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.
His mother, Linda King, along with Briar McCaw, co-founder of the Elgin County Drowning Prevention Coalition, wrote to Mayor Joe Preston and councillors urging them to take action.
However, the turning point in that council meeting occurred when Coun. Steve Peters stood up during debate on the motion and observed, “I just think that anything that we can do to help potentially save a life is something that we should do.”
On the agenda for this Monday’s (Feb. 2) meeting, council members will be asked to approve the installation of lifesaving stations and associated safety signage at Lake Margaret, Pinafore Lake, and Waterworks Park, as per the Ryan Davies Project – Aquatic Safety Audit.
In addition, it is recommended that council approve the installation of commemorative signage recognizing Ryan Davies in connection with the city’s waterfront safety initiative.
The signage will be located at the dock in Jim Waite Park and will describe:
Ryan’s story;
The purpose and scope of the Ryan Davies Project; and
The city’s ongoing commitment to drowning prevention and waterfront safety.
Staff will work closely with Ryan’s mother to ensure the wording and presentation are respectful, accurate, and aligned with the family’s wishes.
In July of last year, the Lifesaving Society completed a topical aquatic safety audit for Lake Margaret, Pinafore Lake, and Waterworks Park. The audit identified the need for standardized lifesaving stations and consistent safety and no-swimming signage at municipal waterfronts where boating and recreational use occur, but swimming is not permitted.
In a report to council from Adrienne Lacey Griffin, Director of Parks and Recreation, she noted in response to Davies’ death, “staff have developed a practical, community-centred implementation plan for the 2026 operating season.
“The plan reflects professional audit recommendations, best practices in waterfront risk mitigation, and the city’s commitment to public safety.”
Lacey Griffin advised that staff have advanced the Ryan Davies Project by:
Completing a Water Safety Audit with the Lifesaving Society to confirm recommended locations for lifesaving equipment and signage at Lake Margaret, Pinafore Lake, and Waterworks Park (see the photos below with stations identified by yellow stars).
Consulting with St. Thomas Fire Services to validate waterfront access and egress points and ensure installations support effective emergency response; and
Working with Municipal Law Enforcement to confirm an education-first approach to enforcement aligned with existing parks bylaw practices.
The Lifesaving Society has expressed interest in assisting with station design review and promotion of the initiative as a community safety project.
In addition, the Society has committed to donating at least one complete station post, demonstrating support for accessible, community-focused water safety measures.
Lacey Griffin advises that over the winter, staff will construct the lifesaving stations and finalize waterfront entrance and exit signage, with installation targeted in advance of the 2026 operating season.
She cautions, “The installation of lifesaving stations and safety signage aligns with recognized best practices for waterfront risk mitigation and guidance provided by the Lifesaving Society. The presence of lifesaving equipment does not create an obligation to supervise waterfronts or guarantee rescue outcomes.”
Furthermore, she adds, “When installed, labelled, and maintained appropriately, lifesaving stations do not increase municipal liability. Rather, they serve as a preventative risk-reduction measure that supports bystander response and improves emergency coordination without altering the city’s established duty-of-care framework.”
The cost of the 10 stations is approximately $10,000, with the commemorative plaque coming in between $1,500 and $2,000.
It is worth noting that when the vote was taken last year to approve the personal flotation device bylaw, councillors Jim Herbert, Rose Gibson and Jeff Kohler voted against this important water safety initiative.
Mayor Joe Preston was absent from the meeting.
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JUMBO: DID YOU KNOW . . . ?
As the Jumbomania exhibit at the Elgin County Heritage Centre nears the end of its lengthy run in March, a special afternoon is planned for next Saturday (Feb. 7), featuring a commemorative talk by Steve Peters.
The exhibit, which opened July 2 of last year, marks the 140th anniversary of the death of Jumbo, the Great African Elephant.
We spoke with Peters earlier this week to get a sneak preview of his presentation.
He began with, “I’m proud to have been part of that Jumbo exhibit. I’ve been collecting Jumbo-related artifacts for a long time. And a good number of the pieces in that display are from my own collection.
