It’s a simple premise if we agree to use it as a starting point.
The presence of police acts as a deterrent.
To put this into context, St. Thomas department heads are now preparing draft proposals to present to council in November as the basis for the 2025 capital and operating budgets.
With the explosive population growth projected in the coming decades – nearly doubling by 2050 – one critical area will be ensuring the well-being of newcomers to St. Thomas.
You do not attract new industries – and with it, workers to fill those jobs – when they will potentially be located in crime-ridden neighbourhoods.
So, this past week we sat down with Dan Reith, chair of the Police Service Board to discuss what is expected to be a budget ask representing a 14 per cent increase over the 2024 budget.
At first glance, that might seem like an aggressive ask by Chief Marc Roskamp and the Police Service Board.

Keep in mind, however, that former chiefs Darryl Pinnell and Chris Herridge ran tight ships over the past decade – perhaps too tight in some years with budget increases of well under two per cent.
As a result – and the numbers point to this – the St. Thomas Police Service has fallen behind similar-sized police departments when you look at the cost per capita of delivering services.
The closest comparative service is in Woodstock with a population very close to St. Thomas.
That city has a complement of 103 police officers versus 81 in St. Thomas (using 2024 figures).
The 2024 policing budget in Woodstock was just under $21 million compared to $15.8 million here.
The per capita cost of providing police service in Woodstock is $451.
In St. Thomas, that figure is $350.
We’ll come back to these comparisons factoring in the projected 2025 budgets from each community.

So what is the role of the Police Service Board?
It hires and appoints a police chief and the role of the board is to represent the community.
The board includes two members of city council and it appoints a chief to run the operations of the police service, execute the collective agreements and identify gaps in the community where the board is obligated by law to put in place resources.
And the board is held accountable if it does not provide adequate and effective police services.
That knowledge is obtained from the police chief, who attends board meetings and provides input on where he or she feels there are gaps in the provision of service.
And so while the overall Crime Severity Index (CSI) in St. Thomas is down 13 per cent this year, non-violent crime is down 20 per cent, which is leading the way in the province.
However, there is an uptick of seven per cent in violent crime.
That would prompt Chief Roskamp to raise a warning flag to the Police Service Board, regarding the need for more front-line officers.

“I’m very happy with it. I am very proud of the budget. I’m very happy to support the budget. I’m very happy to engage anyone who thinks the budget isn’t quite right.”

Keep in mind the St. Thomas Police Service is operating with 20 fewer officers than Woodstock and with a population growth rate far greater than that municipality.
So, let’s turn to our conversation with Police Service Board chair Dan Reith and the 14 per cent increase to the police budget next year.
He believes the service should be operating with a front-line force of close to 90 officers, compared to 81 currently.
“So we need to fill some gaps there,” advised Reith, “and we can’t do that without increased funding.”
Reith continued, “And as a city grows . . . if we don’t take the steps today to be prepared, we as a municipality are going to be then trying to, at some point down the road, trying to fight a losing battle from behind.
“And we as a board certainly, and our administration, believe we need to prepare ourselves for what’s coming. Not sit and wait till it happens.
“Particularly right now when it is as hard as it is to retain and hire police officers.”
Looking closer at this year’s almost $16 million police budget, nearly 80 per cent of that figure is for wages and benefits.
Reith acknowledged that and added, “Not only is it something we don’t have control over, but we also have to be prepared.

“You cannot grow as a municipality and address population growth and the social and crime challenges that come with growth and not support a growing budget of your police service.”

“And we were very successful in the negotiations last year with the contract. We had to develop a contract with a remuneration package for both our uniform and non-uniform staff that recognizes retention as well as attraction.
“Because it’s great to attract an employee here, but if our wages and benefits aren’t sufficient and it’s not worth them staying, every other police force in the province is desperately looking to hire.
“We are not alone. So we need to be perhaps not always at the fore, but certainly in the top tier in order to get the officers that we need.”
If you question that retention factor, you have to look no further than the family physician shortage in this province.
It is not unusual for municipalities to offer enticements like financial and housing incentives to attract individuals to the community.
Cutting to the chase, is Reith comfortable presenting next year’s budget to city council with a 14 per cent increase over this year?

“And I’m proud to say our board does not believe in the notion of defunding the police.”

