St. Thomas was the recipient of another economic shot in the arm Thursday (Jan. 11) morning as announced by Filomena Tassi, the minister responsible for the Federal Economic Development Agency for Southern Ontario.
“I am pleased to announce that the Government of Canada is investing $2 million in Amino North America to expand its facility here by over 40,000 square feet and add a new manufacturing line to meet the demands for its automotive products across North America.”
The expansion at the Highbury Avenue plant will create and maintain 45 jobs, with construction already underway.
It’s another indicator of the re-industrialization of southwestern Ontario.
That was the observation from London North Centre MP Peter Fragiskatos.

“This sees the re-industrialization of southwestern Ontario, whether it is Stellantis in Windsor or Volkswagen and the supply chain that’s in motion between the two and beyond.
“We want to see an EV sector that thrives but there are other sectors as well in manufacturing. Automotive in general is what we’re focusing on here.”

He added that federal funding through FedDev Ontario increases “the global competitiveness of our auto-part manufacturers.”
The funding also enables Amino to enter into the EV market.
Something that brings a smile to the face of St. Thomas Mayor Joe Preston who sees the region as “the beating heart of southern Ontario in how we’re moving forward.”

“This is why it is so fitting that we are back here in St. Thomas, one of southern Ontario’s manufacturing powerhouses and a key hub for EV manufacturing in Canada.”

He added, “Look, that’s not ruling out the Londons and Ingersolls, Tillsonburgs and Aylmers of this world.
“There is lots going on in all of the communities around us and we’re happy to hear what’s going on with them, but here with another St. Thomas announcement puts a smile on the mayor’s face.”
Tassi characterizes St. Thomas as one of southern Ontario’s manufacturing powerhouses.
“This is why it is so fitting that we are back here in St. Thomas, one of southern Ontario’s manufacturing powerhouses and a key hub for EV manufacturing in Canada.
“This area’s manufacturing sector is revolutionizing production in the EV parts and moving toward advanced processing like robotics and state-of-the-art technologies.
“The thriving manufacturing sector here supports many industries and it is at the forefront of this exciting new chapter for southern Ontario’s automotive sector.”
Amino will expand its facility by 42,000 sq. ft. and add a new automotive parts manufacturing line including battery compartments for the EV market, a critical consideration, added Tassi.
“As a result, the project will create and maintain 45 jobs and continue to strengthen the area’s growing auto sector and developing the EV cluster.
“These types of contributions to the EV sector are important, especially as our government recently announced that all our vehicles offered for sale in Canada will need to be zero-emissions by 2035.”

“This isn’t your grandfather’s old factory. This is the one that really makes a huge difference ongoing.”

Preston has nothing but praise for Amino and its talented employees.
“It’s a great workforce and a great niche workforce that we don’t think about a lot.
“They’ve grown with our community and gives us that diversity in the automotive field.
“Over a number of decades we’ve had ups and downs in automotive and this is the type of thing you want to grab on to so that you can have diversification and protect yourself from some of those ups and downs.”
Amino set up shop in St. Thomas in 2002 and employs more than 60, which has resulted in the city having a close and warm relationship with the firm, stresses Preston.
“This isn’t your grandfather’s old factory. This is the one that really makes a huge difference ongoing.
“Real technical skills, real skilled trades pieces to it. So it’s an incredibly good-paying, good-working relationship.”
Amino manufactures automotive body, steel and aluminum parts for the heavy truck, aerospace, bus, agriculture and construction industries.

BEYOND THE PAVING OF YARMOUTH YARDS

Still with manufacturing, we’ve documented the evolution of 1,500 acres of farmland into the city’s newest industrial park now known as Yarmouth Yards.
A new chapter is underway, summarized in a report to city council for Monday’s (Jan. 15) meeting entitled Yarmouth Yards – Environmental Protection, Mitigation and Compensation, authored by Nathan Bokma, senior project manager.
He stresses, “Mitigation and monitoring was and continues to be a key part of all activities on site.”
Erosion protection is in place to protect downstream watercourses and these protection features “are monitored periodically, specifically after large rainfalls to ensure they are working as intended.

