The Sault Star
Waste not, want not: Surplus Rotaryfest food finds home with Harvest Algoma
Grub did not wind up in the garbage as the “significant” amount of surplus food from this year's Rotaryfest found a home at Harvest Algoma. The Rotary food court, officials say, was one of the festival areas most impacted by elevated wildfire smoke...
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PRIDE ON PARADE
Esther Zdolec, OLG senior vice-president of People and Culture, KJ Boston, Sault Pride board treasurer, Sault Ste. Marie Coun. Sonny Spina and Sault Ste. Marie-Algoma MP Terry Sheehan, prepare for the Sault Pride flag raising Sunday afternoon at Ronald...
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FROM STEEL TOWN TO DEFENCE POWERHOUSE
Sault Ste. Marie has spent generations forging the steel that built bridges, auto parts and railways, across North America. Now, as world trade shifts, Algoma is forming new partnerships that could transform the local steel industry into something...
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SMOKE ON THE WATER
Heavy smoke is visible on the St. Mary's River on Wednesday. City of Sault Ste. Marie closed outdoor pools and splash pads due to poor air quality and cancelled outdoor sports events. Sault Area Hospital asked visitors to limit checking in on patients...
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Grace Street homes sustain `extensive' fire, smoke damage
Two Grace Street residential dwellings sustained “extensive” fire and smoke damage Saturday after fire ripped through the neighbouring structures. Shortly before 2 p.m., Sault Ste. Marie Fire Services responded to a call of a blaze in a residential...
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Cambrian Mall presence will offer `seamless and accessible' service: GHC
Relocating several services to Cambrian Mall will provide healthier access to care, not to mention room for growth, Group Health Centre says. Work is underway to revamp what was an empty shop at the 44 Great Northern Rd., allowing the Access Care...
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SAH'S NEXT CEO SEEKS TO `ADVANCE' STRATEGIC PLAN, `STRENGTHEN' CARE
Sault Area Hospital has recruited a senior health-care executive with nearly 30 years of leadership experience to serve as its next president and CEO. Murray Doucette has worked across provincial health systems, academic health centres, long-term care...
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Algoma U cuts support jobs to `basically bare bones': Union
Algoma University students will have to wait longer to see trash picked up and tech issues fixed after the post-secondary institution slashed about 60 support jobs this spring, a labour leader says. The cuts, announced in late May, will be roughly...
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POUNDIN' BACK POUTINE
Myles Miskiw, 11, feasts on poutine Friday afternoon during Poutine Feast at Downtown Plaza. The event, which began Tuesday and wraps Sunday, boasts gourmet poutine from regional vendors, live music, trivia and children's activities, among other...
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BRUSHING UP ON CANADA DAY
Kaya Zelonko puts the finishing touches on Grayson, 7, Wednesday afternoon during Sault Ste. Marie Canada Day celebrations at Roberta Bondar Tent Pavilion. Face-painting appeared to be one of the more popular attractions there, as lineups were long....
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`We celebrate our friendship'
The International Bridge Walk gives Walter Humphrey another reason to love Canada. The resident of Cheboygan, Mich., has walked the Mackinac Bridge 20 times since he was a youngster. The float housekeeper at McLaren Medical Center only learned about...
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OPERATION CRUMBLE
Front portions of the former General Hospital on Queen Street East are dismantled Friday afternoon. Demolition, which began on the Lucy Street side of the building, is expected to continue until October. Since fall 2025, some 380 loads of debris,...
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SOMETHING GOOD COOKING
Ken Brown Recovery Home kitchen manager Paul Durham does grill duty Tuesday in preparation for 50th anniversary celebrations at the Herrick Street Residential Addiction Supportive Treatment facility for men seeking recovery from substance use. Please...
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UP IN THE AIR
Kevin Perlini, territory manager at McDougall Energy, juggles bean bags at Touch-a-Truck to benefit Habitat for Humanity Sault Ste. Marie & Area at Station Mall on Saturday. The event raised $23,000 with more donations to come, said chief executive...
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`THE WORLD DOESN'T STOP FOR US'
Kyle Campbell tells of taking in a recent slo-pitch weekend during which post-game pints got passed around freely and eagerly. Nothing special about that; for many, beer and baseball go together like a bat and ball. What was remarkable, though, was...
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LET'S DANCE
Eliza Jose dances during a Diversity Day and Parish Family Picnic at Our Lady of Good Counsel Catholic Church on Sunday. Various cultures were represented through performances and food.
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SISTERLY SUPPORT
Karuna Malla helps her friend Smriti Gurung prepare for Algoma University's convocation at Sault Community Theatre Centre on Saturday. Malla is graduating with a computer science degree. Malla and Gurung, both from Nepal, met while getting their...