A budget in the range of $18 million, up from $15.8 million this year.
“I’m very happy with it. I am very proud of the budget. I’m very happy to support the budget. I’m very happy to engage anyone who thinks the budget isn’t quite right. “Because at the end of the day, our priorities are attracting and retaining top talent and providing benefits for the wellbeing of our uniformed and civilian staff.
“And this budget achieves all of that. Yeah. The budget also achieves certain provincial mandates that have come into play that require us to have certain capital expenditures this year that we can’t just ignore.”
One of those capital items is upgraded bullet-proof vests to enhance the safety of all front-line officers.
Very expensive vests that are being mandated.
However, not as expensive as an officer away from duty for an extended period due to serious injury suffered in the line of duty.
“Oh, substantially more expensive,” added Reith. “And, that’s a problem that a number of forces are plagued with. They have a number of officers off on leave because of injury and mental health issues and they’re still paying their salaries.
“We’re very blessed that our percentage of officers on leave is very, very small relative to our comparators and relative to our overall force.”
Reith stressed, “You cannot grow as a municipality and address population growth and the social and crime challenges that come with growth and not support a growing budget of your police service.”
“It’s oxymoronic to think you can have growth without expense under public safety.”
Reith concluded, “And I’m proud to say our board does not believe in the notion of defunding the police.”
So, the police board has approved the addition of seven new sworn members, three civilian members and two new special constables who will be civilian members attached to the downtown Community Resource Team.
So, let’s revisit those comparative figures with Woodstock Police.
Their 2025 budget ask is projected to be $22.6 million as opposed to $18 million in St. Thomas.
The policing cost per capita next year would then be $488 in Woodstock, but just under $385 in St. Thomas.
Reith referred to the most recent five-year collective agreement signed last year and you can read more about that deal here.

WILL PEDDLE POWER WIN THE DAY ON FAIRVIEW AVENUE?

Last week, we outlined the major rebuilding of Fairview Avenue planned for next year.
It would entail the removal of the Fairview Avenue bridge over the former CASO right-of-way, south of Talbot Street.
Included in the project is reducing the roadway from four lanes to two with a two-way centre turn lane, intersection improvements, upgrades to the watermain, storm drainage and sanitary sewers and enhancements to the active transportation network.
This would see a cycle lane on both sides of Fairview Avenue.
A public information centre was held this past Tuesday (Oct. 22) at city hall and while there was some pushback on the removal of two traffic lanes, there was a significant amount of positive feedback.

The open house presented an opportunity to speak with Daniel Koppert, the city’s Manager of Capital Works in the Environmental Services Department.
This was the first of several planned sessions as the city is in the very early stages of the design process.
“I would say we’re probably at about 60% of the detailed design,” noted Koppert.
“We’ve completed the corridor study that went to council in August and now we’re working through the details.
“And part of the public information center is to gather public input so that we can inform the design.”
There was a healthy turnout for the open house and the next stage is to sift through the public comments.

“I just think that that legislation is geared more toward Toronto, major centers, Ottawa, London maybe, and not filtering down to municipalities at this level.”

Koppert noted, “So we’ll be assembling them and reviewing the comments that we receive and then preparing a report to council that summarizes them and gives some recommendations.
As we outlined last week, the project will be undertaken in two phases, with construction beginning next year and completion scheduled for mid-2026.
This past week, the Ford government tabled legislation requiring municipalities to get provincial approval before installing new bike lanes that would remove vehicle lanes.
We asked Koppert whether this move could impact the ultimate Fairview Avenue design.
“The legislation isn’t out yet, but from the indications, the process would be to submit it to the province and then receive approval back, I’m not sure what that looks like yet because it’s still tabled.”
He continued, “I just think that that legislation is geared more toward Toronto, major centers, Ottawa, London maybe, and not filtering down to municipalities at this level.
“Like I say, I don’t know exactly what that’s going to look like, but it does appear, from the indications that I’ve had from our consultant and others, that it’s going to be for prescribed communities.”
The Association of Municipalities of Ontario (AMO) calls the move “a significant overreach of power.”
AMO notes none of its over 400 member municipalities were consulted or shown evidence to justify the veto power.
When it comes time to vote on the proposal, mayor and council may have to do some serious soul-searching before offering a thumbs up or down on lane reductions for cyclists.

