If everything progresses according to design, over the next couple of decades, a “complete, connected and sustainable community” will sprout on the former site of the St. Thomas Psychiatric Hospital, advises Central Elgin Mayor Andrew Sloan.The new settlement on the 416-acre site is necessitated by the need to accommodate the housing requirements of the projected 3,000 employees at the new Volkswagen PowerCo battery facility scheduled to open in 2027.
This past Wednesday evening (Oct. 8) at a public open house, Central Elgin residents had the opportunity to provide their input into the future of the site just south of St. Thomas.
” I’m pleased that the community is as engaged as they are,” advised Sloan. “We’re excited about the project. It looks like the community is as well, so I think that’s great news.
Some of the concerns raised at the open house dealt with the internal road network, the projected 7,000 population, preserving the existing hospital structures, increasing the housing density and the inclusion of a firehall.
“We’re creating a new community, and it’s the opportunity for us to provide housing that’s affordable, accessible, and to meet the demand.“I mean, if we have the PowerCo investment coming, which is all systems go, then we’re going to need housing here in Central Elgin, the county and St. Thomas.”
The hospital opened in 1939, and St. Joseph’s Health Care in London assumed control in 1997 as part of the reorganization initiative ordered by the Health Care Restructuring Commission.
It closed once the Southwest Centre for Forensic Mental Health Care opened in 2013.
The land is now owned by the province, explained Sloan.
“Central Elgin is asked to facilitate the sale of the property, so we’re involved and hope we will continue to be involved. So I think we’ll find in the next couple of months the plan to be laid out.
“What will usually happen, and I’m only speaking on cases like this in the past, what’s called an RFP (request for proposal) would be put out, and people who had an interest in buying it would come forward. It’s our intention to have Central Elgin run that process.”
The municipality, earlier this year, approved Draft Policy Directions and a Land Use Plan, and Sloan would love to see shovels in the ground within the next couple of years.
“We’ve laid out a plan, but we also think we have the skills, the team to go forward. So anyone having to come forward who’s interested in the land, it will have to be zoned, it will have to be serviced, and they’ll need Central Elgin to do that.”
There is a need to look at an expanded regional hospital to serve St. Thomas and the County of Elgin, and Sloan advised that a tract of land has been earmarked for institutional use.
“They want it to be accessible. They want to be able to walk. They want trails. They want affordability. So it’ll be mixed density. You’re going to see various offerings for residential, but I think ultimately it will definitely address the need for housing in the area.”
“We’re leaving about 60 acres for the provincial government to do what they wish to do with it. So we’re not exactly sure what that is, but there’s definitely 60 acres of land which could be used for things like a hospital, like a school.
“I’m an eternal optimist, and I think that there could be shovels in the ground in the next couple of years. I think that’s a fair timeline. Will it be completed? It’ll be phased before we get to the end of what people have said tonight.
“I would guess it would be a couple of decades. But ultimately, it’s a new community. We’ve got the opportunity to do it right.”
The plan proposed by the municipality envisions a walkable, transit-ready community built around four key elements: the Sunset Institutional Corridor, a downtown main street, residential neighbourhoods and a connected street network.
“I think that it will be the first sort of brand new community to be started, and that gives us the opportunity to design and to make it a community that people want to live in.
“They want it to be accessible. They want to be able to walk. They want trails. They want affordability. So it’ll be mixed density. You’re going to see various offerings for residential, but I think ultimately it will definitely address the need for housing in the area.”
As for what comes next, Sloan advised feedback from the open house will be presented to council and “I think we’re going to find out in the next, what I would like to say is the short term, we’re going to find out what the arrangement will be with the province on next steps.”
POLICE SERVICE BOARD APPROVES ‘A REALISTIC’ 2026 BUDGET
It’s budget season at city hall, and this past week we had the opportunity to put the St. Thomas Police Service budget under the microscope.
The budget has four components: the police operating budget, court services, building and the Police Service Board.
This year, the police budget saw a 14.45 per cent increase over the 2024 ask.
That translated to an approved budget of $17.6 million for 2025.
For 2026, the request is for $21.6 million or a 22.37 per cent hike over this year.
A figure that may result in sticker shock in some quarters.
However, the question that really begs an answer is how the service in a three-year span between 2018 and 2021 operated with a budget increase of under two per cent over the previous year.
Belt-tightening that was encouraged by the powers-to-be at city hall, and now it is time to pay the piper.
“Our shared vision for a safe St. Thomas is taking shape, and we have much to be proud of. However, the work is not done. Continued focus and strategic investment are essential to sustaining our momentum and keeping pace with the record growth that is coming.”
Deferred maintenance on your vehicle comes back to haunt you big time down the road.
