We got wind of this just over a week ago and the move was confirmed on Tuesday of this week. City Manager Sandra Datars Bere will assume the same post up the road in London, effective at the beginning of May.
Her last day at city hall will be at the end of April.
She returned to St. Thomas as city manager on Jan. 10, 2022. So, for the second time in about 15 months, the hunt begins for a new city boss.
Datars Bere stepped in following the retirement of Wendell Graves at the end of February 2022.
She served as the city’s director of social services from 2006 through 2010, before moving on to continue her municipal career in London and Bruce County.
Mayor Joe Preston admits the city has big shoes to fill.

“This is great news for her, this is a fantastic step forward for her and for the City of London, I might add.
“That is fantastic from that point of view, and certainly the future relationship for all of southern Ontario and certainly between St. Thomas and London just improved immensely and that’s another great thing to look for.
“But you’re right, the shoes will be big to fill.”

The search for a new city manager in London has been a year-long process.
For Datars Bere, it is a return to her home, where she was the former housing and social services head.
Preston had nothing but praise for her leadership role here.
“It has been outstanding the growth that St. Thomas has been able to achieve under her leadership.
“I’ve got to continue to say thank you to her every time I see her because we would not be where we are if she had not helped carry forward with that strategic plan we put together four years ago now, and we are now re-developing to a new one.”
London Mayor Josh Morgan said the hiring of Datars-Bere came after a national search, following the announcement last year current city manager Lynne Livingstone was to retire in mid-March.
Datars Bere previously served as the director of social services in St. Thomas from 2006 through 2010.
We spoke with Datars Bere on Tuesday, shortly after the announcement was made at a special meeting in London.
She had nothing but praise for Preston and the rest of city council.
“He has been nothing but tremendous about this. I am going to miss working with this council and miss working under his leadership.
“I’ve learned a lot from him and he’s been so willing and open to sharing information with me and giving guidance and working together. So I certainly will miss that piece a lot.”
She talked about her return to St. Thomas in 2022 as city manager.
“St. Thomas was such a great spot for me to land. And I certainly landed long before we had any sense about the really amazing future that St. Thomas has. Lots of opportunities for the future and challenges too, no doubt.”
She has fond memories of her tenure with the city previously.
“St. Thomas was home, it was the place where I started my municipal career. I had worked only provincially before that and St. Thomas took me in back in 2006 and then again in the last couple of years.

“What I do know is that St. Thomas and London have similarities in the types of organizations that we work with, like Indwell. Those are things I think have been great opportunities for us.”

“I will say that it was my intention to continue to be in St. Thomas but sometimes opportunities come up.”
London has been her home for many years.
“I’ve always been based in London. I’ve lived here probably since university. I’ve raised my family here. My husband works here in the private sector.”
Likewise, she has known Mayor Josh Morgan for a considerable length of time.
“I met Josh when he worked at the university (Western) back when I was doing my Master’s program. And then he was on council when I was at the City of London.”
She noted the close relationship between the two mayors, who have worked on not only the PowerCo EV battery plant but other projects as well.
Datars Bere continued, “I come with the support of the council in St. Thomas. They see the value in that continued partnership with London and that is a huge piece.”
As was the case with her predecessor, she left her mark on the push for social housing in St. Thomas.
“I’m looking forward to going there (London) and having the opportunity to see the work they have done. It’s still going to be complex, there is still the growing reality of the challenges.
“What I do know is that St. Thomas and London have similarities in the types of organizations that we work with, like Indwell. Those are things I think have been great opportunities for us.”
She cited the example of the explosion last month at The Station, the Indwell social housing project on Queen Street in St. Thomas.

“We understand the complexities of it and we understand the implications of it and we understand the partnerships we have, including with PowerCo and the commitment they have made.”

