By tomorrow (Sunday), we will know when Ontario residents will again cast a ballot, accompanied by the rest of Canada.
Prime Minister Mark Carney is expected to favour an election on April 28.
This will be the first federal vote locally in the new riding of Elgin-St. Thomas-London South.
As a refresher, thanks to the efforts of MP Karen Vecchio, her grassroots campaigning paid off when in February of 2023, the report by the Federal Electoral Boundaries Commission for Ontario was tabled in the House of Commons and the boundary adjustment in Elgin-Middlesex-London riding turned out to be far less drastic – and disruptive – than first proposed.

The report called for Thames Centre (currently in Elgin-Middlesex-London) to join Middlesex-London riding and the rest of EML riding to remain as is.
You can read about the new riding here.
We know two candidates who will seek to represent the riding as Vecchio indicated last summer that she will not seek re-election.
The day after that announcement in the myFM studio, Andrew Lawton, declared his intention to seek the Conservative Party of Canada nomination, which he won last November.
On the Liberal side, their candidate is David Goodwin, who won the nomination earlier this month.
Goodwin officially kicks off his campaign today (Saturday) at a function in St. Thomas.
He was born and raised in Elgin county and graduated from Wilfred Laurier University. He also holds a diploma in Data Analytics from the University of Toronto’s Rotman School of Management.
His family operated Goodwin Furniture in St. Thomas for 100 years until 1970.
He is a director for a financial investment company based in Toronto but lives in St. Thomas working remotely.

“Well, what’s Poilievre’s platform? A slogan isn’t a platform. Pierre Poilievre is very similar to Trump, in the sense of anger, telling you what’s wrong, telling you who the bad guy is, and trying to spread fear.”

We caught up with him a couple of weeks ago at the CASO station where a viewing party was being held to determine the new leader of the Liberal Party.
The dominant issue for many Canadians is U.S. President Donald Trump and his affinity for tariffs.
“Now it’s all about our sovereignty,” suggested Goodwin.
“And it’s our food security for our farmers. It’s on our steel and our lumber. It’s our resource security, food security and our job security. And so, I can’t think of a more serious time that requires a serious leader.”
Goodwin continued, “The one thing that gets me upset, and the one thing that really made me run, is, you know, I really was tired of hearing about Pierre Poilievre talk about how this country’s broken.
“I don’t believe that. No. I think this is a great country.
“Well, what’s Poilievre’s platform? A slogan isn’t a platform. Pierre Poilievre is very similar to Trump, in the sense of anger, telling you what’s wrong, telling you who the bad guy is, and trying to spread fear.
“What is positive about Canada for Pierre? What are his policies? What is he going to do about Pharmacare? What’s he going to do about dental care? What’s he going to do about $10 a day daycare? All programs that he voted against.”
What about local issues?

“And really, you know, picking up the torch from Karen, who really has been a strong constituent MP. Well-loved.”

Goodwin admits he takes a page out of Vecchio’s playbook.
“You put the constituents first. You do. I’ve always been told you have two choices as a member of parliament.
“You can be an MP in Ottawa, who is really worried about the party and the organization, or you can be a constituent MP.
“And I don’t really have any interest in the Ottawa part. The reason I’m running is because of the constituents in this riding.
“And really, you know, picking up the torch from Karen, who really has been a strong constituent MP. Well-loved.”
Goodwin recounted an incident as a young boy that lit the political fire in him.
“And I was in Grade 8 and we did a class trip to Ottawa. And we did a tour of the House of Commons and the library, and John Wise came out and spoke to us.”
That would be PC MP John Wise who represented the riding of Elgin from 1972 to 1988
Goodwin continued, “And I remember being captivated about the form of government and how it worked, how parties work. And John talked about the role of an MP, and I was fascinated, and so that started it. That was the spark.”
Based on the excitement inside the CASO station that night, Goodwin believes there is a rebirth of the Liberal party in the riding.
“Oh, no question. Tonight has been a great night because, as I say, the party’s been revitalized and people are excited and you can see that with the attendance tonight.
“I’ve been chair (of the riding association) for eight years and some of these people I haven’t met before who are coming out. Not necessarily because of me but because this is an important election and because of the fundamental choices and they support the Liberal Party and, as a result, support me.
“I couldn’t be more thrilled with how this went tonight and I think you’re gonna see that from now until the election.”
Goodwin now serves as vice president/chair of the riding association.
He also serves on the St. Thomas Heritage Committee and is a former member of the Old St. Thomas Church Restoration Board.

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UNSIGHTLY MESS AT THE BACK DOOR

This is not an easy time for downtown businesses.
Forget the threat of tariffs and the fickleness of consumers.
There is the constant threat of broken windows and other vandalism from individuals out of work and homeless and angry at the world in general.
That’s the damage easily visible from Talbot Street.
However, take the time to traverse the back alleys and laneways that parallel that thoroughfare and experience what else businesses have to endure.
This week City Scope was forwarded a copy of an email sent to St. Thomas Mayor Joe Preston from Brooke Moore at Reith & Associates.
She notes this past Monday (March 17) staff was greeted at their back door by a sizeable swamp of garbage of all sorts.
She writes, “We have reached out to city hall for assistance several times this week to no avail. Efforts have been made to contain the garbage and prevent it from being blown down the street.
“Unfortunately, it has also drawn multiple individuals who rummage through it daily, further spreading the debris.”
Frustrated, Martin includes a log documenting their repeated attempts for assistance which we have reprinted.