“Agency stakeholders that were engaged included the city’s Parks and Forestry groups, Kettle Creek Conservation Authority, Catfish Creek Conservation Authority, the Ministry of Environment, Conservation, Parks, Wildlife Ontario, Ministry of Natural Resources, Department of Fisheries, and the Canada Wildlife Service.”
Bokma goes on to explain, “New habitat has and will be created for native birds, bats, and trees to compensate for the habitat that was affected as part of the site preparation works.
“The compensation land area will be equal to the amount of woodlands that were removed, and the compensation lands need to be properly documented and protected.
“Additionally, bat boxes and woodpecker nesting boxes need to be included in these compensation lands to assist with re-establishing the habitat for these species.
“All of this work needs to be supervised and documented by a qualified professional who can complete yearly monitoring reports.
“Through a collaborative partnership with the Parks Department, staff are building and assembling woodpecker nesting boxes and bat boxes through the winter months so that these boxes can be installed at locations around the industrial subdivision and city in late winter 2024.”

Bokma continues, “Through a competitive procurement process, over 100 established trees along Edgeware Line were spaded and relocated to City parks.”
He goes on to document the city’s involvement with the area’s two conservation authorities where staff “have had discussions with Kettle Creek Conservation Authority and Catfish Creek Conservation Authority on their potential involvement in establishing new habitat via the compensation lands.”
One woodlot on-site at Yarmouth Yards (Woodlot 5, see map above) “will be protected in perpetuity.”
A newly updated cairn in the protected woodlot (photo above) commemorates the Penhale farm and family.

INITIAL IMMIGRATION SURVEY IS ‘A STARTING POINT’

Last week we briefly touched upon the results of a survey undertaken last year by the St. Thomas-Elgin Local Immigration Partnership (STELIP).
It was the first such survey undertaken by STELIP and was open to all immigrants who live or work in St. Thomas and Elgin county and that included permanent residents, international students, refugee claimants and temporary workers.

To follow up on the survey in a little greater detail, we spoke this week with STELIP Manager Petrusia Hontar.
She agreed an area for improvement is significantly increasing the number of survey respondents.
“Absolutely, and I know everyone is sick and tired of surveys,” admitted Hontar. “Seems everywhere you turn, people are asking for opinions.
“So, it’s always nice if we can do one that reaches a lot of topics and can get people, especially immigrants, to sit down and go through their whole experience of settling and living in our community and trying to prioritize this survey over some other ones.”
Putting the response rate aside, we questioned Hontar on the expectations associated with the survey.
“We were really hoping to get a true sense of what people are experiencing, to have people be able to talk about accessing services.
“We are not directly linked to a service which makes it always easier to give feedback. We are really just hoping to get a pulse on what’s happening and have people feel comfortable to say, ‘Yes, we’re so happy to be here in Canada. We’re so happy to be in this community, but these are things that could be improved.’

“One of the studies we would like to do is ask the local population their opinion on levels of immigration, the amount of people who are coming in and I think that is a really important thing to measure.”

“And I think that is a hard thing to do.
“Even though we had 99 responses, we were thrilled with that and we know this is a starting point. We know in two years (when a second survey will be undertaken) our partners can help us even more as they see the value in the information we’re getting.
“And hopefully the people who replied to this survey will be able to tell their friends that, yes, this is something that will produce positive change in our community, so it kind of gives us the opportunity to build it.”
The survey findings provide important insight into the experiences of some immigrants in our community. Some of those findings can be found in last week’s item.
Hontar was pleased with the overall positive feedback from respondents.
“I think it’s nice to see a sense of belonging in the community. With some of those numbers, there is room for improvement.
“Social connection, as we’ve seen over the pandemic, is really important to your overall life satisfaction and how you are faring.”
She talked about steps community members can take to assist newcomers to the city.
“It is nice to see a project like Community Connections that is happening through Settlement Services at the YWCA where you can be a social mentor with an immigrant.
“It’s a six-month program where you have someone where you can say, ‘Hey, come out to this community event with me,’ or they can turn to you and say, ‘This is my first time cooking a turkey, I don’t know how to cook a turkey or what goes with the turkey.’
“Simple questions . . . and it’s a really great way to welcome someone here and make them feel part of the community.”

“It’s easy to segment the immigrant population, but for the most part, they are coming in at working age, wanting to work and willing to work. Overall, it’s a supply shortage and maybe we need to look at some interesting, unique things, which the city is starting to do.”

