A new supportive housing project for St. Thomas was announced last March, a continuation of the successful partnership between the city and Indwell.
The organization is a Christian charity dedicated to providing affordable housing and community support
A groundbreaking ceremony was held Thursday morning on the site of the former Balaclava Street Public School.
Indwell had announced that they will be transforming the four-storey structure into 78 units of supportive housing, equipped with essential supports to assist residents, and to be known as Balaclava Crossing.
This will include 36 units within the existing school structure and an additional 42 units in a new extension.
Lynette Lewis, Indwell Regional Program Manager, praised members of council and city staff for their efforts to solve homelessness.
“I have heard about your vision of lofty goals, your coordination of unlikely partners, the high regard that you hold for all members of your community, your ambitious drive to solve homelessness, and your recognition of what a healthy community looks and feels like.
“We are thrilled to do this work alongside you.”
Indwell will offer essential services to residents, promoting health, stability, and independence, stressed Indwell CEO Jeff Neven.
“We will be providing supportive housing here. That means deeply affordable housing with supports. Our goal is to empower folks, build on people’s personal agency, honour the dignity that they inherently have, and so that we can see people to live up to their maximum potential and capacity and to build goals and to reach those goals in their lives.”
Neven continued, “Here at this beautiful building. Look at that stone up there, 1898. It is incredible to be here today to celebrate the preservation of this heritage landmark.
“Here we’re going to see 78 units. And we know that a unit is a unit, but it becomes home when it’s occupied by a person, and so you’re all going to come back when we have a ribbon cutting, and we welcome people to move to make a unit into a home.
“Because we’re creating 78 homes here, 36 in the former Balaclava school and behind 42 new homes in a new building on the rear of the property here. And it is a continued progression of the successful partnerships that we’ve had with all of us in the community here today.”
This is the third Indwell project in St. Thomas, starting with the Railway City Lofts above the Transit Terminal on Talbot Street, followed by The Station on Queen Street.
These projects, plus initiatives like the YWCA St. Thomas-Elgin’s Project Tiny Hope, have garnered national recognition for the city’s efforts in reducing homelessness, advised Neven.
“And the impact we’ve had together, especially since 2021, we’re celebrating that as well today,” stressed Neven.
“Together, we’ve seen a reduction in homelessness in St. Thomas by 30 per cent. And that’s been recognized nationally as one of the bright spots in Canada, in a time where homelessness is on the rise in virtually every other community across Canada.”
Neven stressed that Indwell’s plan preserves the heritage building, while adapting it for long-term housing and community supports.
“And we’re not done until every one of our neighbours has a place that they can call home and can build a life that they’re proud of and that we can all stand beside and be proud of as well.”
But it doesn’t end there.
“Indwell has a vision for hope and homes for all,” advised Neven. “And we’ve always seen this since our founding in the early 1970s. We’ve always realized that if we’re going to solve homelessness, it can’t be in just one spot. It has to be across Ontario. It has to be a regional approach.
“And as such, Indwell continues to grow and to expand. Across Ontario. We’ve grown into new communities, St. Thomas in 2021, but more recently, there are some folks from Sarnia who are excited about us heading to Sarnia, growing there.
“Growing in Brantford, growing in Burlington, and it’s a recognition that what we’re doing here in St. Thomas is actually replicable, and we can care for our neighbours in other cities the same way that St. Thomas cares for its neighbours.
“How wonderful to know that the beauty and potential in this historic landmark are being repurposed to care for and house vulnerable members of our community.”
“And so you’re leading the charge for a new vision of hope and homes for all across Ontario. And we’re not done until every one of our neighbours has a place that they can call home and can build a life that they’re proud of and that we can all stand beside and be proud of as well.”
Balaclava Crossing is supported through $24 million in funding announced Thursday from Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation.
The province is kicking in $4 million through the Last Mile Funding program, and the city is supporting the undertaking with $1.9 million through its Housing Accelerator Fund and a land contribution valued at $1.3 million.
Mayor Joe Preston observed, “Balaclava School has been given a new life and purpose because of Indwell. How wonderful to know that the beauty and potential in this historic landmark are being repurposed to care for and house vulnerable members of our community.”
