Local organizers are planning to hold an 'Elbows Up' rally in Sault Ste. Marie on Saturday, April 26, either at the downtown plaza or at the Roberta Bondar Tent Pavilion.
City council will be asked next week to chip in $1,300 worth of in-kind services including equipment, insurance, staffing costs and cleaning services for the event.
"There is a grassroots movement in Sault Ste. Marie to bring an ‘Elbows Up’ event here following on the lead of ‘Elbows Up’ Toronto and ‘Elbows Up’ Ottawa," said Brent Lamming, the city's deputy chief administrative officer for community development and enterprise services.
"Working collaboratively with the ‘Elbows Up’ national group, it is the aim of our local committee to host a similar kind of event here in Sault Ste. Marie on Saturday, April 26, 2025.
"The goal of these events is to bring Canadians of all stripes together to stand united, strong, and resilient in these difficult times."
The rally is intended to be family-friendly, nonpartisan and peaceful.
"The preference would be to host the event at the plaza," Lamming said in a report prepared for Monday's city council meeting.
"The date lands on a Soo Market day, which has local businesses providing their goods and services and aligns well with the theme of the event.
"The event will include a rally (approximately one-and-a-half hours) featuring a welcome by local First Nations drummers and dancers, who will also proclaim the land acknowledgment, speeches from local dignitaries, some musical interludes, and concluding with a massive singing of O Canada."
An afterparty, following the official rally, will have performances by local musicians, food trucks, local artisans, and beverages from the cantina.
Monday's city council meeting will be livestreamed on SooToday starting at 5 p.m.