featuring exciting jazz performers from across North America.
Cinefest,
Sudbury's International Film Festival, is recognized as one of Canada’s major film festivals.
Because of its diverse cultural roots, Sudbury
loves to party. All year round, there are fairs and festivals to celebrate everything from the arts to garlic and blueberries!
PLACES TO GO... THINGS TO SEE...
Large malls or quaint little
out-of-the-way shops - Sudbury has them all. And there are plenty of restaurants for every taste.
Box stores, such as:
a new mega-sized Walmart at the New Sudbury Centre location, a new mega-sized Zellers at Southridge Mall, Costco, and Home Depot adjacent to the Costco location, along with other box stores, including Pier 1, Danier Leather, Homesense, Winners, Michaels Arts & Crafts Store, Pet Smart, and a large Sears furniture and appliance outlet in the same location as the Home Depot. Wal-Mart is proposing a 105,000 sq. ft. second store in the south-end of the City with capacity expansion potential for a further 35,000 sq.ft.
Other major shopping malls are located around Greater Sudbury, including:
From its fully enclosed decks, vistors can tour Sudbury's
spectacular shoreline.
Snacks are available aboard this licensed 70-passenger
cruise boat.
Dinosaur Valley Mini Golf won the Tourism Federation of Ontario's first annual Tourism Innovation Award in 2003. Josephine & Marcel Rainville opened this delightful family attraction in 1998, in memory of their son Steven, his friend Tyler, and cancer families everywhere.
Located at 3316 St Laurent Street (on Valley View Rd) in the City of Greater Sudbury, the Mini Golf is open from May 1 till Sept 8, from 8 am till 11 pm daily. It plays host to more than 40 charity events - not to mention the birthday parties, school trips & corporate challenges.
Visitors can choose between 9 & 54 holes of mini golf, set among model dinosaurs & insects, and a labyrinth of mazes.
For the adults, Sudbury Downs Racetrack is in Chelmsford, about 25 minutes from downtown. It offers live harness racing two nights a week, with daily simulcasts & teletheatre wagering. The 2003 live harness racing schedule runs from April 9th through November 22, post time 7:15.
The Sudbury Racetrack Slots are open 7 days a week 365 days a year, from 9 a.m. Slots stay open till 3 a.m. Sundays through Wednesdays, & 4 a.m. on Thursdays, Fridays & Saturdays. Free shuttle service is available.
The Casino has 325 machines, ranging from quarter to five dollars machines, & it is now smoke free. Day trips through the Fall till the end of the year - from Timmins, South Porcupine, & Iroquois Falls - are provided by Tisdale Tours. Trips include bus transportion, $15 in coin, Bingo on the bus, movies on return.
But no trip to Sudbury would be complete without a day at
Science
North.
Shaped like a giant snowflake, perched high upon its
rocky site, overlooking Lake Ramsey, our internationally renowned science
centre glitters in the sun.
Science North is featuring many new exhibits along with
old favourites like the F.
Jean MacLeod Butterfly Gallery.
Hands-on science workshops and demonstrations in the
science centre will complement the daily IMAX films at Science North's IMAX
Theatre, with its a five-storey-high screen backed with 6,400 watts of sound.
Call for tickets: 523-IMAX(4629) or 1-800-461-4898 (outside
the Sudbury Region).
From the top floor of Science North, The Lake House Dining Lounge and Cocktail Bar offers a beautiful view of Lake Ramsey and the Sudbury Yacht Club, along with an exciting new menu, featuring French cuisine and a new look of casual elegance.
The Big
Nickel is Sudbury's most famous landmark. At 9 metres high and
61 centimetres thick, this replica of the Canadian five cent piece is the
largest coin in the world.
Dynamic Earth is an exciting,
new attraction for Northern Ontario.
The Copper Cliff Museum
is housed in an authentic log cabin built just before the turn of the century.
Its local relics and antiques will give you a taste of
Sudbury's intriguing past.
The Flour Mill Heritage
Museum features antique furniture, handtools, farm implements
and other items of historical interest.
Admission is free for both but they're open only from June
until Labour Day.
