Norgoma just a bit player in Sault history, Shoemaker says

After last night's City Council meeting, it seems nothing remains to stop M.S. Norgoma from losing the city-owned berth she's occupied for more than four decades on the Sault waterfront.

Ward 3 Coun. Matthew Shoemaker, who majored in history at Algoma University and has been cited as an authority on Prohibition-era Ontario politics, isn't crying over the Norgoma's banishment.

Speaking last night to his fellow councillors, Shoemaker rejected any suggestion that we're throwing out an important piece of Sault Ste. Marie's past.

"M.S. Norgoma is a ship that was built by the Owen Sound Transportation Co. in Collingwood," he said.

"For the first 13 years of its service, the Norgoma was a passenger freighter that travelled the Turkey Trail between Collingwood, Owen Sound, Tobermory, Manitoulin Island, Killarney, Thessalon, Bruce Mines and Sault Ste. Marie, among other stops."

"That ceased in 1963 when the Trans Canada Highway was completed and the car became the main mode of transportation across Ontario. For the next 11 years, from '63 to '74, the Norgoma... served as a car ferry between Tobermory and the Bruce Peninsula."

"In 1975, it ceased operations entirely as a vessel. In its 35 years as a vessel, only 13 of them were in Sault Ste. Marie – even had any connection to Sault Ste. Marie. It was one stop on a multi-stop trail."

"It's been on our waterfront ever since that time. Other ships have a much more significant connection to the Sault than the Norgoma has ever had."

"Other than having been on our waterfront for the past 30-plus years, the ship's connection to Sault Ste. Marie prior to 1975 is pretty tenuous."

"I suggest that if the name did not finish with 'goma' we would not be having this discussion at all."

"I recognize that volunteers have put many years of work into the ship to attempt to make it a well-attended attraction. It has not worked and I do not believe that Sault Ste. Marie's marine history is intertwined with Norgoma's history," Shoemaker said.

He and seven other councillors voted last night to advise St. Mary's River Marine Heritage Centre that the Norgoma must be moved out of Roberta Bondar Marina by April 15.

Opposing the resolution were Ward 1 Coun. Sandra Hollingsworth and Ward 2's Luke Dufour and Lisa Vezeau-Allen.

The marine centre proposed a last-minute alternative location: the former docking-site of the Chief Shingwauk tour boat on the west pier of Roberta Bondar Park.

But city staff had already considered and quickly rejected that site last year, arguing that dredging would be needed and the Norgoma would jut out past the end of the dock, affecting the arrival of cruise ships.

Also, there are not enough bollards there to properly tie the museum ship and the location is further complicated by strong currents in that spot.

Both the marine centre board and city staff have searched for many months for alternative locations for the Norgoma.

Unless the museum board can now discover an alternative location in less than a month, the city is planning to tow the ship to the Purvis Dock at Algoma Steel, billing the $50,000 cost to the volunteer-run marine centre.

The ship will be allowed to stay no more than one year at the temporary location and Purvis will charge a discounted berthing rate of $40 a day.

If the marine heritage centre becomes insolvent because of the move, the Norgoma will either be decommissioned at an estimated cost of $150,000 or be provided to a new owner interested in moving the boat elsewhere.

Warren McFadden, a member of the marine centre board, offered little hope of a positive outcome.

"We don't have the capital for it. We'd have to liquidate what we have," McFadden said.

The temporary berth behind Algoma Steel will not be accessible to the public.

That will put an end to public visits, a film shoot that was to happen there in May, and all other possibilities for the marine heritage board to generate cash.

"The cost of $50,000 to move the ship must inevitably create insolvency with the organization. We are basicially dooming it to fail," said Coun. Lisa Vezeau-Allen.

"It will end the organization that has been working very diligently. We will be then, for lack of a better word, stuck with the ship," she said.

"We've been looking for a place for this ship for a long, long time," said Ward 5 Coun. Corey Gardi.

"As part of what we do here, we have to be decisive. I appreciate those people who are working hard at it.... but it hasn't been viable," Gardi said.

The city is anxious to move the Norgoma soon to allow a dock-replacement project to proceed there this spring.

With the Norgoma gone, city staff estimate they'll be able to add between four and six new slips at Bondar Marina, allowing longer boats and bringing more that $10,000 a year in new revenues.

Vair said last night that the marine heritage centre is believed to have $20,000 in cash to pay for the move to Algoma Steel.

The remaining cost would be drawn from city reserve accounts, if necessary.

Coun. Hollingsworth expressed concern that the film shoot must be cancelled.

"We are trying to build a film industry in our city and we don't want to alienate any movie company," she said.

"With no more chances of revenue for this group, therefore they're not going to be able to exist, if you're not giving them accessibility," Hollingsworth added.

"The location is a temporary location," said Vair. "This isn't the place where this boat will remain for an extended period of time. It does have to be moved. The hope is that the folks at the M.S. Norgoma can find another location for the boat. If they can't obviously we have to cross that bridge at that time."

Councillors learned last night that the Bondar Marina broke even in 2017 but ran a $19,000 deficit last year because of fuel costs.

Only about 75 per cent of docks at the marina are actually used.

"This ship has been sorely underfunded and not supported, not just by our community at large but by the city," Mayor Provenzano said.

"The marina needs significant investment. Our downtown transitory marina is not a very nice marina. It needs significant investment and we need to make that investment to make our downtown more attractive for boats. The docks are old the docks do not handle boats over 26 feet very well. The marina is ill-equipped to be a busy marina. I think we can fill that marina if the marina is upgraded."

"Staff have worked very hard over the last couple of years to find a solution. There simply isn't one. Nobody wants to put this ship in front of their place. Nobody wants this ship. There's no place for this ship. We don't have a place for it anymore in our marina," the mayor said.