At the beginning of October, we observed it had been relatively quiet on the federal political front in St. Thomas and Elgin since the end of July when MP Karen Vecchio announced in the myFM studio she would not seek re-election in the next federal vote.
If you remember, the next day former London radio broadcaster Andrew Lawton quickly took advantage and announced his intention to seek the Conservative Party of Canada nomination in Elgin-St. Thomas-London South as the re-jigged riding will be known.
By the end of October, the political temperature here had risen significantly.
Normally in this riding over the past few decades, the federal and provincial election campaigns have been relatively sedate affairs conducted in an orderly fashion.

Oh sure, there was the 2021 federal election that introduced Chelsea Hillier and the People’s Party of Canada to the good folks in the riding.
We were deep into the COVID pandemic and Hillier advised there cannot be an economic recovery when 20 per cent of the population is excluded because of the soon-to-be-implemented vaccine passport policy.
As to climate change, she opined the PPC does not pander to climate alarmists.
She lamented the loss of individual rights in Canada.
So we had a blip in demeanour during that campaign, but relatively speaking, the various races have been orderly with little or no vitriol.
The date of the next federal vote has not even been announced and the process to select the candidate to represent the CPC in this riding has seen the intensity meter drift to the right.
At the end of this week, it was confirmed two candidates have had their applications approved so there will be a nomination meeting before the end of this month.
Central Elgin resident Anthony Shields (pictured below) joins Londoner Andrew Lawton (pictured at left) in a bid to replace current MP Karen Vecchio.
A third potential candidate, Tony Brooks of Port Stanley, advised myFM that his nomination application was not accepted because of a membership technicality.
We have been advised at least two other potential candidates were similarly disqualified from running.
So, Lawton contacted us to observe, “It’s shameful and undemocratic that Tony Brooks isn’t being allowed to contest the Conservative nomination.
“All candidates should be given the opportunity to run.
“It’s clear the local nomination committee, which is stacked with old guard gatekeepers, is trying to tilt this contest for their preferred candidate.
“They oppose candidates who want to stand up for conservative values. During my interview, I was asked how I would protect Justin Trudeau’s dental and pharmacare programs. I was also asked for my plan to bring Hamas sympathizers into our party. This Red Tory cabal needs to be stopped.
“The local nomination committee should interview Mr. Brooks and any other candidates that want to seek the nomination and encourage the party to allow them to run.
“This nomination should be about who the members want representing them, not a backroom cabal trying to appoint Anthony Shields.”
Quite a shot challenging the nomination process and those individuals tasked with vetting the hopefuls.
From the above you can surmise Lawton feels he is the victim in the nomination process.
As expected, that prompted a passionate response from Brad Clift, vice-president of the Conservative Party of Canada riding association.
His statement is as follows.
“Andrew’s comments aren’t representative of how the process works. The local committee does not have the ability to disqualify nominees.

“These individuals have all volunteered their time to represent Conservative values. I don’t believe it is fair for anyone to question the motive of this committee or its members who have all agreed to be fair and neutral.”

“The National Candidate Selection Committee has the final say as to who is allowed to contest the riding. “The local Nomination Committee is in place only to advise the National Committee.
“If the nominees or the public would like to read the rules they are available on the Conservative Party of Canada website at http://www.conservative.ca
Clift continues, “As for questions relating to the volunteers that make up the committee and if they are conservatives. The members of the Nomination Committee were voted on by the Conservative Party local EDA.
“Many of the members of this EDA (electoral district association) have represented the Conservative Party and the riding for many years. Some have volunteered to be on the EDA for 15-plus years and helped multiple Conservative MPs and have volunteered in local and London ridings.
“These individuals have all volunteered their time to represent Conservative values. I don’t believe it is fair for anyone to question the motive of this committee or its members who have all agreed to be fair and neutral.
“As for comments relating to what was asked by the committee while interviewing Andrew Lawton; both the candidate and the committee have signed confidentiality agreements prior to the interview so I render no comment as to what was discussed.”
Well so much for that confidentiality agreement.
And we don’t even have a confirmed date for the CPC nomination meeting, although it has to be held by Nov. 25.
Shades of the London West provincial campaign in 2022.
Stay tuned, decorum evident in previous election races could be a victim of the times next year.

THE ICELANDIC MODEL: TO REDUCE SUBSTANCE USE IN YOUTH

What should prove to be a fascinating presentation will kick off Monday’s (Nov. 4) meeting of city council.
Jessica Austin and Charlee Kirby, Planet Youth Elgin St. Thomas Coalition will appear as a deputation to make a PowerPoint presentation regarding youth wellbeing and substance prevention.
It is based on the Icelandic Model for substance prevention.
As a brief background, the Icelandic Prevention Model began to take shape in 1997 when a group of social scientists, policymakers and people working with children and young people in the field came together to formulate policies and work, based on research, that could reverse the growing problem of drug use among young people in Iceland.
This collaboration aimed to map the social factors that influence young people’s drug use and to design measures that could be applied in prevention work. The result was a prevention model, the Icelandic Prevention Model, which is based on the collaboration of a number of stakeholders, for example, parents, teachers, community centers, sports clubs and other parties that interact with children and young people.