The Northern Ontario Railroad Museum and Heritage Centre (shown right) is located in Capreol,
which is now part of the City of Greater Sudbury, but in 1913 it was born as the Town of Capreol, although back then, it was only a mile post on the Canadian Northern Railway Line.
The Art Gallery of Sudbury (shown left)
is housed in the former mansion and coach house of W.J. Bell. The old stone
house, with its picturesque grounds, offers a lovely environment for its
changing exhibitions of local, national and international art.
The Gallery is also proud of its Permanent Collection, gradually accumulated
over the years since the gallery's inception in 1967.
The Art Gallery of Sudbury,
on John Street (off Paris Street), is open daily except Mondays and holidays
from noon to 5 p.m.
VITAL LINKS
Before you plan your trip to Sudbury, check the current Road Construction Reports for the highways leading into town.
Mining Sudbury is chock-full of information about the mining industry in Sudbury. Some articles appear in the on-line edition, and more in the 36-page, printed & illustrated edition available as downloadable pdf files.
And here's what's playing at the
movies in Sudbury.
Jump over to the Sudbury
Neutrino Observatory to see how scientists can look inside the sun,
from two kilometres underground, at Inco's Creighton mine.
The mission of the Northern Cancer Research Foundation is to raise funds throughout the northeastern Ontario region to support cancer research and cancer care programs of the Regional Cancer Program (RCP). Their web site describes their fund-raising ativities & events.
The new Northern Ontario Medical School (NOMS), a joint venture of Laurentian University, Sudbury and Lakehead University, Thunder Bay will have main campuses in Thunder Bay and Sudbury, but smaller teaching & research sites throughout Northern Ontario.
The
Sudbury Arts Council has links to Sudbury's arts community & listings
of arts & entertainment events.
The Sudbury
Trail Plan provides & maintains quality snowmobile trails in the
Sudbury area.
Lake Laurentian Conservation Area, 10 minutes from downtown, provides a wilderness setting, with trails and scenic lookouts overlooking a man-made lake and pond.
On Andy's Northern Ontario Wildflower Pageare photographs of some common wildflowers that grow in the local area. All flowers illustrated were photographed in their wild setting in, or close to, the city of Sudbury.
The Sudbury
Canoe Club offers canoeing, kayaking, windsurfing, activities &
training - new members welcome.
St. Charles Motorsports Park, 45 minutes from Sudbury, is 4 season off-road park featuring tracks for practice and serious racing for motocross, ATV's, snowmobile, and all kinds of 4 Wheel Drives.
The Greater Sudbury Chamber of Commerce"a voluntary organization representing the business community marshalling the energies and efforts of its membership toward the accomplishment of common goals" (as quoted from its website)
The Greater Sudbury Animal Shelter endeavours to reunite lost pets with their owners, and arrange pet adoptions, to eliminate euthansias of unwanted pets. If you have lost or found a pet, click on their Lost and Found page.
The Sudbury, Ontario Freecycle Network™ is open to all who want to "recycle" that special something rather than throw it away. This is "a place to give or receive what you have and don't need, or what you need and don't have - a free cycle of giving which keeps stuff out of landfills".
First posted September 6, 1995, this website was the very first web page to showcase Sudbury on the Internet. Over the past 11 years, most community organizations have changed their web sites several times, along with their URLs. Each time an organisation changes its web address, its link from this site needs to be updated.
This site was created, and is maintained, as a hobby - a labour of love - but as it is run by one individual in her spare time, there may occasionally be some links that no longer work. It requires constant vigilance to keep up with the constant changes.
As of February 2006, many updates have been made to this site, and there are more improvements planned for the near future. Apologies to those who have been inconvenienced by broken links. If you would like to have your organisation's site listed here, or if a link to your site is broken, please email me at
The
Big Nickel... 
Northern Ontario Railroad Museum and Heritage Centre (shown right) is located in Capreol,
which is now part of the City of Greater Sudbury, but in 1913 it was born as the Town of Capreol, although back then, it was only a mile post on the Canadian Northern Railway Line.
