Climate crisis marches were again held around the globe yesterday (Sept. 27) including here in St. Thomas.
The province’s Minister of the Environment, Conservation and Parks did not attend any local rallies, as was the case with a rally held last Friday in front of city hall.
Instead, he issued a media release where he noted, “Today, I would like to recognize all the young Ontarians who are making their voices heard on the serious issue of climate change.”
But just how seriously are Conservatives at both the provincial and federal level dealing with the implications of climate change?
At a massive rally in Montreal, federal Conservative leader Andrew Scheer was the only head of a major federal party not in attendance.
Monthly Archives: September 2019
Backing the guarantee with a financial pledge, St. Thomas/Elgin to get its long-awaited end-of-life hospice
“I can guarantee there will be a hospice in Elgin county . . . during my term.”
Elgin-Middlesex-London MPP Jeff Yurek issued that assurance last December and less than a year later, Deputy Premier Christine Elliott backed that guarantee with a $1.6 million pledge to open an eight-bed residential hospice to serve St. Thomas and Elgin.
Friday morning (Sept. 20) Elliott, who is also the province’s health minister, made the announcement at Memory Garden in Pinafore Park and added once the facility opens, the province will provide $840,000 annually toward the operating costs.
The annual funding is projected to cover approximately 50 per cent of the hospice operating costs.
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You can amend the St. Thomas official plan but will that attract hotel guests?
Earlier this month, council unanimously approved recommendations from the planning department concerning amendments to the city’s official plan to support hotel and apartment use at Elgin Centre (formerly Elgin Mall).
The report from Jim McCoomb, manager of planning services for the city, followed a public meeting held July 15 where some residents expressed concerns about noise emanating from the hotel, snow removal and storage, fire safety for the upper levels of the hotel and parking and traffic.
A traffic assessment study submitted to the city concluded, “the proposed redevelopment of a portion of the existing Elgin Centre shopping mall will not significantly change the existing roadway traffic volumes and on-site parking accommodation.”
It was noted a petition had been received signed by 40 individuals opposed to the proposal.
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St. Thomas Elevated Park: Built by the community for the community
It’s the recent recipient of a 210-foot wooden boardwalk, a continuous 600-foot concrete sidewalk and is the home of an 11-piece art installation.
And it officially opens from end to end on Saturday (Sept. 14) with a ribbon-cutting ceremony at 5 p.m.
The St. Thomas Elevated Park – Canada’s first – was previewed to the media today (Sept. 12) a little more than two years after the first phase of construction began atop the 850-foot Michigan Central Railroad bridge crossing Kettle Creek at a height of 95 feet.
It’s the third bridge on this site and opened in 1930 at a cost of $689,000 and carried as many as 50 trains a day.
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9-11 . . . 18 years on: A tribute to those men and women ‘willing to step up and answer the call to action when it is needed’
In a ceremony held this morning at the main fire hall in St. Thomas, several dozen firefighters, members of the police service and EMS gathered for a 9-11 memorial service and to recognize the efforts of the people “willing to step up and answer the call to action when it is needed.”
Hosted by the St. Thomas Professional Firefighters’ Association, the ceremony honoured the more than 400 firefighters and law enforcement officers who died in the World Trade Center and on the ground in New York City.
It was also an opportunity for elected officials to pay tribute to the city’s first responders.
“Thank you so much for all of the work you do each and every day to keep us safe,” observed Elgin-Middlesex-London MP Karen Vecchio.
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The city’s ‘shiny, new nickel’ continues to generate questions on who should build affordable housing
The question was posed recently by Peter Ostojic of Walter Ostojic & Sons Ltd.
“Just do not understand why the city is involved in building affordable housing units themselves.”
The former mayor of St. Thomas was referencing the community and social services hub now under construction at 230 Talbot St.
The subject was broached again this past Tuesday (Sept. 3) at the reference committee meeting in which city manager Wendell Graves updated council on Phase 2 of the project, which will front onto Queen Street.
With Phase 1 nearing completion this fall – “something Graves described as a shiny, new nickel for us” – he presented a conceptual business case to council members.
The structure would contain a minimum of 48 housing units on two floors with the possibility of more units should the structure be expanded to a third or fourth floor.
The estimated cost of constructing each unit is $225,000 with 24 of them renting out at $500 or so per month and another 24 geared to income at approximately $300 per month.
Ian's City Scope 