“The role of the municipality would include aligning community grant opportunities, policies and procedures to prioritize youth action areas and a commitment to using the reports provided in decision-making for strategic direction, parks and recreation and social services programming.”

The focus of Planet Youth is primary prevention. That is preventing the development of substance use before it starts.
The pair outline a brief local picture that shows in the Southwestern Public Health (SWPH) region, the proportion of 12-24-year-olds who rated their mental health as poor or fair was over 5 times higher in 2019/20 compared to 2015/16 (4.3 per cent vs. 23.2 per cent).
One in five respondents from the SWPH region responded ‘yes’ (20.6 per cent) to having ever seriously considered attempting suicide or taking their own life. In Ontario, approximately 1 in 6 answered ‘yes’ (15.6 per cent).
Comparing male and female youth aged 15-17 in the SWPH region, 1 in 3 local female youth respondents reported that they had seriously considered attempting suicide or taking their own life in the past 12 months (33.8%).
In the SWPH region, youth in grades 7 to 12 report using various substances more often than youth in Ontario. This includes alcohol, electronic cigarettes, cannabis, tobacco cigarettes and magic mushrooms.
The solution, according to the Icelandic Model is to shift from short-term to long-term thinking.
The role of the municipality would include aligning community grant opportunities, policies and procedures to prioritize youth action areas and a commitment to using the reports provided in decision-making for strategic direction, parks and recreation and social services programming.
The presentation will conclude with the following remarks:

Planet Youth is not a program, it’s an approach.

• We don’t adopt this model we adapt it for our local communities.
• We need Municipal leaders to partner with our coalition to support the collection of localized data and use that data to inform community strategy and resourcing.
• Collectively we all benefit from reducing substance use as we will be increasing the overall environment of our communities where youth and their families thrive.
• Long-term sustainable change takes time and a multilevel commitment.

You can view a copy of the presentation here November 4, 2024 – Delegation for PYM

RIDESHARE SERVICES

Also on the agenda for Monday’s council meeting is a report from Matthew Vriens, Manager of Transportation dealing with the operation of rideshare services within the city.
In response to the introduction of rideshare services provided by the likes of Uber and Lyft, many municipalities have adapted their taxi bylaws to incorporate the operation of these rideshare services or have repealed their taxi bylaws altogether.
The report to the council advises, “Some municipalities are calling on the province to amend legislation to provide a more consistent approach to regulating rideshare services.
“However, in the meantime, in order to permit the operation of these new rideshare service opportunities in the City of St. Thomas, the city’s taxi bylaw would need to be updated.
“Amending the taxi bylaw to permit the operation of rideshare service providers also aligns well with many of the city’s Strategic Plan priorities.”
The city last updated the bylaw two years ago when it eliminated any reference to the municipality setting taxi fares.

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KEEP THOSE RAILS SHINY, ROB

I was saddened to hear of the passing of Robert Weare (pictured at left with Dan Vernackt of Port Stanley Terminal Rail) last Saturday at the age of 80.
We bumped into him the previous week and he willingly updated us on the rail scene in St. Thomas and Elgin.
He was a retired captain with the St. Thomas Fire Department and a member of the Elgin County Railway Museum, Port Stanley Terminal Rail, Southern Ontario Locomotive Restoration Society, Halton Electric Historic Railway Museum and Ontario Southland Railway.
He was actively involved in researching and implementing improved railway transportation and design through Transport 2000 and Port Stanley Terminal Rail.
Rob was a frequent contributor to this corner and took pleasure in providing me with a steady stream of rail-related information to ensure I was up to date on all aspects of rail transportation.
One of my favourite memories goes back to January of 2021 when he bent my ear on an idea of his to link this city’s rail heritage to film and television production.
It was an impassioned pitch – as were all his rail-related ideas and comments sent this way – that was outlined in the Jan. 23, 2021, City Scope column (the link is listed below).
He pointed to the ever-popular U.K. television series Heartbeat, filmed in and around Goathland in North Yorkshire.
The long-running series featured the North Yorkshire Moors Railway that operates from Grosmont to Pickering.
Weare suggested this area has many of the same rail attributes – the Elgin County Railway Museum, Port Stanley Terminal Rail with its picturesque Port Stanley station, the CASO station and L&PS replica station and in-use track between St. Thomas and Port Stanley.
Not to mention operational locomotives and cars.
In summary, an ideal locale for films, television and even commercials.
A wonderful pitch on his part and I will truly miss his steady stream of ideas and thought-starters sent this way, not to mention the numerous postcards he forwarded as gifts.
A long blast on that lonesome whistle for you, Rob.

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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.