Greater Sudbury's Meatbird Lake Park sold to Vale for $4M

Meatbird Lake Park in Greater Sudbury has been sold to mining company Vale Canada Limited for $4-million.

The sale of the municipally owned property was approved Tuesday night by city council.

Vale asked the city for the property last September, stating it wanted to upgrade its nearby tailings dam and do some environmental remediation work around the lake.

"I know that Meatbird Lake park is a valued asset for the people of Walden," said Mayor Brian Bigger.

"I can assure you that we worked hard to ensure that we have the resources to provide you with new safe, recreational amenities. We know how much our citizens value the time spent outdoors," he told residents during the virtual council meeting.

All of the money from the sale of the property will be reinvested into recreational opportunities for the citizens of Walden, where Meatbird Lake Park is located.

"Over the next few months, residents will have an opportunity to share feedback on what recreation opportunities they'd like to see in their community, and the feedback received will be included in a report outlining options for new recreational opportunities," Bigger said.

In a news release, Brittney Price, with Vale's North Atlantic Operations said they are pleased that a mutually beneficial outcome could be achieved.

"This sale helps Vale to deliver on our commitment to be a safe and responsible community partner and it helps the city to offer new recreational opportunities in Walden," she added.

Residents looking for an alternative to Meatbird Lake Park this summer, can instead use a supervised beach at Centennial Park in Whitefish.

The final vote was nine in favour.

 Councillors Marc Signoretti and Gerry Montpellier opposed, while Michael Vagnini and Bill Leduc abstained from voting.