Sault Ste. Marie ( "Soo Saint Marie") (nicknamed "the Sault" or "the Soo") is a
cityA city is a relatively large and permanent settlement, particularly a large urban settlement. Although there is no agreement on technical definitions distinguishing a city from a town within general English language meanings, many cities have a particular administrative, legal, or historical status...
on the
St. Marys RiverThe St. Marys River , sometimes written as the St. Mary's River, drains Lake Superior, starting at the end of Whitefish Bay and flowing 120 km southeast into Lake Huron, with a fall of 23 feet....
in
OntarioOntario is a province located in east-central Canada, the largest by population and second largest, after Quebec, in total area. Ontario is bordered by the Canadian provinces of Manitoba to the west and Quebec to the east, and 5 U.S...
,
CanadaCanada is a country occupying most of northern North America, extending from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
. It is the third largest city in
Northern OntarioNorthern Ontario is the part of the province of Ontario which lies north of Lake Huron , the French River and Lake Nipissing....
, after Sudbury and
Thunder Bay-In Canada:Thunder Bay is the name of two places in the province of Ontario, Canada along Lake Superior:*Thunder Bay District, Ontario, a district in Northwestern Ontario*Thunder Bay, a city in Thunder Bay District*Thunder Bay, Unorganized, Ontario...
, with a population of 74,948. Residents of the city are called
Saultites. With a mission established by French Jesuits in 1668, claiming of the area by
Simon-François Daumont de Saint-LussonSimon-François Daumont de Saint-Lusson was a military officer of New France and deputy of Jean Talon. Lusson was sent to Sault Ste. Marie by Talon to claim Lakes Huron and Superior and all of the vast region "contiguous and adjacent there-unto, as well as discovered as to be discovered" for Louis...
, in the name of
Louis XIV of FranceLouis XIV , popularly known as the Sun King , was King of France and of Navarre His reign, from 1643 to his death in 1715, lasted seventy-two years, three months, and eighteen days, and is the longest documented reign of any European monarch.Louis began personally governing France after the death...
, and fur trading posts soon after, this was one of the oldest European settlements in Canada.
Sault Ste. Marie is bordered to the east by the
RankinRankin Location 15D is a First Nations reserve in northern Ontario. It is bound on the north, west and south by the city of Sault Ste. Marie, and on the east by Garden River First Nations reserve. It is one of the reserve locations for the Batchawana First Nations....
and Garden River First Nation reserves, and to the west by
Prince TownshipPrince is a township in the Canadian province of Ontario, located within the Algoma District northwest of Sault Ste. Marie. Although the township is not part of the city of Sault Ste. Marie, some municipal services are contracted to the city....
. To the north, the city is bordered by an unincorporated portion of the
Algoma DistrictAlgoma District is a district and census division in Northeastern Ontario in the Canadian province of Ontario. It was created in 1858 comprising territory as far west as Minnesota...
, which includes the local services boards of
AweresAweres is a local services board in the Canadian province of Ontario. Located in the Algoma District, it encompasses and provides services to most of the geographic township of Aweres, including the communities of Island Lake and Heyden....
,
Batchawana BayBatchawana Bay is a community with a local services board in the Canadian province of Ontario, consisting of parts of the unincorporated townships of Ryan, Herrick, Tilley and Fisher in the Algoma District. It is located north of Sault Ste...
,
Goulais and DistrictGoulais and District is a local services board in the Canadian province of Ontario. Located in the Algoma District north of Sault Ste. Marie, it encompasses and provides services to the unincorporated townships of Dennis, Fenwick, Havilland, Kars, Ley, Pennefather, Tupper and Vankoughnet, including...
,
Peace TreePeace Tree is a local services board in the Canadian province of Ontario, located in the Algoma District.The area administers the portion of the geographic township of Aweres located northwest of Heyden along the Trans-Canada Highway, including the suburban subdivision centred on Peace Tree Drive....
and
SearchmontSearchmont is a local services board in the Canadian province of Ontario, consisting of the unincorporated townships of Deroche, Gaudette, Hodgins and Shields in the Algoma District northeast of Sault Ste. Marie...
.
To the south, across the river, is the
United StatesThe United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
and the city of
Sault Ste. Marie, MichiganSault Ste. Marie is a city in and the county seat of Chippewa County in the U.S. state of Michigan. It is in the eastern end of Michigan's Upper Peninsula, on the Canadian border, separated from its twin city of Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario, by the St. Marys River...
. The two cities are joined by the
International BridgeThe Sault Ste. Marie International Bridge, often known just as the International Bridge, spans the St. Marys River between the United States and Canada connecting the twin cities of Sault Ste. Marie, Michigan and Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario. It serves as the northern terminus of Interstate 75...
, which connects
Interstate 75Interstate 75 is a major north-south Interstate Highway in the midwest and southeastern United States. It travels from State Road 826 and State Road 924 in Hialeah, Florida to Sault Ste...
on the Michigan side and Huron Street on the Ontario side. Shipping traffic in the
Great LakesThe Great Lakes are a collection of freshwater lakes located in eastern North America, on the Canada – United States border. Consisting of Lakes Superior, Michigan, Huron, Erie, and Ontario, they form the largest group of freshwater lakes on Earth. They are sometimes referred to as the "Third...
system bypasses the Saint Mary's Rapids via the American
Soo LocksThe Soo Locks allow ships to travel between Lake Superior and the lower Great Lakes. The locks pass an average of 10,000 ships per year. This is achieved in spite of the locks' being closed during the winter, from January through March, when ice shuts down shipping on the Great Lakes. The winter...
, the world's busiest canal in terms of tonnage that passes through it, while smaller recreational and tour boats use the Canadian
Sault Ste. Marie CanalThe Sault Ste. Marie Canal is a National Historic Site of Canada in Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario. The canal is part of the shipping route from the Atlantic ocean to Lake Superior and includes a set of locks to bypass the rapids on the St. Marys River....
.
The city's census agglomeration, consisting of the townships of
LairdLaird is a township and village in the Algoma District in Northern Ontario, Canada. Highway 17 passes through. Bar River is a hamlet on the northern boundary of the township, just south of the village of Echo Bay. Laird is a farming community and bedroom community east of Sault Ste. Marie...
,
PrincePrince is a township in the Canadian province of Ontario, located within the Algoma District northwest of Sault Ste. Marie. Although the township is not part of the city of Sault Ste. Marie, some municipal services are contracted to the city....
and
Macdonald, Meredith and Aberdeen AdditionalMacdonald, Meredith and Aberdeen Additional is a township in Algoma District, Ontario. Originally surveyed as separate geographical townships, Macdonald and Meredith were incorporated as a single, municipal township in 1892...
and the
First Nations reservesIn Canada, an Indian reserve is specified by the Indian Act as a "tract of land, the legal title to which is vested in Her Majesty, that has been set apart by Her Majesty for the use and benefit of a band." The Act also specifies that land reserved for the use and benefit of a band which is not...
of Garden River and
RankinRankin Location 15D is a First Nations reserve in northern Ontario. It is bound on the north, west and south by the city of Sault Ste. Marie, and on the east by Garden River First Nations reserve. It is one of the reserve locations for the Batchawana First Nations....
, had a total population of 80,098 in 2006.
Sault Ste. Marie is the seat of the
Algoma DistrictAlgoma District is a district and census division in Northeastern Ontario in the Canadian province of Ontario. It was created in 1858 comprising territory as far west as Minnesota...
.
