In announcing at the end of July she would not seek re-election, MP Karen Vecchio praised St. Thomas Mayor Joe Preston as someone who “will always be one of my confidants.”
And, speaking with Preston this week, he reciprocated with a quip he has laid on me more than once.
“I took five minutes and taught her everything I know.”
While it is generally acknowledged she first got a taste of politics working in Preston’s constituency office, the former Elgin-Middlesex-London MP reminded me that Vecchio’s introduction to political representation goes back even further.
Many years ago she went door-to-door campaigning for Bill Aarts as he sought a seat on St. Thomas municipal council.
In seeking Preston’s reaction to her announcement, he referenced their years of working together as, “a significant friendship, but the amount she was able to carry on doing and accomplish in her own right made me quite proud.”
Preston continued, “She worked for me for over 10 years, worked with me on the team. She knew what had to be done and what method she might take and she was my advisor when I would say, here’s the issue I’m faced with in committee tomorrow, what should I do?
“So, she already knew some of the workings and how to get things done for your riding.
“I am exceptionally proud of her and I know this was not an easy decision for her.”
That was followed by a nuanced jab at a particular wannabe candidate who couldn’t wait to write themselves into the script.
“I think a little bit more celebrating Karen before we start hearing who would love her job would be perfect, too.”
Preston went on to stress that don’t, for one minute, believe Vecchio will now coast to the finish line.
“The character of Karen Vecchio is, the next 15 months she’s going to work just as hard as she did the first two years. There is no stopping her, she will just go until the end and then become a great advisor to whoever wants to be next.”
Preston enthused, “I don’t say it lightly when I say I love her dearly. She is such a good friend and a great colleague.
“And, as the mayor of St. Thomas, I can say St. Thomas loves her dearly.
“She has been fantastic in a great way, whether it was her, Jeff (MPP Jeff Yurek) and I or her and Rob (MPP Rob Flack) and I at being able to move things forward because that also has to happen.
“Look, there were some scoldings I would take. There was some great advice that I got. There was as incredible a working relationship or valuable working relationship as two people could probably have.”
“I give Karen great credit for creating the relationship we had with Steve Peters as the MPP. Our offices as the federal Member of Parliament and the provincial Members of Parliament would meet monthly to say what are you working on?
“And that got Steve and I working together (across party lines) to say if we could pick one big thing in the riding what would it be and let’s both ask for it because we are more likely to get it.
“Karen was the one who really started that. We did what was right for the constituents in our riding and in others.”
Preston took a moment to remind that as the MP representing Elgin-Middlesex-London, she always sat in opposition.
“Karen was a Member of Parliament but not in government and yet we still could get things for our riding because of Karen’s ability to go to the ministers on the government side and with the help of other local parliamentarians – of which I know she has made great relationships – can still get things for Elgin-Middlesex-London.
“She did it the right way.”
“I hope the next person chosen as a Conservative candidate, should they be victorious in the next election, hears exactly the same thing. That you’re standing on the shoulders of those who came before us.”
So, when did Preston come to the realization Vecchio would be the perfect candidate to follow in his footsteps?
“Not until near the end. I was struggling with my own decision to leave Parliament and, obviously, I was starting to hear from others who might want the job.
“Once it came to my mind that Karen would be greatest at it, I never found anyone else who I thought could be better.”
And what was that working relationship like on a day-to-day basis?
“Look, there were some scoldings I would take. There was some great advice that I got. There was as incredible a working relationship or valuable working relationship as two people could probably have.”
And, some sage advice for those seeking to carry the Conservative banner moving forward in the riding.
“I hope the next person chosen as a Conservative candidate, should they be victorious in the next election, hears exactly the same thing.
“That you’re standing on the shoulders of those who came before us. I had great admiration for Ken Monteith and John Wise who were full of advice for me and that really helped my character, and Karen was great friends with both of those people.”
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FOOD FOR THOUGHT
City council sits for its second meeting of the summer on Monday (Aug. 12) and on the agenda is a report from Southwestern Public Health on food insecurity.
The term means an individual or household does not have enough money for food.
The report, titled Addressing Food Insecurity and Poverty notes, “Food is a basic human right. Everyone should have the means to afford enough nutritious food.
“Unfortunately, this is not the case for many households in our region. Food insecurity is the inadequate or insecure access to a healthy diet caused by financial constraints.
“Without sufficient and reliable incomes, households may find it difficult to afford enough healthy food.”
The health unit advises in 2021-22, 19.2 per cent of households in its coverage area were food insecure.
And that, warns the report, “is a serious public health issue . . . as it is closely linked to many negative health outcomes.
“Adults and children from food insecure households have poorer physical and mental health compared to adults and children from food secure households.”
“These figures highlight that wages, salaries, and social assistance levels are inadequate for Canadians to meet the basic cost of living.”
The report continues, “In Canada, household food insecurity is closely related to income.
“Households with inadequate or unstable incomes and limited savings and ability to borrow money are at the greatest risk of experiencing food insecurity. Those with lower incomes have a dramatically higher probability of being food insecure.”
And, contrary to popular belief, “having a job does not protect people from food insecurity.
“In 2021, about 1 in 6 Canadian households reliant on wages, salaries, or self-employment were food insecure.
“Households that faced job disruptions may have had to rely on employment insurance or COVID-19-related benefits, such as the Canada Emergency Response Benefit.