MONDAY:

Around 9 a.m., we contacted Jennifer at city hall customer service. She stated that she would submit a service request to the roads department for cleanup.
Around 4:30 p.m., I followed up with Jennifer to inform her that no one had been out yet. She assured us that the service request had been submitted and that someone would be dispatched.
At 4:45 p.m., Nikki (from Reith & Associates) emailed Joe Preston’s office with photos after not receiving an estimated time of arrival.
The clerk’s office contacted Nikki to inform her that, since it is private property, a separate department handles the issue rather than the roads department. They assured her that someone would be sent out but did not provide an estimated time of arrival.

TUESDAY:

A Special Constable visited the office to relay that they are aware of the situation and that the city is expected to address it today or tomorrow, though no estimated time of arrival was provided.

WEDNESDAY:

No one came to address the problem and updates were provided. We did not follow up with anyone.

THURSDAY:

Around 9:30 a.m., contacted Jennifer at city hall to inform her that no one had come and to update her on the steps we had taken. She assured me that someone would contact us.
At 9:50 a.m., received a call from John D’Oria, Supervisor of Housing Stability Services. He advised that they had assessed the parking lot; however, since it is not considered an encampment (as there are no individuals residing there), they are unable to take any action. I informed him that we had been assured twice that someone would be sent out. He mentioned that he is unsure, but his department will not be involved. He suggested that perhaps the police may have some means of assistance.
Around 1 p.m., Dan Reith personally emailed Mayor Preston requesting direction.

FRIDAY:

The debris remains, and no assistance has been given.

And so, into Week 2.
Moore concluded her email with the following observations.
“As of the time of this email, no response has been received from yesterday’s email sent to Mayor Preston.

“This situation and escalation of events has raised significant safety concerns, and we would greatly appreciate any assistance or guidance you can provide to address this issue.”

“Unfortunately, this is not the first time garbage or debris has been dumped on our property. While we have been understanding and patient in cleaning up the smaller piles left behind, this recent incident goes beyond mere littering. It is the largest accumulation we’ve faced and has caused considerable disruption, despite our attempts to contain the debris within a specific area.
“Given the number of sharps that have been left in our parking lot, we are also reticent to have our staff pick it up without the proper protection/equipment.
“Recently, we have had to contact emergency services due to individuals setting fires behind our office and the adjacent building at 458 Talbot Street. We are asking for help removing this debris before someone decides it is a good idea to burn it.
“This situation and escalation of events has raised significant safety concerns, and we would greatly appreciate any assistance or guidance you can provide to address this issue.”
This is just one downtown business. You can only assume this scenario is being played out behind shops and offices up and down Talbot Street.
While city staff continue to contemplate the next move, we will be meeting with Moore on Monday.

AND SO, WORK IS TO BEGIN ON CITY’S NEW ANIMAL SHELTER

Like a blockbuster movie years in the making, a groundbreaking ceremony will finally be held next week at the site of the city’s new animal services shelter.
In January of this year, we documented the past four years in the slow evolution of the shelter and you can read about that here.
Dare we remind you that the winning bid from Tonda Construction Ltd. of London came in one million dollars higher than the tender bid in March of 2023 deemed too high.
Tonda’s bid is $4,066,000.
In any event, the long-anticipated ceremony is at 2 p.m. Wednesday on the east side of Bill Martyn Parkway at Southdale Line.

NEW HOME IN CABINET FOR ROB FLACK

This past Wednesday, Premier Doug Ford and members of his cabinet were sworn in at a ceremony inside the Royal Ontario Museum in Toronto.
The new cabinet, chosen “to protect Ontario’s economy and workers,” according to the media release, includes Elgin-Middlesex-London MPP Rob Flack, but not in his former capacity as Minister of Agriculture, Food and Agribusiness.
Flack is the new Minister of Municipal Affairs and Housing.
It’s a position he is not unfamiliar with. From Sept. 2023 until June of last year, Flack was the Associate Minister of Housing.
Of course, the need is to protect this province – indeed all of Canada – from the King of Tariffs, Donald Trump.
“As Ontario faces one of the greatest challenges in our history,” advised Ford, “workers and families are counting on us to stand up for their jobs and wellbeing.
“Our government will double down on our plan to build, train and reskill workers for better jobs and bigger paycheques, tear down internal trade barriers, retool companies for new customers in new markets, attract more investments and cut through red tape to develop our vast natural resources, including critical minerals in the Ring of Fire.
“No matter what, we will protect Ontario.”
Chatham-Kent-Leamington MPP Trevor Jones is the new Minister of Agriculture, Food and Agribusiness.
Jones previously served as the Associate Minister of Emergency Preparedness and Response and as a parliamentary secretary to the Minister of Agriculture.

THE ECHO CHAMBER

Responding to our item last week on Earl Taylor’s appointment to city council, Chris Patriquin believes it is “an excellent choice.”

“Earl will provide valuable insight to Council on the challenges downtown businesses are facing. City council made an excellent choice in selecting him to fill the vacant seat.”

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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.