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New Development Establishing
Busy Intersection
As the "Power Centre" of Valley East |
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First it was the Hart Department Store in the spring of 2005. Now it
is Canadian Tire and Mark's Work Wearhouse. This fall, development
is expected by a major retailer on the northwest corner of Deschesne and Hwy
69N right across from the Hanmer Valley Shopping Centre. Within the
next month a new Subway Restaurant is expected to open beside Caza
Auto. Next summer we expect to see work begin on the construction of
an international motel chain on the mall property. Just down the
road at the end of Elmview we have the Howard Armstrong Recreation
Centre, the Citizen Service Centre/Library and one of the largest
soccer complexes in the City of Greater Sudbury.
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all of this activity certainly it easy to understand why this part
of Hwy 69N is being dubbed "The Power Centre" of this part of Valley East. In fact, when
you consider the tremendous increase in housing starts in the
community on top of the commercial growth, it is no wonder that
Valley East is becoming the municipality of choice for both new and
current residents of the Greater Sudbury region. A new leader is
emerging in the Greater Sudbury Area, and it is none other Valley East - not the Downtown Core;
not the South End; not New Sudbury!
When the Canadian Tire / Mark's Work Wearhouse opens this fall,
it will change the landscape of this corner of the region forever. Situated right
in the middle of the 15,000 strong Ward 6, with close to another
5000 people 15 minutes away to the north in Capreol, and another
10,000 people in Val Caron and Blezard Valley, the "Power
Centre" is expected emerge as the "Downtown Core" of
Valley East and catapult the municipality to new heights with
respect to economic development and residential expansion.
As some residents are already beginning to say, "Except for
going to work, we won't need to travel to Sudbury for
anything."
The strength and continued growth of the Hanmer & Val Therese
will also make other City Councillors sit up and take a long look at the
Barrydowne Extension Highway. As Valley East becomes more and more
attractive as a residential setting, the demand will increase for an
easier access route to the busy employment and commercial sector in Sudbury proper.
People will still have to work in core of the City, but they will
want to live in an outlying area that contains all of the amenities
available in Valley East.
It will be an interesting few years, especially if City Council
decides to begin promoting development in Valley East. Right now,
all of the growth is simply happening on its own, driven by consumer
demand and the speculation of the private sector.
Indeed, Robert Kirwan, a long-time resident of Valley East, has
decided to seek a seat on City Council as Councillor of Ward 6,
Hanmer & Val Therese in order to fight for the infrastructure
that will be needed to accommodate the escalating demands for
services.
 Kirwan,
during an interview recently at his home-based office in Val
Therese, provided us with insight into why he feels so strongly
about the potential of Valley East, "The population of Valley
East is going to explode during the next five to ten years. Ward 6,
Hanmer & Val Therese is right in the middle of a population base
of over 30,000 people when you include the catchment areas of Val
Caron, Blezard Valley, Capreol, the Radar Base and Skead. There are
new mining developments occurring just north of Capreol that will
ultimately create an even greater demand for housing in this area.
The next municipal council is going to be 'forced' to begin in
January 2007 to 'decentralize' its services, placing more and more
dependence upon the Citizen Service Centre (former Library) which is
located at the end of Elmview Drive. The Valley East Industrial Park
is primed for expansion, which lends itself well for people building
houses close to their place of employment. And, as the baby boomers
of southern Ontario seek to sell their million dollar homes around
Toronto, they will begin to look north to Sudbury where they can
establish a beautiful retirement existence and still be close enough
to visit their sons and daughters in the south. It has been said
that demographics explain two thirds of everything. And if you known
anything about demographics, you know that Valley East is exactly
what the baby boomers are looking for as they approach and enter
into their retirement years."
"When you look at the
whole region, Valley East is the one municipality that offers people
just about everything they could want from a community. It is
central to the Greater Sudbury Region; close to the large box
stores, yet far enough away to avoid the traffic and congestion;
close to all employment areas; and contains all of the retail and
recreational choices that one might ever need to enjoy the fantastic
quality of life we are so desperately looking for as individuals.
