Draft:Matthew Shoemaker

Matthew Shoemaker, B.A., LL.B, LL.M. (born November 14, 1988) is a Canadian politician, who was elected mayor of Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario, in the 2022 municipal election.

Education and early career
Shoemaker was born in Sault Ste. Marie in 1988, and he is a graduate of St. Mary's College and Algoma University. After his undergraduate studies at Algoma University, he attended the University of Ottawa where he obtained his law degree. Upon graduating in 2012, he began working at the Wishart Law Firm. In 2019, he completed his Master of Laws through Osgoode Hall Law School.

Politics
Shoemaker was elected to City Council in Ward 3 during the 2014 municipal election at the age of 25. He was subsequently re-elected in 2018. During his two council terms, he pursued a multitude of new ideas, bringing forward 151 motions during his first four-year term on Council.

He ran for the mayoralty in the 2022 municipal election and won, capturing approximately 44% of the vote in a five-person race. During his mayoralty, the city has experienced significant population growth and national media attention for efforts to address significant challenges such as the opioid crisis, shortage of family physicians and unbalanced demographics.

Personal life
He married Jenna in 2015. They have two sons: Hudson, born in 2018, and Maxwell, born in 2021. Shoemaker is fluent in English, French and Italian.