History
This area was originally called
Baawitigong, meaning "place of the rapids," by the
OjibwaThe Ojibwe or Chippewa is the largest group of Native Americans-First Nations north of Mexico, including Métis. They are the third-largest in the United States, surpassed only by Cherokee and Navajo. They're equally divided between the United States and Canada...
, who used the site as a regional meeting place during
whitefishThe freshwater whitefish are fish of the subfamily Coregoninae in the salmon family Salmonidae. Along with the freshwater whitefish, the Salmonidae includes the freshwater and anadromous trout and salmon species as well as graylings .The freshwater whitefish subfamily includes the genera...
season in the St. Mary's Rapids. (The
anglicizedEnglish is a West Germanic language that developed in England during the Anglo-Saxon era. As a result of the military, economic, scientific, political, and cultural influence of the British Empire during the 18th, 19th, and early 20th centuries, and of the United States since the mid 20th century,...
form of this name, Bawating, continues to be used in institutional and geographic names in the area.)
After the visit of
Étienne BrûléÉtienne Brûlé was a French explorer and coureur des bois in Canada in the 17th century. A rugged outdoorsman, he took to the lifestyle of the First Nations.-Life in New France:Brûlé travelled to New France in 1608...
in 1623, the
FrenchFrance , officially the French Republic , is a country located in Western Europe, with several overseas islands and territories located on other continents. Metropolitan France extends from the Mediterranean Sea to the English Channel and the North Sea, and from the Rhine to the Atlantic Ocean...
called it "Sault de Gaston" in honour of
Gaston, Duke of OrléansGaston Jean-Baptiste de France, duc d'Orléans, , was the third son of the king of France Henry IV and of his wife Marie de' Medici.As a son of the king, he was a Fils de France...
, the brother of King
Louis XIII of FranceLouis XIII reigned as King of France and Navarre from 1610 to 1643.-Early life, 1601—1610:Born at the Château de Fontainebleau, Louis XIII was the eldest child of Henry IV of France and Marie de' Medici . As son of the king, he was a Fils de France, and as the eldest son, the Dauphin...
. In 1668, French
JesuitThe Society of Jesus is a Catholic religious order of clerks regular whose members are called Jesuits.Jesuits are the largest male religious order in the Catholic Church, with 18,815 members—13,305 priests, 2,295 scholastic students, 1,758 brothers and 827 novices—as of January 2008, although the...
missionaries renamed it
Sault Sainte Marie, and established a settlement (present-day
Sault Ste. Marie, MichiganSault Ste. Marie is a city in and the county seat of Chippewa County in the U.S. state of Michigan. It is in the eastern end of Michigan's Upper Peninsula, on the Canadian border, separated from its twin city of Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario, by the St. Marys River...
) on the river's south bank. Both sides of the rapids became settlement related to a fur trading post, and the area became one of the oldest European settlements in Ontario. It was at the crossroads of the 3,000-mile Fur Trade Route, which stretched from
MontrealMontreal is the second-largest city in Canada and the largest city in the province of Quebec. Originally called Ville-Marie , the city takes its present name from Mont-Royal, the triple-peaked hill located in the heart of the city, whose name was also initially given to the island on which the...
to Sault Ste. Marie and to the North country above Lake Superior. A mixed population of Europeans, Native Americans and First Nations peoples, and Métis lived at the village spanning the river.
The city name originates from
Saults de Sainte-Marie, archaic French for "Saint Mary's Falls", a reference to the rapids of Saint Marys River. Etymologically, the word
sault comes from an archaic spelling of
saut (from
sauter), the
FrenchFrench is a Romance language globally spoken by about 65 million people as a first language , by 50 million as a second language, and by about another 200 million people as an acquired foreign language, with significant speakers in 57 countries. Most native speakers of the language live in France,...
word for "leap" or "jump" (similar to
somersaultA somersault is an acrobatic feat in which a person rotates around the somersault axis, moving the feet over the head...
). Citations dating back to 1600 use the
sault spelling to mean a waterfall or rapids. In modern French, however, the words
chutes or
rapides are more usual, and
sault survives almost exclusively in geographic names dating from the 17th century. (See also Long Sault, Ontario and
Grand Falls/Grand-Sault, New BrunswickGrand Falls is a Canadian town located in Victoria County and Madawaska County within New Brunswick....
, two other place names where "sault" also carries this meaning.)
Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario was incorporated as a town in 1887 and a city in 1912. The town gained brief international notoriety in 1911 in the case of
Angelina NapolitanoAngelina Napolitano or Angelina Neapolitano was an immigrant to Canada who murdered her abusive husband in 1911, igniting a public debate about domestic violence and the death penalty. She was the first woman in Canada to use the battered woman defence on a murder charge...
, the first person in Canada to use the
battered woman defenceThe battered woman defense is a legal defense representing that the person accused of an assault or murder was suffering from battered person syndrome at the material time. Because the defense is almost invariably invoked by women, it is usually characterised in court as battered woman syndrome or...
for murder.
During
World War IIWorld War II, or the Second World War , was a global military conflict which involved a majority of the world's nations, including all great powers, organized into two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
, and particularly after the
USThe United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
was attacked at
Pearl HarborPearl Harbor is a harbor on the island of Oahu, Hawaii, west of Honolulu. Much of the harbor and surrounding lands is a United States Navy deep-water naval base. It is also the headquarters of the U.S. Pacific Fleet...
in 1941, concern turned to the locks and shipping channel at Sault Ste. Marie. A substantial military presence was established to protect the locks from a possible attack by
Nazi GermanNazi Germany and the Third Reich are the common English names for Germany between 1933 and 1945, while it was led by Adolf Hitler and the National Socialist German Worker's Party . The name Third Reich refers to the state as the successor to the Holy Roman Empire of the Middle Ages and the German...
aircraft from the north. The new development of long-range bombers created fears of a sudden air raid. Military strategists studied polar projection maps which indicate that the air distance from occupied
NorwayNorway , officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a country in Northern Europe occupying the western portion of the Scandinavian Peninsula, as well as Jan Mayen and the Arctic archipelago of Svalbard under the Spitsbergen Treaty...
to the town was about the same as the distance from Norway to New York. That direct route of about 3000 miles is over terrain where there were few observers and long winter nights.
A joint Canadian and US committee called the "Permanent Joint Board on Defence" drove the installation of anti-aircraft defence and associated units of the
United States Army Air ForcesThe United States Army Air Forces was the military aviation arm of the United States of America during and immediately after World War II. It was a component of the United States Army, divided functionally by executive order in 1942 into three autonomous forces: the Army Ground Forces, the...
and
Royal Canadian Air ForceThe Royal Canadian Air Force was the air force of Canada from 1924 until 1968 when the three branches of the Canadian military were merged into the Canadian Forces...
to defend the locks. An anti-aircraft training facility was established 100 kilometres (62 miles) north of Sault Ste. Marie on the shores of
Lake SuperiorThe Great Lakes are a collection of freshwater lakes located in eastern North America, on the Canada – United States border. Consisting of Lakes Superior, Michigan, Huron, Erie, and Ontario, they form the largest group of freshwater lakes on Earth. They are sometimes referred to as the "Third...
.
Barrage balloonA barrage balloon is a large balloon tethered with metal cables, used to defend against low-level attack by aircraft by damaging the aircraft on collision with the cables, or at least making the attacker's approach more difficult. Some versions carried small explosive charges that would be pulled...
s were installed, and early warning radar bases were established at 5 locations in northern Ontario to watch for incoming aircraft. Military personnel were established to guard sensitive parts of the transportation infrastructure. A little over one year later, in January 1943, most of these facilities and defences were deemed excessive and removed, save a reduced military base at Sault Ste. Marie.
