Francis Avanti
493167 
Coun. Caputo refuses to cross border to attend tonight’s council meeting
SooToday
68I absolutely understand the desire to not travel to the United States, but I want our elected officials working with their American counterparts to get the tariffs lifted. I'd rather see our councillors attending the joint meeting to work with SSM Michigan. We're a great example of the benefit of cross border economic integration.
20- Francis Avanti
Premier Doug Ford chooses new candidate for Sault Ste. Marie
SooToday 67I normally just vote for the candidate of the party most likely to win the election. Getting a government member elected helps give us a better chance to get government funding (you'd hope), but this is awful. This guy doesn't currently live or (has ever lived?) here. Is there not one qualified citizen to run for the PCs? His LinkedIn profile shows that he was based in Toronto, despite what our former MPP says.
12- Francis Avanti
Council backs mayor: King Charles' portrait won't be hung at city hall
SooToday 27I'm not particularly moved by this issue either pro or anti monarchy (there are more important matters related to the municipality to be addressed) but I am pleased that the city placed a photo of Chief Shingwauk instead of the King.
33- Francis Avanti
Letter writer who used a pen name says he regrets it
SooToday 36Not wanting attention or drama is something I can identify with; I fail to see how submitting a letter to the editor under your real name would bring a substantial amount of either. Attempting to use an alias and getting caught is what caused the attention.
5- Francis Avanti
‘Something special’: This is a big moment for Canadian tourism
24Given the ever falling (and remarkably low to begin with) approval rating of the president, the aforementioned 'cult' is appealing to the majority of Americans. Apparently, they share in the derangement.
11- Francis Avanti
Sheepdogs keep the crowd feeling good at the Machine Shop
SooToday 27@Canadian Beaver, Props for being the most downvoted commenter in SooToday history! No small feat.
1- Francis Avanti
Police Services Board announces new chair and vice chair following resignations
SooToday 19I'd think this is the right move considering the budget situation. The board needs new leadership.
8- Francis Avanti
Sault’s new kaiser of cash to be named on Monday
SooToday 26The city is audited by a third party (KPMG) every year - https://saultstemarie.ca/government/budget-and-financial-statements/
1- Francis Avanti
City assigns 90 downtown parking passes to big office users
SooToday 13I don't often agree with City Council, but they got this one right! Turning down Joe Fratesi aka the wrong man for the job and the worst thing to ever happen to SSM is always the right move.
12- Francis Avanti
'There's a new energy': Sheehan says Liberals are ready to hit the polls
SooToday 17Minor correction needed: the current federal Conservative Party is not known as Progressive Conservative any longer.
7- Francis Avanti
Look who’s getting promoted at city hall
SooToday 12The article outlines the candidate's work experience, and they are demonstrably qualified. Several congratulatory comments reference their positive characteristics. What compels you to leave a comment of this nature? I'd suggest your answer reflects poorly on you and not the intended target of your comment.
7- Francis Avanti
BREAKING: Sault police chief abruptly resigns to run for federal Conservatives
SooToday 12Kudos to you sir for handling this situation in a classy and dignified manner.
6- Francis Avanti
WATCH: YouTube star explores Twin Saults in viral video
SooToday 6Props to Tom from the Tower of History - before watching that YouTube video, I had never heard someone mention that there is more stringent environmental regulation (or regulation of any sort) in the US compared to Canada.
12- Francis Avanti
Downtown plaza needs more cash, city council will be told next week
SooToday 9They can't. As the article references, these particular funds have to be spent on tourism related initiatives.
9- Francis Avanti
Sault Ste. Marie will investigate cost of switching to OPP protection
SooToday 14I do find it hilarious that the statement from the police union mentions that they aren't playing politics, but they did quite literally play politics last month with an endorsement of a federal political candidate.
2- Francis Avanti
Decision to block rehiring of police chief done democratically: Shoemaker
SooToday 11At least in the case of council, they are politicians seeking a different public office (in this hypothetical) who take a leave of absence instead of resigning. In the case of a former chief, we're talking about a non political position seeking a public elected office. I think it is appropriate that you'd need to resign in that circumstance.
4- Francis Avanti
Fratesi warns city’s parking-pass scheme could be illegal
SooToday 12Council would be wise to take Joe's advice seriously! His political and bureaucratic career (and his actions) demonstrates his in depth knowledge of municipal illegality
2- Francis Avanti
NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh says he will call for a spring election
SooToday 13Nor does he have mine! I don't live in Burnaby South, mind you.
- Francis Avanti
City scrambles to reign in projected deficit as high as $3.45M
SooToday 11At least in the case of Public Works, it is weather dependant (I believe they were under budget in 2024) and they reported it to Council in the first quarter of the current year of the deficit. For police, the 2024 deficit wasn't made public until mid 2025.
- Francis Avanti
Extreme cold cancels school buses in Wawa, White River, Dubreuilville, Chapleau, and Hornepayne
SooToday 9What's next looks to be a little less frigid weather tomorrow and a likely resumption of school bus service. By keeping schools open today, I don't believe the suggestion is that kids walk there, rather parents have the option to drop kids off should childcare arrangements prove to be elusive.
2- Francis Avanti
