Sault Ste. Marie’s mayor raises local issues with the Ontario premier
Sault Ste. Marie Mayor Matthew Shoemaker is hoping a recent phone call with Ontario Premier Doug Ford will get the ball rolling on some issues the city is facing.
Ford recently visited the Sault, but was apparently unable to meet with the Mayor due to his travel schedule that day. However, Shoemaker said Ford made good on a promise to follow-up on his visit with a phone call.
One of the topics Shoemaker said he brought to the premier's attention was the centralization of all OLG staff.
"I spoke to him about our community's continued desire to see all OLG jobs located in Sault Ste. Marie, and not split between what they call the head office in Sault Ste. Marie and where all the executives actually work, which is in Toronto," he said.
- Download our app to get local alerts on your device
- Get the latest local updates right to your inbox
Shoemaker told CTV News another issue they discussed during the call was the city's pending application for a Supervised Consumption Site to help with the city's ongoing addictions crisis. Shoemaker said no firm commitments were made, but the discussion was a positive one.
Connie Raynor-Elliott, founder of local advocacy group Save Our Young Adults – also called SOYA – said the facility is needed now.
"A safe consumption site will save lives," she said.
"It should have been here a couple of years ago as far as I'm concerned and a lot of people in the community really want it here because we're tired of our people dying."
Meantime, Shoemaker said, the Sault's application for a safe consumption site will likely be submitted in June or July of this year. After that, he said it will be in the hands of senior levels of government, adding it could be next year before a site is approved.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
India's foreign minister reacts to murder charges, claims Canada welcomes criminals
India's Foreign Affairs Minister accused Canada of welcoming criminals from his country in response to the RCMP's recent arrests in a homicide that has roiled tensions between the two countries.
15-year-old boy stabbed in Ottawa on Thursday dies
A 15-year old boy who was critically injured after a stabbing in Nepean on Thursday has died of his injuries, Ottawa's English public school board said Sunday.
Dash cam catches moment suspected drunk driver hits parked car, sends it careening into North Shore flower shop
Police say it’s fortunate no one was injured or killed in a collision at North Vancouver’s Park and Tilford shopping centre Saturday evening that sent one vehicle careening into a flower shop and another into a set of concrete barriers outside a Winners store.
Actor Bernard Hill, of 'Titanic' and 'Lord of the Rings,' has died at 79
Actor Bernard Hill, who delivered a rousing cry before leading his people into battle in 'The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King' and went down with the ship as the captain in 'Titanic,' has died.
'A tiny city:' Pro-Palestinian campus protesters organize for another week
Pro-Palestinian activists have set up tents at universities in Toronto, Ottawa, Vancouver and Montreal, following a wave of similar protests at campuses in the United States linked to the Israel-Hamas war.
Lawsuit against Meta asks if Facebook users have right to control their feeds using external tools
Do social media users have the right to control what they see — or don't see — on their feeds?
A Holocaust survivor will mark that history differently after the horrors of Oct. 7
This year's Holocaust Remembrance Day, which begins on Sunday evening in Israel, carries a heavier weight than usual for many Jews around the world.
Princess Anne lays wreath at Battle of Atlantic ceremony; honours late Queen
Princess Anne saluted Canadian veterans and current forces members and honoured her late mother during separate ceremonies Sunday in Victoria as she wrapped up a three-day British Columbia West Coast royal visit.
El Nino weakening doesn't mean cooler temperatures this summer, forecasters say
As Canadians brace themselves for summer temperatures, forecasters say a weakening El Nino cycle doesn’t mean relief from the heat.