Participants brave bitter cold for Women’s March in Sault’s downtown

More than 20 women and men, representing several groups and causes, gathered in front of the Sault Ste. Marie Courthouse Saturday afternoon for a series of brief speeches, followed by a walk through the downtown core for the Sault Ste Marie District Labour Council’s first Women's March for social justice.

U.S. President Donald Trump being a controversial leader and not exactly a favourite with many groups, including women’s groups, Tara Maszczakiewicz, Region 6 vice-president for the Ontario Public Service Employees Union, told SooToday, “This event stems from the day after Trump’s inauguration (in January 2017), when a group of women got together in Washington to march, and it’s expanded since then, and it’s really just to bring awareness to women’s rights and human rights.”

“This march is not associated directly with the U.S. national march, but we have a loose affiliation right now with the Women’s March Canada, so really we’re doing it under the auspices of the Ontario Federation of Labour,” Maszczakiewicz said.

Women and men with an interest in labour issues (such as the freezing of Ontario’s minimum-wage increase), violence against women, LGBTQ community concerns and Indigenous Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women activists gathered for Saturday’s march.

“It’s all about social justice ... We want to continue this march and engage the community. We believe this needs to happen every year. We face the risk of going backwards as a society, and we want to move forward,” Maszczakiewicz said.

After speeches were given in front of the Sault Ste. Marie Courthouse, participants went on a march in the bitter cold, west on Queen Street toward GFL Memorial Gardens, down Bruce Street, east along Bay Street, turning north at Sault Ste. Marie MPP Ross Romano’s constituency office at the corner of Bay and Elgin, then off to Shabby Motley for much-needed hot chocolate.