“When we had that situation at Indwell, there was great support between the City of St. Thomas and the City of London to support some of the individuals who might have been better supported in other locations other than a hotel.
“Those are the kind of partnerships that are important and that worked well because Indwell is the provider both here and in London.
As has been the case in St. Thomas, she stresses the importance of teamwork.
“London is a busy place and the pace is significant but you just have to rely on the team around you.”
Meantime in St. Thomas she continues, “The leader of the team, the coach, sits in the big office on the third floor and he, along with his assistant coaches – the members of council – have really inspired the team and the staff to work together, but also to be creative and sometimes take risks. “We tend to be risk-averse as public servants and that can be challenging. We’re probably in the biggest risk any organization can be in right now and feeling very comfortable about it.”
A reference to the massive undertaking involved with opening the country’s largest EV battery facility.
“Council is feeling very comfortable with the work we have been doing and very comfortable with the outcome we are seeing on that project.
“We understand the complexities of it and we understand the implications of it and we understand the partnerships we have, including with PowerCo and the commitment they have made.”

A ‘SLOWDOWN’ IN THE LIFE OF EARL TAYLOR

The day after Sandra Datars Bere’s announcement, long-time DDB chair Earl Taylor advised he was stepping away from the position.
“It’s time for me to move on,” affirmed Taylor.
“As any job doesn’t last forever – this is a volunteer job – I decided I am going to step down as chair of the St. Thomas Downtown Development Board, which I have held for a long time – maybe too long – but probably going back to about 2012, when I took over as chair and now this is 2024.
“It’s time for new blood.”
For years, Taylor was an outspoken promoter of the city’s downtown core.
From events throughout the year like Nostalgia Nights and the Christmas tree-lighting ceremony to the Downtown Dollars promotion, Taylor strived to keep downtown businesses front and centre despite a pandemic and the lengthy reconstruction of Talbot Street.
“So all of the events are brand new, over those 12 years. Basically pushed by me and developed by our board. We’ll carry on with all of them.
“There’s no question, I’m positive that the board will carry on.
The Nostalgia Nights Car Show was probably the one that stands out as the best event that we’ve ever had.
“The first year, hundreds of cars and then it has developed into thousands of cars. Through the pandemic, we suffered for a little bit, but when the pandemic was over, it exploded again.

“But our DDB mandate is to promote and beautify, it is not set to solve social issues, but we’ve had to deal with them and our businesses are dealing with them the best we can.”

“People wanted to get back to coming to St. Thomas with their classic cars.”
The decision to step away was not taken lightly, stressed Taylor, but he was quick to add the new board of directors had matters well in hand.
“I’ll be available to help. Of course, I’ve got all of this stuff in my head, notes, contact information, that has to be passed along to the new board.
“But, we’ve got a phenomenal board right now. We developed, over the years, a bunch of people who had the same interest in our downtown, so I know our new board is dedicated and will be able to pick up the reins and carry on without any delays.”
Taylor was unsuccessful in his bid to win a seat on city council during the 2022 municipal election and he said it is not likely he will take another run at municipal politics.
He has been a realtor since 1993 and has served on the city’s Municipal Heritage and Special Events committees.

“I do want to say thank you very much to our merchants, our downtown property and business owners for doing the best they can through some challenging times.”

Taylor prefers to call his decision a slowdown in his life to allow him to devote more time to his personal life.
However, he has many causes he will continue to champion.
“I’m still a realtor, full-time realtor, for sure. I’m a member of the St. Thomas Optimist Club.
“I’m on the board of directors for the St. Thomas Chamber of Commerce. There is still lots to do.
“It’s a slowdown. It’s time just to focus my energies a little more on my personal life, as well.”
In 2021, Taylor garnered support from city council to make downtown courtesy crosswalks more pedestrian-friendly.
The impact of his letter to members of council urging them to consider installing a signalled crosswalk at all current crosswalks can be seen today in the downtown core.
We sought Taylor’s assessment of the health of the downtown core.
“The concerns with social issues has caused serious problems in our downtown. I don’t have to tell you about that.
“But our DDB mandate is to promote and beautify, it is not set to solve social issues, but we’ve had to deal with them and our businesses are dealing with them the best we can.
“Our police department has put in the special constable program, but that’s one of the problems in our downtown I would like to see solved sooner than later.”
Taylor praised the resilience of downtown merchants over the difficult past few years.
“I do want to say thank you very much to our merchants, our downtown property and business owners for doing the best they can through some challenging times.
“We went through COVID, we went through the construction in three different phases in 2016, 2018 and 2023. It’s been a challenge, but our downtown merchants and business owners are resilient and the board that is going to take over from my departure is phenomenal.
“They’ve done a great job and I know they are going to carry on to the best of their ability and I look forward to that.”

