It’s
now official! The City of Valley East will go down in history as one of
the shortest-lived cities in the country.
We are now officially Ward 3 in the City of
Greater Sudbury. Ron Dupuis and Louise Portelance will sit on the new City
Council as our representatives as part of
a group of 13 who will lead us into an uncertain future.
John Robert, who has been Mayor of Valley East
for the past five terms, has decided to take a leave from politics for the
time being. He does not rule out the possibility of returning at some
level in the future if the situation warrants it and his health is good.
In the accompanying photo, John, on the far
left during the historical final council meeting on December 19, proudly
accepts a plaque containing his ‘gavel’ from Ron Dupuis and Roger
Trottier, with Marc Landry in the background.
The retirement of John Robert is a big loss
for the community of Valley East. Robert was instrumental in initiating
several projects which have not yet been culminated and it is his sincere
wish that they be continued by the new council. During a recent interview
with Robert, I had an opportunity to discuss some of his feeling on these
projects.
“The Blueberry Co-op still has excellent
potential,” explained Robert. “A corporation has been created and
everything is in place for it to be a successful venture. With sufficient
financing to purchase proper equipment and do some effective marketing, it
will be a good business for this area.”
“The four-laning of the final stretch of
road between Elmview and Hanmer should be completed within the next two
years. We already have the money for the construction of the road, but we
now need to find another $3M to pay for drainage improvements which will
be necessary as a result of the expansion of the road. The money is
earning investment interest and cannot be used for anything else,”
stated the Mayor.
Robert sees economic development as a high
priority in the future for our community. “We must make sure that the
Industrial Park continues to be developed and promoted. There are now 600
jobs in that park and room for even more companies. In the spring we could
see construction of a facility for a large national business which will
mean an additional 100 full- and part-time jobs. Then there is the Senior
Community Living development in Val Caron, the conference centre and motel
which someone might take hold of now that we have a feasibility study done
on it, and the LCBO outlet that may locate in Val Caron.”
The Health centre for integrated health
services is still on the books and could end up using the existing Town
Hall as a site if declared surplus under the new City structure. Up to 100
long term care beds have been committed for the community as well. It is
expected that construction may begin as early as next spring.
“I always felt it was important for the
mayor to be visible in the community, and now with only two councillors
serving the entire extent of Ward
3, I am afraid this presence will be hard to maintain. The person in the
coffee shop will not be able to talk to his municipal representative any
more,” confided Robert. “Without having time to do this type of thing
it is going to be difficult for our future leaders to keep on top of the
pulse of the community.”
John Robert still has his Real Estate license
and will be working with the Assessment Review Board one or two weeks of
every month, so his time will be filled. In addition, he plans on keeping
active in the community and may even attempt to resurect a ratepayers
association.
“As I leave I want to take the opportunity
to thank everyone for the help I have received in the past. This community
has come a long way in 15 years and it has been done through the hard work
of citizens, volunteers and an excellent municipal staff. It was not easy
and everyone had to do their share. I’ve enjoyed my term of 15 years and
it was a hard decision to step down, but I don’t regret it. It is time
to move on. I wish everyone in Valley East the very best of luck in the
future,” concluded Mayor John Robert.