On January 29, 1990, Sault Ste. Marie became a flashpoint in the
Meech Lake AccordThe Meech Lake Accord was a set of failed amendments to the Constitution of Canada negotiated in 1987 by Prime Minister Brian Mulroney and the provincial premiers, including Premier of Quebec Robert Bourassa. It was intended to persuade the government of the Province of Quebec to endorse the 1982...
constitutional debate when council passed a resolution declaring English the city's official language and the sole language for provision of municipal services. The
Sault Ste. Marie language resolutionThe Sault Ste. Marie language resolution was a government motion passed on January 29, 1990 by Sault Ste. Marie City Council, the governing body of the city of Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario, Canada, which resolved that English was the sole working language of city government...
was not the first of its kind in Ontario, but because Sault Ste. Marie was the largest municipality to have passed such a resolution and the first to do so although it had a sizable
Franco-OntarianFranco-Ontarians are French Canadian or francophone residents of the Canadian province of Ontario. They are sometimes known as "Ontarois"....
population, the council's action was very controversial. Many objections were raised by the French-speaking population.
The
MS NorgomaThe MS Norgoma was a Canadian package freighter and passenger ferry, that could also transport automobiles on a limited basis. Originally constructed as a steam powered ship, the SS Norgoma primarily sailed the route from her home port of Owen Sound to Sault Ste. Marie, providing a five day round...
, a Canadian passenger ship, is a
museum shipA museum ship, or sometimes memorial ship, is a ship that has been preserved and converted into a museum open to the public, for educational or memorial purposes...
in the
Great LakesThe Great Lakes are a collection of freshwater lakes located in eastern North America, on the Canada – United States border. Consisting of Lakes Superior, Michigan, Huron, Erie, and Ontario, they form the largest group of freshwater lakes on Earth. They are sometimes referred to as the "Third...
at Sault Ste. Marie.
Economy
The city has made a name for itself in steel-making, and Essar Steel Algoma (formerly Algoma Steel) is the largest single employer with 3500 employees at the main plant and approximately 553 (440 unionized and 113 non-unionized) at an adjacent tube mill operated by
TenarisTenaris is a subsidiary company of the Argentine group Techint. Is a global manufacturer and supplier of seamless and welded steel pipe products and provider of pipe handling, stocking and distribution services to the oil and gas, energy and mechanical industries.It is headquartered in Luxembourg...
. During the 1940s, the steel and chromium operations were of substantial importance to the war effort in Canada and the United States. Algoma Steel and the Chromium Mining and Smelting Corporation were key producers for transportation and military machines.
In the early 1960s and 1970s, Sault Ste. Marie was a booming town. However, as time passed and foreign imports became a vital reality of business success, the demand for the town's steel industry diminished. Within the past eight years, Essar Steel Algoma has declared bankruptcy twice and laid off large numbers of workers. Most recently, Essar Steel Algoma was bailed out by the Ontario government, which promised interest-free loans.
Essar Steel Algoma is currently the most profitable steel company per unit on a global scale. The company experienced a swift turnaround in 2004 from its earlier financial troubles in the 1990s, largely due to the rising costs of steel and the high demand for steel in China. Denis Turcotte, CEO, was named Canadian CEO of the year in 2006 for his efforts. An offer to purchase ASI by the Essar Group (India) had been recommended by the ASI Board of Directors and was approved. The company was officially sold to the Essar Group in June 2007 for $1.6 billion.
Forestry is also a major local industry, especially at
St. Mary's PaperSt. Marys Paper Ltd. is a manufacturer of pulp and paper, with its mill located in Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario, Canada. The mill is situated on the St. Marys River waterfront, just east of Essar Steel Algoma.-History:...
which has been reopened as of June 2007 under new ownership. Also related to wood products is Flakeboard Ltd., which employs over 110 people in the community along with an adjacent melamine factory which manufactures products with Flakeboard's materials. Such examples of this are furniture and cupboards where a finish is added to the product. Together both of Flakeboard's factories employ about 150 people.
Furthermore, the business process outsourcing industry, with three
call centreA call centre or call center is a centralised office used for the purpose of receiving and transmitting a large volume of requests by telephone. A call centre is operated by a company to administer incoming product support or information inquiries from consumers. Outgoing calls for telemarketing,...
s located within city limits employ about 2500 people. The largest employer of the three call centres is Sutherland Global Services. The call centre industry has become a large employer in Sault Ste. Marie which contributed to the economic turn around of the city in the late 1990s.
Another very large employer in the community is the
Ontario Lottery and Gaming CorporationThe Ontario Lottery and Gaming Corporation ', but for corporate branding purposes simply known as "OLG" is a Crown Corporation of the Government of Ontario, Canada. It is responsible for the province's lotteries, charity and Aboriginal casinos, commercial casinos, and slot machines at horse-racing...
(OLG). The OLG has a corporate office located within the city on the waterfront and employs about 900 people in Sault Ste. Marie between the corporate office and OLG Casino Sault Ste. Marie. The prize centre used to reside within the city but was moved back to Toronto (York Mills) in 2000. Its role in Sault Ste. Marie has diminished, although only slightly; however, it is still the fourth largest employer next only to Essar Steel Algoma, Sault Area Hospital and the call centre industry.
Transportation
Sault Ste. Marie is served by
Highway 17Highway 17 is the primary route of the Trans-Canada Highway through Ontario, Canada. It begins at the western limit of Highway 417 near Arnprior, and continues west to the Manitoba border....
, which is a segment of the
Trans-Canada HighwayThe Trans-Canada Highway is a federal-provincial highway system that joins the ten provinces of Canada. It is, along with the Trans-Siberian Highway and Australia's Highway 1, one of the world's longest national highways, with the main route spanning 8,030 km...
in the region. The highway connects the city to
Thunder Bay-In Canada:Thunder Bay is the name of two places in the province of Ontario, Canada along Lake Superior:*Thunder Bay District, Ontario, a district in Northwestern Ontario*Thunder Bay, a city in Thunder Bay District*Thunder Bay, Unorganized, Ontario...
to the northwest and Sudbury to the east. The
International BridgeThe Sault Ste. Marie International Bridge, often known just as the International Bridge, spans the St. Marys River between the United States and Canada connecting the twin cities of Sault Ste. Marie, Michigan and Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario. It serves as the northern terminus of Interstate 75...
also directs traffic from downtown to the beginning of the
Interstate 75Interstate 75 is a major north-south Interstate Highway in the midwest and southeastern United States. It travels from State Road 826 and State Road 924 in Hialeah, Florida to Sault Ste...
freewayA freeway is a type of road designed for safer high-speed operation of motor vehicles through the elimination of at-grade intersections. This is accomplished by preventing access to and from adjacent properties and eliminating all cross traffic through the use of grade separations and...
in Sault Ste. Marie, Michigan, which runs through
SaginawSaginaw is a city in the U.S. state of Michigan and the seat of Saginaw County. Once two independent cities, the consolidated City of Saginaw was once a thriving lumber town and manufacturing center. Saginaw and Saginaw County lie in the Flint/Tri-Cities region of Michigan...
