Local Liberal incumbent Terry Sheehan is countering an election promise made by Conservative candidate Hugh Stevenson to make downtown Sault Ste. Marie a place to “shop, work, and enjoy themselves without fear.”
Sheehan took to social media on Friday, dismissing the pledge made by the former Sault Police chief in a statement provided to SooToday this week.
“Conservative candidate Hugh Stevenson says his priority is going to be creating a safer downtown. He was police chief in Sault Ste. Marie for years,” Sheehan said in the Facebook post.
“Over the years he was the chief, the police budget increased, in the end by several millions of dollars. He had his chance to make the downtown safer.
“He didn't then, he won't now.”
Stevenson was sworn in as chief of Sault Ste. Marie Police Service in June 2018, serving as the city’s top cop for nearly seven years before abruptly tendering his resignation, effective March 23, to run for the Conservatives in next month’s federal election.
The federal Conservative candidate for the Sault Ste. Marie-Algoma riding made $225,782.27 as police chief in 2024.
Crime statistics from the police service show that reported incidents of both violent crime and property crime decreased significantly in 2024 when compared to statistics from the previous year.
While reported incidents have decreased, figures compiled by Sault Police and the City of Sault Ste. Marie show that police spending has increased year-over-year during Stevenson’s tenure as police chief:
- 2019: $25,526,849
- 2020: $27,539,145
- 2021: $29,570,897
- 2022: $32,001,283
- 2023: $33,266,837
- 2024: $37,129,723
- 2025: $40,170,897
In a written statement provided to SooToday, Stevenson said he’ll make it his first priority to create a safer downtown in the Sault should he be elected as member of Parliament.
“I’ve chosen to run as the Conservative candidate in this federal election because I’ve seen firsthand the consequences of a lost Liberal decade—rising crime, chaos, drug abuse, and disorder taking hold in our streets,” Stevenson said in the statement.
“Liberal bill C-5 allows dangerous criminals to avoid jail time for serious crimes like gun offences, leaving communities less safe. Liberal bill C-75 makes it way too easy for violent offenders to get bail and has created a revolving door allowing them back on the streets to hurt people again.
“I’m running with Pierre Poilievre because I believe we need to reverse these Liberal policies that have unleashed a crime wave across this country.”
Sheehan didn't hold back when SooToday asked him to elaborate on his social media post.
"I think it’s fair to point out that if he couldn’t do it as the police chief, he’s not going to be able to do it as the MP," Sheehan said in a written response Saturday.
"Hugh spent a lot of time and made a lot of effort politicizing federal legislation without offering any solutions. The truth is, none of the legislation passed by our government requires police services to release repeat offenders.
"If Hugh released repeat offenders as a police chief, he did that because he chose to, not because he was required to."
The federal election will be held April 28.
Other candidates running in the Sault Ste. Marie - Algoma riding include Laura Mayer for the NDP and Harry Jaaskelainen for the People's Party of Canada, who replaced Arnold Heino.