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It is the largest city in Northern Ontario in population, and the 20th largest metropolitan area in Canada. In land area, it is now the largest city in the country. It is also the only city in Ontario which has two official names -- its name in French is Grand-Sudbury. However, the name Sudbury, without its official modifiers, continues to be used informally in reference to the main urban core of the city, and many of the smaller communities in the city are still known by their older names as well.
Sudbury was incorporated as a town in 1883, and as a city in 1930. Originally named Ste-Anne-des-Pins (Saint-Anne-of-the-Pines), it was a lumber camp.
During construction of the Canadian Pacific Railway, blasting and excavation revealed high concentrations of Nickel- Copper ore at Murray Mine. The community, renamed Sudbury in honour of the CPR commissioner's wife's hometown in England, grew rapidly as a mining town.
Through the decades that followed, Sudbury's economy went through boom and bust cycles as world demand for nickel rose and fell. Demand was high during the First World War, then bottomed out when the war ended. It rose again in the mid-1920s, then fell as the Great Depression hit, and rose again during the Second World War. After the end of that war, however, Sudbury was in a good position to supply nickel to the United States government, who chose to stockpile non- Soviet supplies during the Cold War.
In the 1950s and 60s, Sudbury was beset by extensive labour unrest, as Inco and Falconbridge employees not only fought their companies for the right to unionize, but also fought amongst themselves as to what union would represent them. Both the Mine, Mill and Smelter Workers and the United Steelworkers of America had support among Sudbury miners, and there were often riots in the streets as the rival factions confronted each other. Ultimately, the two unions settled into an uneasy truce, with Mine Mill winning the right to unionize Falconbridge, and the Steelworkers winning the right to unionize Inco.
In February 19561956 is a leap year starting on Sunday. see link for calendar) Events January January 1 End of Anglo- Egyptian Condominium in Sudan. January 16 President Gamal Abdal Nasser of Egypt vows to reconquer Palestine January 26 1956 Winter Olympic Games open in, the Mine Mill held its Canadian convention, which was particularly notable for being the first non-US concert given by Paul RobesonPaul Robeson ( April 9, 1898 January 23, 1976) was an American actor, athlete, singer, writer, and political and civil rights activist. Robeson was born in Princeton, New Jersey and a graduate of Somerville, New Jersey High School where he excelled at sin after the US government lifted its travel ban against him.
Labour issues would continue to be Sudbury's dominant economic challenge. In 1979, Inco workers embarked on a strike over production and employment cutbacks, which lasted for nine full months. As Inco was by this time Sudbury's largest employer, the strike decimated Sudbury's economy.
When the strike finally ended in 1980, the city's government recognized the urgent need to diversify the city's economy. Through an aggressive strategy, the city tried to attract new employers and industries through the 1980s and 1990s. Today mining remains an important industry, but Sudbury also derives economic strength as a centre of commerce, government, science and technology research and tourism.