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THE STATE OF CANADA’S AUTOMOTIVE SECTOR
There is a pall of uncertainty hanging over the automotive sector, intensively aggravated by the Trump trade tariffs.
And that was the motivation behind an automotive round table held on April 6 in St. Thomas, chaired by Dominique O’Rourke, Liberal MP for Guelph and head of the Liberal Auto Caucus (pictured below).
We caught up with her this past Thursday to follow up on her appearance in the city.
She observed, “People are looking to their government to know what measures are in place to help them right now. And so what we did in that round table is we talked about what measures were taken immediately after the tariffs were imposed, what was in the budget that could be helpful to either attract foreign investment in the auto sector and manufacturing more generally, or to incentivize people to invest domestically.
“And then finally, we talked about what’s in Canada’s auto strategy that could be helpful for them. So really, it was about giving people useful information to help them chart their course through this uncertainty and to know that there are a number of measures there for them.”
Canada’s auto sector is centralized in southern Ontario and Quebec, and particularly intensified in this region with the construction of the PowerCo EV battery gigafactory and synthetic graphite producer Vianord.
O’Rourke concurred, “Powerco uniquely positions St. Thomas. You’re great from a geographic perspective. You have advanced manufacturing. You’ve got very skilled workers. And that is what the auto strategy for Canada confirms, right?
“It confirms our support for domestic auto manufacturers and workers, and it cements the direction to be looking to electric vehicles, those batteries, domestic assembly, but also the entire supply chain, including critical minerals. So it is a much broader view of what the auto sector is.”
She continued, “So that’s certainly the intention, to protect, grow the auto sector and protect those jobs. And it’s also to encourage diversification. So, particularly for parts manufacturers, are there other markets they can service, at least to get them through this uncertain period?
“And so you’re seeing this massive investment in defence. It’s also looking at what in the EV space is a good avenue to pursue.”
But let’s not give up on our largest trading partner south of the border, advised O’Rourke.
“We’re also in a CUSMA (the Canada-U.S.-Mexico trade agreement) review in a very integrated sector that is good for us and has been good for the Americans as well.
“So a lot of measures are in place right now to support affected industries, to help them assess whether they can retool, whether they can expand their markets, whether they can look to other jurisdictions in terms of sales. So a lot of support for businesses doing that.
“And I just want to mention for folks, in case they don’t know, everyone can be forgiven for not reading Budget 2025 cover to cover. But there’s something there called the productivity super deduction that allows write-offs in the first year for a new manufacturing building or new equipment.
“Definitely talk to FedDev Ontario if you’re a business that’s in this position because there are supports in place to give you that guidance.”
In November of 2024, the province announced a $15 million investment to boost manufacturing at three Municipality of Bayham auto-sector factories.
Phil Mauer & Associates is investing $4.6million to expand their facility and product ranges to bid on new work across the auto supply chain. ETBO Tool and Die is investing a total of $9.3 million to undertake a 42,500 sq. ft. facility expansion and to acquire new equipment, and CKDPack is investing almost $1.2 million to develop a new production line.
Continuing with the CUSMA review, O’Rourke noted, “We have a highly integrated auto sector. We have a highly integrated defence sector. And the comments from those sectors are going to make their views seen and heard, and I’m very confident in the team that’s negotiating that they’re going to come away with the best deal.
“A deal that so far has been very, very good for Canada and the U.S. For industries and our workers.”
“But the reason that we have attracted all that foreign direct investment in the auto sector is because we have the best auto workers in the world.”
Could there be an all-Canadian vehicle, designed and built in this country?
“You have to look at the size of the Canadian market and the appetite for choice in that market. I think that looking at how we could have a Canadian, all-Canadian-made vehicle is interesting.
“At the same time, I think we have to look at a really global automotive market, because I suspect a pivot away from that would be significant.”
“So I’ve held roundtables in my riding of Guelph, which has a lot of similarities to St. Thomas. And I’m open to having these conversations with folks in the auto sector anywhere in Canada.
