At Monday’s (Sept. 18) council meeting, members will receive an update on the city’s Strategic Plan which covers the period 2021 through this year.
The plan was originally adopted by city council in May of 2013.
The city engaged the services of Fanshawe Corporate Training Solutions in June 2019 to assist in a plan update.
At that time, the idea was to develop a short list of strategic themes for the city’s path forward.
This included a focus group of community stakeholders and a public and city staff survey which included 539 respondents and produced a list of 25 key themes.
In June of 2020 that was whittled down to the Top 10 strategic priorities.
Topping the list was infrastructure, including roads, bridges and sewers.
The Number 2 priority was emergency shelters for the homeless.
And, rounding out the Top 3 was affordable housing.
Moving forward three years, let’s look at today’s updated strategic plan.
Under the Compassionate Community Goal, the highlights include the following items.
The Inn became fully operational in January 2022 and has been providing emergency shelter services in the community, in partnership with the city and other key community stakeholders.
It hasn’t been immune to controversy and as Danielle Neilson, the city’s Homelessness Prevention and Housing Programs Coordinator has stressed on numerous occasions, the solution to homelessness is housing and housing with supports.
Efforts to create additional housing units in the community continue to be a primary goal for the city
and staff is advocating to the provincial and federal governments for increased funding for this purpose.
The city has increased the number of affordable units located at 5 William St. by 24, 614 Talbot St. (Railway City Lofts) by 16, and 16 Queen St. (The Station) by an additional 45 units of affordable housing now coming on stream in partnership with Indwell. Council committed funds toward Project Tiny Hope and staff continue to advocate for financial support to build 40 tiny homes (more on that later in the column).
The Mobile Outreach Support Team (MOST) operated by the St. Thomas Police Service continues to partner with community agencies, specifically the CMHA to provide mental health and addiction supports using three clinicians working a co-response embedded model within the police service.
The MOST program has been in operation since 2017 and a fourth clinician is being sought for next year.
A new initiative is in the planning stages whereby community stakeholders would create opportunities for youth engagement and to create a youth strategy and an event has been planned for this fall through the Children’s Action Network.
The idea is to share information on a model employed in Iceland to support those experiencing substance challenges.
As a brief background, the Icelandic Prevention Model began to take shape in 1997 when a group of social scientists, policymakers and people working with children and young people in the field came together to formulate policies and work, based on research, that could reverse the growing problem of drug use among young people in Iceland.
This collaboration aimed to map the social factors that influence young people’s drug use and to design measures that could be applied in prevention work. The result was a prevention model, the Icelandic Prevention Model, which is based on the collaboration of a number of stakeholders, for example, parents, teachers, community centers, sports clubs and other parties that interact with children and young people.
Vibrant Community Goal
One element was to create three new events by the end of this year in conjunction with community partners.
These include the Summer Harvest Festival, Colours in the City and Pride in the Park.
An Oktoberfest event, planned for mid-October will celebrate the completion of the Talbot Street infrastructure project.
The Economic Development Corporation has partnered with the city and senior levels of government to attract additional industries to the community including the securing of 1500 acres of land to create an industrial park to host Volkswagen PowerCo SE, which will build a giga-factory to produce electric vehicle batteries.
Thriving Community Goal
The city trail system has been expanded by 3.1 km., exceeding the original goal.
A stumbling block has been encountered in the form of the city’s new animal shelter.
As we wrote back in July, the shelter continues to languish in the we’ll-get-to-it-one-day folder.
Sara Teare in April of last year indicated her intention to donate $1 million toward the animal services centre.
At the time she advised this would “help kick off the fundraising goals and bring this project closer to completion.”
If the name is not familiar, in November of 2018, David and Sara Teare contributed $500,000 to gain the naming rights to the 65-acre sports and recreation facility on Burwell Road.
However, when tendered the proposed project came in $1.2 million over the proposed capital budget. Staff are presently making design revisions to reduce construction costs and will include this project in the 2024 annual budget process.
The development of a concept plan for a community/aquatic centre was completed in December 2021. The city continues to seek funding sources from other levels of government.
An ambitious undertaking being driven by Coun. Lori Baldwin-Sands with a price tag that continues to reach for the sky.
In January of last year, Mayor Joe Preston observed, “Because of our debt ratio, for a number of years anyway, there is no way we can do this all on our own.
“Everybody keeps banting about $35 million, I would maybe suggest it may be twice that.”
He continued, “This is a look at a future project and whether we can afford what would be our piece of it but to also be ready for when other levels of government might talk to us.
“This is a very expensive, debt-ridden project and it would be great to have everything.
“Let’s all play our role as council in sharing that this has to have a bunch of checkmarks going forward . . . At what point are we taking on too much debt?”
The city remains committed to its Transit Master Plan (TMP) by continuing to prioritize the acquisition of suitable electric buses and monitoring performance to implement any improvements within the current system.
A proposed update to the master plan, to address the significant impending changes to the community because of the new industrial area and the creation of the EV giga-plant are now planned.
The matter will be dealt with on Monday when council will asked to authorize an expenditure of $175,000 to update the plan.
