In February of 2024, city council endorsed the 2024-27 Strategic Plan, titled Brighter Future.

According to a report presented to council at the time, “The Strategic Plan provides a road map for the current term of council, and consists of a Vision and Mission statement, six Guiding Values, two broad Strategic Pillars, and eleven Strategic Priorities.”

Once the plan was endorsed, city staff began to outline existing activities aligned with the strategic plan and new actions to help the city toward its new vision.

The Strategic Plan is a ‘living document’ that is continually being reviewed and updated.

Another portal to the city’s priorities moving forward is the annual Association of Municipalities of Ontario conference, to be held this year in Ottawa from Aug. 16-19.

At each conference, the city team, consisting of council members supported by city staff, shares municipal updates, outlines municipal best practices, and identifies municipal challenges for which provincial collaboration and assistance would be beneficial.

It is a timely opportunity for the team to highlight the success of the city in the implementation of its strategic plan priorities and other recent important activities.

At Tuesday’s (May 19) council meeting, Taylor Mooney, the city’s Strategic Initiatives Manager, outlined the St. Thomas delegation requests. These are the sought-after meetings with MPPs and provincial stakeholders during the conference and generally foreshadow the immediate priorities of the municipality.

A trio of delegation requests was presented to council for approval, and, in turn, staff were presented with additional requests for consideration.

Ministry of Long-Term Care:

Expand long-term care and community care funding eligibility to include adult day programming and preventative seniors supports delivered at the municipal level.

Ministry of Education:

Increase capital and operating funding to expand licensed childcare spaces and strengthen staffing capacity across the system. Encouraging the reduction of administrative burden in child care, especially as it relates to the oversight of Canada-Wide Early Learning and Child Care (CWELCC) operations and capital construction.

The CWELCC system is a federal-provincial initiative to make child care more accessible and affordable.

Ministry of Municipal Affairs and Housing:

Request provincial infrastructure funding support via the provincial stream of the Build Strong Communities Fund for the City’s Dalewood Water Reclamation Facility (DWRF) project to enable continued industrial, residential, and regional growth while supporting long-term environmental sustainability and system resiliency. Of course, the Minister is Elgin-Middlesex-London MPP Rob Flack.

“With the large number of people expected to come into St. Thomas over the next few years, I think we really need to start to work on the ministry for more beds at Valleyview as well.”

Coun. Lori Baldwin-Sands, as expected, would like to see a delegation with the Minister of Sport, Neil Lumsden, to advocate for funding for the proposed aquatic/community centre.

It is good to keep in mind that the conference is looming in three months, and the city neither has a location nor design drawings for the facility.

Should a delegation be approved with the Ministry of Municipal Affairs and Housing, Coun. Gary Clarke would like to discuss the need for seniors’ housing.

“We don’t have accessible, safe, affordable, and appropriate housing on a steady stream where we can plan for it, and, that’s because we don’t have a segregated or consistent stream of funding for projects like that at this time.”

Clarke continued, “We need to supply a greater number of not only affordable housing, but also supportive housing. And so I’d like to approach that subject with them.”

Clarke pointed out, “That ties back to the Ministry of Long-Term Care, because there’s a shortage of seniors’ housing. We also have a shortage of beds in that ministry, and so it’s a chicken-and-egg kind of thing.

“If the government wants us to stay in our homes longer and not provide dollars for long-term care, then we need the funding through housing projects.

“We also need to look at long-term beds. St. Thomas has not had an increase in those beds, I would say, since Valleyview originally opened.

“With the large number of people expected to come into St. Thomas over the next few years, I think we really need to start to work on the ministry for more beds at Valleyview as well.”

Coun. Steve Wookey shifted the discussion toward arts and culture, with a suggestion more likely directed toward the Thames Valley District School Board.

When it designs and builds the new St. Thomas high school with a population in the range of 700 students, it, no doubt, will have a performance auditorium to at least accommodate that number of students.

Wookey is proposing to enter into an agreement with the school board for the use of the auditorium as a civic function venue to host concerts, theatrical productions and other events.

At last year’s AMO gathering, the city team put forth a series of targeted requests:

• Reform Ontario’s property tax assessment and appeals system.
• Provide additional cost-sharing measures to support growing local police expenses.
• Change the Family Health Organization (FHO) model requirements to expand availability of the model; specifically, allow municipalities to be the leaders and funding recipients of the FHO to allow them to independently staff an FHO.
• Re-evaluate the public health model, especially with respect to its governance and financing.
• Expand funding for adult day programs and seniors’ recreation services to support aging in place.
• Reform Ontario Works legislation to allow only a 25 per cent deduction on income earned above the threshold.

A follow-up report from staff will be brought back to council before this year’s AMO conference in August.

A POPULAR YMCA PARTNERSHIP

As announced in April, 2024, the city launched a pilot partnership with the YMCA, offering city residents access to indoor aquatics programs during the months that Jaycees Pool is closed.

These programs include aquafit, swimming lessons and public swims at the YMCA pool in St. Thomas.

