Christian Provenzano launched his re-election campaign with family, friends and supporters at Outspoken Brewery on September 5th, 2018. At that event, Christian outlined the accomplishments of this past Council and committed to building on them in order to meet our community’s challenges and embrace its opportunities.

“When I ran for Mayor in 2014, I did so because I saw our challenges and believed that if we wanted things to change and improve, we couldn’t keep doing things the way we always had. I also saw the community we could be: a vibrant city with an unmatched quality of life, a city that will attract and retain great talent and new businesses, and a city that spends wisely and safeguards our future. There is a lot more to do and with your support, I will see that the work gets done,” said Christian Provenzano.

If re-elected in October, Christian has committed to focus his work and effort on the following ongoing initiatives:

Responsible Spending – Continue to encourage and ensure responsible budgeting, spending and tax policy. This Council has made a strong effort to control spending and minimize municipal tax increases. We have made some good progress, but we have to continue to be diligent. Day to day life is getting more expensive and the municipality must continuously ensure that it is minimizing the municipal burden.

Accountability – Continue to encourage and support policies that build ethical, transparent and accountable governance. Our Council has passed a much more significant code of conduct, minimized closed meetings and respects the jurisdiction of the Ombudsman. We will continue to provide our community with good municipal governance.

Reconciliation and Relationship-Building – Continue to develop and improve upon our relationship with our First Nation partners and Indigenous community members and work with our community stakeholders, like Algoma University and Shingwauk Kinoomaage Gamig, to make our community a national leader in Truth and Reconciliation.

Addressing the Opioid Epidemic – Continue to support, work with and advocate for the Sault Ste. Marie and Area Drug Strategy Committee and the Algoma Leadership Table partners to address the opioid epidemic in our community. Our community is not alone in addressing this challenge, but we must recognize the gravity of it and that it will take all of us, working together, to find effective solutions.

Strengthening Transit – Continue to work on and improve our transit system. The average bus in Ontario is 6 years old, the average bus in SSM is over 11. Transit needs our time, attention and significant investment. We have completed a route optimization process and we have developed a capital plan to replace several of our oldest buses. We have started but we need to keep at it.

Building a Safe Community – Continue to work with and support the Sault Ste. Marie Police Service to ensure that our investment in policing and community safety is being allocated to address our most pressing concerns and priorities.

Building a Smart City – Continue putting the pieces in place to enable Sault Ste. Marie to become a smart city. The PUC has completed the project development and due diligence to build a community wide smart grid. The municipality itself has undertaken a full information technology review. City Council has passed a resolution asking staff to develop an open data platform for our municipality. There is more work to be done but we are well on our way and now have some foundational pieces in place.

Implement FutureSSM – Continue to support, encourage and implement FutureSSM. We now have the project team and funding in place to build on the important work of the Community Adjustment Committee. I want to continue to support and work with this project and the project team. We will do great things if we stay focused, work together and continue to look ahead.

Advocating for the Community – Continue to support community partners and lobby effectively for our community needs. I am particularly proud of the role I played in negotiating the City’s tax agreement with Algoma, securing 84 additional long – term care beds for the Finnish Resthome and Van Daele Manor and obtaining the necessary approval and funding to complete Cardiac Percutaneous Intervention (angioplasty) at Sault Area Hospital.

“I make the same commitments to you this election that I did last: I will demonstrate leadership, I will be accountable for my decisions and I will work to minimize your municipal expenses. You will always know where I stand, what I think and that you can always count on my sincere effort. With your support, I will continue working for you and for our community.”

For more information on Christian’s accomplishments and his priorities, visit christianprovenzano.ca.