The Sault Star
ALL IN THE CARDS
Lyliana DiTommaso got a bright idea on how sharing a simple gesture could brighten the lives of many seniors residing Sault Ste. Marie care homes. While the Sault College practical nursing student is working toward completing her second semester...
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`WE FEEL THAT MOMENT IS HERE AND TODAY'
Sault Ste. Marie, since the beginning of time, has always been a gathering place, a place of trade. From the early days of Bawating, “the place of the rapids,” now often referred to as the centre of Canada, has been a destination to fish and...
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`What more could be taken from us?'
For Hajar Shavandi, the silence has become deafening. Since internet access inside her native Iran became extremely limited in the wake of U.S., Israeli strikes there, the Sault College nursing student has not been able to speak to her parents,...
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OLD MAN WINTER STILL UP TO `SNOW' GOOD
A powerful winter storm that swept through Sault Ste. Marie on Monday forced widespread closures and cancellations as heavy snow and strong winds battered the region. Environment Canada had issued an orange winter storm warning for the area,...
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`EMBLEMATIC OF WHAT WE'RE TRYING TO ACCOMPLISH'
Canada's Minister of Transportation was on a mission Friday. After making a $6.5-million funding announcement at Bruce Mines' Ontario Trap Rock to modernize its operations and ship more aggregate rock through the Great Lakes, Steve MacKinnon trekked...
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Retiring SAH head Ila Watson provided `principled' leadership: Board
Sault Area Hospital is on the lookout for a new leader. Its board of directors announced Tuesday that Ila Watson, who has ruddered the region's principal health-care facility since 2021, will retire in early summer. Watson provided “steady,...
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FIRING UP INTEREST
Firefighter Hannah Horner helps Ruby Jones, a first-year police foundations student at Sault College, get suited up at an obstacle course offered by Sault Ste. Marie Fire Services at a women in emergency services open house at The Machine Shop...
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`REAL CHANGE CANNOT SIMPLY BE IMPOSED FROM OUTSIDE'
Iranians must chart their own course – which includes choosing a new leader, says a young Iranian woman studying nursing in Sault Ste. Marie. Reacting to U.S. President Donald Trump's multiple assertions that whoever takes over leadership of Iran must...
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TROUBLE IN HOUND TOWN
Soo Greyhounds fans are used to debating coaching decisions and power-play units. Over the past week, the conversation has shifted to something far less entertaining: ticket prices. The Greyhounds informed its season-ticket base that beginning with...
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`IT'S FOR A GREAT CAUSE'
A blast of frosty winter weather didn't freeze out Mark Blonda from helping St. Vincent Place. The transformation consultant at Sault Area Hospital joined three of his co-workers to form a team for the 14th annual Coldest Night of the Year walk on...
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`IT'S GETTING BACK TO NORMAL'
Susan Fedora looks forward to leaving behind Sault Ste. Marie winters in favour of sun and warmth, at least for most of the season. The retired nurse regularly heads to Puerto Vallarta, Mexico for a six-week stay in mid-January after the busy holiday...
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Sault College nursing student keeps close eye on Iran chaos
Hajar Shavandi has a healthy load on her mind these days, shouldering the demands of Sault College's nursing program. All is good; she is in her natural habitat. A nurse and first responder in her native Iran, Shavandi entered the program with a good...
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`I'M A BIG BELIEVER IN THE CURLING GODS'
D'AMPEZZO, ITALY Marc Kennedy knows it was a big story. But from inside his Olympic bubble, he hasn't been sure just how far beyond the curling universe the double touch controversy has spun. What Kennedy does know is that after as bruising a...
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WASTE NOT, WANT NOT
Change is sometimes good. Just ask Harvest Algoma's new executive director, David Thompson, about how the past three years have changed and strengthened the organization geared to reducing food insecurity across the region. In 2023, the cash-strapped...
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`WE WANT TO PUT IT TOWARDS GOOD USE'
The City of Sault Ste. Marie is looking for proponents to lease the former Pointe des Chenes campground property and turn the vacant land into something of interest for the community. The 28.7 acres, with waterfront access, have been vacant since the...
