Posted by Ian:
Have confirmation a new pharmacy will open on Monday, March 2 at the west end of Talbot Street near Tim Hortons. It will feature a meth clinic, similar to one now operating in London. In fact the facility may be owned by the same individual who operates London Medical Pharmacy’s methadone maintenance treatment centre at 528 Dundas St. E. Any further details would be appreciated.
Ian McCallum
Aileen Carroll
Posted by Ian:
In the preamble to the McGuinty government’s push “to boost renewable energy, economic growth and create a culture of conservation,” George Smitherman,Deputy Premier and Minister of Energy and Infrastructure notes:
“There exists today a global race to establish the policies, attract the investment and build the foundation for the green economy that is sure to sustain future prosperity and progress. It is a race Ontario is determined to win. This proposed legislation would help Ontario become the preferred destination for green jobs, green investment and green energy.”
You’ll excuse me for taking a wait-and-see attitude, since residents in this part of Ontario remember Smitherman’s snarky attitude as he attempted to slyly shutter the palliative care unit at St. Thomas-Elgin General Hospital and his pathetic shot across the bow of opponents to such a move, people he labelled as fear-mongers.
In any event, here is the background to this bold new green plan.
Green Energy Act
Ian McCallum
As heritage week draws to a close,on Sunday February 22nd 2009,let us not forget all the historic buildings we’ve lost under Culture Minister,Aileen Carroll,and all those buildings that are continuing to face demolition by neglect.Minister Carroll has stood up many a times in the legislature,to boast about the “improved & strengthened” heritage act,but she knows it’s window dressing at best,for she has not enforced the heritage act,as it was intended,instead allowing building after building to fall,or allowing owners to demolition by neglect,until the buildings are so unsafe,the culture ministry just gives the go ahead,to tear them down.Owners of historic buildings in the province of Ontario,are fully aware of Aileen Carroll’s lack of interest in protecting our built heritage,so to speed up the demolition process,they remove windows & doors leaving these historic buildings vulnerable to the harsh Ontario weather,and it doesn’t take an engineer to figure out,the longer the building is open and unprotected,the sooner the owner can apply for a demolition permit.Minister Carroll has failed miserably at protecting Ontario’s built heritage,and if there are any people that doubt that statement,I urge you to drive to the City of St.Thomas,and view what remains of Alma College.On the property at 96 Moore Street,you will find 2 historic structures that survived the horrific blaze in May of 2008,you will also find an outdoor amphi-theatre,all of which are continuing to face,demolition by neglect.We lost the main structure,and will lose the 2 remaining structures,if this minister does not take an interest.The property deserves to be designated as “Provincially Significant”,and if the culture minister could bring herself to realize this fact,St.Thomas,Ontario would then have a reason to celebrate “heritage week”.
Robert F.Foster
Brampton,Ontario
Alma fire, May 28, 2008
Minister Carroll,
I was reading a quote you recently made regarding heritage volunteers,the quote was “The achievements of these dedicated volunteers help to strengthen communities across Ontario,” said Culture Minister Aileen Carroll. “Their hard
work ensures our rich heritage is conserved and celebrated for generations to
come.”.How could you make such a statement,when you yourself DO NOT “conserve and celebrate”,in fact your motto should be “search and destroy”.It never ceases to amaze me,that you have been quoted on many occasions praising the hard work of heritage voluteers for their tireless efforts,on behalf of our built heritage,then head back to your Queen’s Park office,to sign the demolition papers on some beautiful and historic building,that could be saved with a little help from the ministry of culture,but you would rather bring it down,then assist in bringing it back.Your words are hollow and mean nothing,when it comes to our rich heritage.96 Moore Street has sat abandoned and neglected since the May 2008 fire,the chapel is further damaged,do to the gaping hole in the roof,the music building continues to deteriorate,thanks to the brutal weather here in Ontario,and the outdoor amphi-theatre will surely be unrecognizable,once the snow melts away,so even though the smoke has cleared from the devastating fire in May of 2008,the dust has settled on the demolition that followed the fire,and the snow and ice slowly melts to reveal that nothing has changed on the property in 9 months,one has to wonder what exactly you meant when you said “Their hard
work ensures our rich heritage is conserved and celebrated for generations to come”,because at 96 Moore Street,in St.Thomas,nothing has been conserved and there is no sign of celebration,however “demolition by neglect” has been evident for many years.I do applaud all the heritage volunteers and heritage advocates,who stand up for our built heritage,now if we could only put someone at the helm of the ministry of culture,who has the same passion,we would be well on our way to “conserving and celebrating”…
Quote taken from the following news article:
Aileen Carroll
Robert F.Foster
Brampton,Ontario
Federal Human Resources Minister Diane Finley
Posted by Ian:
Two levels of government dole out millions in infrastructure funding on Friday and St. Thomas is shut out. So is Central Elgin which was looking for an investment in Port Stanley harbour. Plenty of money to lavish on the rest of Elgin. What happened in St. Thomas? Is it our elected leadership or lack of a CAO to properly administer the corporation or perhaps no concrete business plan for the future? Any money coming to St. Thomas was slated for a new police HQ.
Details of the announcement follow.
Infrastructure funding