All we need to do now is make sure that the community is prepared
for this growth," Kirwan went on as he explained what he
intends to fight for if he is chosen to represent Ward 6, Hanmer and
Val Therese on Council. "We absolutely need to rezone the area
north of Hwy 69N and along Deschesnes Road for residential
construction so that development can surround and be close to the
'Power Centre' of this part of the region. If people can build a
home within walking distance of the 'Power Centre' and the 'Town
Centre' they will come in droves. We absolutely need to provide
encouragement and incentives for the private sector to build senior
apartments in Valley East. We absolutely need to expand our day-care
facilities. We absolutely need to expand the transit services to the
subdivisions, creating a central bus depot at the Hanmer Valley
Shopping Centre. If that means using smaller buses for the
subdivision routes, or allowing residents to "hail buses"
from in front of their properties as the buses are running their
route through the subdivisions, then these are ideas we must look
at. We must upgrade our sewer and water pipes in the Hanmer area in
order to allow for the development of subdivisions in this part of
town. We absolutely must improve our neighbourhood playgrounds in
order to improve the image of our community. We must promote the
Valley East Industrial Park. We must support the work being done by
our senior-friendly organizations, such as the Club Age d'Or, the
Knights of Columbus, the Lions' Club and the Kin Club of Valley
East. We must enhance or develop a network of walking and nature
trails that will be used by young families and seniors. We must
ensure that the municipal taxes paid by residents of Valley East do
not include special levies such as the one we are currently paying
for full-time firefighters. And, finally, we must begin to plan for
the much-needed Barrydowne Extension Highway linking Valley East to
New Sudbury." "There is a lot of groundwork that has to
be done in order for all of the above to be in place during the next
five to ten years," Kirwan concluded. "It is going to
require the efforts of people who have a 'vision of the future' and
the kind of "predictive intelligence" that will allow us
to focus on the right groundwork in order to make things happen that
will facilitate that vision coming true. I have worked all my life
in strategic planning and feel that I am in the best position of
anyone else in this community in order to make these things happen.
That is why I feel it is time for me to take my place on City
Council and get on with the work of preparing Valley East for a very
exciting future." |
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Applications Now Being Taken For
Positions At
CANADIAN TIRE VALLEY EAST
Residents of Valley East and Capreol are advised
that applications are now being accepted for positions at the new
Canadian Tire Valley East store. Currently the company needs people
for set-up and merchandising. Staff and supervisory positions are
also available in all retail departments, logistics, cash and the
service centre. Auto technicians and installers are also required.
Applications can be dropped off or mailed to:
JOB CONNECT/CONNECTION EMPLOI
62 Frood Rd., Suite 114
Sudbury, Ontario P3C 4Z3
Fax Number: (705) 673-9341
Or you can email your resume to
one of the following email addresses:
maperry@cambrianc.on.ca
or emdaoust@borealc.on.ca |
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| Popularity
of "Welcome Home Gift Basket" Is Clear Indication Of
Growth Of The Community |
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 When
it comes to people who are new to the community, there are two business
owners who tend to meet them all. Of course we are referring to Mike
Lemieux, who along with his brother, Mag Lemieux, own Hanmer Home
Hardware, and Ken Desjardins, owner of Desjardins' Food Basics.
"Everyone moving in to a new home or apartment has a
need for cleaning and repair supplies as well as start-up groceries,"
explained Mike Lemieux. "So Ken and I decided that we would put
together a basket of 'goodies' to give as a gift to all newcomers to
Valley East as our way of saying 'Thank You for choosing our town' and to
give them a hand with settling in."
Ken Desjardins owns and operates one of the busiest
grocery stores in the entire City of Greater Sudbury, so he has definitely
noticed the impact of new home owners in the community. "When it
comes to stocking up the shelves after moving into a new home, we know it
is expensive. We also know that those first few days are days when you are
constantly discovering additional items for your shopping list. The Hanmer
Valley Shopping Centre is a great place to come to pick up just about
everything you need to make your move complete, so we wanted to say thank
you for your support."
Anyone who has moved into a new home; purchased an older
home; or moved into an apartment in the Towns of Valley East or Capreol
since July 1, 2006, is encouraged to drop in to see Mike Lemieux at Hanmer
Home Hardware in the Hanmer Valley Shopping Centre. He will answer any
questions you may have about the community and make sure you receive your
gift basket. Several other mall merchants will be adding to the gift
basket with items of their own, including Dixie Lee Restaurant which will
be providing you with a $25 gift certificate so that you can eat out after
your move in.
