With his lunchbox in tow and a USW Local 2251 shirt on his back, Kyle Mero made his way through the Number 2 Gate at Algoma Steel on Aug. 30 to find a surprise — a photo op for Prime Minister Justin Trudeau.
Mero did not know Trudeau would be standing in between himself and his work site and had no idea the brief exchange between the two men would soon make headlines across the world.
"I did not see that coming in the slightest," Mero told SooToday on Sunday, about five weeks after the initial encounter. "Even to this day it still hasn't really hit me of how this actually could have happened."
The 37-year-old steelworker spent just a few short minutes with the prime minister. Trudeau offered donuts and talked up the federal government's investments in the steel plant, while Mero countered with the rate of taxes he pays and his out-of-pocket costs for dental coverage, among other concerns.
When the two parted, Trudeau offered to shake hands and Mero politely declined.
"I said a few things that I needed to get off my chest and am only looking out for the best interests of my family, friends and all workers alike," Mero told SooToday.
The steelworker said he meant no disrespect by not accepting the handshake, wanting only to avoid becoming part of the photo op.
Mero told SooToday he has mostly received encouragement from the people he has spoken to about the incident, with only a few people not in support of the way he handled it. But he said he stands by airing his grievances in a respectful conversation.
"I think honest conversation is really the only way to resolve issues and conflict but unfortunately the world we live in is extremely sensitive to that," said Mero. "I've realized that most people seem to side with me on this subject however I've noticed that some people have very negative intent with the things that I say."
Mostly, Mero wants to thank the majority of residents who have interacted with him about the encounter.
"I love the Sault community and all the support that I have received here," said Mero. "I'm a proud Algoma Steel employee and did not mean any disrespect to anyone at all."
SooToday reported on the exchange on the date it happened, but it took a few days for the national and international media to pick up on the story.
Although Mero was not named at the time of the exchange in media coverage, a newspaper columnist put a name to the steelworker over the weekend.
In a front-page story in the Sunday edition of The Toronto Sun — under the headline 'Man of Steel' — columnist Joe Warmington identified Mero as USW Local 2251 steelworker who challenged Trudeau just inside Algoma Steel's Number 2 gate on Aug. 30.
Mero told Warmington he was not aware Trudeau would be at Algoma Steel when he came to work that day, but took the opportunity to share his thoughts with the PM. He said Trudeau's condescension set him off.
“I didn’t do this to try to get attention," Mero told the newspaper. "I did this because I felt I had to say something, just to get it off my chest. Just seeing the state of the country and the path we are on is not sitting well with me."
Mero told Warmington he didn't mean any disrespect by declining to shake the prime minister's hand, but did so to avoid being "roped into" a staged photo op.
At the time of the original encounter, SooToday reported that the steelworker gave Trudeau an earful while refusing a donut and a handshake from the PM before he made his way to start his shift.
When Trudeau asked Mero if he knew anyone who had received care via the federal dental program, he responded that he pays out of pocket.
“Every time we go for a dental visit, it costs me about $50 out of pocket, per person. Why? I have a good job," he said. Mero went on to mention one of his neighbours "who doesn’t go to work because she’s lazy. She just doesn’t go to work.”
Mero told Warmington that neighbour has since called him an a--hole for his remarks about her. But at the same time, he said many people in the Sault have congratulated him for speaking his mind.
“For a week after, every time I went out, people were realizing it was me," he told The Sun. "They were very good. Everything was positive locally in Sault Ste. Marie. Tons of people wanted to send me cases of beer.”
Trudeau was in the Sault on Aug. 29 and 30 for a series of photo ops, as well as for a Liberal fundraiser held at the Canadian Bushplane Heritage Centre.