Downtown Association issues apology for ‘confusion’ over meeting postponement

Sault Ste. Marie's Downtown Association has issued a formal apology related to its postponement of a town hall meeting to deal with safety and security issues in the city's core.

The statement apologizes to Sault Ste. Marie Social Services, Canadian Mental Health Association, and Sault Ste. Marie Police Service "for any misunderstandings or miscommunication that occurred surrounding the planning and announcement of the event on September 26, 2024."

As SooToday reported on Monday night, the town hall was originally to have happened on Thursday, Sept. 26 at Mane Street Café at 626 Queen St. East.

Members of the public were welcome but were asked to RSVP.

On Tuesday, we reported that meeting would be postponed, and that Julie Hryniewicz, a former police officer and founder of the now-closed drop-in space Lodge 137 had booked the same meeting room at the same time, for a grassroots discussion of downtown safety issues.

"There is still a need to have this conversation," Hryniewicz said.

The new apology from the Downtown Association states that its original planned event "was for Downtown Association members."

Downtown Association meetings must be held in compliance with relevant open-meeting law and SooToday made extensive efforts prior to publication to confirm that the public would be allowed to attend the town hall.

"Yes, it's open to the public," Nicholas Luck, the association's executive director, told us in a text message on Monday afternoon.

"We prefer that members of the public RSVP due to capacity limits," Luck said.

The following is the full text of the Downtown Association's apology statement:

Public statement 

Downtown Association Safety & Security Subcommittee Event Postponement

The intent of this statement is to formally apologize to Sault Ste. Marie Social Services, Canadian Mental Health Association, and Sault Ste. Marie Police Services for any misunderstandings or miscommunication that occurred surrounding the planning and announcement of the event on September 26, 2024.

The reason for the postponement was due to a time-sensitive, very high-priority matter that arose for partners participating in the event.

The event was for Downtown Association members to meet with representatives from Sault Ste. Marie Police Service, Canadian Mental Health Association, and Sault Ste. Marie Social Services with questions allowed to be sent in advance.

The intent was to explore ways to educate and foster meaningful relationships between our members and frontline workers commitment to the housing, mental health, addictions, and public health disparities in the downtown.

Any events related to this matter that are organized outside of the safety and security subcommittee are not endorsed by the Downtown Association.

We are thankful for the hard work and dedication from Sault Ste. Marie Social Services, Canadian Mental Health Association, and Sault Ste. Marie Police Service for their service to our community and to our membership.

We apologize for the confusion and misunderstanding that may have occurred surrounding the announcement of the event and welcome any comments or concerns regarding the Downtown Association’s conduct with this.

To see the full statement document, click here.