Candidate profile Ross Romano - PC

http://www.saultstar.com/2017/05/25/candidate-profile-ross-romano---pc

   He said he's disappointed that Sault Ste. Marie didn't have someone at the table during the provincial budget because he believes the city lost significantly with the Ring of Fire $1 billion off the table.

“This is the largest opportunity this city has and I don't believe it will happen this year because it's not in the budget,” Romano said.

The Liberals have countered that the money is still dedicated to the Ring of Fire but Romano is not so sure.

“This city is struggling. NorOnt wants to move. They need roads. I don't want to see NorOnt or any other potential investors walk away,” he said.

The Sault Ste. Marie lawyer knows that if he wins the June 1 byelection, his role will be to advocate and fight for the city he was born and raised in and he says he has the energy to do so.

Romano said the ferrochrome facility is more than just jobs for Northern Ontario. It's about developing relationships with First Nations, creating a strong economy for the North and for Ontario and creating a new network that benefits Ontario as a whole.

“It is an incredible opportunity for Sault Ste. Marie and it upsets me we are squandering,” Romano said.

Romano said he's also confident that by developing the Ring of Fire, the Port of Algoma will be a natural connection once the lands issues are resolved during the steelmaker's CCAA proceedings.

The port, he said, is an integral part to the relationships with Indigenous people and the momentum created in the partnerships there need to grow and expand to the Ring of Fire development.

“That port provides access to a deep sea harbour which creates opportunity for our future. This becomes a critical aspect for our port to ship to foreign markets and this gives us such an opportunity to become a distribution hub,” Romano said"

Candidate Profile - Debbie Amaroso - Liberal

http://www.saultstar.com/2017/05/25/candidate-profile---debbie-amaroso---liberal

As for the continued restructuring efforts at Essar Steel Algoma, Amaroso said it is imperative that a Liberal MPP be at the table and part of the conversation with the stakeholders.

“We need to be there to show the provincial government where it can be of most value with the steel plant and that's why it's crucial for us to be at that table,” she said.

Amaroso believes diversifying the economy is important and efforts have resulted in some success “but we can't negate the fact that Essar is a critical piece.”

A Liberal representative for Sault Ste. Marie could also tip the scales to move the Ring of Fire chromite development forward, bringing economic hope not just to Sault Ste. Marie but to Northern Ontario as a whole.

Despite arguments from the other candidates, Amaroso said the $1 billion commitment by the Liberals is available to be used to advance the project.

“Anyone saying it is gone has been disingenuous,” she said.

Amaroso said that if voters send her to Queen's Park, then there will be four MPP's in Northern Ontario fighting to move the project forward and she sees her role as one to convince the government to draft out a road plan that will see the First Nation communities have a tangible plan to discuss and work with.

That development, Amaroso hopes, will also help untangle the complicated web of the Port of Algoma development, a transportation link that can be “a game changer” for the many manufacturing plants in Sault Ste. Marie and across the North.

Candidate Profile - Joe Krmpotich - NDP

http://www.saultstar.com/2017/05/25/candidate-profile---joe-krmpotich---ndp

He also wants to ensure there is a fully-functional and operating steel mill in the city, offering others the chance to stay in Sault Ste. Marie.

And for the future, Krmpotich wants Sault Ste. Marie to be the successful city that will become home to a ferrochrome facility to produce the product from the vast Ring of Fire development, creating more jobs that will result in people returning to the Sault.

“Who knows steel making processes better than those at Essar, better than those in our own community?” he said. “Sault Ste. Marie has a whole lot to offer.”