Police Chief Marc Roskamp noted over 98 per cent of his operations are eaten up by salaries and benefits, over which he has little or no control, leaving about two per cent of his budget as discretionary.
In recent years, the service has been the beneficiary of substantial provincial grants, which have benefited the bottom line.
Roskamp cautions that those grants are not a given this year and moving forward.
At present, there are 88 authorized police officers in St. Thomas, or one officer for every 568 residents.
Using Woodstock as a comparative service, that municipality has 103 police officers or one for every 450 residents.
Looking at the cost per capita, that figure is $353 in St. Thomas as compared to $492 in Woodstock.
To undertake what Roskamp refers to as ‘future-proofing the police service,’ the plan is to hire five new full-time equivalent constables “to enhance frontline service delivery and address increased violent crime.”
In addition, three new full-time equivalent civilians would be hired, consisting of a crime analyst and two Special Constables, to supplement the Community Resource Unit to address social disorder.
In his budget report, Roskamp advises, “Our shared vision for a safe St. Thomas is taking shape, and we have much to be proud of.“However, the work is not done. Continued focus and strategic investment are essential to sustaining our momentum and keeping pace with the record growth that is coming.”
A reference to the projected growth in population to almost 80,000 over the next 20 years, according to a Watson & Associates study undertaken last year.
That impact is already being felt with calls for service this year expected in the 25,000 range, surpassing last year’s record-high total.
It is worth noting that while the Crime Severity Index in St. Thomas is trending downward, violent crime is on the rise.
Between 2022 and 2024, there was a 22 per cent increase in violent crime. In one week alone recently, there were two armed robberies in the city.
To take a deeper dive into the 2026 police budget, we had a lengthy conversation with Dan Reith, chair of the Police Services Board.
He explained, “We are bound by provincial legislation. As to how we conduct our oversight of the police service. Particularly, our oversight of the chief and our oversight of the budget.
“We are incredibly blessed as a police service. And I would attribute that to a lot of the work that Chief Roskamp has done around health and stability, health and wellness for all of our both uniformed and civilian members.”
“And we, as a board, can be held accountable in different ways if those processes are not followed. Particularly if we, as a board, allow a budget to be passed, of which we knowingly would not provide the necessary service that the administration tells us the city needs based on their expertise.”
Reith continued, “So we rely very heavily on the leadership team to provide us with all the stats that they provide to the community as well and to council. So that we’re able to see where crime is going, where crime is happening, how things are evolving, good and bad.
“And then we rely on the administration to present us with a proposal and a draft budget that will then meet the needs of the community as they see it, as they’re able to trend and forecast it.
“And it’s up to us as the board to review that budget, ask a lot of questions, make sure that the numbers all make sense, and then we approve it. Or we send the administration back to their drawing board to come back with something else.
“In this particular case of this budget, when I originally saw the draft, the chief was calling for a smaller number of officers. And I said to him, ‘No, you’ve got to add at least one more into the mix. Based on the numbers that we’re seeing.’
“And his concern was, ‘Well, I’ve done this and I proposed a smaller number because my concern is we’re going to have a big increase and the perception of that.’
“And I emphasized that it’s all about community safety.”
Reith cautioned that just because five new officers are included in the 2026 budget, it doesn’t mean they will materialize.
“Because like every industry, policing is having a huge challenge finding candidates,” noted Reith.
“And every police service in the province of Ontario is in the exact same situation of needing more officers and the challenge of finding more officers. So just because we have a budget approved doesn’t necessarily mean those funds are going to be expensed in whole.”
“I don’t want phone calls at three o’clock in the morning from my alarm company that my office has been ransacked. And if it is, I want to know that we have police officers who are available to respond if it’s that kind of crime.”
In addition, Reith praised Roskamp for his emphasis on the well-being, both mental and physical, of every member of the police service.
“We are incredibly blessed as a police service. And I would attribute that to a lot of the work that Chief Roskamp has done around health and stability, health and wellness for all of our uniformed and civilian members.
“Because when you look at our numbers relative to services of our similar size, our count is incredibly low for people off relative to others. And actually, as of right now, most of our officers who are off are on maternity leave or parental leave.
“Short-term or long-term disability is a very small number in that overall count. So we are quite blessed with that.
“But we’re also fortunate that the chief has been on a recruiting process for the last couple of years. We’ve hired some more staff. And that’s the thing, I don’t know if the community really necessarily understands.
“But this job is high stress. It’s high pressure. And when we don’t have enough people on the front lines, then we have to call officers back in for extra overtime and extra duty, which adds more stress.
“And then you end up with people having to take time off because of some of the things they experience and see, and their reaction to it. And then it just becomes a perpetuating cycle of more time off, less officers.”
Reith continued, “So we as a board and as an administration, are trying to be very proactive to make sure we’ve got the numbers.
