Sault Ste. Marie's downtown feels like a good news/bad news story lately.
The good news is the downtown core has seen a number of improvements in recent years, with a fresh face put on old buildings thanks to the city's ongoing mural project, a new pharmacy and general store just this month, and a publicly-funded 'plaza' on the horizon.
The bad news is downtown merchants say crime and drug use issues downtown are getting worse. Police confirm that commercial break-ins are on the rise, and Chief Hugh Stevenson told city council recently that more patrols means devoting more tax dollars to the issue.
Is our trajectory more good than bad or more bad than good? Tell us what you think in the poll below: