The Sault Ste. Marie Walk of Fame is a series of markers located throughout downtown Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario, Canada. The Walk of Fame is a joint project between the city of Sault Ste. Marie and its Downtown Association, and honours those from the city or the Algoma District who have made outstanding contributions to the community or have made significant achievements in their chosen field(s) of work. Inductees are added on an annual basis.
The genesis of the Walk of Fame was City By-Law 2002–193, passed by the Sault Ste. Marie City Council on September 9, 2002. The by-law established a "Walk of Fame Program," to be operated by the city and the Downtown Association with the intent of honouring Sault Ste. Marie natives who have made significant contributions and outstanding achievements. By extension, the Walk was viewed as a means of enhancing tourism in the city and attracting patrons to the Downtown shopping and business district.
The by-law established a committee to select annual inductees and, at the outset, determine a suitable location for the Walk. The 8 committee members are appointed by the City Council for a 3-year term, and include the mayor, two city councilors, two representatives of the Downtown Association, two citizens at large, and one Chamber of Commerce representative.
Prospective names for the first set of Walk of Fame inductees were submitted by the general public to the city clerk's office in 2003. From that pool of nominees, the Walk of Fame Committee selected an inaugural list of 10 inductees. Those selections were then tabled until a suitable time and place to launch the Walk of Fame was determined. The Walk of Fame was formally unveiled on September 30, 2006, with its first 10 honorees celebrated as part of the grand opening weekend of the Steelback Centre sports arena (the arena would be rechristened Essar Centre in 2008 and GFL Memorial Gardens in 2018). [1]
From its 2006 unveiling until the mid-2010s, the Walk of Fame markers were embedded in the south sidewalk of Queen Street, north of the Essar Centre and adjacent Memorial Square. By the mid-2010s, however, wear and tear caused by winter weather, snow removal, and other maintenance vehicles caused many of the stone-and-granite markers to become crumbled or otherwise severely damaged. [2] In August 2015, as part of a broader repair plan for Queen Street's sidewalks, the City Council voted to remove the markers from the sidewalk and place them in storage. [3]
With the Walk of Fame's markers removed and its nomination process paused, the City Council spent 2016 and 2017 reviewing new options for the Walk, including replacing the stones with vinyl graphics, illuminated pillars, or aluminum markers on the Essar Centre facade. [4] By Spring 2017, another display concept was considered, one that would place new and existing markers in upright, see-through display cases located throughout downtown. The concept would help preserve the condition of the marble markers, reduce replacement costs for the original stones (5 of those 38 markers were damaged beyond repair), provide year-round access and visibility, and allow for simple display expansion and signage when necessary. [5] This plan would eventually be approved by Council, and the restoration project's results were revealed to the public (with the assistance of original Walk inductee Roberta Bondar) on December 7, 2017. [6] [7]
In late 2021, the Walk of Fame was the subject of review by a city task force. Concerns about the Walk at that time reportedly included the annual frequency of its induction process and whether it created redundancies with other civic awards offered by the City of Sault Ste. Marie. [8] Though no changes to the Walk project were known to have been made, the Sault Downtown Association recommended in a June 2022 meeting to continue the program, though Association members suggested combining Walk induction ceremonies with other civic award events (to give all the awards more visibility), as well as allowing visitors to access online information on Walk honourees via QR codes near the markers. [9]
The 2002 by-law that established the Walk of Fame also established ground rules for Walk inductees, some of which have been adjusted over the years:
In the Walk of Fame's original concept, each inductee was immortalized on a 16-inch granite stone square. Within each square was a marble maple leaf displaying the inductee's name and year of induction. The markers were originally embedded in the sidewalk facing Queen Street, in front of the north end of the GFL Memorial Gardens and the adjacent Memorial Square.