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`It wasn't about me'
Elder Shirley Horn says the Order of Ontario she received earlier this month belongs not to her alone, but to generations of residential school survivors who spent decades ensuring their stories would be heard. Horn, a residential school survivor and...
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Former General Hospital enters the dust heap of history
Mayor Matthew Shoemaker grinned as the massive green arm of a GIP vehicle ripped the first pieces of the former General Hospital off the roof and exterior wall. One piece at a time in what will be labourous work for the next five months or so, the...
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`IT'S EVERYONE'S HISTORY'
The letter George Minisino Pine sent home from France during the Second World War didn't reveal much about his experience on the warfront. Addressed to his sister Hilda, he shared simple thoughts on the weather and asked after the family dog in Garden...
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`IF WE DID THIS MUCH, WE CAN DO THE REST'
For five straight days, Sheri Fudge and her daughter Faith hiked through cold rain in the Virginia mountains. Their shoes never dried. Their tent smelled “like infection.” Temperatures plummeted overnight after days spent climbing in nearly 40 C...
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`LOTS OF BACK AND FORTH ...'
The federal government is continuing to engage with Algoma Steel and its unions to get a better understanding of what new opportunities and partnerships can be forged to create more jobs. Sault Ste. Marie-Algoma MP Terry Sheehan said a meeting was...
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Doug Ford protesters say premier's performance `appalling'
How Dawn Munro plans to fix Ontario starts with a roll of duct tape. Each of her Top 10 concerns with the Conservative government led by Premier Doug Ford were written on a piece of the versatile fix-all. Rent control, strong mayor powers and water...
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DIGGING UP THE PAST TO BUILD THE FUTURE
The Sault Ste. Marie Museum is writing its own history. It is transforming itself from a place to visit artifacts and moments etched in time to a vibrant, moving interactive community centre that celebrates local arts and culture, as well as education...
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PORT KEY TO SAULT'S GROWTH
If Mayor Matthew Shoemaker could look in a crystal ball and see what Sault Ste. Marie will look like in two years, it would have more jobs, greater assessment growth and more available housing units. That's the forecast he provided to the Sault Ste....
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KEEP ON TRUCKIN'
Monster trucks and freestyle motocross riders take to the air during the Monster Madness Tour and FMX World Tour at GFL Memorial Gardens on Saturday. Please see www.saultstar.com for more photos
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MY AIM IS TRUE
Brodie Marchand, of White Pines Collegiate and Vocational School, is among athletes from Sault Ste. Marie high schools competing Thursday in several events at the annual city track and field meet at the Jo Forman Track.
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`OUR SYSTEM IS STARVED'
Ontario gets a failing grade in investing and protecting its healthcare system, according to a new report. Andrew Longhurst, of the Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives, said the province has been digging itself into a deep hospital funding crisis...
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GROWING UP GOOD
Julie D'Agostino and her daughter, Sophie Storozuk, shop at Sault Ste. Marie Horticultural Society's plant sale at Sault Ste. Marie Canal National Historic Site on Saturday. Herbs, sweet peppers, salad greens and hot peppers were among the items...
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DRUGS, GANGS, RETAIL THEFT BEING `TACKLED': SAHOTA
The federal government wants to make it tougher for persons accused of repeatedly stealing from businesses to get bail. “I understand that many businesses are suffering from great loss and aren't able to continue operations,” said Secretary of State...
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Ontario Trucking Association calls for improvements to Highways 17 and 11
The Ontario Trucking Association has joined the fight to improve Highways 17 and 11. The Ontario Trucking Association is calling on the provincial and federal government to accelerate investments in the transportation corridors to improve public...
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Algoma Public Health tackles youth substance abuse with new program
Algoma Public Health appears to be over the moon about Planet Youth. Coalition building and “broad” engagement with partners across Algoma District are underway to secure commitments of funding and implementation support for the five-year Planet Youth...
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WAY TO GO
Brad Jacobs holds the street sign designating 1 Team Jacobs Way on Friday. In April, council approved renaming the portion of Anita Boulevard beside the YNCU Curling Centre in recognition of Team Jacobs's achievements, including two gold medal wins for...
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`IT CAN BE DAUNTING'
Christie Hayos concedes contending with the community's many mental health and addictions challenges can sometimes seem like an uphill battle. "It can be daunting and it's really tricky,” says Sault Area Hospital's director of mental health and...
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`IT IS A MESS OVER THERE'
A Batchawana motel owner says growing damage at Sawpit Bay — and new restrictions on access — are raising questions about the future of a once-hidden Lake Superior shoreline that has long drawn visitors to the area. For Bonnie Shelley, who has...