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SMASHING FUN
Sarah Gibbs, of the Iceholes, prepares to serve at the 34th annual SnoSpike volleyball tournament as part of Bon Soo Winter Carnival at The Water Tower Inn on Saturday. The Greatest Snow on Earth runs until Saturday.
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ROUSSEAU BUILDS OWN ROAD TO OLYMPICS
At 1,600 metres above sea level in the mountains of Rasen-Antholz, Italy, Shilo Rousseau's first Olympic race began in thin air. Down in Thessalon, the air was thick with excitement — roughly 70 people leaned forward in the town curling club, eyes...
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SOCIAL SERVICES PROGRAM HELPS FAMILY GET HOME
There's plenty of room for memories to be made in Danielle Taylor's new home. She and her family lived in a “very small” townhouse on Second Line West for 14 years. Taylor was eager to be part of District of Sault Ste. Marie Social Services...
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Defence lawyer: Judge `applied the law correctly' in murder trial
The lawyer who represents the man found guilty of manslaughter in the 2020 death of Sam Graham said the judge “applied the law correctly” by not finding his client guilty of first-degree murder. Defence lawyer David Bayliss told The Sault Star...
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`He's not just a name in a court case. He was our light'
A family “shattered” by the 2020 slaying of their “handsome, kind, loving ” son wants the manslaughter conviction of the man who took his life appealed by the Crown. Sam Graham, 19, died when he was stabbed by his girlfriend's twin brother, Montana...
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OFF TO SEE THE WIZARD
Claire Spence helps Elizabeth Weber with her costume as Jacob Bowyer and Neil Galka stand nearby during a rehearsal for CASS onStage's production of The Wizard of Oz. The musical opens Wednesday at Sault Community Theatre Centre. Please see story
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BITING INTO A ROLE
Riley Sayers, as Gingy and Sugar Plum Fairy, attends a rehearsal of Korah Musical Theatre's production of Shrek at Korah Collegiate and Vocational School. The show runs Feb. 18-21 at the high school on Goulais Avenue.
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Batchewana Island dreamin' ... On such a winter's day
It's -23 C in Thunder Bay this January morning, but Mirabai Alexander is not sweating it – in fact, her mind at this moment is on warmer climes. Not necessarily those of a Caribbean island but conditions near an island much closer to home and what she...
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Group Health Centre's new mammography unit 'enhances' breast cancer screening
Access to high-calibre breast cancer screening has been “strengthened” across Sault Ste. Marie and area thanks to a new mammography unit, now in use, Group Health Centre says. The unit supports earlier detection through advanced imaging technology and...
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Algoma Steel, Hanwha Ocean reach preliminary pact tied to Canada's submarine fleet
Algoma Steel and South Korea– based shipbuilder Hanwha Ocean have signed a binding memorandum of understanding that could see Canadian-made steel used in Canada's future patrol submarines — and potentially bring hundreds of millions of dollars in...
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DEEP-ROOTED APPRECIATION
Chair Sandra Turco admires a plant given to her to mark Trustee Appreciation Day during a meeting of Huron-Superior Catholic District School Board trustees on Wednesday. Director of education Fil Lettieri thanked trustees for their “thoughtful...
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GHC `well on way' finding homes for orphan patients
Group Health Centre says it has made “meaningful progress” in its effort to connect Access Care Clinic patients with primary care providers. “The rostering process is going well, and we are well on our way to meeting the targets announced in the...
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MECHANICALLY MINDED
Sullivan Lefebvre, 9, a member of Team G.G.S. from St. Joseph Island Central Public School, works on his team's robot at an Algoma District School Board robotics competition at Boreal French Immersion Public School on Saturday. See story on Page A3...
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`THE SADDEST CASE I'VE SEEN'
Two people, including a toddler, have died of their injuries following a multi-vehicle collision in the city's east end last week. A van travelling northbound at a high rate of speed on Black Road, south of Second Line East, crossed the centre line...
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Man pleads guilty to brutal slaying, attempted murder
Steven Jones has pleaded guilty to the brutal 2023 slaying of Taylor Marshall and the attempted murder of Liam Frenette. Jones entered his pleas on Tuesday afternoon before Superior Court Justice Michael Varpio. It was the seventh day of his trial at...
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CAN YOU BELIEVE IT?
