SAULT STE. MARIE -- With many people now working from home due to the pandemic, it's likely employers will consider keeping employees there in the coming years.
The City of Sault Ste. Marie is looking to capitalize, with a new campaign geared toward enticing remote workers to move to the city.
"The pandemic is giving companies a look at different ways to operate their business and employees a chance to look at new ways to work," said Tom Vair, deputy CAO with the city. "I think that will create a lot of new opportunities, for sure, that we'd like to be apart of."
Vair says the campaign will target former residents, in addition to people who have never lived here before.
"This is about putting out the story of Sault Ste. Marie for people, letting them know what a great place this is to live."
Vair points to the costly living expenses in the GTA as a prime example.
"It's far cheaper to live here than it is there," he said. "Commute times are also much lower and you have nature on your back porch. There's many benefits to Sault Ste. Marie living."
The Sault Ste. Marie Chamber of Commerce says it supports the city's new campaign.
"Anytime we can attract more business and workers to the city, that will only help our economy grow," said Rory Ring, chamber CEO. "It really makes sense now, as well, with many businesses having to change how they operate almost overnight, to deal with the pandemic."
Ring says companies were already discussing a shift to stay-at-home work pre-pandemic, and expects that to grow further.
"We also need to look at ways to diversify our workforce," he said. "Having a diverse community only adds to the vibrancy of the community itself."
The new campaign is expected to launch online and through social media sometime soon, Vair said.
However, he said it's too early to estimate how much the campaign will cost.