For More Information on the Welcome
Home Gift Basket
Call Mike Lemieux at (705) 969-7000
or email Robert Kirwan at robert@kirwan.ca |
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WE WOULD LIKE TO WELCOME THE
FOLLOWING PEOPLE
WHO HAVE RECENTLY MOVED INTO VALLEY EAST |
| Patti & Sean Carroll |
Juliet Wice |
Devra Kneblewski |
| Pascal & Lynn Lapointe |
Michel & Nicole Lavallee |
Arik Theijsmeijer & Melanie Hunt |
| Michael & Paulette Gies |
Julie & Steve Smeltzer |
Jackie & Eddy Dutrisac |
| Dan Beatty |
Jennifer Del Papa |
Greta Lane |
| Dave Patry |
Eileen Williams |
Sharon Neelands |
| Daniella Stuewer |
Norm & Diane Lefebvre |
Steve Arsenault |
| Dan Rose |
Joan Dufour |
Dan & Tina MacNeil |
| Mary & Dennis Hull |
Verna Raciborski |
Marc & Judy Paquette |
| Luc Jennings |
Tim Ranger & Amanda Labelle |
Linda & Emanual Brunet |
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Northern
Ontario
FASTPITCH
CHAMPIONSHIPS
AUGUST
18, 19, 20 2006
$4,500.00
IN
CASH AND PRIZES
BASED
ON 36 TEAMS ENTERED
3
GAMES GUARANTEE
ENTRY
FEE:
$400.00
$380.00
EARLY
REGISTRATION
BEFORE
AUGUST 1ST
MAKE
CHEQUE PAYABLE TO:
NORTHERN
ONTARIO
FASTPITCH
CHAMPIONSHIPS
ROGER
705-969-7268
705-691-7268
LARRY 705-897-1444
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| The tournament is filling quickly with already teams
committed to come from the Ottawa, Barrie, Huntsville, North Bay,
Mississauga, Toronto, Sault Ste. Marie, Manitoulin Island, the North
Shore as well as local teams. Tournament organizers are expecting 14
ladies and 20 mens teams when action gets under way. At the present
time all games are being scheduled for play at the Rick McDonald
Memorial Sports Complex in Azilda and Cote Park in Chelmsford. A
fifth field, if necessary will be used at Blezard Valley. A dance
will be held on Saturday evening featuring "Retroactive",
with band leader none other than the present league leading hitter
Moe Coutu from the Dog House North Stars. There will be a minimum
charge at the door for the dance.
There will be individual MVP awards for the first round robin
game to both teams. A food vendor will be on the site and there will
also be commemorative t-shirts, sweat tops and hoodies. Anyone
interested in entering the tournament should contact Roger Legendre,
Convenor
er_legendre@sympatico.ca |
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| Keep
The Spirit Alive Contest Is Being Well-Received By Local
Residents
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 The "Keep The Spirit Alive
Contest" was only introduced to the community during the
month of June, and already it is picking up momentum as residents not only
like the idea of winning valuable prizes, but they also are
thrilled about the fact that they can do their small part to
help improve the overall community spirit in Valley East and
Capreol.
Three
community-minded local businessmen have teamed up to begin a “Keep The
Spirit Alive Campaign” and they are inviting all residents to help them
spread the message that
Valley East
is a great place in which to live!
From
left to right in the photo: Mike Lemieux, owner of Hanmer Home Hardware,
Robert Kirwan, Publisher of the Valley East Today Community Web Site, and
Ken Desjardins of Desjardins’ Food Basics announced the launch of the
campaign during a press conference which was held at the Hanmer Valley
Shopping Centre.
In
explaining the purpose of the initiative, Kirwan explained, “We want to
let everyone know that
Valley East
is a town where you can still find that “old style community spirit”
mixed with a modern lifestyle that fits right in with the 21st
Century. There are a lot of good things happening in
Valley East
and it is about time that the rest of the people in the City of
Greater Sudbury
knew about it. Furthermore, it is also time to let the rest of the
province know that if anyone is looking for a place to live and raise a
family, or a place to retire within the City of
Greater Sudbury
, they need look no further than
Valley East
.”
In order to help get
this message out to the rest of the “world” the people of
Valley East
are being asked to take part in a massive communication strategy using the
power of the internet.
Everyone participating in this campaign
will have a chance to win a “Grand Prize” consisting of 100 Lotto 649
tickets for the New Year’s Eve Draw on
December 31, 2006
. What a way to celebrate the New Year by winning the big prize with one
of those tickets!
Runners
up will receive other valuable prizes, including “two” mountain bikes
donated by Hanmer Home Hardware, $300 in groceries from Desjardins’ Food
Basics, More prizes from other local merchants may be announced in the
coming weeks before the contest ends.
In
order to qualify for these prizes, all you have to do is register to
receive the Valley East Today Weekly Online News Magazine. Every month
from July until the end of December, ten names will be drawn at random
from all of the people registered to receive the publication. Those ten
people will qualify for our final draw which will be held on Christmas
Eve. The winners will be announced in the December 26 issue of Valley East
Today!
Once
you register, the Valley East Today Online Weekly News Magazine, which is
currently being received by over 2000 people, will be sent directly to
your email address every Tuesday. Not
only will you qualify to win the 100 Lotto 649 tickets or other runner up
prizes, but more importantly, you can help us “Keep
the Spirit Alive” by forwarding Valley East Today to everyone on your
own personal mailing list. By using the power of the internet, we can let
tens of thousands of people know about
Valley East
every week.
