Sault Ste. Marie, Ont., utility gets thanks for helping neighbours in northern Michigan

Jonathan Migneault · CBC News

· Posted: Apr 08, 2025 6:00 AM EDT | Last Updated: 1 infinitesimal ago

Despite existent governmental tensions betwixt Canada and the United States, Rob Brewer says helium didn't deliberation doubly erstwhile helium was asked to nonstop a hydro unit southbound of the borderline to assistance aft a wintertime tempest hammered parts of bluish Michigan.

Brewer is the president and CEO of PUC Services, the hydro and h2o inferior for Sault Ste. Marie, Ont., which borders a municipality of the aforesaid sanction successful Michigan's precocious peninsula.

"Sault, Michigan has been our neighbour for 108 years," helium said.

"There's gonna beryllium immoderate ups and downs with respect to governmental enactment and that benignant of thing. But astatine the extremity of the day, you know, our kids play hockey together. We sojourn rather regularly successful some directions… And truthful we get a telephone similar that asking for help. We're going to go."

Brewer said the Cloverland Electric Cooperative successful Michigan requested his assistance erstwhile a wintertime tempest deed the authorities successful precocious March, which chopped powerfulness to thousands of homes.

PUC Services ended up sending a five-person unit southbound to assistance repair damaged powerfulness lines.

"You perceive stories with what's been going connected with respect to the governmental broadside astir radical not being welcomed," Brewer said.

"That has not been our experience. I tin archer you it has conscionable been phenomenal. I deliberation the bonds we person are stronger than immoderate of the existent concern volition impact."

A convey you letter

To amusement their appreciation, a radical of residents from the affected country banded unneurotic to acquisition ads successful the Toronto Star and Sault Star newspapers to convey the inferior workers from the Canadian Sault for their help.

Patrick Shannon, a retired authoritative from Sault Ste. Marie, Mich., was 1 of the radical who signed the convey you letter.

"The Ontario radical coming implicit to assistance was conscionable an denotation of however we enactment together," helium said.

Shannon's location is adjacent the St. Marys River and helium said helium sees Canada whenever helium looks retired the window.

He said his assemblage has had adjacent ties with its Canadian neighbours for implicit a century.

"Fighting with Canada is stupid. It's conscionable boneheaded," helium said astir the ongoing commercialized warfare betwixt some countries.

Margaret Doud, the longtime politician of Mackinac Island, Mich., besides signed the letter. 

"We privation to proceed to beryllium large neighbors and we conscionable wanted to marque definite everyone successful Canada knew that we appreciated their help," she said.

Mackinac Island is simply a fashionable tourer destination and Doud said she worries tensions betwixt some countries volition interaction the upcoming question season.

"We anticipation that it volition beryllium resolved and everything volition get backmost to normal," she said.

Rod Nelson, the retired CEO of the Mackinac Straits Health System, signed the missive and said helium disagrees with his national government's attack to Canada.

"I deliberation it's precise bittersweet that definite statements person been made by folks successful Washington, D.C. astir our Canadian friends," helium said.