The full results of the survey and other resources can be found at http://www.stelip.ca
“We’re starting to do some promotion through our social media channels. We also have a great network through a lot of our local service providers where we share this information.”
As noted, the survey will be undertaken again in two years however, in the meantime, STELIP is involved in other undertakings.
“Right now, Western is doing a study to try and understand immigrant experiences using settlement services (at the YWCA), those are the services directly for immigrants and that’s something for anyone who has been in Canada for less than three years.
“That’s at the YWCA or Mennonite Community Services.
“We’re hoping to also start doing immigrant or newcomer forums. So, instead of doing the survey, we’re going to do more of the qualitative piece where people can talk and express some of their concerns and the benefits they are seeing in the community.”
We closed out the conversation by looking at conflicts in Gaza and Ukraine and their impact on public opinion toward immigration.
“One of the studies we would like to do is ask the local population their opinion on levels of immigration, the amount of people who are coming in and I think that is a really important thing to measure.
“But, I haven’t heard anything overtly in our community. I think the Islamic Centre would be better versed at that. They do sit at our council and help direct our work and there was nothing necessarily outright that came out about that.
“We did put out an article about giving people accommodation at work for religious exceptions and that’s something we’re starting to see more of in our community as we see people from different faith backgrounds coming in.”
And finally, her perspective on the impact of immigration on housing challenges across the country.
“It’s a real challenging piece because, on the one hand, we’re having issues with people finding housing, but on the other hand we’re having workforce shortages and I don’t really think it matters who is filling those workplace gaps.
“It’s easy to segment the immigrant population, but for the most part, they are coming in at working age, wanting to work and willing to work. Overall, it’s a supply shortage and maybe we need to look at some interesting, unique things, which the city is starting to do.”

Related post:

The increasing demands on the St. Thomas Police Service “related to auto thefts needs appropriate attention” – Insp. Steve Bogart

PILOT PROJECT PAVING THE WAY IN ER

A three-month pilot project is underway at St. Thomas Elgin General Hospital to streamline patient flow through the Emergency Department.
Individuals arriving at emergency will now take a number to wait their turn to see a triage nurse.
Craig Watkin, a hospital vice-president, explains the move is in response to a significant increase in visits.

“That’s what really has led us to where we are now. Looking at our processes in emerg, because we know as our volume increases, so does the need for us to look at our practices and processes and really ascertain as to whether they are still working.”
Approximately 1,300 patients are seen each week in the Emergency Department, a number that is steadily increasing.
Watkin advises how the new take-a-number system will be assessed over a three-month period.
“It’s a pilot project, so our intention is we’re going to continue to seek feedback from staff and patients about how they feel this initiative is going, and then based on that feedback, we’ll either do some course correction or continue with the way we actually had planned to roll it out.”

“This process is to really help with that. But again, obviously, if someone is in the waiting room and they look like they need to come forward to be seen urgently by the triage nurse, we will make sure that happens.”

The new system will help ensure patients meet with the triage nurse for assessment in the order in which they arrived, however, there may be occasions when patient symptoms impact the order in which they are triaged or reassessed.
He explains the goal is to bring more clarity to the new patient queuing process.
“We were getting feedback from patients who were saying when the waiting room is really busy, it’s hard for them to understand who might be next to be called in to be assessed by the triage nurse.
“This process is to really help with that. But again, obviously, if someone is in the waiting room and they look like they need to come forward to be seen urgently by the triage nurse, we will make sure that happens.”
Watkin stresses the triage process itself will not change.
“The triage process hasn’t changed. Once the patient is in with the triage nurse, they’ll be assessed and prioritized accordingly to see the physician.
“This really is about if you’ve got five or six people who arrive at the same time and the waiting room is busy, how do we ensure that there is as much fairness to that without people becoming confused and putting people into triage out of order.”
As to triage itself, Watkin explains the rationale of the system.
“When a patient is triaged, they are triaged based on priority level and level of acuity and urgency that they need to be seen.
“So, I think the other piece as well is sometimes we do have patients who are triaged to go to a lower level of acuity because they can be seen more quickly.
“They might have a sprain or strain or a minor injury that can be quickly treated and then they can be discharged from the department and on their way.
“Then there are other patients who need to be seen in the main Emergency Department to require further work.
“All that is done through that triage assessment.”
This score is aligned with the Canadian Triage and Acuity Scale (CTAS) – a tool used nationally and internationally to prioritize patient care requirements and to ensure the sickest and highest-risk patients are seen first.