,
FlintFlint is a city in the U.S. state of Michigan and is located along the Flint River, 66 miles northwest of Detroit. As of the 2000 census, the city had a population of 124,943, making it the fifth largest city in Michigan. It is the county seat of Genesee County which lies in the Flint/Tri-Cities...
and
DetroitDetroit is the largest city in the U.S. state of Michigan and the seat of Wayne County. Detroit is a major port city on the Detroit River, in the Midwest region of the United States. Located north of Windsor, Ontario, Detroit is the only major U.S. city that looks south to Canada. It was founded...
before the Michigan/Ohio border (and eventually to Miami,
FloridaFlorida is a state located in the southeastern region of the United States, bordering Alabama to the northwest and Georgia to the north. It was the 27th state admitted to the United States...
).
The International Bridge also directs traffic from the American side of the border via Sault Ste. Marie's new transport route that runs from the bridge to Second Line. This new limited-access roadway, known as "Carmen's Way" after the late MP
Carmen ProvenzanoCarmen Provenzano was a Canadian politician. He represented the Sault Ste. Marie electoral district in the Canadian House of Commons from 1997 to 2004. He was a member of the Liberal Party of Canada....
, will make it much easier for transport trucks to gain access to main roads. Planning is underway to eventually connect Second Line East to the new four-lane section of Highway 17 that recently opened east of the city.
The city also plays an inherited role in marine transportation, with the locks in
MichiganMichigan is a Midwestern state of the United States of America. It was named after Lake Michigan, whose name is a French adaptation of the Ojibwe term mishigama, meaning "large water" or "large lake"....
being an integral component of the St. Lawrence Seaway. However, the city also holds a small-scale lock which is used by small boats and other pleasure craft in the summer. Currently under construction is a multi-modal terminal designed to take advantage of the Sault as a rail, road, and water transportation hub.
Sault Ste. Marie is also served by
Sault Ste. Marie AirportSault Ste. Marie Airport, , is an international airport located west-southwest of the city of Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario, Canada at the far eastern end of Lake Superior and the beginning of the St. Mary's River.-History:...
and
Sault Transit ServicesSault Transit Services is a local public transportation service serving the city of Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario.It currently operates a fleet of 26 buses, as well as 7 para transit buses. It serves over 1.63 million passenger trips annually, and covers 1.6 million kilometers annually.The cash fare...
. The city is no longer linked to any other major cities by passenger rail, but is part of the
Algoma Central RailwayThe Algoma Central Railway is a railway in Northern Ontario that ran between Sault Ste. Marie and Hearst, with a branch line to Michipicoten. The area served by the railway is sparsely populated, with few roads. The railway is well known for its Agawa Canyon tour train...
network, which runs north from the city to the small town of
HearstHearst is a town in the Canadian province of Ontario. It is located in Northern Ontario, approximately 92 km west of Kapuskasing, approximately 935 km north of Toronto and 520 km east of Thunder Bay on Highway 11...
. In 2006 the city's Member of Parliament,
Tony MartinAnthony A. "Tony" Martin is a Canadian politician. He was a member of the Legislative Assembly of Ontario from 1990 to 2003, representing the riding of Sault Ste. Marie for the Ontario New Democratic Party . He was elected to the Canadian House of Commons for the federal NDP in 2004, again...
, called for passenger rail service to be reinstated between Sault Ste. Marie and Sudbury.
Tourism
Area tourist attractions include the
Canadian Bushplane Heritage CentreCanadian Bushplane Heritage Centre , located on the north bank of the St. Marys River in Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario, Canada, is dedicated to preserving the history of bush flying and forest protection in Canada...
, the
Sault Ste. Marie CanalThe Sault Ste. Marie Canal is a National Historic Site of Canada in Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario. The canal is part of the shipping route from the Atlantic ocean to Lake Superior and includes a set of locks to bypass the rapids on the St. Marys River....
National Historic Site, boat tours of the Sault locks (which connect
Lake SuperiorLake Superior is the largest of the five Great Lakes of North America. It is bounded to the north by Ontario, Canada and Minnesota, United States, and to the south by the U.S. states of Wisconsin and Michigan...
with the lower
Great LakesThe Great Lakes are a collection of freshwater lakes located in eastern North America, on the Canada – United States border. Consisting of Lakes Superior, Michigan, Huron, Erie, and Ontario, they form the largest group of freshwater lakes on Earth. They are sometimes referred to as the "Third...
), Whitefish Island, the Ermatinger-Clergue National Historic Site,
Casino Sault Ste. MarieOLG Casino Sault Ste. Marie is a charity casino in Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario. Operated by the Ontario Lottery and Gaming Corporation, it was Northern Ontario's first full-time casino when it opened in 1999. The casino is located near the International Bridge which links the city to Sault Ste...
, the
Art Gallery of AlgomaThe Art Gallery of Algoma is an art museum located on the St. Marys River in Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario, Canada.Featuring local, national, and international artists, it holds a collection of over 4,000 works of art.-External links:...
and the
Algoma Central RailwayThe Algoma Central Railway is a railway in Northern Ontario that ran between Sault Ste. Marie and Hearst, with a branch line to Michipicoten. The area served by the railway is sparsely populated, with few roads. The railway is well known for its Agawa Canyon tour train...
's popular
Agawa CanyonThe Agawa Canyon is a shallow canyon located deep in the sparsely populated Algoma District in the Canadian province of Ontario. It was created 1.2 billion years ago by faulting along the Canadian Shield and then enlarged by the erosive action of the Agawa River...
Tour Train. Nearby parks include
Pancake Bay Provincial ParkPancake Bay is a sheltered, south-facing bay on the eastern shore of Lake Superior, north of Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario, Canada. A beautiful 3.5 km sand beach lines the bay, and ancient beach ridges are visible more inland. The ecology of the region is characteristic of the Great Lakes-St...
and
Batchawana Bay Provincial ParkBatchawana Bay Provincial Park is a park in Ontario, Canada, located from Sault Ste. Marie on Batchawana Bay off Lake Superior. It is a day-park , and is operated by the Ontario Ministry of Natural Resources. Although located on an official Indian reserve, all are welcome to attend.It is known for...
and
Lake Superior Provincial ParkLake Superior Provincial Park is one of the largest provincial parks in Ontario, covering about along the northeastern shores of Lake Superior between Wawa and Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario, Canada...
. Winter activities are also an asset to Sault Ste Marie's tourism industry with the annual
Bon Soo Winter CarnivalThe Bon Soo Winter Carnival is an annual winter carnival in Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario, Canada. The carnival, held every February, began in 1964, and has grown to become one of Ontario's top 50 festivals...
,
SearchmontSearchmont is a local services board in the Canadian province of Ontario, consisting of the unincorporated townships of Deroche, Gaudette, Hodgins and Shields in the Algoma District northeast of Sault Ste. Marie...
Resort as a great ski and snowboard destination, Stokely Creek Lodge (cross country ski resort) and Hiawatha a nearby cross country ski trails. The city also hosts a large snowmobile trail system that criss-crosses the province of Ontario.
A new non-motorized HUB trail is being created around the city (20 km) so that walkers, rollerbladers and cyclists (snowshoeing and cross country skiing in winter) can enjoy the beautiful and convenient circle tour around town. The Voyageur Hiking Trail, a long-distance trail that will eventually span from
Manitoulin IslandManitoulin Island is a Canadian island in Lake Huron, in the province of Ontario. It is the largest island in a freshwater lake in the world.-Geography and Geology:...
to
Thunder Bay-In Canada:Thunder Bay is the name of two places in the province of Ontario, Canada along Lake Superior:*Thunder Bay District, Ontario, a district in Northwestern Ontario*Thunder Bay, a city in Thunder Bay District*Thunder Bay, Unorganized, Ontario...