MAKE YOUR VOICE HEARD
The city is holding a trio of town halls to garner public input on the Strategic Plan refresh.
• Town Hall #1: Tuesday, September 19 from noon to 1:30 p.m. at the Joe Thornton Community Centre (Doug Tarry Room)
• Town Hall #2: Thursday, September 21 from 6:30 to 8 p.m. – VIRTUAL via ZOOM
• Town Hall #3: Thursday, October 12th from 6 to 7:30 p.m. at the St. Thomas Public Library (Carnegie Room)
To register visit: http://www.surveymonkey.com/r/communitytownhalls
And for more info on the plan visit: http://www.stthomas.ca/strategicplan
PROJECT TINY HOPE MOVES ON WITH PLAN A
As reported back in July, Project Tiny Hope’s grant application for $6.7 million in federal funding was not approved.
At the time YWCA executive director Lindsay Rice advised, “CMHC did not select Project Tiny Hope for a Rapid Housing Initiative grant, but the YWCA and project partners Doug Tarry Homes and Sanctuary Homes are not letting that slow them down!”
So it is a pivot back to the original plan to fund the $14.7 million projected cost of the 40 units of supportive, affordable housing.
The city had pledged a $3 million commitment, contingent on federal funding so what is the status of that pledge?
It is to be dealt with Monday in the form of a motion from Heather Sheridan, director of St. Thomas-Elgin Social Services.
She is asking council to support the original commitment.
“St. Thomas is functioning at a zero percent vacancy rate. More and more youth, adults and families do not have a safe and affordable place to call home. The number of individuals who are experiencing homelessness for the first time is increasing. This is a crisis.”
But again, strings are attached.
The support is contingent on a successful application to the CMHC Co-Investment Fund.
In addition to that strategy, the project will move forward through “a broad community build with gift in kind and volunteers for a portion of the property combined with an ongoing fundraising campaign.
The funding gap is in the range of $3 million, assuming the CMHC grant request of $733,620 is approved and with it the $3 million city pledge.
According to Sheridan, should the CMHC grant not be approved, “the commitment would be null and void.”
If all funding is secured, an agreement outlining responsibilities would be executed between the city and the YWCA St. Thomas-Elgin.
Responsibilities would include a long-term commitment to affordable and supportive housing, and a tenant selection agreement.
In the report to council for Monday’s meeting we get a first look at the proposed rental rates.
• One bedroom $799/month
• Two bedroom $958/month
• Three bedroom $1027/month which will require a rent subsidy from social services of $670
In her summary, Sheridan pulls no punches.
“St. Thomas is functioning at a zero percent vacancy rate. More and more youth, adults and families do not have a safe and affordable place to call home.
The number of individuals who are experiencing homelessness for the first time is increasing.
“This is a crisis.
“The 40 units proposed by the YWCA will make a significant difference to our most vulnerable citizens.”
Related post:
BUILD IT, CHARGE IT
An interesting proposal before city council on Monday comes from Coun. Lori Baldwin-Sands in the form of a motion dealing with electric vehicle chargers.
The first part of the motion would require Level 2 EV charging-ready parking spaces for new multi-unit residential buildings with staff to provide options on the percentage of parking spaces requiring such a charger.
How would such a bylaw impact rents in these new units? An important consideration when we are already facing a rental crisis.
And who would determine the charging cost at these new complexes?
The second part of her motion would require new-build detached housing to be Level 2 EV charging ready.
She points out that Cambridge, Hamilton, Mississauga, Toronto, Waterloo, Whitby and Ajax already have such bylaws in place.
ONE TO WATCH
Last week we featured a letter from Ed van der Maarel documenting concerns about the Aug. 24 Committee of Adjustment meeting dealing with severance of land at the Elgin County Railway Museum.
The letter is on Monday’s council agenda under petitions and communications.
It was briefly discussed at the Sept. 11 meeting and it will be interesting to see what direction it now takes.
For a different perspective, see this week’s Echo Chamber.
FOR THE CALENDAR
Join Indwell and their partners as they celebrate 45 new apartment homes for people seeking health, wellness and belonging.
Meet the staff, see the spaces, and hear from their partners as they mark the opening of Indwell’s second supportive housing program in St. Thomas.
It all takes place at 10 a.m. Friday, Sept. 29 at 16 Queen Street. Register for this free event by Sept. 27 at https://www.eventbrite.com/e/the-station-grand-opening-tickets-714865661437?aff=oddtdtcreator
THE ECHO CHAMBER
Responding to last week’s item on the Elgin County Railway Museum and their land separation proposal with Doug Tarry (you can link to that story here.), Dave Mathers emailed the following observation.
“Ed van der Maarel’s complaints about the proposed redevelopment of the NYC lands sounded familiar.
“Oh, yeah, he was singing the same song in opposition to Michael Loewith’s proposed redevelopment of the Alma College lands.
“He did not succeed.
“In fact, the Alma project has been very successful resulting in many prominent city residents moving there including our very own Mayor Joe Preston.
“The railway yards are ideal for Doug Tarry’s plans and they could help restore some life to our sadly failing downtown.
“And, in spite of some naysayers, the biggest winner will be the Elgin County Railway Museum.”
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