Community Discussions
What We Heard
Starting on August 24, 2021, we ran ten community discussion sessions in both online and in-person formats to gather input from local organizations, Indigenous persons, youth (ages 15-24), and the general public. We wanted to understand community member perspectives regarding having the Canadian Water Agency (or an office of it) in Sault Ste. Marie, and understand the priorities and values for ensuring a water secure Algoma District.
Through this process, 208 individuals contributed their perspectives, including 12 written comments sent to our team. Our What We Heard report summarizes voices across the community. This input will help guide the final report and proposal the City of Sault Ste. Marie submits to the Federal Government. A companion document to this report, capturing the complete and unedited contributions of community members can be found here. Additionally, you can learn more about our discussions with ADSB (the Algoma District School Board).
Community Discussion Schedule
Note: In-person participation will be limited in order to follow COVID-19 protocols.
About Elaine Ho-Tassone
The City of Sault Ste. Marie has partnered with the Lake Huron Collaborative’s Dr. Elaine Ho-Tassone to lead the design and facilitation of the community discussion sessions.
Elaine recently completed her PhD degree in Social and Ecological Sustainability (Integrated Water Management) at the University of Waterloo. She will be joining Algoma University as a Mitacs Postdoctoral Fellow in July, though was appointed a Research Associate at NORDIK Institute as of January 2021. In her work, she considers ways to improve freshwater monitoring and management through public and Indigenous engagement processes.
In 2019, Elaine’s research won the “Our Water – Our Life – Most Valuable Resource” award from the Canadian Water Resources Association, followed by nominations for 2021 Clean50 awards in the Emerging Leaders and Project categories. Elaine is also the Researcher-in-Residence at Waterlution, a national non-profit organization, where she provides scientific support in a variety of ways and collaborates to deliver projects and capacity building, especially of youth. Elaine is currently the Project Coordinator of the Lake Huron Collaborative, based at the Rural Agri-Innovation Network (Sault Ste. Marie Innovation Centre).