Letter to the Editor - August 12 2026
To the Editor,
Homelessness, mental health and addictions are difficult subjects but they are realities in Ward 2 every day. They affect people experiencing crisis, their families, neighbours, businesses, frontline workers and the community as a whole.
Through my volunteer work in social services, I have seen the human reality behind these issues. I have also heard clearly from residents and businesses who are frustrated, worried and too often left feeling that no one is accountable when public spaces become unsafe, properties deteriorate or repeated calls for help do not lead to lasting change.
Both realities can be true at once.
Ward 2 carries a disproportionate share of social disorder calls and is where many of the city's social services, mental health programs and addiction services are delivered. It also has more visibly unhoused people than any other part of our community. Residents deserve to feel safe in their neighbourhoods. Businesses deserve clean, welcoming streets where customers and staff feel comfortable. People in crisis deserve housing, treatment, health care and the support necessary to live safely and successfully.
We must stop treating this as a problem for one agency, one neighbourhood or one level of government to solve alone.
The homelessness crisis must be understood as both a housing and a healthcare issue. Housing is the fundamental answer to homelessness - yes, but in today’s complex circumstances, housing alone is not enough. People need a place to call home, but many also need the support that allows them to live safely and successfully within those four walls. Those walls will not look the same for every individual. Needs vary by circumstance, age, gender, health status and lived experience. For some, a traditional apartment or rental unit may be appropriate. For others, permanent supportive housing, integrated mental health and addiction care, community paramedicine or other innovative models are the key to their stability.
But compassion must also come with accountability.
We will help people in crisis, but we cannot abandon the neighbourhoods carrying the consequences of fragmented systems.
If elected as your Ward 2 councillor, I will advocate for a coordinated neighbourhood response table that brings together the City, police, fire, bylaw, healthcare and mental health providers, housing organizations, social service agencies, downtown businesses and residents. And the advocacy cannot stop there; I will also press our provincial and federal partners for sustained investment. Municipalities cannot be left to manage this crisis alone.
That means advocating for:
More supportive and innovative housing options, paired with the services people need to remain safely housed
Better coordination among emergency services, hospitals, mental health organizations and community providers, including bringing healthcare supports to where people are at and when they need them most
More proactive action on unsafe and deteriorating properties, illegal dumping, needles, garbage and other persistent neighbourhood concerns
Clear operating expectations for supportive housing and social service facilities, including safety, security, neighbourhood integration and responsiveness to local concerns
Stronger incentives and urban planning that improve access to supports and services while preserving the safety and vibrancy of Ward 2 neighbourhoods.
Public reporting on key outcomes, including calls for service, fires, overdoses, property complaints, response times and progress toward housing and treatment goals
We are already paying for this crisis. We pay when hospital capacity is strained, when police, fire and EMS are repeatedly called, when front-line workers are stretched beyond their limits, when businesses lose confidence, when property values decline and when residents feel unsafe in their own neighbourhoods.
We have a choice: invest proactively in community well-being, coordinated services and appropriate housing; or continue to limp an overburdened system along while the human and financial costs rise.
Ward 2 is home to some of our city’s greatest assets: our downtown, waterfront, businesses, institutions and established neighbourhoods. It has enormous potential, but that potential depends on restoring confidence that your local government sees the challenges residents face and is prepared to act.
I believe we can build a Ward 2, and a Sault Ste. Marie, that is safer, cleaner, more compassionate and more accountable. That is the work I will bring to city council.
Stephanie Pagnucco
Ward 2 Candidate
