From: THE SAULT STAR ,March 17, 1999

A report showing Sault Ste. Marie's quality of life index has declined in the 1990s should be used in a positive way, says a member of the Building an Extraordinary Community initiative. "We have to be really careful to use it positively; as a challenge for us to improve in areas where we are not doing so well," said Eileen Forestell, strategic planning co-ordinator for the project. Forestell said the city can't rest on its laurels when it comes to areas where it fared well in the study. Instead, she said it's critical to see how Sault Ste. Marie can continue to improve in those areas.

The report, released Friday by the Algoma Social Planning Council, says Sault Ste. Marie's quality of life index - based on 12 indicators - dropped nearly 29 points from 1990 to 1997. The study pegged the city's index at 71.1, below the 1997 provincial figure of 86.4. The 12 indicators generated information about the social, economic, health and environmental situation in the city. The report has been forwarded to local politicians and to Building an Extraordinary Community - a think tank whose aim is to get Saultites involved in pointing Sault Ste. Marie in the right direction.

Forestell said the report will be used as a baseline document. "Hopefully it will get people thinking about what solution councils they want to have in place," she said, adding that the councils will consist of citizens dealing with specific issues. One of the solution councils will likely focus on the Sault's high unemployment rate. In 1990, about 3,600 people in the labour force were out of work compared to 5,000 in 1997, the report says. The number of people in the labour force working in 1997 was 35,100, compared to 35,900 in 1990. The study says the city needs to attract more medium-sized employers.

An official with the Economic Development Corp. said the city is already pursuing projects, including Gateway and the casino, that would employ more than 500 people. Susan Myers, EDC's manager of Marketing and tourism, said the days of relying on "major" employers are over, adding the city has to make the shift to luring medium-sized businesses. Myers said the city has "a lot going for it," including its strategic location at the heart of the Great Lakes, on the border of Michigan "and on the real edge of inter-modal transportation -whether it be shipping or rail. "We simply have to roll up our sleeves and market ourselves," she added.

Dan Lewis, president of the Sault Ste. Marie and District Labour Council, has yet to read the study because the council has pulled out of the Building an Extraordinary Community plan. The labour council will only participate in the initiative if the city backs off on its efforts to withdraw from construction agreements requiring city work be done by companies with unions. "We're not going to play ball with the city, if they don't want to play ball with us," Lewis said. "How do you build an extraordinary community when you do something like that?" As for the quality of life report, Lewis said it's imperative to find out how many of those in the labour force working are earning "good" wages. "Are they underemployed even though they are employed - as far as wages and benefits go?" he said. "Somebody can be working but still be living in poverty."

Under the social indicators, the report says the number of children in the care of the Children's Aid Society increased by more than 60 per cent from 1991 to 1997. (About 220 in 1997, compared to 140 in 1991). Jim Baraniuk, director of services at CAS, said the number of children in care across the province has increased by 10 per cent in the last year alone. "We're showing a provincial trend. It's not just Sault Ste. Marie," he said. "What it's saying across the province is that families are really under a lot of stress. There have been a lot of reductions in support systems, a lot of cuts in service and reduction in welfare, which I'm sure has increased the number of people that are poor who have children that really don't have a lot of resources from which to draw upon."

The number of people on social assistance in Sault Ste. Marie increased by more than 60 per cent from 1990 to 1997, the report said. Sault MPP Tony Martin blames the Ontario and federal governments for the rise in the number of individuals on social assistance. "We aren't doing the work that's required to get the economy going in a way that speaks to creating jobs for people," said the New Democratic member. "We've been really successful in getting the economy going where it comes to profits and the bottom line for some of the corporations and financial institutions." Martin said the quality of index report, being conducted across the province, is an effective vehicle to measure the impact of government cut-backs.

Under environmental indicators, the increase in the number of hours of poor air quality was one of the biggest surprises for the social planning council. According to the report, there were 222 hours of poor air quality in 1990, compared to 301 in 1997. Kathy Brosemer, of Clean North, said in a press release that her agency's major concerns include hydrocarbons from industry, vehicle emissions and wintertime atmospheric inversions keeping pollutants near the ground.

© Ontario Social Development Council & Social Planning Network of Ontario