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CONTEST QUALIFIERS
People who have already qualified for
the Grand Prizes in the
Keep The Spirit Alive Contest. These names will be placed in a
drum along with ten additional qualifiers chosen each month
until December 2006. |
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QUALIFIERS
FOR THE
MONTH OF
JUNE 2006 |
#0065
Chantal Proulx
#0133
Marilyn Liske
#0384
Bernadette Mrochek
#0411
Cathy Bellefeuille
#0446
Gaston Boisvoneault
#0690
Carol Mailloux
#1057
Glynis Cappadocia
#1228
Shelly Pelland
#1318
Nicky Blais
#1827
Michelle Wiebes |
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QUALIFIERS
FOR THE
MONTH OF
JULY 2006 |
#80
Kim Dwyer
#154
Lana Ranger
#255
Karen Lische
#288
Rebecca Ogilvy
#886
Chris Coulombe
#1086
Brian Koivu
#1194
Jessica Rienguette
#1979
Corina Gavin
#1993
Lynn
Poulin
#2006
Linda Dubois |
| The names of the above people who are
already subscribed to the Valley East Today Online Weekly News
Magazine will be entered as finalists in the contest. The sooner you
register, the more chances you have of being selected as one of the
ten monthly finalists. On December 24, 2006, one person will win 100
Lotto 649 tickets, while runners up will win other valuable prizes.
Make sure your friends all enter the contest and help us "Keep
the Spirit Alive". |
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ARE YOU RECEIVING VALLEY EAST
TODAY EVERY WEEK?
THEN CONGRATULATIONS - YOU ARE ALREADY REGISTERED
YOU QUALIFY FOR THE CONTEST! |
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NOT REGISTERED YET?????
TO QUALIFY FOR THE CONTEST
ALL YOU HAVE TO DO IS SEND US AN EMAIL BELOW
ALONG WITH YOUR NAME AND PHONE NUMBER
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| Ron & Lise
Gladu Welcome All Visitors To Take A Tour Of Their Home Based
Professional Studio |
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 Lise and Ron Gladu would like to invite you to take a brief
virtual tour of their photo studio. As is the case with many professional
photographers, they have found it much more convenient to design a studio
within their place of residence. This allows them to be more flexible with
respect to times that are convenient for clients to come over
and visit to
discuss their needs. Unfortunately, there are many people
who have never
seen the inside of this magnificent facility. We know you will be
impressed with what you see.
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| St. Joseph/Valley East Lion's Skate Board Park Is Typical of
Similar Unsupervised Facilities Sites In The City of Greater Sudbury |
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 Valley East
skate board enthusiasts have had use of a great facility at the St. Joseph's Park
located just beside the Lion's Den in Hanmer. The skateboard park has
been up for a number of years and each day you can find boarders of all
ages visiting the site.
The City of Greater Sudbury has recently opened a $400,000 skateboard
park in Minnor Lake which is creating a lot of controversy over safety of
the children using the park.
One of the current issues that has surfaced since the opening of the
Minnow Lake Park is the fact that most of the young boarders refuse to wear helmets
and/or protective gear. The law requires all people younger than age 18 to
wear helmets when riding a bike. However, skateboarders and inline skaters
fall outside the law's jurisdiction, therefore there is no way of forcing
people to wear helmets.
The City does not supervise the park, but signs advising that
protective gear should be worn are posted. These signs do not seem to be having an impact. City
officials have indicated that if helmets were made mandatory at the park,
then the park would have to be supervised in order to enforce the rules.
Right now, the only park that is supervised is in Capreol, which is
indoors on the arena ice surface.
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 There
is a serious issue here with respect to liability if a young person
suffers a serious head injury. The City of Greater Sudbury has provided
most of the funding for the park and it is apparently on City owned land.
What is hard to understand is why City staff are satisfied that their
obligations are being met by posting warning signs around the facility. A
civil suit would be a hard charge to defend against in a court of law since the City is largely
responsible for setting up a dangerous situation in the first place.
Warning signs do not appear to be posted at the park in Hanmer, or at
least they do not appear to be in close proximity to the equipment.
One need only take a look at the painting and
graffiti on the equipment at the Lion's Park in Hanmer to see another
problem that comes with unsupervised parks. The new park in Minnow Lake is
already being defaced with graffiti in addition to the site being laden
with garbage and litter every day by the youth using the skateboard
park. It appears as if the users of the skateboard parks are simply
throwing their garbage and litter all over the property instead of using
the garbage cans that have been installed for that purpose.
