Final pitch being prepared for Sault to land new Canada Water Agency HQ

Some believe Sault Ste. Marie is the perfect location for the headquarters of the soon-to-be-created Canada Water Agency and a city task force is preparing to make its final pitch for the project.

The federal government announced during its previous mandate that it wanted to create the agency intended to improve freshwater management across Canada. That promise was solidified in the government’s most recent Speech from the Throne.

The city of Sault Ste. Marie put together a task force to explore the possibility of bringing that new agency to the city.

The group says Sault Ste. Marie’s strategic location at the heart of the Great Lakes, as well as water research already being conducted in the community, as well as the partnerships with surrounding Indigenous communities, makes it the ideal location.

Last weekend the group held the last of its public consultations held for the project, said deputy CAO Tom Vair, who sits on the task force. 

Some consultations have asked for input from the general public, while others were more focused to hear from youth or Indigenous voices.

“It’s been a good process and I think staff has done a good job in reaching out and trying to get input from the community,” said Vair.

A great deal of important water research is already being done in the area and could be an asset to the new agency.

“We are in the heart of the Great Lakes and we have got access to three of them within an hour’s drive, but more than that, we have all of the inland lakes that are north of the community,” said Vair.

He also cited the importance of the Turkey Lakes Research Area, which is located about 65 km north of the city and has been gathering data since 1979.

“That is a site that has been monitored for a long time as it relates to acid rain, but then it started looking at climate change,” said Vair. “There is some really strong research going on and Sault Ste. Marie is the closest location to that Turkey Lakes watershed area and all of the research going on there.”

Vair said the Ontario Forest Research Institute and Fisheries and Oceans Canada also conduct research in the area and Lake Superior State University in Sault Ste. Marie, Mich. recently opened its Centre for Freshwater Research.

“I think that is a fantastic opportunity for international research here and we have that experience here with the joint panel that manages the water flow in this area, as well,” he said.

Vair also pointed out the experience the Sault Ste. Marie area has working with industry, like Algoma Steel and the mining sector.

“We have experience working with industry and coming up with solutions to try and make sure we maintain water in and around industrial sites, and I think that’s important experience,” said Vair.

The federal government is in the process of determining next steps in terms of the process of selecting a community to be headquarters for the new agency.

Vair said all of the work the task force has done so far is in preparation of responding to those next steps.

“We are just assembling all of the information and making a final pitch and getting ready to respond to what ever comes next from the government,” he said. “We don’t have specifics on the size of the agency yet, so that is obviously something we are looking forward to. It is anticipated there will be a decent number of jobs associated with this portfolio, given its profile in the country.”