On May 12 of last year, members of city council voted 5-3 to support a motion to draft a personal flotation device bylaw and place ring buoys on the shore around Lake Margaret.
By doing so, those councillors chose to override a recommendation from Jeff Bray, then Director of Parks, Recreation and Facilities, that the city not proceed with the development of such a bylaw or the installation of the ring buoys due to potential liability issues.
The undertaking became known as the Ryan Davies Project, prompted by the death of 26-year-old Ryan Davies (pictured below) on Labour Day, 2024, when a canoe he and two friends were in tipped over, and he drowned in Lake Margaret.
Monthly Archives: January 2026
The Parks and Recreation Master Plan: ‘Working to keep the residents of St. Thomas in St. Thomas and playing in St. Thomas’
The early feedback on the city’s draft of the Parks and Recreation Master Plan and the Community and Aquatic Centre Feasibility Study appears positive, based on the steady stream of residents who attended the drop-in open house this past Thursday (Jan. 22).
Held in the lower level of the Joe Thornton Community Centre, it was an opportunity to read through and ask questions about the two documents that will help guide future decisions related to parks, recreation facilities, and services across the community.
A considerable amount of attention was directed toward the aquatic centre, an ambitious undertaking that is likely eight or ten years down the road.
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Bill C-9: Does it represent an attack on religious freedom, or is the reaction in some corners an example of Maple MAGA?
It appears that issues related to housing, food prices, energy nationalism, and tariffs have been supplanted – if only temporarily – by a group of Conservative MPs, including Elgin-St. Thomas-London South MP, Andrew Lawton.
The hot-button issue of late appears to be religious freedom, and Lawton has been busy appearing at and hosting town hall meetings across the country, including an event this week in Saskatoon.
Some MPs, particularly in Ontario and BC, are pushing back against Bill C-9, an Act to amend the Criminal Code (hate propaganda, hate crime and access to religious or cultural places.)
Some religious leaders believe the bill could remove a key legal protection for people of faith. Bill C-9 has been amended to remove religious defence under the Criminal Code. See the item below from David Goodwin.
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The future of the Elgin County Railway Museum: ‘At the end of the day, it’s really about stewardship and responsibility’
In the past, the facility has pared back on operations and events over the winter. However, on Wednesday (Jan. 7), the Elgin County Railway Museum announced, in a letter to the community, that it was indefinitely suspending operations.The letter noted, “The temporary closure is due to building-related issues located outside of public areas of the facility.”
The museum administration assured that these issues did not impact public safety during recent operations or events.
To delve further into the suspension, we contacted Scott Sleightholm, President of Railworks Coalition, who advised that the museum is also closed to members and volunteers.
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Numerous attempts to bury the problem now leave the St. Thomas Cemetery Company staring down a financial crisis
For the second time in a decade, the St. Thomas Cemetery Company has begun the process of abandoning St. Thomas Cemetery (West Avenue) and South Park Cemetery, south of the city.
In 2015, the board of directors had served notice that it would seek to abandon the two burying grounds if the long-standing city grant wasn’t reinstated.
And in October of that year, city council voted to extend the cemetery board of directors a financial lifeline of sorts by way of a $20,000 operating grant. Combined with the first instalment in April of $30,000, it left them $9,000 short of the amount requested during 2015’s budget deliberations.
