Sudbury looks to unload dozens of buildings

Greater Sudbury is looking to save some money by getting rid of some of its 600 buildings, but one group who rents from the city want it to continue being a landlord.

Capreol Lions club president Paul Brokenshire didn't expect to seethe clubhouse on the list of 46 buildings city staff said could be sold or demolished.

"We were very surprised, taken off guard actually," he said. "We're one of the few, four or five groups in the community that keep Capreol alive."

The Lions have leased the old schoolhouse for decades. They rent it out for community events and use the money to help the food bank or buy playground equipment.

Brokenshire said the Lions pay all the utility bills and the only thing the city would save by selling is the cost of insurance.

"If we were to buy the building, we'd probably have costs that we can't afford, like insurance," Brokenshire said. "But we do maintain [the] heat, lights and hydro."

The Lions club in Dowling is also on the surplus buildings list, but the city-owned Lions Den in the Valley is not.

There are several medical centres on the list, including those in Val Caron, Levack and the nurse practitioner clinic in Lively.

But director Jennifer Clement isn't worried.

"If anything was to happen that the building had to be put up for sale, there's an agreement that the Ministry of Health would have the first option to purchase the building," she said.

No decisions have been made about selling or demolishing any city buildings, but some councillors have suggested there are dozens more that should be added to the list.