KAINS STREET RECONSTRUCTION TO PROCEED

After considerable discussion over the past several months, work will begin this spring on the reconstruction of Kains Street, including a roundabout at St. Catharine Street.
ghn Group of Mt. Brydges submitted the lowest bid at $4.1 million, excluding HST.
Council voted unanimously to award the tender to ghn Group.
However, in a separate motion, councillors Steve Peters and Jim Herbert were opposed to converting Scott and Curtis streets from one-way to two-way traffic.

“I believe the public, even though we had public open houses, I don’t think the public fully grasps what is happening here,” stressed Peters.
“I have been long concerned about Scott Street being a speedway, but my advocacy for slowing down traffic on Scott Street has never been to turn Scott Street into a two-way street, or convert Curtis Street into a two-way street.
“I watch emergency vehicles use Scott Street on a regular basis and if an ambulance is coming from the north-end station or the fire department is coming from the north end, they do not go to Talbot Street.
“They come down Kains Street onto Scott Street. It is the quickest east-to-west route there is in the city.
“I think we’re doing nothing but going to slow the traffic down more than what we would like to see it slowed down.
“Scott Street is a disaster. I’d be prepared to look at this when we finally get around to rebuilding Scott Street because of the width of Scott Street.
“Curtis Street, I think, is a little more doable, because much of Curtis Street has been rebuilt.
“I just have some serious concerns about the conversion of these two streets.”
The project was last before council on Dec. 11 with a report from Daniel Koppert, manager of capital works presenting options for improvements to the Kains and St. Catharine streets intersection.
According to the report, Kains Street experiences an Average Annual Daily Traffic (AADT) volume of approximately 8,000 vehicles.
St. Catharine Street experiences an AADT volume of 4,200 vehicles.
There have been two collisions at this intersection over the past five years, both due to vehicles failing to stop at the existing stop sign on St. Catharine Street.
Issues identified from previous reports and studies dealing with this intersection include speed, traffic control warrants, parking and pedestrian safety at the courtesy crossing.
The Transportation Master Plan (2021) included recommendations for a roundabout at this location along with active transportation improvements and the conversion of Scott and Curtis streets from one-way to two-way traffic.
The work is expected to begin mid- to late-March with substantial completion by early October.

Related post:

The 2024 St. Thomas draft budget comes in at under a 4 per cent increase. Can city council whittle this down further?

ROUNDABOUT ART 1

At Monday’s (Feb. 12) council meeting, members will be asked to approve artwork for the new roundabout to be installed at Highbury Avenue and Ron McNeil Line.
Thirteen submissions were received and evaluated by the Public Art Committee.

Shift Landscape Architecture was the highest-scoring proposal submitted, offering a public art piece entitled Fading Memories “that recalls the barn as an object from the area that is seemingly disappearing from the landscape and from the memories of those who spent time around these structures,” according to the report to council.
The price tag of $220,640, excluding HST, is within the allocated $250,000 budget for this project.

ROUNDABOUT ART 2

A similar process was undertaken for the roundabout at Highbury Avenue and South Edgeware Road, with eight proposals received.

Metal Mind Forge was the highest scoring proposal submitted, offering a public art piece entitled Thriving that “captures the essence of resilience, growth, and optimism expressed through the lifecycle of a dandelion sprouting from a pile of old railway spikes,” according to the report.
It notes further, “The time-worn pieces figuratively ‘feed’ the emergence of plants, imbuing both a respect for the past and a belief in a thriving future. The iconic dandelion, known around the world and for thousands of years as the ‘wish flower’ adds the elements of surprise, hope, and fun that we can all connect with the blowing of seeds and making a wish.”
The cost of the structure is $132,740, excluding HST, and is within the allocated $150,000 budget for this project.

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