Monthly Archives: December 2008

12.28.08
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Property standards must be enforced at Alma College site

Alma College plaque

Alma College plaque


The Alma Advocacy Association has written to the City of St. Thomas to complain about the condition of the property at 96 Moore St., the site of Alma College.

Chief Building Official
St. Thomas City Hall
PO Box 520
St. Thomas, Ontario
December 15, 2008
Re: 96 Moore Street, St. Thomas, Ontario, known as Alma College

Dear Chief Building Official;

We wish to file a complaint regarding the condition of the heritage property at 96 Moore Street, St. Thomas, Ontario.

Our concerns relate to the buildings and structures remaining at 96 Moore and public health and safety hazards.
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12.28.08
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Deputation to St. Thomas council by Alma Advocacy Association

Suzanne van Bommel

Suzanne van Bommel


The full transcript of an address to St. Thomas council on Dec. 15, 2008 by Suzanne Van Bommel of the Alma Advocacy Association.

On behalf of the Alma Advocacy Association I would like to thank your Worship and members of Council for the opportunity to speak this evening.

My name is Suzanne van Bommel, President of the Alma Advocacy Association.

The goal of our group is to preserve and maintain what is left of the Alma College campus, obtain Provincial Heritage designation and maintain the municipal designation at 96 Moore Street.
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12.27.08
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Economy becalms wind farm expansion

Erie Shores Wind Farm

Erie Shores Wind Farm


Posted by Ian
Wind turbines have been a familiar signature on the East Elgin landscape for several years…in fact you don’t have to drive far out of St. Thomas to spot them on the horizon. However the prospect of a wind farm in the west end of the county appears to be a casualty of the world-wide economic meltdown. More info below and to visit a blog dedicated to this controversial new-age technology visit wind farms

By Sun Media
The economy is being blamed, in part, for the delay of an expansion of the Erie Shores Wind Farm west into Elgin county.

AIM PowerGen, the developer of Erie Shores Wind Farm in Bayham and Malahide, recently announced plans for expansion are being put on hold. AIM developed the concept of Erie Shores, optioned land and sold the concept to the Clean Power Income Fund to build. Erie Shores has since been purchased by Macquarie Power and Infrastructure Fund.
Full story.

12.27.08
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Action centre gives Sterling workers hope for the future

sterling-sign
Posted by Ian
“You made the mistake, why should we suffer. Why should the
people of St. Thomas suffer, the taxpayers as well as the employees?”
Fighting words from Maurice Beaudry aimed across the bow of top brass at Daimler AG, the parent company of the soon-to-close Sterling Truck plant.And Maurice knows of what he speaks, because in his former position as manager of the Economic Development Corporation in the early 1990s, he played a leading role in convincing Freightliner to locate in St. Thomas. Read his full comments at Maurice Beaudry speaks out .

And below, an update on how workers are coping with the plant scheduled to be shuttered this spring.

© Copyright 2008, Sun Media Corporation
St. Thomas truck plant will close in March
BY NORMAN DE BONO

The way Rob Belore sees it, there is some hope.

As Sterling Truck in St. Thomas prepares for its March shutdown, its action centre is helping laid-off workers find a job or go back to school.

During recent weeks, the centre has hosted dozens of businesses and organizations that have made pitches to its workforce.
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12.27.08
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Words of wisdom from 2008

Ian McCallum

Ian McCallum


Author Philip G. Hamerton suggested, “Have you ever observed that we pay much more attention to a wise passage when it is quoted, than when we read it in the original author?”
With that in mind, let’s revisit some of the memorable quotes from
the past year in order to take measure of what transpired in 2008.
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12.27.08
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Majority of Canadians back auto bailout: poll

BRUCE CHEADLE

The Canadian Press

OTTAWA — A majority of Canadians are comfortable with billions of dollars in government loans for the ailing auto industry, a new poll suggests.

The Canadian Press Harris-Decima survey found that 56 per cent of respondents supported the notion of “proportional, repayable loans,” while 33 per cent were opposed.

Ontario, the heart of Canada’s auto sector, showed the most support, with 62 per cent in favour of the bailout and just 28 per cent opposed.
Full story.

12.27.08
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Fixing Canada’s political mess

By Preston Manning
President and CEO
Manning Centre for Building Democracy

The situation is now well known. Partisan overkill by the government (attempting to kill the public subsidy to political parties) leads to partisan overreaction by the opposition (the creation of a coalition to bring down the government). The coalition must justify its partisan reaction on other grounds so it claims to have formed because the government has no plan to address the deteriorating economy.
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12.21.08
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$4 billion bailout no gift – union bosses

By DON PEAT, JONATHAN JENKINS AND JENNY YUEN
A $4-billion bailout is an investment in the Canadian economy, not a Christmas gift from Premier Dalton McGuinty and Prime Minister Stephen Harper, the Canadian Auto Workers national president says.
Ken Lewenza told reporters yesterday the two governments did the responsible thing by agreeing to an auto aid package.
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12.21.08
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Ontario mayors hail auto bailout

Canada offers $4 billion in loans to automakers
By DON PEAT, SUN MEDIA
Ontario mayors welcomed yesterday’s auto announcement but hoped the much-needed aid doesn’t idle too long so it’s stalled out by the new year.
“This has finally happened,” Oshawa Mayor John Gray told the Sun yesterday just after the announcement. “I wished it happened a while ago because it would have lifted a lot of the uncertainty. They have done the right thing and they are trying to preserve our share of automotive production in North America.”
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