“And I think in addition to that, we also have the problem of crime finding its way into St. Thomas, being committed by non-residents. When crime is leaking outside of the GTA and outside of K-W (Kitchener-Waterloo) and outside of London and coming into smaller communities, we have to be able to respond to it because we have to keep our citizens safe.
“And waiting until the population hits a certain number and therefore ignoring the realities of crime, that’s rather foolish, I think.
“And, unlike some school boards, we are not sending members off to baseball games and $40,000 hotel suites. We’re not sending members off to Italy to select artwork for the offices. It’s just prudent, realistic spending that we have to meet.
“And I’m a resident of St. Thomas. I pay the exact same property taxes as everybody else. That rate applies to me the same. I don’t want to see my taxes go up any more than you do, but it’s a reality that I accept because I also want to live in a safe community.
“I don’t want phone calls at three o’clock in the morning from my alarm company that my office has been ransacked. And if it is, I want to know that we have police officers who are available to respond if it’s that kind of crime.”
Reith concluded with the observation that the responsibilities of police services today extend beyond fighting crime.
“They’re now the front line dealing with social and mental health issues and drug issues, which is not what policing should be, in my opinion. And homelessness issues, which is not what policing should be.
“But because our provincial and federal governments have failed us on those issues and pushed it down to the municipal level, we have no one else to call and no one else to respond.
“So we have to support our police because they’re supporting us in ways that they really aren’t intended to be.”
The St. Thomas Police Association has responded, with president Paul Tunks writing that the association fully endorses the proposed 2026 budget.
Tunks writes, “Since 2018, our members have experienced record-breaking calls for service, with the record being broken every passing year.
“Past conservative budgets have led to a financial strain, but also a strain on our members as they continue to deal with the modern-day realities of policing.
“Violent crime continues to rise, as seen through two violent robberies in September. This increase in crime takes a significant toll on all of our members.
“Our beautiful city continues to expand, with expected population growth, and our police service must expand with it.
“We are encouraged by this recognition from Chief Roskamp and the St. Thomas Police Service Board members.
“Under the leadership of chair Dan Reith, we are pleased with the PSB’s continued advocacy for our members and are in agreement with his thatement that this budget is simply ‘realistic.’
“We strongly encourage city council to join the PSB in supporting and passing the budget.”
TRANSIT PLAN REFRESH
At Tuesday’s (Oct. 14) city council meeting, Kevin Jones, Paradigm Transportation Solutions Limited, will make a presentation related to the St. Thomas Transportation Master Plan refresh.
Last year, the city retained Paradigm to refresh the 2021 Transportation Master Plan due to planned industrial development and projected residential growth.
The process included a couple of public open houses, an online survey, a student initiative and engagement with neighbouring municipalities.
According to the report to city council, “The city supported a youth engagement initiative through the ‘Students Build Cities’ program, run in partnership with the Thames Valley District School Board and the STEAM Education Centre, which engaged 72 local high school students from Parkside and Central Elgin Collegiate Institutes to share their ideas and vision for transportation in St Thomas.
“Youth participants completed a youth transportation survey, interactive workshop sessions, and creative brainstorming idea sessions.”
The key feedback themes that emerged from the various engagement initiatives can be summarized as follows:
There is a need to enhance the transit system in the community to support growth and provide an affordable alternative that is accessible to all residents and provides choice in how they travel.
A strong network of pedestrian and cycling routes, separated from traffic, is key to encouraging active and sustainable communities, and the city should explore “rail to trail” opportunities as part of a connected network.
Opportunities to support future growth through updating of parking polices, managing transportation demand, and embracing new technologies should be considered.
A more strategic approach to investments in road improvements is preferred, with less road widening, more emphasis on operational improvements, and long-term protection of future corridors.
Specifically looking at transit, the Transportation Master Plan proposes five key priorities to be implemented over time:
1. Fix transit coverage gaps in the fixed route service
2. Extend hours of fixed route service to serve more customers
3. Provide service to new growth areas
4. Add new fixed routes to reduce journey times
5. Increase bus frequency to encourage higher ridership
What is breathtaking is that the projected cost of implementing all of the improvements recommended in the plan over 30 years would be north of $500 million.
You can view the transit plan here.
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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.
The former Hospital Proposed Development Plan and the Mayor speak of “affordability”. But what does that mean? Unless the implementing Zoning specifically restricts the size of all individual residential units, from single family to high rise, and provides minimum densities instead of just maximum densities, Home builders will just build the largest units they can sell or rent at the highest prices.
Development for Rich?or Hospitals,Elderly,special needs,handicap,Y.W.C.A.,food bank,Grace’s cafe,homeless,support workers,special police,green houses prime land grow your own stone!build your rich houses in the city,not the country.