“And I think as a collector, one of your dilemmas always is, what do you do with your stuff when it’s gone? So I’m really pleased that I was able to work out a relationship with the county to start to see my collection transferred so that it’s going to stay local for permanency. And that’s important to me.
“So on the 7th of February, the focus is to talk a bit about the exhibit, but one of the things I want to focus on in particular is the various photographs that were taken of Jumbo the day after he was killed.”
Peters continued, “As we know, on the night of September 15th, 1885, Jumbo and a small elephant by the name of Tom Thumb were walking along the railway tracks just east of Woodworth Avenue when an unexpected, unannounced freight train overtook Jumbo, and he met his untimely demise here in St. Thomas.
“So the dilemma was, first they had to get Jumbo off the railway tracks, and then what do we do with this big elephant’s body? Unbeknownst to most people, P.T. Barnum, the owner of Jumbo, had made arrangements to have Jumbo stuffed and mounted.
“So a taxidermist arrived on the 16th of September from Rochester, New York, and undertook the process of taxidermy. But before that process started, there were a number of photographers who visited St. Thomas.
“And there are about six different images that we know of of Jumbo. And one of the sad things is that the most famous photograph of Jumbo, with all the huge crowd of people in it, we don’t know who all those individuals are. And so I’m going to talk about that photograph and a couple of other photographs. Just as to how Jumbo was documented the day after his death.”
Peters pointed out, “They estimate that after Jumbo’s death, over 6,000 people came and visited the site. They actually had police on guard because individuals were trying to take souvenirs of Jumbo. One thing that did survive but has since disappeared was one of Jumbo’s toenails. He later became a jeweller here in St. Thomas, Edgar Flach, and he was a witness to the Jumbo death, and he was actually taken to court proceedings in New York City. But Flach preserved this toenail.”
His jewelry shop was situated where the Why Not Cookies Cafe is now located on Talbot Street.
“And for years it stood in the front window and was on display. And after Flach passed away in 1946, the toenail disappeared, and it’s never surfaced. So I keep hoping that it will turn up one day.”
Peters continued, “One of the other artifacts on display is a slice of Jumbo’s tusk. When Henry Ward stuffed and mounted Jumbo, one of Jumbo’s tusks had been broken in the collision, so they had to get a replacement tusk, and Barnum commissioned Ward to slice up these tusks and give them away as souvenirs. I was able to acquire one a number of years ago at an auction sale, and it’s on display.
“But one of the funny stories that goes along with it is that there was a lot of ivory dust that was created, and Henry Ward, when he unveiled the stuffed and mounted jumbo, had the ivory powder added to a jelly, and the reporters of the day were served jumbo jelly on crackers.”
Fascinating teasers on Steve Peters’ presentation next Saturday.
‘It’s going to be a real focus on some of the anecdotal stories about Jumbo, you know, some of the untruths.
“P.T. Barnum certainly tried to twist the story in that Jumbo charged the train and to throw the little elephant off the track and attack the train, to little mysteries, some of the oddities that were found inside Jumbo.”
We discussed numerous other oddities, but you will have to attend his presentation next Saturday to get a deeper insight.
It will be held at the Elgin County Heritage Centre, 460 Sunset Drive.
The museum is open from 10 a.m. until 4 p.m., with the Steve Peters presentation scheduled for 2 p.m.
Bring your questions and be prepared to be entertained.
Admission is free; donations are appreciated.
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HOMELESSNESS BY THE NUMBERS
Last month, the Association of Municipalities of Ontario (AMO) released a report titled Municipalities Under Pressure One Year Later, which compares 2025 homelessness data in Ontario with a study undertaken the previous year.
It confirmed that in 2025, homelessness increased provincially by 8% from the previous year.
It is estimated that there were 78,802 homeless individuals in Ontario in 2024, and that has grown to 84,973 last year.
Further, the report identifies that without significant intervention from the provincial and federal government, homelessness in Ontario could double by 2035.
The data is presented to council in a report from Danielle Neilson, the city’s Housing Stability Services Manager.
