It’s not just a new park for St. Thomas, it’s an active community hub that will provide a much-needed recreational space in the city’s core.
That was the promise back in June 2020 when Andrew Gunn and Maddie King of Andrew Gunn Consulting and young & free press unveiled plans for what would become Westlake-Evans Park.
On Tuesday of this week, the park was officially opened and it lived up to its billing of three years ago.
St. Thomas Mayor Joe Preston praised the park as the result of “incredible collaborative efforts.”
The recreational and cultural hub is located in the city’s core, on the site of the former Colin McGregor Justice Building, giving residents another reason to come downtown, stressed Preston.
“Mostly, it used to be just shopping or services along Talbot Street. Some people came to city hall, and some people were coming to the library, but it was a quick trip in with their family and a quick trip out.
Monthly Archives: October 2023
A pair of new St. Thomas schools included in the London District Catholic School Board wish list
In November 2021, London District Catholic School Board trustee Bill Hall observed, “St. Anne’s is bursting with students.”
He made the comments outside St. Anne’s Catholic Elementary School (pictured below) as then Elgin-Middlesex-London MPP Jeff Yurek announced provincial funding for a permanent expansion to the school which hosted more than a dozen portables on its grounds.
This is at a school that opened in 2009.
In June of last year, the school board was successful in its bid to add a couple more portables while the addition is undertaken at St. Annes’s.
At the June 13 city council meeting last year, Coun. Steve Peters observed, “I was at St. Anne’s recently and the number of portables that are already on the site and now adding more, we need a commitment from the provincial government to deal with this inappropriate way for students to be learning.”
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St. Thomas Police Service five-year collective agreement “meets the modern moment” – Chief Marc Roskamp
It’s being deemed a “groundbreaking” contract with its commitment to resources to support the wellness of uniform and civilian members of the St. Thomas Police Service. A contract likely to be emulated across the province.
The five-year deal was negotiated over the summer with the current agreements set to expire at the end of this year.
Wage increases of three per cent are included in the first three years of the deal, increasing to four per cent in the fourth year and five per cent in the final year (2028).
Other highlights include the updating of maternity and parental leave provisions as well as sick and family leave provisions.
Specialty unit remuneration has been adjusted and this would include role positions like breath technicians.
We sat down this week with St. Thomas Police Services Board chair Dan Reith to delve into the deal.
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Project Tiny Hope in St. Thomas “is the beacon of hope for all in Ontario.” – Associate Minister of Housing Rob Flack
A couple of weeks ago we had a lengthy chat with the province’s new Associate Minister of Housing.
That would be Elgin-Middlesex-London MPP Rob Flack and the interview was prior to Premier Doug Ford pulling a 180 on his plan to open up Greenbelt lands for residential development.
So we arranged with Flack to update us on what led up to the policy reversal and what lies ahead for Flack.
We opened the conversation by asking him to recall what preceeded Ford’s announcement on Sept. 21.
“It was an interesting week,” conceded Flack, “a learning week, a growing week and I think a good week for all people in Ontario.
“As the Premier said, the intention was right. We made a mistake. But you know, I’m a great believer that changing your mind for the right decision is not a vice, it’s a virtue.
