Monthly Archives: December 2009

12.04.09
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Aylmer IGPC ethanol plant provides economic benefits

Official IGPC plant opening in Aylmer, December, 2008

Construction of the Alymer-based Integrated Grain Processors Co-op Inc. ethanol plant began in mid-2007. The facility has been operational since Oct. 1, 2008. In addition to producing 162 million liters (43 million gallons) of corn-based ethanol annually, the plant also produces approximately 129,600 tons of distillers grains each year.

The plant is owned by a cooperative made up of approximately 900 members. Ownership is nearly evenly split between regional farmers and other representatives of agriculture-related businesses. The facility was capitalized in part by equity investment by the facilities ownership. Additional capitalization was sourced from a consortium of banks and federal and provincial government incentive programs.

In its study, Doyletech found that construction of the plant contributed to a net spending increase within the region of approximately $275 million, was well as an annual increase of at least $50 million in new economic spending in the region as a direct consequence of the plant’s operations.
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12.03.09
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Investment in Rail History Tourism in St. Thomas

CASO station, St. Thomas

The devastating blows to the St. Thomas economy has encouraged the strengthening of cultural tourism related to the city’s railway heritage. Infamous as the city that stood by as Alma College suffered demolition by neglect and destruction by arson, the municipality is working hard to keep what is left. St. Thomas is now involved in acquiring railway lands and assisting the Elgin County Railway Museum (ECRM) in negotiating the purchase of their building from CN. Purchase of the property is imminent.

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12.02.09
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What happens when politics displaces market forces in green energy initiatives?


When driving through Don Quixote country in Spain’s Castille-La Mancha region, you are dazzled by the spectacle of wind farms proudly churning out the energy that will save Iberia and the planet, followed, once you cross into Andalusia, by solar farms and the green jobs of the future.

Except that if things continue as they are in Spain, the world’s poster child for renewable fuel, wind and solar energy may not save us after all — or renew the capitalist economy.
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12.01.09
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Will St. Thomas – London GO train service ever get on track?

A commuter train service between London and St. Thomas means a greener region: financially and environmentally.

That was the word from Rod Morley, vice chair of London’s Advisory Committee on the Environment, during a public meeting last week (Nov. 25).

Morley, along with John Lucas, Division Manager – Transportation Engineering for the City of London, and members of the St. Thomas and London Commuter Rail Association (STALCRA), discussed the initiative with the public during a meeting at City Hall.

Besides reducing car emissions and urban congestion, implementing the train service could stimulate economic growth in Southwestern Ontario, Morley said. It could create numerous jobs and attract more businesses to the region.
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12.01.09
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Elgin Mall – connecting with the community

For shoppers in secondary cities such as St. Thomas, Ont., located 30 kilometres south of London, the Elgin Mall is more than a mid-market retail hub – it’s a destination for a tightly knit community that has seen its manufacturing base battered by the recession.

When property manager Julie Cole looks down the mall’s climate-controlled corridors, she sees no evidence of the deadmalls.com phenomenon, which chronicles the slow death of once-thriving retail hubs across North America.

At the Elgin, management has been looking for more creative ways to serve this city of 37,000 – an experience that goes beyond shopping, Ms. Cole says.
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