SooToday received the following letter about how Sault Ste. Marie has benefited from Doug Ford's government.
Lately, I’ve been seeing too many comments suggesting that Sault Ste. Marie hasn’t benefited from having a Progressive Conservative Member of Provincial Parliament under Premier Doug Ford.
Nothing could be further from the truth.
Despite challenges in Ontario’s health-care system, Ford’s government has consistently delivered for Sault Ste. Marie:
- $6.4 million for a second cardiac catheterization lab at Sault Area Hospital (SAH), allowing thousands more life-saving procedures locally so that people no longer must travel to Sudbury or Toronto.
- $1.1 million for Group Health Centre (GHC) to expand primary care, matching 4,500 additional patients with providers.
- $2.8 million annually to establish the Acute Care Clinic, ensuring 11,200 patients continue receiving care.
- Sault College nursing expansion. The Ontario PCs allowed colleges to offer stand-alone nursing degrees, keeping more students in Sault Ste. Marie. They also invested $264,543 in funding expanded nursing seats.
- Millions of dollars in year-over-year operational funding to Sault Area Hospital.
These investments strengthen local health care, expand services, and keep care closer to home.
Mental health and addictions are also major challenges, and Ford’s Ontario PCs have stepped up with real solutions and funding:
- Northway Wellness Centre $20M: Providing 20 residential beds for withdrawal management, crisis intervention, and relapse prevention.
- Community Resource Centre (CRC) $5M: Converted Sacred Heart School into a 39-unit transitional housing facility for individuals facing homelessness, addiction, and mental health struggles.
- 2 HART Hub Expansions: A new Homelessness and Addiction Recovery Treatment (HART) Hub will expand services at the CRC, operated by CMHA Algoma as well as a second Indigenous led HART Hub that will operate out of the Indigenous Friendship Centre. (IFC)
- Concurrent Disorders Program $750K annually: 80% of participants who complete the program, secure housing, jobs, and family reunification.
- $1.3 million for Indigenous mental health services at the Indigenous Friendship Centre.
- $300,000 annually for mental health programs at Sault College & Algoma University.
- Live-In Youth Treatment Program (Second Line West & Goulais Ave.): An eight-bed residential program for youth aged 12-16.
- Algoma Youth Wellness Hub (Dennis St.): Offering mental health counselling, addiction treatment, and employment services.
- $1.2 million to Algoma Family Services for victims of human trafficking.
- $435,000 annually for mental health counselling services in primary & secondary schools
The Ontario PCs have funded every request for addictions, and mental health services in our city. Some may ignore the facts, but they can’t change them. Ford’s government has delivered for Sault Ste. Marie.
Ian Mackenzie
Sault Ste. Marie