This article was first published by SooToday, a Village Media publication.
Ross Romano, the man responsible for making sure Progressive Conservative MPPs show up and vote in the Ontario Legislature, will himself be a no-show after the next provincial election.
SooToday has learned that the Sault Ste. Marie MPP and chief government whip will announce Thursday that he will not seek re-election.
Romano is scheduled to give the last member statement before tomorrow's question period.
"While I will not be seeking re-election, I will not sit on the sidelines," Romano will say in a letter to his constituents to be read to the Legislative Assembly of Ontario around 10:20 a.m. to 10:40 a.m.
He intends to continue serving as Sault Ste. Marie's MPP until his term expires.
Romano was first elected as Sault MPP in a provincial byelection in 2017 following the resignation of David Orazietti.
He was re-elected in 2018 and 2022, and has served as minister of colleges and universities and minister of government and consumer services.
The following is a night-before draft of the statement Romano has prepared to make tomorrow in the Ontario Legislature:
To my constituents,
In 2004 I came back home to Sault Ste. Marie following three years at the University of Windsor Law School.
Heather moved here from her hometown of Markham in 2005 and in 2009 we were married.
We wanted to start our family here, having both shared an incredible love for this community, but we knew there were serious challenges facing it.
For years I told her about the struggles of the 1990s at Algoma Steel which prompted so many young people to leave.
Families watched as their children graduated from high school only to move away in search of opportunities elsewhere – for decades, our population shrank.
In 2011 St. Mary’s Pulp and Paper Mill produced their final product. By 2015, Tenaris had essentially shut down operations. OLG jobs were being lost.
Our steel mill was once again in creditor protection proceedings for the third time in less than 25 years. The jobs of more than 2,800 active steel workers and the pensions of nearly 9,000 retired steel workers were in jeopardy.
Our three boys were very young at the time and we were worried for their future here, and for the future of all of Sault Ste. Marie.
I had been asked to carry the PC banner in the upcoming 2018 provincial election but I couldn’t see myself doing it.
One evening while explaining to Heather all of the reasons why, she said something to me that changed everything: “You’ve been telling me for years how hard it was growing up here; always afraid that you would eventually be forced to leave this place and that one day, when we had kids, they would come to know that same feeling. I never understood what you meant, but now I get it, and yes this will be very hard on us, but we will manage. We always do, and I know you, I know how stubborn you are, you are a dog on a bone and you have to run, and you have to win, and you have to go make this place a home that our kids, and everyone’s kids can stay in.”
It was at that moment that our love for our community and for our children crystallized into a bold decision.
I would run to become our next Member of Provincial Parliament.
Looking back, I know I heard Heather’s words as more of a challenge than anything. It would be very hard, but not insurmountable.
Our boys were two, three, and four years old at the time. By 2026 they would be 11, 12, and 13, and we decided that I would need to be back home by that point.
So on that evening, we made a commitment: to bring meaningful change to our community and to build a stronger Sault Ste. Marie — and we had until 2026 to get it done.
And get it done we did.
When I first ran, the city faced countless obstacles, our youth were still leaving, industries were struggling, and there was a general uncertainty about what tomorrow would bring.
But we’ve turned the page.
In less than 10 years, we’ve seen the rebirth of opportunity:
- Algoma Steel has security for generations to come, while looking toward a cleaner, greener future with a $1 billion investment in progress
- Tenaris is thriving again, investing in new technologies and employing over 800 people today
- our OLG operations have diversified and grown
- we've strengthened key infrastructure, like the widening of Black Road, and all our highway connecting links, bike trails, storm sewers and bridges
- we've built new tourist and community centres, like the ACR train station, and the twin-pad arena at the Northern Community Centre
- we've been able to secure substantial investments in mental health and addictions wellness through NorthWay, the Community Resource Centre, the Youth Addictions Treatment Centre, and Youth Wellness Hub
- new housing starts and developments are going up. Our downtown and surrounding neighbourhoods are feeling more vibrant
- programs and partnerships are making a tangible difference
- Algoma University is now an independent university offering masters programs
- Sault College offers degrees in nursing and engineering
- our city’s population sign is actually going up, not down
What was once a community bracing itself against storm clouds of uncertainty has transformed into a place where young people talk about settling down rather than moving away.
To my constituents, my colleagues, and everyone who trusted me with their hopes for this city’s future, thank you. Your support made everything we’ve accomplished possible.
Thank you, all of you, for your trust, your patience, and your shared belief in our promise.
While I will not be seeking re-election, I will not sit on the sidelines. I will continue to be active and engaged in the growth and betterment of our city, contributing in new ways and cheering on those who step forward to represent us in the future because we’re not finished – there’s still work to do.
To Heather, thank you, your faith in me, and in this community, was not misplaced. If you would not have said what you said to me that evening, who knows where we would be today. I owe you a debt of gratitude that words can not fully capture. I am writing this letter with a full heart and the peace of knowing I gave it my all and that the dream we set out to achieve of making Sault Ste. Marie a ‘home to stay’ for our kids and everyone’s kids is now a reality.
And to my boys, I promised you that I would be coming back home after the last election, and you know we don’t break our promises. So boys, to you I say, daddy’s coming back home.
Thank you,
Ross Romano
Member of Provincial Parliament for Sault Ste. Marie
