Sault Ste. Marie

Sault Ste. Marie, a Northern Ontario city of roughly 73,000 situated along the St. Marys River at the international border, faced an open-seat contest in the 2025 election after two-term PC incumbent Ross Romano announced in December 2024 that he would not seek re-election. Romano, who had served as Minister of Colleges and Universities and then Minister of Government and Consumer Services, said he was keeping a promise to his family to step aside after two terms. The Progressive Conservatives appointed Chris Scott as their candidate, bypassing the local nomination process, while the NDP selected city councillor Lisa Vezeau-Allen to attempt to reclaim a seat the party had held for much of the late twentieth century.

The race produced one of the closest results in Ontario provincial election history, with the outcome separated by just over one hundred votes.

Candidates

Chris Scott (Progressive Conservative) — Scott, originally from Kemptville in eastern Ontario, graduated from Carleton University with a bachelor of arts in political science. He had worked in outgoing MPP Ross Romano's constituency and ministerial offices and subsequently served as a special advisor in the Premier's office. He was appointed as the PC candidate directly by party leader Doug Ford.

Lisa Vezeau-Allen (NDP) — Vezeau-Allen is a Sault Ste. Marie city councillor who has represented Ward 2 since 2018. She is the founder of two local social enterprises, Grocer 4 Good and Cafe 4 Good. She was previously active in the NDP riding association, serving as vice-president and co-chairing former MP and MPP Tony Martin's campaigns.

Gurwinder Dusanjh (Liberal) — Dusanjh is a senior customer service representative at BMO Financial Group who studied at Algoma University. He owns and operates Heyden Fuels and Convenience on Highway 17 and established Pioneer Park, a modular housing development offering affordable homes.

Arnold Heino (New Blue Party), Jaycob Jacques (Green Party), and Paul Frolich (Ontario Party) also ran.

Local Issues

The opioid crisis remained the most urgent public health issue in Sault Ste. Marie throughout the 2022–2025 term. The city consistently recorded one of the highest opioid-related death rates in Ontario, with the rate of opioid-related hospitalizations and deaths roughly three times the provincial average. In the first three months of 2024 alone, thirteen opioid toxicity deaths were reported in the city. Debates about supervised consumption services, treatment capacity, and mental health funding remained central to local politics.

The transformation of Algoma Steel, the city's largest private-sector employer, continued during the term. The company advanced construction of two electric arc furnaces designed to replace its traditional blast furnace operations, with the project expected to cost between $825 million and $875 million. As of early 2025, the first furnace was advancing toward commissioning. When fully operational, the transition is expected to reduce CO2 emissions by approximately three million tonnes annually. However, questions about potential job losses associated with the shift in technology and the impact on the local workforce remained a source of concern.

Healthcare access and physician shortages continued to affect the community. The Northern Ontario School of Medicine University, which operates a clinical teaching site in Sault Ste. Marie, was central to efforts to train and retain doctors locally. However, attracting family physicians and specialists to the region remained difficult, and residents reported challenges with emergency department wait times and access to primary care.