Sault Ste. Marie launches fundraiser for Downtown Plaza project
The City of Sault Ste. Marie is turning to local businesses and individuals to help pay for the proposed Downtown Plaza. It has launched a fundraising campaign with the goal of raising $600,000.
Tom Vair, the deputy CAO of community development for the city, said the local Rotary club has already contributed $200,000 to the campaign, leaving $400,000 still left to be raised. He said the city is inviting corporate donations as well as contributions from individuals.
"There's (sic) tax donation forms for anything above $25, and as well there are things like benches and trees that people can also sponsor or donate too and have a plaque or commemoration attached to it," Vair said.
Artist's rendering of Sault Ste. Marie's Downtown Plaza project. (Supplied)The Downtown Plaza is designed to be a year-round attraction, featuring a skating rink and a stage among other amenities. Vair said a community fundraising campaign was always part of the Downtown Plaza project.
"When we started the project, we looked at this as a real community-building project, and we had applied to the different levels of government," he said. "We have received $500,000 from FedNor. We weren't successful in our NOHFC application. But fundraising was always a part of our strategy to get this plaza to come to life."
The city has committed $5.3 million to the project. The Downtown Association is also looking into how it can contribute.
"We've initiated a task force and we're in the early stages of that," said executive director Salvatore Marchese. "We've had one of our meetings with another one scheduled. And we're just asking for members of the community to come together and look for ways that businesses might be encouraged to add to the donation or become sponsors and just be a part of the plaza."
Marchese said one thing the organization's membership is asking for is more information. He said they specifically want to know how the plaza will benefit downtown businesses.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
CRA no longer requiring 'bare trust' reporting in 2023 tax return
The Canada Revenue Agency announced Thursday it will not require 'bare trust' reporting from Canadians that it introduced for the 2024 tax season, just four days before the April 2 deadline.
NEW More unauthorized products for skin, sexual enhancement, recalled: Here are the recalls of this week
Health Canada and the Canadian Food Inspection Agency recalled various items this week, including torches, beef biltong and unauthorized products related to skin care and sexual enhancement.
Where is the worst place for allergy sufferers in Canada?
The spring allergy season has started early in many parts of Canada, with high levels of pollen in some cities already. Experts weigh in on which areas have it worse so far this season.
Do these exercises for core strength if you can't stomach doing planks
Planks are one of the most effective exercises for strengthening your midsection, as they target all of your major core muscles: the transverse abdominis, rectus abdominis, external obliques and internal obliques. Yet despite the popularity of various 10-minute plank challenges, planking is actually one of the most dreaded core exercises, according to many fitness experts.
Polar ice is melting and changing Earth's rotation. It's messing with time itself
One day in the next couple of years, everyone in the world will lose a second of their time. Exactly when that will happen is being influenced by humans, according to a new study, as melting polar ice alters the Earth’s rotation and changes time itself.
Grandparent scam: London, Ont., senior beats fraudsters not once, but twice
It was a typical Tuesday for Mabel Beharrell, 84, until she got the call that would turn her world upside down. Her teenaged grandson was in trouble and needed her help.
Sunshine list: These were the Ontario public sector's highest earners in 2023
Ontario released its annual sunshine list Thursday afternoon, noting that the largest year-over-year increases were in hospitals, municipalities, and post-secondary sectors.
NEW 'Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire': A crowd pleaser that turns it up to 11
Hot on the heels of last year's 'Godzilla Minus One' comes 'Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire,' the first ever Academy Award winner in the giant reptile's decades-long film career.
Deaths of 4 people on Sask. farm confirmed as murder-suicide
The deaths of four people on a farm near the Saskatchewan village of Neudorf have been confirmed a murder-suicide.