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HAVE A COOKIE AND A SMILE
Sault Ste. Marie's Tim Hortons restaurants are once again turning cookies into contributions, as the annual Smile Cookie campaign returns this week in support of local paediatric care. Running through Sunday, the campaign will see 100 per cent of...
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No scrimping on services despite planned deficit: SAH
Without a serious fiscal shot in the arm from the province, Sault Area Hospital will shoulder another “significant” shortfall as it gazes into the crystal ball to Fiscal 2026/27. However, like previous years when deficits were in the cards, the...
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TO RUN OR NOT TO RUN ... THAT IS THE QUESTION
Matthew Shoemaker is in. Lisa Vezeau-Allen is out. Angela Caputo, Sandra Hollingsworth and Stephan Kinach, are pondering the future. And the rest say they hope to get the thumbs up from constituents for another term. Ontario municipal residents...
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`NOW IS THE TIME TO DOUBLE DOWN'
For decades, Sault Ste. Marie has relied on Algoma Steel to create jobs and serve as the backbone of the Northern Ontario city's economy. While the steelmaker has transitioned to electric arc furnace steelmaking to create a greener, more economical...
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Garden River partners on solar venture
Garden River First Nation is partnering with a global renewable energy company to create Ontario's largest solar energy project on their land. The community will receive revenues of about $50 million per year. The solar farm is co-owned by Neoen and...
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Quarter of Algoma kids aren't alright: Report
In Algoma, it appears that the kids aren't alright. Data presented by Algoma Public Health Thursday indicate that almost one in four children in the district are at risk in at least one “developmental domain,” specific areas of a child's growth and...
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IT'S A RECORD
The Rad Zone manager Melodie Taylor holds the Slipknot album, Look Outside Your Window, and Caamp's self-titled offering, both available at the Queen Street East outlet Saturday, Record Store Day.
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`WE SHOULDN'T PUT MONEY WHERE MONEY IS NOT ASKED FOR'
Sault Ste. Marie's Downtown Plaza won't glean an additional $50,000 to support operations and promote downtown events, despite a city councillor's attempt to ensure the $11.6-million facility is active. Mayor Matthew Shoemaker opposed the...
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WILL HOME ICE HELP?
Kitchener Rangers forward Jack Pridham follows through on his shot as Soo Greyhounds defenceman Chase Reid attempts to intervene in Game 2 action on Sunday. A disastrous third period frittered away the Hounds' chances of tying their OHL Western...
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THE TIMES THEY ARE A-CHANGIN'
Algoma Steel's electric arc furnace (EAF) has been operational for several months now and the company is continuing its rampup process. More importantly, the Sault Ste. Marie steelmaker is focusing on developing and increasing its operations that will...
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North Shore Health Network can't heal Thessalon ED woes alone: Vine
A spate of recent emergency department closures in Thessalon is not going unnoticed south of the North Shore. In fact, there is “certainly” interest from Ontario Health and the Ministry of Health, both of which are “working with us,” and the Huron...
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LOCAL SNOWMOBILE CLUB ACQUIRES BRIDGE TO GAIN ACCESS TO BRUCE MINES
As one snowmobile season inches closer to a close, the Bruce Mines Sno Glyders snowmobile club is already looking ahead to next year. After two years of advocating, the club has officially taken possession of the Clark Bridge. The bridge, previously...
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`THEY'VE BEEN A DRIVING FORCE'
Janice Davis didn't plan to be a pioneer. Nor did she bank on rocking the boat. But when Davis joined the Kiwanis Club of Sault Ste. Marie, that's exactly what she did. Stirred the pot. Shook things up. In fact, her presence was enough to prompt a...
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Goo Goo Dolls' scrubbed show strikes sour note
A last-minute concert cancellation by American rock band Goo Goo Dolls will cost the City of Sault Ste. Marie – and businesses – a few bucks. How much the city loses could actually take some time to calculate, said Brent Lamming, the city's deputy CAO...
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Sault police slice budget deficit to $920K
Sault Ste. Marie Police Service slashed its expected budget deficit in 2025 by more than half. The municipal force initially anticipated red ink of $2.3 million last year. Unaudited results point to a loss of $922,220 for 2025, manager of finance...
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GOING HUNGRY IN ALGOMA
The number of households in Algoma experiencing food insecurity is at an “unprecedented high” and continues to trend upwards, suggests a recent Algoma Public Health report. From 2023-2024, the prevalence of household food insecurity in Algoma was 25.6...
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Council rejects possible landfill outsourcing plan
The potential to save millions of dollars by farming out the city's landfill operations to a third-party operator was not enough to convince city council to garner bids from possible operators. A staff recommendation to issue a request for proposal to...
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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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