About this series
The Globe is reporting from cities and towns in Ontario, Manitoba and British Columbia to hear from residents about the issues affecting their communities and their votes in the municipal elections.
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Globe → report → elections
On Day 565 of a trade war that has bombarded Sault Ste. Marie, Ont., with bad news and pink slips, the city vibrates with an ear-splitting cover of Fat Bottomed Girls.
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city → bombard → Girls
Down on Queen St., adult Saultites (pronounced SOO-ites) line up at a Northern Superior Brewing tent, drink tickets in hand, while the kids wait on face-painting and mini-putt.
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kids → pronounce → painting
About 4,000 locals will filter through this downtown block party on their way into the Soo Greyhounds season opener, many wearing the Hounds jersey that has graced the teenaged likes of Wayne Gretzky, Paul Coffey and Joe Thornton – all now Hockey Hall of Famers.
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that → filter → Famers
But nobody wants to call it a proxy battle.
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nobody → want → it
The Canada-U.S. trade dispute is casting a long shadow over upcoming municipal elections in the city of 80,000, where Algoma Steel recently laid off 1,000 workers as it struggles for profitability in the face of punishing tariffs.
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it → cast → tariffs
But beyond the economic setbacks, many residents see a case for long-term optimism.
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residents → see → optimism
“We’re not gloomy people here, we’re very positive,” says Frank DeMarco, his plastic beer cup frothing as he offers up bear-hugs and handshakes to other party-goers, many of them steelworkers like him.
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many → ’re → him
Their kids go in for high-fives.
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kids → go → fives
Many call him Uncle Frank.
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Many → call → him
U.S. President Donald Trump has put that positivity to the test, slapping 25 per cent tariffs on Canadian steel in the spring of last year, doubling to 50 per cent by summer.
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Trump → put → summer
The levies yanked Saultites onto the front lines of a trade war with the nation just across the St. Marys River.
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levies → yank → River
The casualties piled up.
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casualties → pile → ?
Last December, Algoma Steel, the city’s molten economic heart for more than a century, issued Mr. DeMarco and 1,000 other steelworkers layoff notices, which took effect on March 23.
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which → issue → March
He and his wife, Maarit, had opened a restaurant, DeMarco’s Boots & Saddles Roadhouse, in 2025, the same week Trump announced the 50 per cent tariff.
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Trump → open → tariff
“Boom, I think my career is over,” he says.
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he → think → ?
“I’m massively under stress at that point.”
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I → ’m → point
He wondered how they would endure without his Algoma cheque.
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they → wonder → cheque
And for that matter, how would his city fare with 1,000 fewer Algoma paycheques.
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city → fare → paycheques
Six months on from the layoffs, the city is holding its own welfare check in the form of local elections on Oct. 26.
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city → hold → Oct.
Incumbent mayor Matthew Shoemaker is pitching an economic Hail Mary – construction of a $250-million multimodal port estimated to support more than 2,000 jobs.
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Shoemaker → pitch → jobs
Challenger Joel Rowswell has focused on fixing the crime and disorder associated with lean times.
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Rowswell → focus → times
His sense of the city clashes with the boosterish likes of Mr. DeMarco.
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sense → clash → DeMarco
“Everybody is negative,” said Mr. Rowswell inside GFL Memorial Gardens, as the Hounds and Spirit headed for overtime.
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Hounds → say → overtime
“I hear it every day when I go to the doors.”
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I → hear → doors
It doesn’t take long to find what he’s talking about.
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he → take → what
A few pot-holed blocks from the Hounds arena, past broken windows and boarded-up homes, Connie Raynor Elliott has seen the lines outside her non-profit organization grow since the layoffs.
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lines → board → layoffs
“The people who used to donate are now in our line-up,” says Ms. Raynor, who founded Save Our Young Adults in 2011.
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who → use → 2011
Dozens of volunteers provide free food, clothing and other support to the growing numbers of those in need.
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Dozens → provide → need
In the last three years, her clientele (she hates that word, preferring to call them ‘friends’) has grown from 350 to 600.
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she → hat → 600
Mr. DeMarco’s own low point came shortly after the December layoff notice.
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point → come → notice
Every year he runs a hockey tournament in January to raise money for local medical students who want to practise here.
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who → run → students
With massive job losses in the wind, he started making arrangements to cancel.
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he → start → arrangements
The Soo wouldn’t let him.
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Soo → let → him
“A lot of laid-off guys came out, donated,” he says, his voice trembling.
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voice → lay → guys
Sorry, I get a little emotional thinking about it.
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I → get → it
We’re a very interesting city.
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We → ’re → ?
We support these things.
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We → support → things
But we still come.
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we → come → ?
We still support one another.”
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We → support → one
…and 36 more, not listed.
The Aporia