“I chair our auto caucus, and we have representatives from Ontario and Quebec, MPs representing assemblers, MPs representing auto parts of all kinds. Increasingly, MPs who are interested in the auto caucus are because they have critical minerals in their riding, and so it’s a very dynamic, interesting caucus.
“And we deal with a whole range of issues. And so we’re absolutely interested in having a conversation with anyone who wants to have it, and in particular to be sure that everybody knows about the supports that are available.’
“I think the industry is changing because there actually are automotive footprints across the country now in terms of engineering. And we’re going to see that expand as we take that route and as we’re looking at the broader supply chain for EVs.”
O’Rourke continued, “Canada has been extremely successful at attracting foreign direct investment in the automotive sector in the past several years. Uncertainty right now has put a little chill on that.
“But the reason that we have attracted all that foreign direct investment in the auto sector is because we have the best auto workers in the world. And I’m just up the road from the Toyota plant in Cambridge. It is the most awarded plant for quality from JD Power (a global leader in consumer insights, advisory services and data and analytics) in the world, so when our Canadian plants attract that kind of investment, it is because we are highly competitive and we have outstanding workers.
“So we are going to control what we can control, and that includes getting the best deal we can. But it also means that some of the tools we’ve put in Budget 2025, like the productivity super deduction. It brings Canada’s marginal effective tax rate to the lowest of any G-7 country, including lower than the United States with the Big, Beautiful, Bill.
“And it is especially good for manufacturers. And so I think that people need to look at the tools that we are providing and also take heart. Last year, Canada had the best level of foreign direct investment since 2007.”
The roundtable was organized by David Goodwin, the failed Liberal candidate in last year’s federal election and he observed, “The automotive roundtable brought together leaders from across the auto industry in our riding for a valuable and timely discussion with the Honourable Dominique O’Rourke, Member of Parliament for Guelph, a member of the federal Standing Committee on Industry and Technology, and Chair of the federal Auto Caucus.
“Dominique provided an overview of the government’s current priorities and strategic direction for the automotive sector. This was followed by an engaging and productive discussion, where industry leaders in our riding had the opportunity to share their perspectives, raise questions, and speak directly about the key challenges and opportunities facing their sector today.”
A similar round table was held the same week with area farmers having the opportunity to meet with Federal Minister of Agriculture and Agri-Food, Heath MacDonald, and you can read about that here.
2026 MUNICIPAL ELECTION
The 2026 municipal election will be held Oct. 26, with nominations opening May 1.
If you have given thought to running for Mayor or a seat on municipal council, the city is offering a free candidate information session to point you in the right direction.
The session will take place on April 27, from 6 to 8 p.m. in the Carnegie Room at the St. Thomas Public Library.
It will begin with a presentation from the Ministry of Municipal Affairs and Housing, followed by a Q&A with election administrators.
For those unable to attend in person, a hybrid option is being arranged, and details will be shared soon.
Regular updates on the 2026 municipal election and access to election resources will be available on the city hall website: https://www.stthomas.ca/
POINT TO PONDER
St. Thomas Elgin General Hospital is updating its model of care, which has resulted in the elimination of 26 full-time Personal Support Worker positions.
The hospital assures, “This transition does not affect patient services or bed capacity, and there is no anticipated impact on care delivery. STEGH remains committed to supporting affected employees through a fair, transparent, and compassionate process.
“Our priority continues to be providing safe, high‑quality care that reflects the needs of the patients we care for today.”
The hospital noted that the method of care update at STEGH is designed to better meet the needs of patients whose medical conditions have become increasingly complex.
Would you not think that a new method of care offering “safe, high-quality care” is a good news story, worthy of media coverage?
A week ago, a hospital spokesperson advised that there would be no media release outlining the rationale behind the model of care changes or additional details on what these changes might look like.
We attempted to arrange an interview this week with a hospital administrator, and on Tuesday, received notice that no one would be made available to discuss the new model.
A missed opportunity.
Unless there is more to this story.
Were you one of the PSWs who lost their job? Feel like talking? We’re here.
THE ECHO CHAMBER
Following up on our item last week on 26 PSWs losing their jobs at St. Thomas Elgin General Hospital, Colleen Gibson had this timely question.
“How many management positions were lost?!”
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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.