Volunteer Pauline Taraschuk with just a fraction of cans collected Saturday at Team Essentials on Second Line West as part of a bottle drive supporting Tracy's Dream, a Sault Ste. Marie-based charity that assists Sault Area Hospital cancer patients...
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Recycling gets revamp
Sorting glass and cans from papers in Sault Ste. Marie recycling bins has been an easy job for decades, but it could get a bit more complicated. Ontario is overhauling its recycling system, and that means establishing new provincewide guidelines on...
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SAULT AREA HOSPITAL OCCUPANCY SWELLS
There appears lesser room at the inn than ever. Sault Area Hospital said “extremely” high patient volumes earlier this week forced some patients to be cared for in “unconventional” spaces, such as alcoves, hallways, and dining rooms. As of Tuesday,...
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New Year's baby `had a mission'
Radley Devon MacMillan wasn't going to wait around to make his debut. Sault Ste. Marie's New Year's baby for 2026 was born at Sault Area Hospital last Thursday at 3:45 a.m. He's the fourth child of Jordan Bringleson and Tyler MacMillan. Mom and dad...
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ALGOMA FACES TOUGH ROAD TO PROFITABILITY
The federal and Ontario governments have pumped hundreds of millions of dollars of financial loans and other support into Sault Ste. Marie-based Algoma Steel Inc., Canada's only non-foreignowned steel mill, and that may just be the start of...
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AGAINST THE WIND
A man runs north along Ron Francis Way Monday morning as snow and high winds whipped Sault Ste. Marie's downtown. The city was crippled by freezing rain and snowfall accumulations of what were expected to be between 20 and 40 centimetres. Many city...
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AIN'T NOTHIN' GONNA BREAK MY STRIDE
Boxing Day Fun Run participants make their way along Northern Avenue Friday morning during the annual Sault Striders Running Club event. Runners opted to cover two or five kilometres before returning to the Water Tower Inn for a buffet and awards...
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`IT'S A BIT WORRISOME ...'
Job cuts at Algoma Steel are putting a deep freeze on cash donations to Salvation Army's annual kettle campaign. With the drive ending Tuesday, Salvation Army expects to fall thousands of dollars short in its efforts to fundraise to help feed...
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Shiny, perhaps, but not necessarily stainless
The tall flare stack with the burning flame gleaming across the city has always been the heartbeat of Algoma Steel. For decades, the bright flame has represented a functional steel mill, a strong local economy, and plenty of jobs. Very soon, that...
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SAH fears it will not duck `significant' shortfall - this time
Call it a sign of the times – or, perhaps, lack of signs. Sault Area Hospital had feared a deficit as high as $30 million for the fiscal year ending March 31, 2025, but wrapped the year with only a $1.5-million shortfall. “So, a considerable change,”...
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THAT'S A WRAP
Sgt. Troy Miller, of Sault Ste. Marie Police Service, and Bella Duggan, 11, team up to wrap a gift during Cops and Kids Holiday Shopping event at Walmart on Saturday. View photo gallery at saultstar.com
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Janson Duench packing bags for Minnesota and the world juniors
I consider myself very fortunate to have spent the past six months living and working in Sault Ste. Marie. For a 22-year-old who somehow gets paid to watch hockey, talk hockey, think about hockey, and write about hockey, life is already pretty...
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SAH should `speak out' to halt parking fee hike: Ontario Health Coalition
Sault Area Hospital is not necessarily to blame for its upcoming parking rate hike, Ontario Health Coalition contends. After all, the Ontario government requires hospitals to collect such fees as revenue. “I wish (SAH) would choose otherwise,” Al...
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CHRISTMAS CHEER GETS ENERGIZED
Long-time Christmas Cheer volunteer Stan Black loads toys with batteries Monday morning at the charity's Station Mall depot. The former vice-president of Algoma Central Railway, known at Christmas Cheer as Mr. Fix-It, was among many volunteers plugging...
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`This will make Algoma less dependent on the U.S.': Joly
A new agreement inked between the federal government, Algoma Steel and the United Steelworkers union, will see a structural beam plant and an enhanced plate plant created that will see 500 workers returned to the job by the end of 2026. Canada's...