The restored Walk project, which was formally unveiled in December 2017, features cabinets in four locations throughout Downtown Sault Ste. Marie: the GFL Memorial Gardens, the Memorial Tower, the Art Gallery of Algoma, and a parkette at the corner of Queen and March Streets. [6] Each cabinet contains marble leafs that are either replacements for markers damaged at the original Queen Street location, restored markers from the original Walk (and removed from their granite squares), or markers for more recent inductees. The double-sided steel cabinets (each can hold up to 12 markers) are mounted on concrete bases and also feature transparent protective covers, made from the polycarbonate Lexan, through which the markers can be viewed. [7] [5]
Note: (P) indicates a posthumous induction
| Year of Induction | Honoree | Background |
|---|---|---|
| 2006 | Roberta Bondar | neurologist, astronaut, and the first Canadian woman in space |
| 2006 | Francis H. Clergue (P) | industrialist and visionary |
| 2006 | Ken Danby | artist |
| 2006 | Ron Francis | NHL player |
| 2006 | Joanie and Gary McGuffin | adventurers, conservationists, and authors |
| 2006 | Ted Nolan | NHL- and junior-level hockey coach |
| 2006 | Kevin Scott | world-record-setting speedskater |
| 2006 | Morley Torgov | author and humourist |
| 2006 | Treble Charger | recording artists |
| 2006 | Jessica Tuomela | Paralympic swimmer |
| 2007 | Phil Esposito | NHL player, executive, and Team Canada 1972 alumnus |
| 2007 | Tony Esposito | NHL player, executive, and Team Canada 1972 alumnus |
| 2007 | Harry Graham(P) | forester and academic |
| 2007 | John Rhodes (P) | broadcaster and politician |
| 2007 | Darren Zack | softball pitcher |
| 2008 | John Barker(P) | local union leader and driving force behind The Sault's Group Health Centre |
| 2008 | Angelo Bumbacco | junior hockey executive and co-founder of the Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds |
| 2008 | Joni Henson | lyric spinto soprano |
| 2008 | Dr. David Walde | oncologist, cancer treatment pioneer, and hospital fundraiser |
| 2009 | Doreen Hume | Coloratura Soprano soloist |
| 2009 | Edie Kerr (P) | organizer of many curling events, including the 1978 Macdonald Lassies Tournament and 1990 Labatt Brier |
| 2009 | Russ Ramsay (P) | broadcasting executive and MPP for Sault Ste. Marie |
| 2009 | MCpl Scott Vernelli (P) | served in Afghanistan with The Royal Canadian Regiment |
| 2010 | Eric Alessandrini | fundraiser and volunteer |
| 2010 | Dr. Peter Black | neurosurgeon |
| 2010 | Douglas Bradford | artist |
| 2010 | Jo Forman(P) | advocate of secondary school athletics |
| 2011 | Trixie Hardy | Dance instructor and theatrical producer |
| 2011 | Tanya Kim | Television personality ( etalk ) and philanthropist |
| 2011 | Walter Wallace(P) | Educator, member of the Canadian Forces (49th Field Artillery Regiment, RCA) and humanitarian |
| 2012 | Ross Mervyn | Retired steelworker and promoter of anti-drug education and causes |
| 2012 | Walter Newman(P) | Founder of the Boys Naval Brigade |
| 2012 | Brian Vallee (P) | Journalist ( Sault Star , Toronto Sun , Toronto Star , The Fifth Estate ) and author ( Life with Billy ) |
| 2012 | Tony Van Den Bosch | Social worker and pioneer in addiction treatment |
| 2013 | Sir William Hearst (P) | Attorney, MPP for Sault Ste. Marie, and Premier of Ontario (1914-1919) [12] |
| 2013 | Team Jacobs [note 1] | Competitive curlers (champions of the 2013 Tim Hortons Brier) |
| 2014 | Mac and BJ Marcoux | Paralympian alpine skiers |
| 2014 | Lester Pyette | Journalist/editor ( Sault Daily Star , Calgary Sun , Toronto Sun , The London Free Press ) and publishing executive (Sun Media) |
| 2015 | Helen Arvonen (P) | Author |
| 2015 | James W Curran(P) | Publisher of the Sault Star and founder of the Sault Rotary Community Day Parade |
| 2018 | Robert-Ralph Carmichael (P) | Artist and designer of the common loon image on the $1 Canadian coin [13] |
| 2018 | Mae & Dr. Lou(P) Lukenda | Philanthropists (benefactors of educational, athletic, and medical causes) and entrepreneurs (majority owner of Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds) [13] [14] |
| 2019 | David Johnston Sharon Johnston | Academic and the 28th Governor General of Canada Writer, philanthropist, and mental health advocate [15] |
| 2019 | Sherry Walsh | Dancer and artistic director of the Sherry Walsh Academy of Dance Arts [15] |
| 2021 | Carey Bock(P) | Champion in the sports of darts and ten-pin bowling [16] |
| 2021 | Joseph Klukay (P) | NHL all-star and Stanley Cup champion (Toronto Maple Leafs, Boston Bruins) [16] |
| 2022 | Tim Ryan(P) | Musician (co-founding member of Jackson Hawke) [17] |
| 2022 | Bob Yeomans(P) | Musician (co-founding member of Jackson Hawke) [17] |
Algoma Steel Inc. is an integrated primary steel producer located on the St. Marys River in Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario, Canada. Its products are sold in Canada and the United States as well as overseas. Algoma Steel was founded in 1902 by Francis Clergue, an American entrepreneur who had settled in Sault Ste. Marie. The company emerged from bankruptcy protection in 2004. In April 2007, Algoma Steel was purchased by India's Essar Group for US$ 1.63 billion, continuing operations as a subsidiary known as Essar Steel Algoma Inc. It was purchased again in 2017, by a group of US investors.
The Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds are a major junior ice hockey team in the Ontario Hockey League. The Greyhounds play home games at the GFL Memorial Gardens. The present team was founded in 1962 as a team in the Northern Ontario Hockey Association. The Greyhounds name has been used by several ice hockey teams based in Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario, Canada, since 1919.
Francis Hector Clergue was an American businessman who became the leading industrialist of Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario, Canada, at the turn of the 20th century.
The Sault Memorial Gardens was a former ice hockey arena in Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario, for 57 years from 1949 to 2006. It was located in the heart of the downtown district at 169 Queen Street. The Gardens was one of the first Northern Ontario arenas to have artificial ice, and seated 3,990 spectators.