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 The
playground equipment near the skateboard park in Hanmer, shown in the photo to the right, has also been defaced
with paint. While it is extremely difficult to be everywhere at once,
City staff must be vigilant when it comes to graffiti and vandalism. The
only thing to do is repaint or clean up the site or it will just get worse. Graffiti
always generates more graffiti. Litter always generates more litter.
The saying "kids will be kids" is not appropriate in this case.
Kids do not have to destroy property, especially property that has been put
in place for their use and enjoyment. To do so is simply self-destructive
and may eventually result in the removal of the equipment, thus leaving them
with nothing. It is hoped that the users of skateboard parks would
"police themselves" and make sure that others do not deface the
property.
 Some say education is the answer and are attempting to put together a
program designed to meet with young people to explain the benefits of
wearing protective gear when skateboarding and the responsibility that
children must assume in order to properly use these facilities. Talking to kids is
commendable,
however, it is suggested that the only sure way to cut down on vandalism and terrorism
of young children is with better
supervision of the parks. It may mean having to hire a caretaker or
supervisor to work two different shifts. If that is the only solution, then
so be it. One thing is for sure. People in Valley East and hopefully the
rest of Sudbury are going to begin to put pressure on Council to either
close these eyesores, or provide proper protection. Closing the facilities
is not an option that will be acceptable to local residents. Therefore, the
solution seems pretty obvious.
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Comments From Our Readers Are
Always Welcome And Will Help Us Make Valley East Today Even More
Useful |
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Comments from our readers are always appreciated. In fact, many of the
changes and additions we make are a direct result of suggestions and
questions that have come from local residents through this forum. Our goal
is to create a Community Web Site that is a comprehensive reference source
for everyone, and to provide a Weekly Online News Magazine that captures the
living history of Valley East and Capreol.
We want to thank all of the people who take the time to send in comments.
In order to protect the privacy of our readers, it is our policy to omit the
names of our readers, unless you give us specific permission to print your
name. We hope you enjoy some of the comments sent in this week.
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Dear Editor:
I just wanted to tell you how much I enjoy receiving your weekly
News Magazine. The stories and articles are just fantastic and really
help me keep up with what is happening in Valley East. I really enjoy
the pictures. They are absolutely amazing. It is so nice to see a web
site that is filled with photos instead of just writing. Keep up the
good work!
Reader from Hanmer |
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| Dear Editor:
We just moved into Val Therese and love it here. I want to thank
you for sending us the Valley East Today Newsletter during the last
few months. It gave us a lot of information that we could use to help
us feel more comfortable with our decision to come to the Sudbury
area.
Reader from Southern Ontario |
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| Dear Editor:
I really enjoy your website Robert. I can't
wait to read all about Valley East and its people. I have been living
here a long time since coming here from Gaspe Quebec as a young girl. I
hope to continue living here for a long time. Thank you for bringing my
town into my home. Keep up the good work.
From a local resident |
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Hello Mr. Kirwan:
You should warn people BEFORE they begin reading your ezine. "Get
yourself a nice cool lemonade and set yourself down comfortably
because you are going to be here a long while." I read VALLEY
EAST TODAY (VET) each week BUT I don't always take the time to read
all the side bars. I made the mistake of doing that today.
WOW! VET IS LOADED!
If you intend to do the same thorough job as a councillor in the Nov.
Elections we can't go wrong.
Many thanks for all you do.
I am also impressed with all the contributors and their generosity.
Can I go away for a holiday and come back as a new member of the
community? I want one of those 'Welcoming" baskets. I have also
entered the contest and plan on visiting a few of the businesses. We
do have s-o-o-o-o much in our community. Your support and
encouragement have made us the envy of many cities.
Thank you Mr. Kirwan and all who make the VALLEY EAST TODAY the
wonderful instrument that connects and informs us all.
From a local resident of Hanmer |
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| Mr. Kirwan:
The article on Andrea Martin (July 17) was truly amazing. You
captured her personality and made all of us want to go out and meet
this wonderful lady. It is nice to have a publication like Valley East
Today that used modern technology to let us know about the great
people living in this community. The beauty of the internet is that we
can continue to go back to these articles months from now. I look
forward to future editions so that I can read about all of the people
in Valley East who are like Andrea.
Resident of Val Caron |
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| Dear Editor:
This is one of the best newsletters I have ever seen. It contains
such a variety of information, and since you can go back and see
previous issues, it is just like having your own storage centre. Thank
you for creating a "living history" of Valley East. This is
something that we can turn to for many years to come.
Resident of Val Therese |
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