November/December 2015
Sault Ste. Marie Economic Development Corporation
The Pulse

Sault Ste. Marie to host national and international chess tournaments in 2017

For eleven days in July 2017, Sault Ste. Marie and Sault College will be home to the nation's premier chess tournaments. The Canadian Youth Chess Championship will bring children from across the country to compete for the title of national champion and the right to represent Canada at the World Youth Chess Championship. 

Immediately following the youth tournament, the Canadian Open Chess Championship is expected to draw players of all levels from across Canada and around the world. The tournament bids for Sault Ste. Marie were submitted by Andrew and Roman Peredun, in collaboration with Tourism Sault Ste. Marie. Read more.



 


The Port of Algoma is now open for business
November 4 may have seemed like a typical day at the waterfront property near Essar Steel Algoma. A ship was there offloading cargo, which is nothing new. However, there was something special about the product being delivered. Instead of a shipment related to the steelmaking process, it was 13,500 tons of road salt. The Port of Algoma is open for business. Read more.

 
 
Train Tour tops 30,000 riders; Best season in 8 years
It was a great year for Northern Ontario's premier visitor attraction. In fact, 2015 passenger levels on the Agawa Canyon Tour Train were the highest in eight years. More than 30,000 tourists rode the rails to the canyon this past season, which was the best since 2007. The results were caused partly by adding a Group of Seven product offering. Read more.


Algoma U hosting 2016 OUA Wrestling Championships
On February 13, Algoma University will host the 2016 Ontario University Athletics Wrestling Championships. Expected to inject a significant amount of visitor spending into the local economy, the event is being supported by Tourism Sault Ste. Marie. Algoma U and Tourism SSM have worked together to secure a number of major events in recent years. Read more.

  
 
SSMEDC formally engaging with commercial realtors
To help market the community's industrial and commercial properties, the Sault Ste. Marie Economic Development Corporation is formally engaging area realtors. The partnerships are designed to promote business opportunities to global investors while also providing external firms with an efficient way of tapping into local development prospects. Read more.

Young entrepreneur programs generating results
The SSMEDC-administered Summer Company and Starter Company young entrepreneur programs are leading to numerous business startups and expansions in the Sault Ste. Marie area. Jeff Greco, owner of Cavera Inc., is a prime example. To keep up with growing demand, his full-service marketing agency recently moved into a larger facility and hired more staff. Read more.
 
  
 
Community hosting FEO Conference in 2017
In the spring of 2017, Festivals & Events Ontario (FEO) will be holding its 30th annual conference in Sault Ste. Marie. The city was selected from among a shortlist of four municipalities throughout the province. Tourism Sault Ste. Marie helped secure the event, which is expected to attract well over 300 festival and event professionals from across Ontario. Read more.