ROUTE 3 IT IS FOR HYDRO ONE

During a virtual presentation this past Thursday, Hydro One unveiled the preferred route for the new transmission line running from south London to St. Thomas to serve the PowerCo EV battery Gigafactory and other new industries to locate in the Yarmouth Yards industrial park (see map)

The St. Thomas Line project will also support future growth in the region.
According to Hydro One, the EV battery plant will require 380 megawatts of power, equivalent to the energy needed for a city the size of Windsor.
A class environmental assessment was undertaken earlier this year with three routes identified for the St. Thomas Line project.
Determining the preferred corridor involved dealing with several challenges:

• At the north end of the route, there was a lack of sufficient space required for the approximate 45 metre (150 ft) wide corridor, as it would directly cross over several industrial buildings. There were also technical constraints due to the Highway 401 overpass and industrial parks to the south of the freeway.
• Crossing the Kettle Creek Valley presents challenges due to the constraints from the Dan Patterson Conservation Area and the extensive clearing of mature vegetation that would be necessary. In selecting a preferred route Hydro One aims to minimize the impact to mature vegetation where possible.
• At the south end of the route, there was a lack of sufficient space to accommodate the corridor and right of way, as it would directly intersect and cross several residential dwellings.

During Thursday’s presentation, Kathleen McCorriston, Hydro One Vice President, Portfolio Management explained the path taken by Route 3, the preferred corridor.
“It starts in Innovation Park in London, crosses Hwy. 401 approximately 500 metres west of Veteran’s Memorial Parkway.
“And travels south beside Old Victoria Road and connects into the proposed Yarmouth Yards industrial park in St. Thomas into our planned Centennial Transformer Station.”
McCorriston continued, “Route 3 impacts fewer environmentally sensitive areas, fewer at-risk species and fewer landowners than any of the other options.

“To build the proposed line, no one is required to leave their home. We will work with all landowners to collect information specific to their property.”

“All routes were evaluated based on data from environmental field studies, research and feedback from the community.
“Route 3 scored the highest in all four categories and in feedback we received.”
The four critical considerations include natural environment; socio-economic environment; Indigenous culture, values and land use; and technical and cost.
She outlined the next steps.
“We will also continue to engage with impacted property owners, residents and the community.
“We encourage them to reach out to us and engage throughout this process.
“To build the proposed line, no one is required to leave their home. We will work with all landowners to collect information specific to their property.
“Where possible, we will make adjustments that allow for the safe operation of the line.
“Property owners will be reimbursed for project-related costs such as out-of-production cropland during and after construction.
“As well, we will take measures to minimize erosion and dust and remove temporary access roads and work areas after construction.”
A Hydro One spokesperson confirmed after the virtual meeting that PowerCo will cover construction costs of the St. Thomas Line.
The preferred route won’t require any network outages during construction and minimizes the need for complex changes to any existing transmission lines.
Two open houses will be held where the public can learn more about the project, speak with the project team and share feedback.

November 13th, 3 – 8 p.m.: Belmont Arena & Community Centre 14020 Belmont Road Belmont

November 14th, 3 – 8 p.m.: St. Anne’s Parish Centre 20 Morrison Drive St. Thomas

WHAT’S THAT FISHY SMELL?

As reported on myFM, two Central Elgin residents this week submitted nomination applications to represent the Conservative Party of Canada (CPC) in the next federal election.
The deadline to file nomination papers was 5 p.m. Wednesday, Oct 23.
Tony Brooks and Anthony Shields join Londoner Andrew Lawton to replace Elgin-Middlesex-London MP Karen Vecchio, who announced on myFM at the end of July she would not seek re-election.
Shields is a retired military veteran and Brooks is a partner with Schooley Mitchell business consulting, based in Stratford.
Lawton is a former London radio broadcaster and managing editor of the True North media outlet.
Well, several hours after interviewing Brooks, he called to advise his nomination application had been rejected on a membership technicality.
We understand this is at least the third potential candidate whose application has been rejected and possibly the second from Port Stanley.
That leaves Shields and Lawton still to be vetted by the powers to be.
Will some sort of gerrymandering of the nomination rules be employed in an attempt to strike Shields out of the running?
Thus, by process of elimination, leaving Lawton as the CPC candidate, take it or leave it.
The party membership in the riding – no, make that all of the constituents in the riding – deserve a far more transparent and democratic nomination process.
Lawton got his ass whupped provincially in London West and now is being foisted on the residents of Elgin-Middlesex-London.
If Lawton wants to advance his political career – and that is what this truly is about – he would better fit in with Maxime Bernier and the People’s Party of Canada and not the good people of Elgin-Middlesex-London as their engineered CPC candidate.

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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.