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Algoma layoffs likely won't hike Christmas Cheer demand – this year
Algoma Steel's “devastating news” Monday involving a mass March layoff should not bump up Christmas Cheer applications – at least not this year, says the charity's long-time convener. But depending on how Sault Ste. Marie and its major employer...
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`A REAL SAD DAY': ALGOMA STEEL ISSUES 1K LAYOFF NOTICES
Algoma Steel has issued 1,000 layoff notices, all part of a plan to fire up its Electric Arc Furnace quicker than anticipated and shut down its blast furnace and coke-making steel processes. The layoff notices will be effective March 23, and are a...
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LET THE GIVING BEGIN: SAULT STAR SANTA FUND KICKS OFF
Sault Star Santa Fund co-ordinator Brunella Gagliardi speaks with Gagan Kaur, who staffs the nearby ornament shop, Home of Santa, Friday morning at Station Mall. The 2025 Sault Star Santa Fund kicked off Friday, with a goal of generating $110,000....
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HOW SWEET IT IS
Patrick Gillespie, a member of the Sault Shriner Club, and his wife, Marcia, staff a table at Station Mall Wednesday afternoon, selling Christmas cakes and cookies, with proceeds going to Shriners Hospitals for Children. Patrick has been a member of...
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Tradition brings families back to Santa Claus Parade
Liam McCourt knows what he likes at Rotary Santa Claus Parade. Getting candy and seeing the Jolly Old Elf are his priorities. The eight-year-old McCourt will enjoy some of the sweet treats handed out during the parade and put some on his family's...
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GIVE IT UP FOR GLEE
Soo Sings and Friends Holiday Glee entertains Thursday evening at the Downtown Plaza as part of Moonlight Magic and the annual community tree lighting. Please see www.saultstar.com for full photo gallery.
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`THERE'S NO GREATER HONOUR THAN SERVING YOUR COUNTRY': VETERAN LUKE CYR
Luke Cyr had no intention of joining the military until a Canadian Armed Forces recruiter showed up at his high school. “It was a good sell at the time. I always wanted to serve my country - there's no greater honour,” the Sault Ste. Marie native told...
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`IT MAKES IT FUN'
Chloe Shier didn't consider hydration a hot topic. That was until she partook in a relatively new program offered at White Pines Collegiate and Vocational School that pumps up the positive points of consuming ample amounts of water and promotes other...
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`POTENTIAL TO MAKE AN IMPACT HERE'
Canada's federal government's 2025 budget focuses on the country's growth, prosperity and independence with infrastructure spending, controls its social programs and takes a hard line on its own public sector employees. It has programs and elements...
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HOT BLOODED
Foreigner lead vocalist Luis Maldonado belts out a string of classics, such as Cold as Ice and Hot Blooded, Saturday evening as the rockers took centre stage before a large audience at GFL Memorial Gardens. Canadian rockers 54-40 opened the show....
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New citation recognizes Victoria Cross winner Merrifield
A new citation recognizes Sault Ste. Marie Victoria Cross recipient William Merrifield at the downtown cenotaph. A monument recognizing William Merrifield's actions in October 1918 was stolen from the war monument on Queen Street East nearly two years...
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LET'S GO BLUE JAYS
There's no question which team James (Junior) Ellis is rooting for in the World Series, given his attire and front entrance to his lower Pilgrim Street apartment. In fact, Ellis is everything Toronto when it comes to sports, cheering the Maple Leafs...
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OFF TO SEE THE WIZARD
Jessica Gendron, Haddie Gendron, 3, Harper Gendron, 6, Owen Belsito, 3, Heather Belsito and eight-month-old Oliver Belsito bring characters from The Wizard of Oz to life while trick-ortreating on Queen Street East on Saturday.
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BLUE RODEO STILL RIDIN' HIGH
Blue Rodeo's Greg Keelor entertains Thursday evening at GFL Memorial Gardens when the legendary Canadian band brought its Lost Together 40th anniversary tour to Sault Ste. Marie. Opening act was singer Adam Baldwin from Dartmouth, N.S. Please see...
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Condolence book for former MP, mayor and councillor Steve Butland at city hall
A former member of Parliament, mayor and councillor has died. Steve Butland passed away Tuesday, Oct. 14. He is survived by his wife of 61 years, Sharran, and daughters Stefanie, Suzanne and Stacy. He was a grandfather to seven. Butland was 84 years...