, originated in Sault Ste. Marie in 1974.
The city is also home to the
Station MallThe Station Mall in Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario is the largest shopping mall in Northern Ontario, with 120 stores and of retail space . Built in 1973, the mall has since undergone two major expansions. Its major tenants include Sears, Zellers and a 12-screen Galaxy Cinemas movie theatre complex. The...
, one of the largest shopping malls in Northern Ontario.
Demographics
Similar to many other
Northern OntarioNorthern Ontario is the part of the province of Ontario which lies north of Lake Huron , the French River and Lake Nipissing....
municipalities, Sault Ste. Marie's population has declined sharply in the 1990s and early 2000s, with many individuals migrating to larger cities in southern Ontario. Since the early 1990s, the city had dropped from 84,000 to 74,566 residents, but in the 2006 census the city's population grew very slightly to 74,948. The city's census agglomeration, consisting of the townships of
LairdLaird is a township and village in the Algoma District in Northern Ontario, Canada. Highway 17 passes through. Bar River is a hamlet on the northern boundary of the township, just south of the village of Echo Bay. Laird is a farming community and bedroom community east of Sault Ste. Marie...
,
PrincePrince is a township in the Canadian province of Ontario, located within the Algoma District northwest of Sault Ste. Marie. Although the township is not part of the city of Sault Ste. Marie, some municipal services are contracted to the city....
and
Macdonald, Meredith and Aberdeen AdditionalMacdonald, Meredith and Aberdeen Additional is a township in Algoma District, Ontario. Originally surveyed as separate geographical townships, Macdonald and Meredith were incorporated as a single, municipal township in 1892...
and the
First Nations reservesIn Canada, an Indian reserve is specified by the Indian Act as a "tract of land, the legal title to which is vested in Her Majesty, that has been set apart by Her Majesty for the use and benefit of a band." The Act also specifies that land reserved for the use and benefit of a band which is not...
of Garden River and
RankinRankin Location 15D is a First Nations reserve in northern Ontario. It is bound on the north, west and south by the city of Sault Ste. Marie, and on the east by Garden River First Nations reserve. It is one of the reserve locations for the Batchawana First Nations....
, had a total population of 80,098, up from 78,908 in 2001.
The population has now increased with the improving economic climate. Some employers are currently reporting labour shortages in several job categories.
The population under 14 still continues to be greater than those over 65 years of age.
Ethnicity
Sault Ste. Marie was at one time a haven for
ItalianItaly , officially the Italian Republic , is a country located on the Italian Peninsula in Southern Europe and on the two largest islands in the Mediterranean Sea, Sicily and Sardinia. Italy shares its northern, Alpine boundary with France, Switzerland, Austria and Slovenia...
immigrants. The city has a large concentration of ethnic Italians for a community its size. The city also has a significant
First NationsFirst Nations is a term of ethnicity that refers to the Aboriginal peoples in Canada, who are neither Inuit nor Métis. There are currently over 600 recognised First Nations governments or bands spread all across Canada, roughly half of which are in the provinces of Ontario and British Columbia...
population, with three
reservesIn Canada, an Indian reserve is specified by the Indian Act as a "tract of land, the legal title to which is vested in Her Majesty, that has been set apart by Her Majesty for the use and benefit of a band." The Act also specifies that land reserved for the use and benefit of a band which is not...
nearby.
Those who are of
EuropeEurope is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally divided from Asia to its east by the water divide of the Ural Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian Sea, the Caucasus Mountains , and the Black Sea to the southeast...
an origin constitute 91.6% of the population, including those who are of
ItalianThe Italian people are an ethnic group, in the sense of sharing a common Italian culture, descent, and speaking the Italian language as a mother tongue...
,
FrenchFrench people can refer to:* The legal residents and citizens of France, regardless of ancestry. For a legal discussion, see French nationality law.* People whose ancestors lived in France or the area that later became France....
,
EnglishThe English are a nation and ethnic group native to England, who speak English. The English identity as a people is of early medieval origin, when they were known in Old English as the Anglecynn....
and
NordicNorthern Europe is the northern part or region of Europe. The United Nations defines Northern Europe as including the following countries and dependent regions:** ** ** Ireland** Svalbard and Jan Mayen** ** Channel Islands: and...
descent. Aboriginals or Native Canadians, constitute 7.8%, and those who are of
ChineseHan Chinese are an ethnic group native to China and, by most modern definitions, the largest single ethnic group in the world.Han Chinese constitute about 92 percent of the population of the People's Republic of China , 98 percent of the population of the Republic of China , 75 percent of the...
,
AsianAsian people or Asiatic people is a demonym for people from Asia. However, the use of the term varies by country and person, often referring to people from a particular region or subregion of Asia...
,
AfricanThe term African people refers to people who live in Africa, or people who trace their ancestry to indigenous inhabitants of Africa. This includes members of the "African diaspora" resulting from the Atlantic Slave Trade such as Black British, Afro-Latin Americans, African Americans,...
, and
FilipinoThe Filipino people are the nationals of the Republic of the Philippines and to persons having Filipino ancestry. There are about 92 million Filipinos in the Philippines and about 11 million outside the Philippines....
ancestry make up the remainder of the population.
Religion
ChristianityChristianity is a monotheistic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus of Nazareth as presented by the revelations in the New Testament....
is the chief faith in the city, with Roman Catholicism being the largest denomination. This can be attributed to the large number of citizens with a traditional Italian-Catholic heritage. After Catholicism and Protestantism, those who identify as being non-religious make up the third largest portion of the city's population. The largest non-Christian religion is
BuddhismBuddhism, as traditionally conceived, is a path of salvation attained through insight into the ultimate nature of reality. It encompasses a variety of traditions, beliefs and practices, largely based on teachings attributed to Siddhartha Gautama, commonly known as the Buddha...
numbering 126 members, with small communities of
JewsJudaism is a set of beliefs and practices originating in the Hebrew Bible , as later further explored and explained in the Talmud and other texts...
,
MuslimsIslam Islam Islam ( al-’islām,
[There are ten pronunciations of Islam in English, differing in whether the first or second syllable has the stress, whether the s is or , and whether the a is pronounced as in father, as in cat, or (when the stress is on the i) as in the a of sofa...]
,
HindusHinduism is the predominant religion of the Indian subcontinent. Hinduism is often referred to as ', a Sanskrit phrase meaning "the eternal law", by its adherents. Generic "types" of Hinduism that attempt to accommodate a variety of complex views span folk and Vedic Hinduism to bhakti tradition, as...
, and
SikhsSikhism, founded on the teachings of Guru Nanak Dev and ten successive Sikh Gurus in fifteenth century Punjab, is the fifth-largest organized religion in the world. This system of religious philosophy and expression has been traditionally known as the Gurmat or the Sikh Dharma...
.
Government
The Corporation of the City of Sault Ste. Marie is run by a city council of 12 councillors (representing 6 wards) and a mayor. The
most recent municipal electionThe 2006 Sault Ste. Marie municipal election was held on 13 November, 2006 in Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario to elect a mayor and 12 city councillors to Sault Ste...
was held on November 13, 2006. The current mayor is
John RowswellJohn Rowswell is the current mayor of Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario. He was first elected in the 2000 municipal election, defeating Steve Butland, and in 2006 he was re-elected for his third term with approximately 56.5% of the vote....
, first elected in 2000 and re-elected in 2003 and 2006.
