The St. Thomas & District Chamber of Commerce Lunch with the Mayors gathering is typically a non-controversial State of the Union-type event, more jovial than jousting.
That all changed with last year’s get-together which came on the heels of Bill-63, the St. Thomas Central Elgin Boundary Adjustment Act.
Central Elgin lost hundreds of acres of farmland to St. Thomas for that municipality to assemble 1,500 acres for what would become the Yarmouth Yards industrial park and ultimately the home of Volkswagen/PowerCo and the EV battery giga-plant.
Much of the question-and-answer time slot was put to good use by former Central Elgin Mayor Sally Martyn to hold St. Thomas Mayor Joe Preston’s feet to the fire on her municipality’s lack of involvement in the land deal.
This year’s luncheon this past week was at a new venue, the CASO station and featured the aforementioned Preston along with Southwold Mayor Grant Jones and Central Elgin Mayor Andrew Sloan.
While the first two used their 10 minutes of speaking time to sum up the past year and crystal ball this year, the latter used almost the entirety of his time slot to zero in on why the delay in compensation for the loss of industrial land.
Here is the lion’s share of Sloan’s opening remarks to the sold-out gathering.
“I’ve learned and experienced so much since being sworn in. I think my biggest lesson has come from speaking directly with residents and I’ve been hearing a lot from Central Elgin residents.
“It’s a simple lesson on issues big and small. When it’s something that matters, people want to have their voices heard.
“I’d like to thank you for hearing from me today,” continued Sloan.
“Grant (Jones) spoke about Amazon and Joe (Preston) about Volkswagen and it’s been a year since the Ontario government passed Bill-63 the St. Thomas Central Elgin Boundary Adjustment Act.
“My council colleagues, Central Elgin residents and I were disappointed. since these plans represented the majority of industrial-zoned property within Central Elgin. A municipality with almost no pre-existing industrial tax revenue.
“I will continue to do whatever I can to ensure discussions between the province, Mayor Joe, the municipality and the county progress and produce a satisfactory deal.”
“This land represented our most viable means of ensuring the stability and affordability for ratepayers as our community grows. But we’ve moved forward. We take the provincial government at its word that the lost opportunity costs will be equalized.”
That may be a generous assumption
“Personally, it’s been a year of negotiations, two facilitators, many interested parties, a lot of back and forth between Mayor Joe, myself and Rob (MPP Rob Flack) as well as countless others.
“Central Elgin continues to make the point that our priority is to use the compensation to address resident concerns about our comparatively high water and tax rates as well as developing our industrial lands.
It’s worth noting this situation is a complex one and it is without precedent. And Central Elgin’s council and residents have been patient during the process.
“Our thanks to our local MPP and associate minister of housing, Mr. Flack for his ongoing support and sharing concerns and providing information, both on the local front and as well at Queen’s Park.”
Sloan stressed, “I will continue to do whatever I can to ensure discussions between the province, Mayor Joe, the municipality and the county progress and produce a satisfactory deal.
“I think the next couple of months will be critical for the conclusion of these negotiations and I will remain at the table with the best interests of the residents of Central Elgin and Elgin county at the forefront.
“The acknowledgement of senior levels of government that accompanied the news of the Volkswagen announcement last year was that the giga-factory would usher in compounding regional benefits and secure thousands of additional spin-off jobs.”
“A game-changer for the entire nation and auto powerhouse of North America were used in painting the picture of the pending facility’s magnitude, but the full scope of implications for our community must now be carefully considered.
“Central Elgin and Elgin county are happy to rise to the occasion as a collaborative and progressive partner when given an opportunity. Let me make it clear that my Central Elgin and Elgin county colleagues and I fully embrace these challenges.”
“We’ve heard and continue to hear news about the extensive infrastructure advancements that will soon begin to transform our local roadways. And we’re aware of the $250 million shared investment in a wastewater treatment facility for St. Thomas.”
Sloan stressed, “But, we haven’t heard the more specific and tangible details of the way in which these are shared benefits for the region. Naturally, we expect Central Elgin and Elgin county as a whole will be prime areas for residential growth to accommodate the thousands of promised direct and indirect jobs.
“However, the ongoing housing crisis, rapidly rising immigration rates and the influx of urban residents seeking the peace and beauty of rural life are already placing significant pressure on our residential development and servicing capacity.
“I think it’s fair to say there is a great deal being asked of us in a very short period of time with limited opportunity to provide meaningful input as it relates to the region as a whole.
“Central Elgin and Elgin county are happy to rise to the occasion as a collaborative and progressive partner when given an opportunity. Let me make it clear that my Central Elgin and Elgin county colleagues and I fully embrace these challenges.
“And the nature of our roles as community stewards obliged to consider the impacts of our decisions for generations to come provides a valuable perspective.
