Sault Ste. Marie City Council voted tonight to use its economic development incentive funds to attract more advanced manufacturing industries here.
The new focus was adopted at the request of Ward 3 Councillor Matthew Shoemaker, whose resolution didn't define 'advanced manufacturing.'
One widely accepted definition describes advanced manufacturing as making extensive use of computers, high-precision, and information technologies, combined with a high-performance workforce to quickly manufacture large or small batches of products with both the flexibility of custom manufacturing and the efficiency of mass production.
Councillor Shoemaker said that Essar Steel Algoma Inc.'s expected emergence from creditor protection will lift an economic cloud that has loomed over the city since November, 2015.
"The times are changing locally, hopefully, for the better," Shoemaker told fellow councillors.
"Let's proceed with this positive economic outlook and welcome these companies to our community."
However, the councillor added a condition to that statement: "...provided, of course, that Mr. Trump south of the border does not do anything to hamper those efforts."
If the U.S. president's latest remarks are any indication, that could be a very large assumption indeed.
Last week, Trump threatened to slap a 25 per cent tariff on all non-U.S. steel imports.
Canada has been pushing hard for an exemption to the tariff.
Today, the U.S. president's morning tweets offered little hope to Canadian steelmakers.
"To protect our country, we must protect American steel!" Trump proclaimed.
"Tariffs on steel and aluminum will only come off if new and fair NAFTA agreement is signed. Also, Canada must treat our farmers much better," the president tweeted.
"A unilateral tariff across the highly integrated Canada-US manufacturing supply chain will impact regional economies on both sides of the border," Algoma warned today on Twitter.
“This would be exceedingly bad news for Sault Ste. Marie, Hamilton, Regina and a couple of mills in Montreal,” said Ward 1 Councillor Steve Butland.
“I was glad to see the mayor and the MP and the MPP working together to say what can be done about this.”
“I gather the president will be saying something about this, this week, maybe. Hopefully he will change his mind as he often does,” Butland said.
The City of Sault Ste. Marie just got direct access to its economic development incentive cash last month when it signed a new memorandum of agreement with Sault Ste. Marie Economic Development Corp.
"Council wishes to capitalize on the improved economic outlook for the City when Algoma emerges from creditor protection," Councillor Shoe said in his resolution.
"The economic development fund is one of few tools the city has at its disposal to spur economic activity within the municipality."
City Council voted tonight to encourage applications to its economic development fund from facilities seeking to establish advanced manufacturing facilities in the Sault.
Both the Economic Development Corp. and the city's community development and enterprise services department will be directed to seek out and encourage advanced manufacturing proposals.