The city's crest contains the words "Ojibwa Kitche Gumeeng Odena" (from
Ojibwe gichi-gamiing oodena) which means "Town by the large body of water of the Ojibwe" (or simply "Town by Lake Superior") in the
Ojibwe languageOjibwe is an indigenous language of the Algonquian linguistic family. Ojibwe is characterized by a series of dialects that have local names and frequently local writing systems. There is no single dialect that is considered the most prestigious or most prominent, and no standard writing system...
.
The city is served by the
Sault Ste. MarieSault Ste. Marie is a federal electoral district in Ontario, Canada, that has been represented in the Canadian House of Commons since 1968.In 2004, due to population changes in boundary distribution, the riding expanded significantly to include a significant portion of the Algoma District, from...
federal
electoral districtAn electoral district in Canada, also known as a constituency or a riding in Canadian English political terminology, is a geographically-based constituency upon which Canada's representative democracy is based...
and the
Sault Ste. Marie provincial electoral districtSault Ste. Marie is a provincial electoral district in the Legislative Assembly of Ontario since 1890 when it was created. The electoral district consists of the City of Sault Ste. Marie, bounded by Prince Township, and the Rankin Indian Reserve 15D....
. The boundaries of these two districts are not identical; the provincial district encompasses the city alone, while the federal district extends northerly to the
Montreal RiverThere are two rivers named Montreal River in Ontario, Canada:The Montreal River in the Timiskaming District is a tributary of the Ottawa River, emptying into Lake Timiskaming. The Lady Evelyn River is a tributary of this river....
and east to
Bruce MinesBruce Mines is a town in the Canadian province of Ontario, located on the north shore of Lake Huron in the Algoma District. The town of Bruce Mines has a population of 627 residents. The current mayor of Bruce Mines is Darren Foster.- History :...
and
St. Joseph IslandSt. Joseph Island is a Canadian island in Lake Huron, near the mouth of the St. Marys River which connects Lake Huron with Lake Superior. It is the second largest island in Lake Huron and the third largest in the Great Lakes overall, trailing Manitoulin and Lake Superior's Isle Royale.St...
. The city's current federal Member of Parliament is
Tony MartinAnthony A. "Tony" Martin is a Canadian politician. He was a member of the Legislative Assembly of Ontario from 1990 to 2003, representing the riding of Sault Ste. Marie for the Ontario New Democratic Party . He was elected to the Canadian House of Commons for the federal NDP in 2004, again...
, and its Member of Provincial Parliament is
David OraziettiDavid Michael Orazietti is a politician in Ontario, Canada. He is currently a member of the Legislative Assembly of Ontario, representing the riding of Sault Ste. Marie for the Liberal Party.-Background:...
.
See also
Neighbourhoods in Sault Ste. Marie, OntarioThe city of Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario, Canada contains a significant number of named residential neighbourhoods, including Bayview, Broadview Gardens, Brookfield, Buckley, Carpin Beach, Cedar Heights, East Korah, Eastside, Fort Creek, Grandview Gardens, Korah, Manitou Park, McQueen, Meadow Park,...
.
Education
The city is home to
Sault CollegeSault College of Applied Arts and Technology is one of 24 publicly funded community colleges in Ontario. Sault College is located in Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario and began in 1965 as the Ontario Vocational Centre...
, a college of applied arts and technology, and to Algoma University. While the vast majority of programs at Algoma University and Sault College are delivered on the respective campuses, both institutions also offer joint programs with
Lake Superior State UniversityLake Superior State University is a small public university in Sault Ste. Marie, Michigan. It is Michigan's smallest public university with an enrollment around 3,000 students. Due to its proximity to the border, notably the twin city of Sault Ste...
in Sault Ste. Marie, Michigan. On June 18, 2008, Algoma University became an independent university, ending their longtime affiliation with
Laurentian UniversityLaurentian University , founded in 1960, is a mid-sized bilingual university in Greater Sudbury, Ontario, Canada...
in Sudbury. A new school,
Shingwauk Kinoomaage GamigShingwauk Kinoomaage Gamig is a proposed Anishinaabe university to be run in conjunction with a newly-independent Algoma University in Sault Ste. Marie and the Shingwauk Education Trust. Its name when fully vocalised is Zhingwaak Gikinoo'amaagegamig, meaning "Pine Teaching-lodge"...
(University), is poised to launch as a
federated schoolA federated school, federated college, federated university, or affiliated school is an educational institution which is independent in some respects, but is ultimately governed by a larger institution...
of Algoma University. It will offer courses in
AnishinaabeAnishinaabe or Anishinabe—or more properly Anishinaabeg or Anishinabek, which is the plural form of the word—is a self-description often used by the Odawa, Ojibwe, and Algonkin peoples, who all speak closely related Anishinabe/Anishinabe languages.The meaning of Anishnaabeg is "First-" or...
culture and language.
Sault Ste. Marie is home to both the
Algoma District School BoardAlgoma District School Board is a public school board in the Canadian province of Ontario. The school board is the school district administrator for the Algoma District.- Blind River :* W.C...
and the
Huron-Superior Catholic District School BoardThe Huron-Superior Catholic District School Board is a separate school board for Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario, Canada, and surrounding communities.- Sault Ste. Marie :* Holy Angels Learning Centre* St. Basil Secondary* St. Mary's College- Sault Ste. Marie :...
, and is part of the
Conseil scolaire de district du Grand Nord de l'OntarioThe Conseil scolaire de district du Grand Nord de l'Ontario manages the French-language schools in much of Northern Ontario. The area in which this school board operates covers 64,238 km² of Ontario....
and the
Conseil scolaire de district catholique du Nouvel-OntarioThe Conseil scolaire catholique du Nouvel-Ontario is a school board in the Canadian province of Ontario. The board is the school district administrator for French language Roman Catholic separate schools in the city of Greater Sudbury and the districts of Sudbury, Manitoulin and Algoma.-Secondary:*...
. It is also home to the following high schools:
- Alexander Henry High School (English, public, trade and adult education)
- Bawating Collegiate & Vocational School (English, public)
- Korah Collegiate & Vocational School (English, public, offers the International Baccalaureate Programme)
- École secondaire Notre-Dame-des-Grands-Lacs (French, Catholic)
- St. Basil Secondary
St. Basil Secondary is a Canadian high school in Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario. It was established in September 1991 by the Huron-Superior Catholic District School Board on St. Georges Avenue. The school was renovated and was expanded soon after St. Mary's College moved locations...
(English and some Italian Catholic)
- St. Mary's College
St. Mary's College is a high school in Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario, Canada. It was established in 1956 by Basilian priests as an all-boys Catholic high school on St. Georges Avenue. As the school grew in popularity and size, St. Mary's began admitting girls in September 1987...
(English with French Immersion Program, Catholic)
- Sir James Dunn Collegiate and Vocational School
Sir James Dunn Collegiate and Vocational School is a high school located on Wellington St in Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario. Adjacent to Algoma University, this school was founded in 1957 and named after the late Canadian financier and industrialist, James Hamet Dunn.Sir James Dunn Collegiate &...
