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American actress praises city after making film here; officials say it reflects Sudbury’s upswing in reputation and investment
Published Jan 14, 2026 • Last updated 3 hours ago • 7 minute read
Deborah Ann Woll, star of the Daredevil series, spent some time filming in Greater Sudbury last year and left a glowing review for her 1.3 million followers on Instagram and Facebook. Photo by Gareth Cattermole /Getty ImagesArticle content
After years of false starts and inaction, it seems Greater Sudbury is finally on the upswing, and proponents say momentum keeps building.
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Deborah Ann Woll, star of the Daredevil series (as well as many other films and TV shows), spent some time filming in Greater Sudbury last year and left a glowing review for her 1.3 million followers on Instagram and Facebook.
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Woll said she had a great time exploring the outdoors in and around the Nickel City, and enjoyed one of the best steaks of her life.
“Sudbury was lovely. We were there during the fall, when the leaves were changing,” she said. “I’m a big lover of nature, and going outdoors and hiking and camping. It had everything I could ask for in that way. I needed it, because we were working really hard and I needed that kind of reset.”
Woll said she invited her parents to town “so that we could go hiking and enjoy the beauty of the place.”
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She does not name names; however, Woll said while in the Nickel City, she enjoyed “some of the best steak that I’ve ever had. I just wanted to say thank you so much to Sudbury for being so welcoming and having us while we made our film. I recommend that if any of you are up north of Toronto and want a cool place to check out, I can’t recommend Sudbury highly enough.”
Jeff MacIntyre, executive director of Downtown Sudbury, is not surprised to hear Woll enjoyed a great meal while in town. While he is not certain, MacIntyre believes that steak may have come from Respect is Burning or Verdicchio Ristorante. MacIntyre says the Gregorini brothers are skilled craftsmen when it comes to steak.
MacIntyre said it was “nice to see” the comments Woll made about Greater Sudbury.
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“Visitors come here, and they fall in love with some Sudbury businesses, and it’s always nice when they share that to their followers — it encourages people to come try out some Sudbury businesses,” he noted. “There’s probably a lot of people in Sudbury who haven’t tried some business. It would have been nice if she’d name-dropped them.”
MacIntyre said the blend of natural attributes and local shops attracts people to Sudbury.
“It’s a unique mix that Sudbury has, that we really need to sell,” he said. “It’s the landscapes and small businesses, and how all that comes together.”
As he pointed out, “you can canoe anywhere;” however, “when you blend that with the cultural experiences that Sudbury offers — anything from porchetta bingo to unique restaurants — that’s what makes a full package for a tourist.”
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Every city has ups and downs, MacIntyre said, and after a few years of stalled progress, “Sudbury is returning to a bit of an up. There’s a lot of opportunity in Sudbury, in general, and those types of things can spin off.”
MacIntyre said word is spreading about Greater Sudbury and recently, he has been fielding an increased number of calls from people interested in investing locally.
“There are some folks from out of town, with fresher eyes, that see a lot of opportunity in Sudbury. We’re one of the few places in Canada that’s predicted to grow, based on our resource economy and everything that goes with that,” he commented. “We’re diversified in the right ways now to capitalize on that.”
After years of false starts, broken commitments and lawsuits, MacIntyre said the investments made by the municipality — including the events centre and cultural hub — are helping to remediate Greater Sudbury’s reputation. Soon, residents should see shovels in the ground and the hub is “closer and closer to being a reality,” he noted. “People are going to start to see those things happen.”
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MacIntyre said the investments prove that “Sudbury is focused on growth right now,” which comforts and nurtures trust with the development community.
“People want to invest where the community invests, so when the city makes those investments, it makes it attractive to the larger investment community to follow (suit),” he commented.
As he noted, for years, Sudbury promised investment into the city core and the Kingsway Entertainment District, without any follow-through; however, he said “it looks like the city is finally getting ready to follow through. More and more of my calendar is filled with people looking to make investments in Sudbury, and downtown specifically.”