“In short,” summarized Sloan, “we want to be part of the solutions.
“Elgin county council recently had the opportunity to take stock of what we know at the present time with Minister Flack. Staff provided a great deal of data on the potential spin-off development that will result, but the topic that most stood out to me, of course, was the magnitude – the largest in North America – and how that affects infrastructure like our Central Elgin and Elgin county road system.
“Highbury Avenue in particular was identified as a major concern by both the county and Minister Flack since it is already one of Elgin’s busiest roads. But now constitutes a direct connection to the PowerCo lands.
“County staff have identified one fully loaded transport truck, weighing approximately 30 tons, does the equivalent road damage as nearly 9,000 passenger vehicles.
“And for the City of St. Thomas’ Environmental Assessment for Highbury Avenue, the PowerCo plant is expected to generate an additional 80 transport trucks per day on that road. That’s equal to the wear and tear of nearly 800,000 vehicles.
“I call upon our partners in the provincial government, our neighbours in St. Thomas to join Central Elgin and Elgin county in transitioning from the hypothetical to the tangible, from anticipation to outcomes, from talk to action.”
“And, it’s clear the scale of these challenges requires a collaborative approach.
“And the required collaborative approach, I believe, is not only between the municipalities, but one that involves our federal and provincial counterparts.
“I join my colleagues in calling upon our partners at the federal and provincial level to commit to resources that will address the municipal servicing and infrastructural demands that exist today and will be compounded exponentially by the introduction of more industrial development in a short time.
“By supporting us in bridging this significant transition for our rural communities, we can ensure that the outcome best serves all our shared constituents.
“. . . All told, what I want you to take away from my time before you this afternoon is that the year ahead represents, to me, a bridge to prosperity and a critical shift from past to present.
“I call upon our partners in the provincial government, our neighbours in St. Thomas to join Central Elgin and Elgin county in transitioning from the hypothetical to the tangible, from anticipation to outcomes, from talk to action.
“If we are to make the very most of this historic opportunity for our region, we must demonstrate the kind of leadership that it requires. We must keep the people at the heart of every decision and think critically about the kind of community we want to live in.
“We must honour our esteemed past while responsibly planning for what lies ahead.”
Sloan concluded, “For my part, I will continue to pursue a fair deal for Central Elgin that reflects the loss incurred by the annexation of our industrial heartland and secures the promise and financial future for our great municipality.
“I’ll also champion responsible local decision-making that sustains Central Elgin and Elgin county and St. Thomas as a first-class region in which to live, work, visit and do business.”
Next week we will delve into some of the other issues that emerged over the 90 minutes including housing, wastewater treatment and the dreaded ‘A’ word, amalgamation.
TALBOT STREET BLITZ MARKS FIRST ANNIVERSARY
In April of last year, we documented the launch of the St. Thomas Fire Department’s Fire Safe Downtown Campaign.
It began in February to educate owners and tenants on fire safety and ensure fire code compliance in businesses and residences along the length of Talbot Street.
At the time, Chief Fire Prevention Officer Kim Destun explained, “Typically what is done is we’ll go in and we’ll do the inspection and, depending on the severity of the issue, the landlord will be given a certain amount of time to comply.
“And that will go along with the education piece, you should comply because this is why.
“And, hopefully, they go yes this is a good idea and do it. If not, we can go down the enforcement route and make sure it happens.”
It’s a massive undertaking and we caught up with her this past week for a one-year update.
“It is taking longer than I hoped, but I am happy with our progress. We’re halfway in one year, so that’s really good.”
Destun advises in the past 12 months, 217 properties have been inspected, beginning at the east end.
There have been 580 interactions with owners and tenants with time spent setting up inspections, collecting building information, actual inspections and re-inspections to ensure compliance once an order has been written.
“Typically, what St. Thomas has been able to do in the past is only complaints and requests. We need to have a regular inspection cycle and that includes everything from mercantile to residential to industrial and they all should be on a regular schedule where they are getting inspected every three years or two years or annually, as need be.”
There is no complete inventory of just what will be found in the way of residential units located above Talbot Street businesses.
She advised a lot of these units have been renovated numerous times over the years so it is a bit of a discovery process.
“We really don’t know what is up there. The building department has a good idea, but as far as the fire department, this is where we are learning right now.”
As her crew is discovering, there are some unique layouts to be found in the basements and on the second and third floors of buildings.
“One of the things we kind of enjoy is getting into the basements of some of these old buildings. They are all built in the 1800s and you can really see the history when you get down into the guts of the building.”
What Destun is finding is over 90 per cent of the buildings inspected have some form of fire code deficiencies.
“Often these issues are easily corrected with staff training, small quick fixes, but many are more complex and require an order to be written and the work to be completed and re-inspected.”
A byproduct of the inspections is the compiling of an inventory and map of the layout of the various units.