(English and French Immersion, public)
- White Pines Collegiate & Vocational School (English with some Ojibwe, public)
Sports
The
Sault Ste. Marie GreyhoundsThe Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds are a major junior ice hockey team in the Ontario Hockey League. The Greyhounds play home games at the Essar Centre. The present team was founded in 1962 as a team in the Northern Ontario Hockey Association. The Greyhounds name has been used by several ice hockey...
are the city's most recognized sports team having existed since the formation of the
Northern Ontario Hockey AssociationThe Northern Ontario Hockey Association is minor and junior level ice hockey governing body. The NOHA is sanctioned by the Ontario Hockey Federation and Hockey Canada. The major league run by the NOHA is the Northern Ontario Junior Hockey League of the Canadian Junior A Hockey League...
in 1919. The Hounds won national championships twice including the 1993
Memorial CupThe Memorial Cup is a junior ice hockey club championship trophy awarded annually to the Canadian Hockey League champion. Each year the champions from three CHL member leagues; the Western Hockey League , Ontario Hockey League , and Quebec Major Junior Hockey League , along with a host team,...
and the 1924
Allan CupThe Allan Cup is the trophy awarded to the national senior amateur men’s ice hockey champions of Canada. The trophy was donated in 1909 by Sir H...
. The Greyhounds play in the Essar Centre, a state-of-the-art downtown arena that replaced the
Sault Memorial GardensThe Sault Memorial Gardens was the focal point of ice hockey in Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario, for 57 years from 1949 to 2006. It was located in the heart of the downtown district at 169 Queen Street...
in 2006. The current Hounds have retired four jerseys since joining the
Ontario Hockey LeagueThe Ontario Hockey League is one of the three Major Junior ice hockey leagues which constitute the Canadian Hockey League. The league is for players aged 15-20.The OHL also operates under the Ontario Hockey Federation of Hockey Canada....
in 1972: #1
John VanbiesbrouckJohn "Beezer" Vanbiesbrouck is a retired American professional ice hockey goaltender, who was inducted into the United States Hockey Hall of Fame in 2007...
, #4
Craig Hartsburg Craig William Hartsburg is a retired Canadian professional hockey player and former head coach in the National Hockey League. He also coached in the Ontario Hockey League. He has previously been an NHL head coach with the Chicago Blackhawks, the Mighty Ducks of Anaheim and the Ottawa Senators...
, #10
Ron FrancisRonald Michael Francis, Jr. , is a retired Canadian professional ice hockey centreman who played 23 seasons in the National Hockey League for the Hartford Whalers, Pittsburgh Penguins, Carolina Hurricanes and Toronto Maple Leafs...
and #99
Wayne GretzkyWayne Douglas Gretzky, CC is a retired Canadian professional ice hockey player. He is currently a part-owner of the Phoenix Coyotes of the National Hockey League...
.
Sault Ste. Marie also had a team in hockey's first professional league. The Sault Ste. Marie Marlboros or 'Canadian Soo' team played in the
International Professional Hockey LeagueThe International Professional Hockey League was the first fully professional ice hockey league, operating from 1904 to 1907. It was formed by Jack 'Doc' Gibson, a dentist who played hockey throughout Ontario before settling in Houghton, Michigan. The IPHL was a five team circuit which included...
from 1904 to 1907.
Sault Ste. Marie teams boast a number of
Hockey Hall of FameThe Hockey Hall of Fame is located in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. Dedicated to the history of ice hockey, it is both a museum and a hall of fame. It holds exhibits about players, teams, National Hockey League records, memorabilia and NHL trophies, including the Stanley Cup...
members including Sault natives
Phil EspositoPhilip Anthony "Espo" Esposito, OC is a retired professional hockey centre who played 18 seasons in the National Hockey League for the Chicago Black Hawks, Boston Bruins and New York Rangers...
,
Tony EspositoFor the Italian musician, please see Tony Esposito .Anthony James "Tony O" Esposito is a retired professional ice hockey goaltender, who played in the National Hockey League, most notably for the Chicago Black Hawks. He was one of the pioneers of the now popular butterfly style.-Early...
and
Ron FrancisRonald Michael Francis, Jr. , is a retired Canadian professional ice hockey centreman who played 23 seasons in the National Hockey League for the Hartford Whalers, Pittsburgh Penguins, Carolina Hurricanes and Toronto Maple Leafs...
, as well as Sault team members
Paul CoffeyPaul Douglas Coffey is a Canadian retired professional Hall of Fame ice hockey defenceman in the National Hockey League. Known for his speed and scoring prowess, Coffey ranks second all-time among NHL defencemen in career goals, assists, and points.-Playing career:Coffey was drafted 6th overall by...
,
Bill CookWilliam Osser Xavier Cook was a Canadian professional ice hockey right winger who played for the New York Rangers in the National Hockey League and Saskatoon Crescents in the Pacific Coast Hockey Association.Bill was part of the Bread Line with his brother Bun Cook and Frank Boucher...
,
Bun CookFrederick Joseph 'Bun' Cook was a Canadian professional ice hockey forward who played for the New York Rangers and Boston Bruins in the National Hockey League and the Saskatoon Crescents in the Pacific Coast Hockey Association.Cook was part of the Bread Line with his brother Bill Cook and Frank...
,
Wayne GretzkyWayne Douglas Gretzky, CC is a retired Canadian professional ice hockey player. He is currently a part-owner of the Phoenix Coyotes of the National Hockey League...
,
Newsy LalondeEdouard "Newsy" Lalonde was a Canadian professional ice hockey forward in the National Hockey League and a professional lacrosse player, regarded as one of hockey's and lacrosse's greatest players of the first half of the 20th century and one of sport's most colourful characters...
and
George McNamaraGeorge Andrew McNamara was a Canadian professional ice hockey defenceman.When George was a youngster, his family moved to Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario and it was in the Soo that he first learned the game of hockey. McNamara made his professional hockey debut playing with the The Sault Ste...
.
National Hockey LeagueThe National Hockey League is an unincorporated not-for-profit association which operates a major professional ice hockey league as a joint venture for its self perpetuating membership of 30 franchised member clubs located in the United States and Canada...
All-StarAll-star is a term with meanings in both the worlds of sports and entertainment.-Entertainment:In the chris sense , it is used to describe the cast of a movie in which most of the speaking parts, even relatively minor ones, are played by motion picture stars who are generally associated with...
Joe ThorntonJoseph Eric Thornton is a Canadian professional ice hockey centre and alternate captain for the San Jose Sharks of the National Hockey League . He was drafted by and played seven seasons for the Boston Bruins before being traded to San Jose in 2005–06. He was an Art Ross- and Hart Memorial...
, who was born in London, ON, played his short OHL career as a member of the Sault Greyhounds.
Marty TurcoMarty Turco is a Canadian professional ice hockey goaltender with the Dallas Stars of the National Hockey League...
, who currently plays goalie for the
Dallas StarsThe Dallas Stars are a professional ice hockey team based in Dallas, Texas. They are members of the Pacific Division of the Western Conference of the National Hockey League . The team was founded in 1967 as the Minnesota North Stars, based in Bloomington, Minnesota. The franchise transferred to...
and
Tyler KennedyTyler Kennedy is a professional ice hockey player for the Pittsburgh Penguins of the National Hockey League.-Playing career:...
, centre for the
Stanley CupThe Stanley Cup is an ice hockey club cup trophy, awarded annually to the National Hockey League playoffs champion. It has been referred to as The Cup, The Holy Grail, or facetiously as Lord Stanley's Mug...
champion
Pittsburgh PenguinsThe Pittsburgh Penguins are a professional ice hockey team based in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. They are members of the Atlantic Division of the Eastern Conference of the National Hockey League and are the defending Stanley Cup champions. The franchise was founded in 1967 as one of the first...
, are also from Sault Ste. Marie.
Former Greyhound player and coach
Ted NolanTed Nolan is currently is the Vice President of Hockey Operations for the AHL's Rochester Americans...
won the Jack Adams Trophy as the NHL Coach of the Year in 1998.