“These figures highlight that wages, salaries, and social assistance levels are inadequate for Canadians to meet the basic cost of living.”
The health unit has calculated the cost of eating a healthy diet for a family of four in its coverage area is almost $1,200 per month.
As a remedy, the health unit suggests increasing the minimum wage, a basic income guarantee, increasing investments in public programs and services and improving employment standards.
How can the community help?
Learn more about food insecurity at http://www.odph.ca/centsless
Become a certified live wage employer.
Support free income tax filing clinics for low-income households.
Advocate for income-related policies.
And, support local poverty reduction strategies and coalitions. Learn more about the Elgin St. Thomas Coalition to End Poverty at https://povertycoalition.ca/
THINKING OUTSIDE THE HEALTHCARE BOX
The Thames Valley Family Health Team held its second free cancer screening pop-up clinic yesterday (Aug 9) in St. Thomas.
The clinics are hosted to address the needs of those without a family physician or nurse practitioner.
They are specifically designed to provide vital cancer screening services to women, men over the age of 50, transmasculine individuals and non-binary people.
There are approximately 7,000 individuals in St. Thomas and Elgin who fall into this category and we talked with nurse practitioner Andrea Hunt (pictured at left in the photo) about the value of the new clinics and the services offered.
“If 7,000 (individuals) is the number on the book, there are likely a whole lot more who are unaccounted for. So, this type of clinic, hopefully, will reach out to those people who do not have a primary care provider or feel they just haven’t gotten that care.
“So, absolutely, we’re reaching out to do these cervical screenings, breast cancer screenings and colorectal cancer screenings.”
Hunt explains the role and value of nurse practitioners at the clinics.
“Nurse practitioners are such an asset to the healthcare system. We can have such an impact and make such a difference for people.
“We don’t have to fit in that square box. We can think outside and make these pop-up clinics so that we’re reaching people who maybe otherwise wouldn’t have access.”
“We can diagnose, we can write prescriptions, we collaborate with your specialist, order your imaging and, if need be, we can consult with our physician partners.”
Hunt details the services available through the Thames Valley Family Health Team.
“There are quite a few clinics at Thames Valley Family Health Team. We are kind of dispersed around London, Ilderton, St. Thomas, Strathroy-Caradoc, and Woodstock.
“We are kind of everywhere and we actually amalgamate all into professional disciplines. We have dieticians, occupational therapists, social workers, nurses and respiratory therapists.”
She touches on the challenges rural residents face in obtaining healthcare services.
“It is very challenging for so many reasons. Is there transportation to access? It’s making people aware that we are there.
“We don’t have to fit in that square box. We can think outside and make these pop-up clinics so that we’re reaching people who maybe otherwise wouldn’t have access.”
The next pop-up clinic in St. Thomas is Aug. 23.
The clinics are hosted at 230 First Ave., suite 109. To book an appointment, call 226-626-8440 and press ‘4’ to speak to an administrative assistant.
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NEW STOP ADDED TO REGIONAL BUS SERVICE
This past Tuesday (Aug. 6), the Amazon Fulfillment Centre north of Talbotville was added to the existing St. Thomas, London, and Dorchester regional bus service which went into operation in April of this year.
The Route 3 service is operated by Middlesex County Connect using buses from Voyago.
The additional stop will not impact times on the current service and the one-way fare remains $5.
In a media release, St. Thomas Mayor Joe Preston noted the Amazon stop is another step in supporting economic growth in the region.
“The Route 3 expansion is a testament to our commitment to enhancing local infrastructure and supporting economic growth. This new transit stop will improve access for our residents and workforce, illustrating how communities and businesses can work together to build a strong, more vibrant economy in St. Thomas.”
Elgin County Warden Ed Ketchabaw added, “This enhancement provides our residents with greater access to employment opportunities and strengthens the connectivity between our communities.”
It’s part of a one-year pilot project managed through Middlesex County and funded by the province.
If you have used this service we would love to hear from you. You can reach out by email to ianscityscope@gmail.com.
New schedules are included below.
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A sunny start to the regional transit pilot program serving St. Thomas
FOR THE CALENDAR
October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month.
Brian Lynch of St. Thomas wonders why, in all of the promotional material, there is no mention of men.
He calls it a gut punch because he is a male breast cancer survivor.
And on Aug. 19 of last year, he organized the first Bottoni Ride for male breast cancer awareness.
It’s named in honour of his surgeon at St. Thomas Elgin General Hospital, Dr. David Bottoni.
That’s Brian on the left in the photo with Dr. Bottoni.
This year’s ride is Aug. 17 beginning at Rocky’s Harley Davidson at 900 Wilton Grove Road in London.
On-site registration runs from 10 until 11 a.m., with the ride taking off at 11:30 and returning at 1 p.m.
A lunch truck will be on site and prize draws will take following the ride.
Proceeds support the MRI campaign at St. Thomas Elgin General Hospital.
For more information or to register, call 519-635-6125 or email thebottoniproject@rogers.com.
This coming Friday (Aug. 16), the Parkside Collegiate Institute robotics team is holding its first-ever ThunderStamps Summer Festival.
It’s a fundraiser in support of the robotics team and will feature local vendors, food trucks, fun and a great bunch of enthusiastic students.
The event runs from 5 until 9 p.m. at the CASO station and for more information on the ThunderStamps robotics team, visit http://4907.ca
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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.