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`Come for the flavour, stay for the vibe'
The first thing you notice walking into Mini Morsel Co. isn't the pancakes. It's the vibe — a pastel-pink hum of chatter and laughter, an inviting pink couch that wouldn't look out of place in a friend's living room, the kind of place that invites you...
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Wrecking ball treatment for former General Hospital
The demolition of the former General Hospital is set to begin Monday. Mayor Matthew Shoemaker announced on social media that the demolition permit has been issued. “GFL is on site and will begin hauling away the rubble. About 10 loads per day are...
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Deal needed now to protect steel, auto industries: Poilievre
Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre says there are things Canada can do to help its staggering steel and auto industry, but the Liberal government has failed to act. Poilievre was in Sault Ste. Marie Wednesday touring SIS Manufacturing and the...
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`WE'RE DOING FINE'
On a cool October morning outside the Tenaris mill, employees and executives gathered beneath a white tent to mark the company's 25th anniversary in Sault Ste. Marie — a celebration of endurance at a time when few industries can take stability for...
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DID HARRY `CHOOSE' WHEN HE WOULD GO?
Our reflection in honour left us with the divine assurance that Harry was at peace. His world had become a semiprivate room in the palliative unit, with family and nurses helping him in and out of bed as compared to his home, patio, camp and close...
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Sault Labour Council raises concern about job loss
Sault Ste. Marie is “barreling towards disaster” and government needs to put a strategy in place before that disaster strikes workers and their families, says Ontario NDP Leader Marit Stiles. “I don't see any level of government stepping in and...
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FRIGHTFUL FUN
Jeannie Murdoch checks out a purple wig fashioned by her son, Ryan Ritchie, 8, during a free Halloween costume exchange at James L. McIntyre Centennial Library on Saturday. The colourful hair would make his possible costume choice as a stormtrooper...
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HOW SWEET IT IS
Gwenevere Holden, 5, a member of Northern Heights Sparks, sells Girl Guide cookies this week in Sault Ste. Marie. This is the first time Gwenevere has participated in the sale of the famous sweet treats, the official fundraiser of Girl Guides of...
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`TODAY IS ABOUT REMEMBERING'
For Shirley Horn, walking into Algoma University will never be ordinary. The institution may now be a place of higher learning, but its walls once held the Shingwauk Indian Residential School, where she spent six years of her childhood. “I have a...
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CRC poses `public safety threats': Residents
Residents near the Community Resource Centre (CRC) are demanding action to stem what they call escalating public health and safety concerns that are impacting their neighbourhood - and they want to be heard by the facility's stakeholders and city...
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SUV FLIPS IN 2-VEHICLE DOWNTOWN COLLISION
Sault Ste. Marie Fire Services personnel inspect one of two vehicles involved in a collision Monday afternoon at the corner of Queen Street East and Elgin Street that left what appeared to be one SUV resting on its roof at the foot of Elgin and...
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`WE ARE ROLLING UP OUR SLEEVES'
When U.S. President Donald Trump first imposed tariffs on Canadian steel and aluminum, Michael Garcia hoped the tariffs would be “short-lived.” Now, six months later – and three months after steel tariffs soared to 50 per cent – that hope has waned....
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Health centre staff didn't `snoop' on patient records with `illegal intentions': Report
Maamwesying North Shore Community Health Services staff accessed health records incorrectly because Maamwesying did not take “reasonable” steps to “onboard” Thessalon health workers and manage their privacy training properly, the Information and...
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POOCH TAKES PLUNGE
Sue Ritchie accompanies her dog, Mickey, during Sault Ste. Marie YMCA's annual Doggy Dip on Saturday. Mickey, a twoyear-old Berne-doodle, took the plunge for the first time at the Y fundraiser that's held before the annual pool maintenance closure....
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`WHAT DID HE DO TO DESERVE ALL THIS?'
For many people, a vehicle breakin means a frustrating insurance claim and the hassle of replacing a few stolen items. For 23-year-old Cam Rivard, it meant something else entirely. The first hint that something was wrong came as his father Mark...
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