The Sault has been host to many national and international sporting events including the 2003 Eco-Challenge North American Championship, an expedition-length (350–500 km) adventure race through unmarked wilderness by biking, trekking, paddling and using ropes.
Sault Ste. Marie was the host of the 1990
BrierThe Tim Hortons Brier, or simply the Brier, is the annual Canadian men's curling championship, sanctioned by the Canadian Curling Association . The current event name refers to its main sponsor, the Tim Hortons coffee and donut shop chain.The Brier has been held since 1927, traditionally during...
, the Canadian men's curling championship. In 2010, it will host the
Scotties Tournament of HeartsThe Scotties Tournament of Hearts is an annual Canadian women's curling championship, sanctioned by the Canadian Curling Association. The winner goes on to represent Canada at the women's world curling championships. Since 1985, the winner also gets to return to the following years' tournament as...
, which serves as Canada's women's curling championship. The local curling clubs are the Soo Curlers Association and the Tarentorus Curling Club.
The 2007 Sault Steelers captured the Canadian Senior Football Championship.
Walk of Fame
The Walk of Fame was created in 2006 as a joint project between the city of Sault Ste. Marie and its Downtown Association, and honours those from the city or the Algoma District who have made outstanding contributions to the community or significant contributions in their chosen field of work. Inductees are added on an annual basis.
Culture
Sault Ste. Marie is home to the Bon Soo winter carnival, held every February. The city also hosts the annual Algoma Fall Festival which draws local and international performing artists. The Kiwanis Community Theatre and the landmark Central United Church are used for the performances. Both venues hold approximately 1,000 people. The
Art Gallery of AlgomaThe Art Gallery of Algoma is an art museum located on the St. Marys River in Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario, Canada.Featuring local, national, and international artists, it holds a collection of over 4,000 works of art.-External links:...
features an extensive collection of local and international artist's work and presents regular exhibitions. Residents celebrate Community Day on the third weekend of July. The local
Rotary InternationalRotary International is an organization of service clubs known as Rotary Clubs located all over the world. It is a secular organization open to all persons regardless of race, color, creed or political preference. There are more than 32,000 clubs and over 1.2 million members world-wide. The...
club organizes a three-day event called Rotaryfest.
It is also the birthplace of the first youth police cadet group in Canada: the Sault Squires Police Cadet Corps. The rock band
Treble ChargerTreble Charger was a Canadian rock group, consisting of vocalist Greig Nori, bassist Rosie Martin and drummer Trevor McGregor. Guitarist Bill Priddle, a founding member of the band, left in 2003. They began with a melodic indie rock style, but evolved into more of a pop punk band after signing to...
was originally from Sault Ste. Marie.
Climate
Climate information is taken from the
Sault Ste. Marie AirportSault Ste. Marie Airport, , is an international airport located west-southwest of the city of Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario, Canada at the far eastern end of Lake Superior and the beginning of the St. Mary's River.-History:...
(YAM)
| Average climate for Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario |
| Month |
Jan |
Feb |
Mar |
Apr |
May |
Jun |
Jul |
Aug |
Sep |
Oct |
Nov |
Dec |
Year |
Maximum daily temp.In physics, temperature is a physical property of a system that underlies the common notions of hot and cold; something that feels hotter generally has the higher temperature. Temperature is one of the principal parameters of thermodynamics...
(°C) |
-5.5 |
-4.2 |
0.9 |
8.4 |
16.5 |
21.1 |
24.0 |
23.0 |
18.0 |
11.5 |
4.1 |
-2.2 |
9.6 |
| Minimum daily temp. (°C) |
-15.5 |
-15.2 |
-9.7 |
-2.2 |
3.5 |
7.9 |
11.3 |
11.3 |
7.5 |
2.5 |
-3.1 |
-10.3 |
-1.0 |
| Precipitation In meteorology, precipitation is any product of the condensation of atmospheric water vapor that is deposited on the Earth's surface. The main forms of precipitation include rain, snow, ice pellets, and graupel...
(mm) |
71.3 |
41.1 |
60.1 |
68.5 |
63.1 |
78.4 |
76.8 |
84.7 |
96.5 |
86.7 |
85.7 |
75.9 |
888.7 |
| Rainfall (mm) |
7.8 |
4.7 |
28.0 |
50.5 |
62.5 |
78.4 |
76.8 |
84.7 |
96.2 |
80.3 |
50.7 |
13.7 |
634.3 |
| Snowfall (cm) |
81.7 |
42.8 |
34.8 |
17.4 |
0.5 |
|
|
|
0.2 |
6.2 |
38.6 |
80.8 |
302.9 |
SnowSnow is a type of precipitation in the form of crystalline water ice, consisting of a multitude of snowflakes that fall from clouds. Since snow is composed of small ice particles, it is a granular material. It has an open and therefore soft structure, unless packed by external pressure. Snowflakes...
depth (cm) |
35 |
40 |
28 |
4 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
2 |
15 |
10 |
| Wind Wind is the flow of air or other gases that compose an atmosphere . On Earth, wind consists of the bulk movement of air...
speed (km/h) |
14.3 |
12.6 |
14.1 |
14.5 |
13.4 |
12.0 |
11.0 |
10.7 |
12.5 |
14.2 |
15.6 |
13.3 |
13.3 |
| Extreme climate for Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario |
| Month |
Jan |
Feb |
Mar |
Apr |
May |
Jun |
Jul |
Aug |
Sep |
Oct |
Nov |
Dec |
| Extreme humidex (°C) |
|
|
|
31.6 |
37.3 |
40.9 |
42.9 |
42.7 |
39.5 |
33.2 |
|
|
| Extreme maximum temp. (°C) |
8.4 |
10.8 |
21.1 |
27.8 |
31.8 |
34.0 |
36.8 |
36.1 |
32.8 |
26.7 |
19.4 |
15.4 |
| Extreme minimum temp. (°C) |
-38.9 |
-38.7 |
-35.6 |
-20.6 |
-8.9 |
-5.6 |
0.0 |
-3.3 |
-8.3 |
-10.0 |
-21.7 |
-36.7 |
| Extreme windchill (°C) |
-44.8 |
-42.3 |
-38.4 |
-27.8 |
-10.0 |
|
|
|
|
-13.9 |
-29.2 |
-42.8 |
| Extreme daily precipitation (mm/d) |
32.5 |
61.0 |
37.8 |
41.1 |
116.6 |
77.2 |
43.9 |
89.8 |
71.2 |
44.0 |
50.4 |
37.6 |
| Extreme daily rainfall (mm/d) |
32.5 |
39.1 |
30.2 |
38.2 |
116.6 |
77.2 |
43.9 |
89.8 |
71.2 |
44.0 |
50.4 |
37.6 |
| Extreme daily snowfall (cm/d) |
30.2 |
61.0 |
27.7 |
27.0 |
10.2 |
21.1 |
|
|
2.1 |
12.6 |
37.0 |
48.1 |
| Extreme snow depth (cm) |
111 |
117 |
137 |
58 |
4 |
|
|
|
3 |
8 |
36 |
140 |
| Extreme wind speed (km/h) |
80 |
64 |
74 |
74 |
65 |
64 |
63 |
74 |
65 |
72 |
89 |
80 |
| Extreme wind gusts (km/h) |
107 |
100 |
100 |
102 |
89 |
100 |
109 |
98 |
94 |
105 |
119 |
98 |
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