Russell Harold Ramsay was a politician in Ontario, Canada. He served in the Legislative Assembly of Ontario from 1978 to 1985, and was a cabinet minister in the government of William Davis. Ramsay was a member of the Progressive Conservative Party.
The GFL Memorial Gardens, formerly the "Essar Centre", is a 4,928 seat sports and entertainment centre in downtown Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario, Canada. It opened on September 29, 2006, replacing the now demolished Sault Memorial Gardens. The new building was constructed directly next door to the former Memorial Gardens and incorporated its most distinctive feature, the Memorial Tower, into its plans. The block surrounding the arena is called "Memorial Square."
Jessica Tuomela is a Canadian paralympic competitive swimmer and para triathlete who was born in Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario. She won silver in the 50-metre freestyle at the 2000 Summer Paralympics and bronze in the Women's PTVI Paratriathlon at the 2022 Commonwealth Games.
The Sault Star is a Canadian broadsheet daily newspaper based in Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario. It is owned by Postmedia.
Sault Ste. Marie Transit Services is a local public transportation service serving the city of Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario providing seven major bus routes and two community bus routes serviced by a fleet of 27 buses and 2 minibuses. The Parabus service consists of 11 vehicles.
The Art Gallery of Algoma (AGA) is an art museum in Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario, Canada. The museum occupies a 930 square metres (10,000 sq ft) facility, situated near the shoreline of St. Marys River.
The city of Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario, Canada contains a significant number of named residential neighbourhoods, including Bayview, Broadview Gardens, Brookfield, Buckley, Carpin Beach, Cedar Heights, East Korah, Eastside, Fort Creek, Grandview Gardens, Korah, Manitou Park, McQueen, Meadow Park, Nokomis Beach, Odena, The P Patch, Pointe aux Pins, Pointe des Chênes, Pointe Louise and Steelton.
Shingwauk Kinoomaage Gamig is a Canadian Indigenous-led institute, with Algoma University in Sault Ste. Marie as one of its main partners. Shingwauk Kinoomaage Gamig is one of nine Indigenous institutes in Ontario's post-secondary system and collaborates with other colleges and universities to offer post-secondary programs geared specifically toward Indigenous students.
David Ellis is a Canadian architect, based in Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario. He is perhaps best known for his winning entry for the World Bank's Malaysian Health Development Project Design Competition along with his countless architectural designs built in Sault Ste Marie, Ontario. "Design is not a product, but a process", David Ellis stated this phrase to explain his view of architectural philosophy through his commitment to architecture, planning and interior design. This philosophy led into his design specialty for buildings that have complex academic innovation as well as attention to the human condition. His vision included revitalizing Northern communities and bringing technology and detail to the human condition. Many of David Ellis' design choices come from a relationship between building and environment, "Everyone needs to have a relationship with their environment".
49th Field Artillery Regiment, RCA, is a Canadian Forces Primary Reserve regiment based in Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario. The regiment is part of 4th Canadian Division's 33 Canadian Brigade Group.
Sault Ste. Marie is a city in Ontario, Canada. The third-largest city in Northern Ontario after Sudbury and Thunder Bay, it is located on the St. Mary's River on the Canada–US border. To the southwest, across the river, is the United States and the Michigan city of the same name. The two cities are joined by the Sault Ste. Marie International Bridge, which connects Interstate 75 on the Michigan side to Huron Street on the Ontario side. Shipping traffic in the Great Lakes system bypasses the Saint Mary's Rapids via the American Soo Locks, the world's busiest canal in terms of tonnage that passes through it, while smaller recreational and tour boats use the Canadian Sault Ste. Marie Canal.
Christian Provenzano is a Canadian politician, who was elected mayor of Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario, in the 2014 municipal election. He served as mayor until 2022.
Brian Michael Vallée (1940–2011) was a Canadian author, journalist, documentary film producer, screenwriter, and public speaker. He is best known for his work reflecting on domestic violence and his role with CBC's award-winning documentary program The Fifth Estate. His first non-fiction book, Life With Billy focused on the life of Jane Hurshman, an abused wife whose legal case resulted in battered wife syndrome becoming a legal defense in Canadian courts.
Shingwauk Indian Residential School was a Canadian residential school for First Nations, Métis, and Inuit children that operated in Canada between 1873 and 1970 in Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario, by the Anglican Church of Canada and the Government of Canada.
The Shingwauk Residential Schools Centre (SRSC) is an archival repository and cross-cultural education centre within Algoma University with a special mandate to collect and preserve material relating to the legacy residential schools in Canada, healing and reconciliation, and Indigenous communities. The Shingwauk Residential Schools Centre is jointly governed by Algoma University and the Children of Shingwauk Alumni Association. It is a partner with the Engracia de Jesus Matias Archives and Special Collections which is also located at Algoma University.
Sault Ste. Marie Museum is a museum in Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario, Canada. Built as a post office from 1902 to 1906, this building became a museum in 1982 when it was purchased by the City of Sault Ste. Marie. It is operated by the Sault Ste. Marie & 49th Field Regiment R.C.A. Historical Society.