No Kingsway Entertainment District bribes, says Sudbury councillor

Contrary to some media reports, Sudbury Ward 3 Councillor Gerry Montpellier said nobody offered him a bribe to support the Kingsway Entertainment District (KED).

The major development expected to feature a casino, hotel, and publicly-funded arena along Sudbury's Kingsway was first proposed by Sudbury developer Dario Zulich in 2015, but has been embroiled in legal matters and controversy.

Montpellier, said some media outlets misinterpreted a recent Facebook post in which he explained his reasons for abstaining from votes around the KED matter.

In the post, Montpellier said representatives who worked for Dario Zulich and Gateway Casinos and Entertainment Limited, approached him to make the case for the proposed project.

"They said, 'this is going to be good for your business,'" Montpelier said. "And I look back and I say, 'are you freaking kidding me? You're saying this to a city councillor?' I said, that's it, I can't vote on this, that's just not ethical. And that was it."

Montpellier has long been involved in motorsports, and runs a company in that sector that could benefit from the development. He has abstained from votes related to the KED due to that potential conflict of interest.

In an interview with the CBC, Montpellier maintained the two individuals who approached him never offered a bribe.

"Did those guys offer a bribe? Probably not, they were just talking about a fact, that this would be good for you Gerry," he said. "I think it was just a factual comment on their part."

Following the reports of alleged bribery, Sudbury Mayor Brian Bigger said the allegations were "extremely serious" and Montpellier should reach out to police to investigate the matter.

"I am open to any investigation," Montepellier told the CBC.

In June Sudbury city council reaffirmed its commitment to the KED project, which has associated costs of $100 million.

But an online petition started in late July called for a referendum on the issue and proposed the city should instead renovate the downtown arena on Elgin Street.