“Part of this whole project is to first gather keyholder information so that if something happens to that building at four in the morning, firefighters have someone we can call.
“The second part is to inform our firefighters and do some pre-planning, which is important so they have an idea of what is in that building.
“We’re finding a lot of buildings have stuff in them that wasn’t originally intended. So, the use has changed over time.
As a result, firefighters are not being blindsided if they have an incident in the middle of the night.
“Firefighter safety is a huge portion of this.”
Destun stressed this is not a one-off undertaking.
“Typically, what St. Thomas has been able to do in the past is only complaints and requests. We need to have a regular inspection cycle and that includes everything from mercantile to residential to industrial and they all should be on a regular schedule where they are getting inspected every three years or two years or annually, as need be.”
She concluded, “We are finding very few buildings we actually go into that don’t need some kind of education. It’s very lacking and most of the time we go in it’s just a few minor things that can be fixed on the spot.
“As we continue the blitz into 2024, we encourage building owners and businesses on Talbot Street to reach out and learn more about what our inspectors will be looking for when we arrive for your fire inspection.”
Related post:
ADAPTING AND EVOLVING IN THE STEGH MENTAL HEALTH UNIT
At the end of January, a decade of providing mental health services was celebrated at St. Thomas Elgin General Hospital.
Since it opened in 2014, the department has evolved into a pillar of support for those requiring mental health services in St. Thomas and across Elgin county.
Karen Davies, hospital President and CEO notes, “As we look back on the journey we’ve travelled over the past 10 years, I am filled with pride and admiration for the resilience and determination that defines the mental health program at STEGH.
We spoke with Dr. Giuseppe Guaiana , Chief of Psychiatry, about the challenges faced over the past 10 years.
“We are definitely developing the way we want, but there are lots of challenges because, of course, there has been an increase in the number of people with mental health problems that come to our door.
“More violence, but we are trying as much as possible to cope with what we get.”
He took the time to talk about the creation of the specialized Memory Clinic in the unit.
“It’s kind of an outpatient program where people with potential dementia are assessed.
“Then we do a total assessment and a plan of care will be made, depending on the findings of the assessment.
“Usually for cognitive problems, problems with memory and problems with functioning, that’s what the Memory Clinic is for.”
The mental health care unit is housed in the North Tower at the hospital and features a recreational therapy room, communal dining area and large outdoor courtyard.
In the 10 years of providing mental health care at STEGH, numerous milestones have been achieved.
That includes expanding the team in the Mental Health Department to meet the increasing needs of the community.
Dr. Guaiana advises that one of the busier areas the team deals with is the treatment of depression.
“Depression is definitely much more treatable than dementia. There are several well-established ways like medication, talking therapy and activation.
“So, depression is easier to manage. The numbers are very high, but it is easier to manage than dementia.”
“While we are not flawless, our strength lies in our ability to adapt and evolve.”
The mental health team is comprised of 30 to 40 members in a variety of specialized areas.
“We are a multi-disciplinary team so in addition to doctors and nurses, we have social workers, recreational therapists, occupational therapists and pharmacists.
“Every day we meet and we do rounds and we discuss the case from different perspectives to find a plan.”
We asked Dr. Guaiana what attracted him to psychiatry.
“First of all, I like the brain and the mind. I have always been fascinated. That is the reason I entered medicine to work more on the brain.
“The reason for psychiatry is because it really is very global. You see the patient as a whole. You don’t focus on one organ or one system.
“You see the patient as a whole and you are there with them at their most difficult times, you are there to support. That is the rewarding part.
“People get better and you see them moving from a very severe state to a happier and better state.”
And what does he envision transpiring in the next 10 years?
“The next 10 years will be to really expand, for sure. And then continue responding to our needs.
“It’s very difficult to predict what is going to happen. Will there be more or less mental illness?
“I suspect there will be more or the same, at least. So we will have to expand. We need to improve our outpatient program. Not that it’s not working well, but we need to adapt it to the times.
“Also because we have more and more severe patients with a history of trauma and history of severe mental illness and they sometimes don’t respond to treatment.
“So we have to be mindful of that and try to attend to their needs.”
He admits, “While we are not flawless, our strength lies in our ability to adapt and evolve.”
THE ECHO CHAMBER
Brian Squires, president of New Phase Developments in Alberta posted this comment on LinkedIn regarding Sandra Datars Bere assuming the city manager’s role in London.
“And the circle continues. I have always been able to see the potential growth in St Thomas from the time I first went there in 1998.
“Witnessing it manifest into reality is really something special.
“I hope your new city manager will have the vision and courage to see St. Thomas continue on its present path!”
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And a reminder, I can be heard weekday afternoons as news anchor and reporter on 94.1 myFM in St. Thomas. As always, your comments and input are appreciated.