MacIntyre attributes the film industry with some of the recent success Greater Sudbury has been enjoying. Letterkenny and Shoresy have been undeniably popular, but several productions have shot in and around the Nickel City in recent years, including Resident Evil: Welcome to Raccoon City, as well as R.L. Stine’s Zombie Town, which starred Dan Aykroyd and Chevy Chase.
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With more than $12 million in direct local spending, the film industry has become a major player in Greater Sudbury.
“It’s great to see people share positive stories about their time in Sudbury, whether they’re here for work or leisure. The film sector has become a significant contributor to our local economy, and its impact continues to grow,” said Marie Litalien, president and CEO of the Greater Sudbury Chamber of Commerce. “With support from government incentive programs, we’re seeing steady production activity that brings real spending, job creation and business opportunities into the region. That momentum reflects the confidence industry partners have in Sudbury as a reliable and welcoming place to work, collaborate and invest.”
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Lara Fielding, manager of tourism and culture at the City of Greater Sudbury, said the film and sport tourism sectors are both doing very well.
In 2025, the film industry enjoyed 8,650 work days, generating $12.74 million in direct spending, up from 2024, when the film sector infused $10.85 million into the local economy. Since 2022, more than 23,700 work days in the film industry have generated $37.34 million in local spending.
Shoresy is “a love letter to Sudbury,” Fielding said. “People want to come and eat where they eat, and shop where they shop. It creates a lot of awareness for Sudbury, and highlights the beauty and the opportunities you have when you’re here as a tourist.”
Fielding said besides hockey, several sports contribute to tourism, including lacrosse, volleyball, ball hockey and curling. As she noted, Greater Sudbury will host the 2026 U21 mixed doubles and U20 curling championships later this year.
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“We are growing the sport tourism sector really well, as we get ready to welcome the events centre,” she said. “The momentum we’ve had with Curling Canada — we will be hosting them in 2026, in March.”
There are currently more than 2,000 hotel rooms in Greater Sudbury; however, about 330 more rooms are planned at two hotels currently under construction. The Sandman Hotel, at the corner of Falconbridge Road and The Kingsway, will have 223 rooms; while the Home2 Suites Hotel, at Third Avenue and The Kingsway, will include 110 rooms. Dario Zulich is also planning at least one hotel at his KED complex at the east end of town.
Fielding said hotel proponents have also shown interest in building downtown and people are “very interested” about what lands will be available once the events centre is complete.
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“People are asking about opportunities that will present themselves once the location has been selected for the arena, which it has,” she said. “As we work on the properties available around it, lots of businesses are showing inquiries.”
Fielding said domestic travel is growing increasingly popular, as Canadians choose to stay within the country to explore its hidden gems, part of an Elbows Up approach to addressing U.S. President Donald Trump’s tariff campaign.
“Domestic travel is going to be the thing to do in 2026,” she said. “We will be looking at our marketing campaigns and putting together campaigns that showcase and highlight hiking and the outdoors — what we have for all four seasons.”
Already, the atmosphere downtown is electric on game nights. The renaissance is underway — the events centre is scheduled to open in 2028 and the cultural hub, in late 2027 or early 2028 — and Fielding said this is a period of “exciting” transformation with lots of opportunities.
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Panoramic Properties has been making speedy progress on the 83-unit Scotia Tower at the corner of Durham and Cedar streets, drawing more residents to the city core.
Place des Arts has become a centrepiece of the urban landscape since opening in April 2022, and Knox Hall has emerged as an intimate concert and performance venue on Larch Street.
“They have continued to book excellent acts that are bringing in tourists and visitors from all over the north, and from down south,” Fielding said.
Fielding said once the hub and events centre are open, there will be even more foot traffic as merchants and restaurants launch to meet demand.
“Every city goes through cycles, and Sudbury had gone through a down cycle, but there are still opportunities and deals to be had on the investment side, and there are more than a few people who are seeing that those opportunities exist, and they’re starting to take advantage of them,” MacIntyre added. “The recovery is happening, it’s just not fast enough for a lot of people to notice, but it’s coming — quicker and quicker every day.”
mkkeown@postmedia.com
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