It highlights other key factors impacting homelessness in Ontario as follows:
– The current state of homelessness stems from decades of underinvesting in deeply affordable housing, income support, mental health and addictions treatment, and escalating economic pressure.
– Homelessness in Ontario is growing the fastest in rural and northern communities.
– Homelessness accelerated sharply in 2021 and has not been reversed.
– Province-wide, Indigenous People are significantly overrepresented amongst people experiencing homelessness.
– Encampments have grown from approximately 1400 in 2024 to nearly 2000 in 2025.
– Homelessness is increasing faster than funding is, and people are staying homeless for longer periods of time.
– The waiting list for social housing has grown to over 300,000 households, reflecting the urgent need for more deeply affordable housing.
– Municipal investments in housing and homelessness increased to $2 billion collectively and now account for the largest and fastest-growing share of housing and homelessness funding in the province.
– Without urgent action by all levels of government to slow the rate of homelessness, it will become intractable, more complex, and more expensive to address.
In conclusion, the report recommends:
– significant increases in provincial and federal funding to expand deeply affordable and supportive housing and to stabilize the acute pressures of encampments.
– Integration across housing, health, income and social service systems at all levels of government to ensure that housing investments translate into sustained reductions in homelessness.
Locally, Neilson notes, “Our local data confirms that the need for increasing deeply affordable housing is rising. Our local Centralized Waitlist for social, affordable and subsidized housing is approximately 1800 households, which is more than double the number of households since 2020.”
Neilson continues, “Our By Names Data confirms that we are ahead of the median curve on occurrences of homelessness. In 2025, occurrences of homelessness in St. Thomas-Elgin decreased by 6.5% compared to 2024, and it is expected that we will continue trending towards further reductions throughout 2026.
“These reductions highlight the benefits and value of the collaborative work within St. Thomas and Elgin County by leveraging partnerships with local service providers (like Indwell and the YMCA) and higher levels of government to bring real and lasting solutions to our community.”
TIME WELL SPENT
It is something this corner used to do many years ago, put the stop-watch on the length of city council meetings versus the time members spent behind closed doors during in-camera sessions.
Well, the city’s Deputy Clerk Jon Hindley has taken on that task and has presented his findings in a report to council for Monday’s meeting.
He notes, “City council has identified its commitment to promote transparency, accountability and accessibility in the Strategic Plan – Action Plan by reporting on the number of Closed Sessions held and the length of time spent in Closed Session.”
Council meetings may only be closed to the public under Section 239 of the Municipal Act for specific reasons.
Some of these include the security of the property of the municipality or local board, personal matters about an identifiable individual, and labour relations or employee negotiations.
According to Hindley’s report, in 2025, council met in Open Session during 38 meetings for a total of 38 hours, 22 minutes and in Closed Session during 25 meetings for a total of 19 hours, 11 minutes of meeting time.
This compares to 39 hours, 36 minutes in Open Session and 27 hours, 23 minutes in Closed Session in 2024.
The longest meeting was 1 hour and 39 minutes on Feb. 10, with the shortest being 14 minutes on Nov. 10.
The longest Closed Session took place on July 14 and lasted 1 hour and 48 minutes.
When focusing on council transparency, this is a valuable tool, and it is hoped that it is presented to council and the public every year.
POINT TO PONDER
As MP Andrew Lawton tours the country with other Conservative MPs hosting Bill C-9 town hall meetings, who is footing the bill for expenses?
Is Lawton suggesting this is part of parliamentary consultation?
As we understand it, MPs are not permitted to use their parliamentary budgets for partisan purposes.
Lawton sits on the Standing Committee on Justice and Human Rights, however, it would be a stretch to consider these town hall meetings as committee business.
Many of those attending the town hall meetings are sporting “Defend Free Speech” signs (see photo above) that are clearly labelled “Authorized by the Chief Agent of the Conservative Party of Canada.”
Would this not strongly suggest that the rallies are partisan in nature? And that Lawton is utilizing his MP budget resources to support partisan events outside of Elgin-St. Thomas-London South rather than using those resources to better serve his constituents.
Questions and comments may be emailed to City Scope
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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.
