The city’s environmental sustainability committee agreed this week to man the barricades, after Shoemaker took four months to reply to its request for a face-to-face meeting, but didn’t commit to meet

A city committee tasked with tracking the Sault’s progress on reducing greenhouse gas emissions is demanding a face-to-face meeting with Mayor Matthew Shoemaker.

Five years ago, city council agreed to cut the community’s greenhouse gas emissions (GHG) to net-zero by 2050.

But since then, local GHG emissions haven’t dropped.

In fact, they’ve been increasing.

Our air quality is supposed to get better soon, after Algoma Steel scraps its blast furnace and cokemaking operations and switches to electric arc furnace (EAF) steelmaking.

The local transition is said by Algoma to be the single largest decarbonization project in Canada, cutting carbon emissions up to 70 per cent.

But the city’s own environmental sustainability committee isn’t convinced Mayor Shoemaker and most of his ward councillors are taking environmental issues seriously.

Committee chair Donna Hilsinger wrote to the mayor on July 8.

Hilsinger began her letter: “On behalf of the city’s environmental sustainability committee, I am writing to you to request a meeting …” 

Citing a three per cent rise in community emissions and a five per cent increase in emissions from City of Sault Ste. Marie vehicles and other municipal sources, Hilsinger warned that her committee was “disappointed by the perceived lack of urgency.”

It took four months for Shoemaker to reply to Hilsinger’s letter.

And the mayor’s 297-word response completely ignored the committee’s request for a meeting.

“Thank you for your letter and for the ongoing work of the environmental sustainability committee,” Shoemaker wrote to Hilsinger.

The mayor said the city shared Hilsinger’s wish to reduce emissions, but added: “at the same time, it is important to recognize that meaningful progress in this area depends not only on local resolve, but also on the availability of funding and support from our federal and provincial partners.”

At a meeting on Wednesday, members of the environmental sustainability committee decided to man the barricades.

Hilsinger pointed out that deliberations about the city’s 2026 budget are planned for Dec. 8 and 9.

“So we’d want to get a letter out, probably by next week, just so it’s in the package ahead of time and we make the mayor and councillors aware of what we would like to see happen,” she said.

As mayor, Shoemaker is an ex-officio (non-voting) member of the environmental sustainability committee.

But Hilsinger told this week’s meeting that the mayor “has not attended a meeting of this group.”

Committee member Andre Riopel said the new letter to Shoemaker should emphasize that sustainability doesn’t have to be expensive.

“It doesn’t cost money to be more sustainable than the transportation sector, because we need to shift,” Riopel said. 

“We need to stop urban sprawl. We need to stop expanding the road system to encourage a modal shift.”

Another committee member, Ward 5 Coun. Corey Gardi, said: “It’s important for a group like this one to continue to advocate for the work that we do.”

“I think it’s more important now than ever, the way things are going globally as it relates to the disruption caused by all of the stuff going on south of the border that everybody around the world is scrambling to try to figure things out, how things are going to be happening moving forward,” Gardi said.

“And you can see by the Canadian government’s response that even within their budget, though, it highlighted some efforts as it related to the environment, it was nothing like the previous administration’s alleged commitment to the environment.”

“Mr. Carney isn’t as committed as he was in his previous role with the U.N. in dealing with climate change and the environment,” Gardi said.

Gardi predicted economic development and industry will be given a front seat by the Carney Liberals, with the environment relegated to a back seat.

“I think this group should respond to this letter, and I think it should be done quickly, and I think it could be done quite directly and decisively.”

Gardi said the committee’s letter to Shoemaker should go something like this: “As you recall, we had asked you to meet. Are you still open to this? And we would really like to have the opportunity to be with you for an hour or half an hour or whatever, to talk to you directly about some of our concerns as it relates to the upcoming budget, which is upon us in the next few weeks.”

“That’s how I would approach it,” Gardi said.

The following are the full texts of Hilsinger’s letter to Mayor Shoemaker dated July 8, and the mayor’s response to her last week:

RE: City of Sault Ste. Marie 2023 – 2024 Sustainability Report Outreach

Dear Mayor Shoemaker and city council,

On behalf of the city’s environmental sustainability committee (ESC), I am writing to you to request a meeting following the discussion of the municipality’s latest 2023 – 2024 Sustainability Report at the ESC meeting on Tuesday, May 13, 2025.

The report revealed concerning trends, with community emissions increasing by three per cent and corporate emissions rising by five per cent, highlighting the need for urgent action and a re-evaluation of how the city weighs sustainability and climate change mitigation in council decision-making.

A significant point raised was the lack of comment from most of council when the report was on the May agenda. The ESC is disappointed by the perceived lack of urgency and is eager to help raise awareness and drive action on this critical matter.

The ESC expressed significant concern regarding these rising emissions and the lack of effective progress in our sustainability goals. During our discussions, it was clear that a collaborative approach across all city departments is essential to ensure that everyone understands the seriousness of the situation and the risks involved with a “business as usual” approach.

Meaningfully addressing climate change requires strategic-level support as well as a clear commitment from leadership to drive effective action. At present, the climate impact statement on council reports is voluntary, which we feel undermines its potential to influence decision-making at the council level.

We strongly urge that this be made a standard part of the review process. Furthermore, there must be strong linkages between the city’s strategic sustainability goals and how day-to-day municipal operations, capital investments and incremental decisions support and/or inhibit progress to these goals.

In 2023, we wrote to the mayor, council, and senior management and outlined three short-term and three long-term priorities for consideration. While we appreciated the responses of consideration from both the former CAO in 2023 and Tom Vair in 2024 and some items have been considered, we feel that these issues have yet to be adequately addressed.

We recommended in our letter that climate action be made a top priority in the strategic plan update. While we appreciate that the city’s net-zero target was incorporated into the infrastructure pillar of the recently updated strategic plan, the ESC feels that climate change is too critical to be treated as part of a broader category like infrastructure.

Climate change is a global crisis, and addressing it deserves a dedicated focus of its own.

The ESC is committed to being part of the solution and effective action for a sustainable future. However, the support of the mayor and council is necessary to take the actions needed to achieve our goals. We look forward to your support in addressing these critical issues.

Sincerely,

Donna Hilsinger

Chair ESC

*************************

Mayor Shoemaker’s response, dated Nov. 5

Dear Chair Hilsinger:

Thank you for your letter and for the ongoing work of the environmental sustainability committee.

I want to express my sincere appreciation for the time, insight and dedication that each member brings to advancing environmental causes in Sault Ste. Marie. The passion of the citizens who serve on this committee continues to play an important role in shaping the city’s efforts to build a more sustainable future.

The concerns outlined in your correspondence regarding local emissions and the need for coordinated action are noted and understood.

As a municipality, we share your commitment to reducing emissions and supporting initiatives that contribute to long-term environmental sustainability.

At the same time, it is important to recognize that meaningful progress in this area depends not only on local resolve, but also on the availability of funding and support from our federal and provincial partners.

Many of the most impactful initiatives – particularly those related to infrastructure renewal, energy transition and fleet modernization – require significant financial resources that extend beyond the capacity of municipal budgets alone.

Within the municipality, sustainability continues to be a key consideration.

The city employs a sustainability coordinator whose work is focused on leading and supporting our corporate and community-wide efforts in this area, along with seeking funding opportunities.

While we were asked, and did consider having climate change as a standalone pillar in the strategic plan, we ultimately determined that it was best to have the 2025-2030 Corporate Strategic Plan reflect sustainability across multiple pillars, recognizing that climate action and environmental stewardship influence virtually every aspect of municipal operations, from infrastructure investment to community planning.

I appreciate the committee’s continued advocacy and commitment to ensuring that Sault Ste. Marie remains a forward-thinking and environmentally responsible community.

Sincerely,

Matthew M. Shoemaker

Mayor, Sault Ste. Marie