For more than three decades, Sault Ste. Marie has been home to the headquarters of the Ontario Lottery and Gaming Corporation, but despite that designation hundreds of OLG jobs have continued to be based in Toronto.
I have been advocating to change that during my time in elected office. As a City Councillor in 2018, I brought a resolution to Council calling on provincial political parties to commit to moving all OLG jobs to Sault Ste. Marie. My position was simple then and remains the same today: Sault Ste. Marie is OLG’s headquarters, and OLG jobs belong here.
After becoming Mayor, I continued making that case directly to OLG and the provincial government. I met with OLG President and CEO Duncan Hannay and its Board Chair shortly after taking office and continued discussions about expanding the corporation’s local workforce. In 2024, I addressed OLG’s Board of Directors and Executive Management Team directly, making the economic case for centralizing more of its operations in Sault Ste. Marie.
That advocacy produced incremental progress, including a senior executive position being relocated to Sault Ste. Marie, a recruitment fair focused exclusively on filling local vacancies and the appointment of a Sault Ste. Marie representative to OLG’s board.
That work became even more urgent following the announcement on December 1, 2025 that more than 1,000 positions at Algoma Steel would be affected as the company accelerated its transition to electric arc furnace steelmaking amid the impact of U.S. tariffs.
OLG pledges 150 new jobs in SSM
“The hirings by the Crown agency follow a commitment by Premier Doug Ford to assist the community following Algoma Steel announcing about 1,000 job cuts late last year. Mayor Matthew Shoemaker asked for OLG jobs to part of that effort.”
Premier Doug Ford called me that morning. During our conversation, he committed that bringing OLG jobs to Sault Ste. Marie would be part of the Province’s response to the economic challenge facing our community. I continued pressing the case that expanding OLG’s local workforce was one of the fastest ways the Province could help diversify and stabilize Sault Ste. Marie’s economy while longer-term projects moved forward.
Eight months later, that commitment became a concrete jobs announcement. In August 2026, the Province and OLG announced plans to fill approximately 150 positions in Sault Ste. Marie over three years, increasing OLG’s local workforce by approximately 12 per cent. The positions include opportunities in operations, product management, technology, corporate services and other areas, with hiring already underway. These are good-paying jobs that create opportunities for people already living here, young people beginning their careers and Saultites who want the opportunity to come home.
“A big thank you to Mayor Shoemaker for leading the charge and helping bring 150 good paying jobs to Sault Ste. Marie.”
“The mayor has been very persistent about it, but for good reason…it was critical we find a way to support the community.”
“These are high-quality, good-paying jobs in areas like operations, product management, corporate services.”
They are also part of a much longer relationship between OLG and Sault Ste. Marie. OLG currently employs more than 520 people locally, and since 1999 the City has received nearly $40 million through OLG’s Municipal Contribution Agreement, supporting infrastructure, capital projects, emergency services and other community priorities.
The announcement of 150 jobs is significant progress, particularly at a time when our economy is facing serious uncertainty from the challenges confronting Algoma Steel, but it isn’t the end of this effort.
There are still more OLG employees working in the Toronto area than at the corporation’s Sault Ste. Marie headquarters. I will continue advocating for that balance to shift toward our community and for Sault Ste. Marie to receive the full economic benefit that should come with being home to OLG’s headquarters.
“I’m not done pestering. My position has always been that all the jobs should be here because we are the headquarters. This gets us one step closer.” It’s a position that’s been heard clearly by the provincial government, which credited Shoemaker’s advocacy as an important part of the announcement.