The protests highlighted two growing local debates as council considers next steps on data centre applications and hears complaints that Sault Loops has left some residents feeling cut off from services and city hall
Two protests greeted councillors before tonight’s meeting of city council — one in support of a motion to ban new data centre applications while a framework is created by city staff, and another to protest the Sault Loops transit changes.
The two protests brought out a cross section of Sault Ste. Marie residents, from parents with children to seniors and everyone in between.
Christine Starzomski took to the megaphone on the data centre protest side, which had about 80 people, most of whom carried signs.
In her remarks, Starzomski suggested that city council’s approval of a small five-megawatt AI data centre late last year could get the attention of larger players in the industry.
SooToday first brought the story of the proposed Yates Avenue Protexxa data centre in December, before the matter came before council.
“When you say ‘yes’ to one, you’re saying ‘yes’ to all of them,” said Starzomski.
Protestors were present in support of a motion by councillors Angela Caputo and Lisa Vezeau-Allen to halt new data centre applications while city staff drafts up a framework on how to deal with them.
Similar motions in Burlington and Hamilton were not successful when they were presented at their city councils, but Mississauga recently passed a similar motion.
Starzomski said a number of questions remain unanswered about the proposed data centre, with its application brought forward with support of Missanabie Cree First Nation.
“How much water is it using? Has there been proper Indigenous consultation? How much noise is it going to cause the people in that area? How is it going to affect the property values of the people living in that area? We need to think about that as well. What are the noise complaints? What are some of the issues with vibration that go on,” Starzomski added.
Mayor Matthew Shoemaker recently told SooToday the facility will require roughly five per cent of the city’s power availability, and that it could bring between 200 and 1,000 jobs to the city.
At today’s protest, Starzomski said the opponents of data centres are not against development, but noted city hall owes the public a much greater part in deciding what projects are right for the community.
“Our council needs to talk to us. We are the people who live here. We are the people who drink the water. We are the people who are protecting our fish and our wildlife. Think about vibration. What does that do for birds and migratory animals, even butterflies? It affects everything,” Starzomski added.
A few metres away, retiree Patricia Lambert expanded on her one-person protest against the changes to Sault Transit bus routes by inviting about a dozen others to join in.
Lambert shook her head when explaining that the new Sault Loops bus routes no longer even stop at the Ronald A. Irwin Civic Centre, where city council meetings are held.
She said only one prospective councillor has taken up her request to ride the new bus routes, which she said has cut off entire neighbourhoods.
“The way I look at it, when you’ve ridden it, you have a right to complain. When you think it’s perfect but haven’t ridden it, then you’re living in La La Land,” said Lambert.
Diane Francis lives in Manitou Park and said she bought her house, in part, based on it’s access to Sault Transit routes. That has changed since the implementation of Sault Loops, which now only touches the southernmost part of the neighbourhood.
She said it used to take her 15 minutes to ride the bus from Manitou Park to nearby Churchill Plaza, but that’s not the case anymore.
“It took me a little over an hour to get from Manitou Park to Churchill Plaza. Don’t you think that’s ridiculous?”
To visit her mother in the F.J. Davey Home, Francis said she has to plan ahead and set aside four hours for travel time.
— with files from Greg McGrath-Goudie