The passes are offered at city rates, with proof of St. Thomas residency required at the time of purchase.

The offer was to apply until the end of 2024, except for the months of July and August.

The program is possible through a $100,000 contribution from the city.

Mayor Joe Preston indicated at the time, “This is about us starting to work together in a cooperative way on an aquatic facility.

“If this in itself carries forward, we know where we can look in the future. This is a great start to get affordability for all of St. Thomas to be able to use the Y facility.”

Andrew Lockie (pictured above with Mayor Joe Preston), CEO of YMCA of Southwestern Ontario, stressed, “This is unique. We do have municipal partnerships all across southwestern Ontario, and we’ve learned that partnerships with municipalities are mutually beneficial.

“This is a unique model, and we hope to build on what is next in the future. We think a partnership is the right way to go, and we know that it will have long-term positive impacts in the community.

“We’re very enthusiastic about the future.”

At the May 11 meeting, council unanimously approved extending the program through until the end of this year, with an additional contribution of $63,000.

“This program also plays a key role in reducing financial and accessibility barriers for residents, particularly for children, families, newcomers, and individuals requiring additional support.”

In addition, an amendment was approved to the original Memorandum of Understanding to confirm that private Swim-able lessons are eligible under the partnership.

In a report to council, Adrienne Lacey Griffin, Director of Parks and Recreation, advised members that since implementation, “The YMCA aquatics partnership has demonstrated strong and consistent community uptake across both recreational access and instructional programming.”

She provided the following stats:

 4,148 swim passes issued to City of St. Thomas residents

 487 swim lesson participants

 $108,133.59 in total partnership funding utilized (as of March 2026)

Lacey Griffin concluded, “Beyond maintaining access to aquatics at a relatively low cost, this partnership provides valuable data on participation and service demand, supporting evidence-based planning and informing future decisions related to facility needs, program offerings, and affordability.

“The partnership continues to serve as an interim service delivery model while council considers long-term recreation infrastructure planning, including a potential Community Recreation Centre, allowing the city to respond to current demand in a cost-effective manner.

“This program also plays a key role in reducing financial and accessibility barriers for residents, particularly for children, families, newcomers, and individuals requiring additional support.”

TEMPORARY USE BYLAW APPROVED

The temporary use bylaw permitting Joy Dawdy to continue with her swimming lessons at 21 Philip Street in the city was adopted at Tuesday’s (May 19) council meeting with minimal discussion.

Of note, the bylaw includes a provision limiting the number of students per lesson to three, and that only one lesson can be conducted at a time.

According to staff, “This is needed in order to prevent the possibility of multiple individuals who reside in the dwelling conducting lessons simultaneously.”

The bylaw will be in effect until May 19, 2028.

Coun. Joan Rymal was the lone voice in opposition, having previously stressed, “I just want to say that there’s no question that the swimming lessons provided by Miss Dawdy have been appropriate or of a good quality. It’s not the issue at all about the swimming lessons.

“It relates to the location of the business providing the swimming lessons, which is in her backyard. And St. Thomas is growing and expected to double in size in 25 years, and residential areas are becoming more dense.”

She pointed out that “A temporary use bylaw applies to the property, not the owner. So, if the property is sold during the time that the temporary use bylaw is still in effect, this temporary use bylaw would transfer to the new owner, who could then operate the same business in that backyard.”

Mayor Joe Preston previously had not supported the motion over concerns about employing a temporary use bylaw to allow the lessons to continue in a residential neighbourhood.

Coun. Jim Herbert expressed similar concerns in the past.

The final vote on the bylaw was 8-1 in support.

A CHANGE IN PLANS

Today (May 23) was to be Lifejacket Day, an afternoon of drowning-prevention initiatives, hosted by the Elgin County Drowning Prevention Coalition.

The inclement weather prompted a move to the rain date tomorrow (May 24), from 1 to 4 p.m. at Lake Margaret/Jim Waite Park in St. Thomas.

It’s a free, family-friendly afternoon focused on water safety, and will include lifejacket fittings, safe boating tips, lifesaving equipment demonstrations, kids’ activities, prize giveaways, and opportunities to support local drowning prevention initiatives.

Doug Tarry Homes is supporting this important community event, in conjunction with the City of St. Thomas, St. Thomas Fire Department, St. Thomas Police Service, and Elgin County Emergency Management Services.

When it comes to water safety, Briar McCaw, co-founder of the Elgin County Drowning Prevention Coalition, stresses that the message is simple: choose it, use it, wear it.

POINT TO PONDER

At the May 19 council meeting, members dealt with the following request from Devon Church, co-chair of Elgin County Pride.

“That council proclaim July 20th to 25th, 2026 as “Pride Week” in the City of St. Thomas, that the progressive pride flag be flown for the week and that the Jumbo monument be lit in pink the week of June 8th to 15, 2026 in recognition of Universal Pride Month.”

Normally, such flag-raising requests generate little, if any, discussion and are approved unanimously.

Such was the case with this Pride Week motion, but curiously, Coun. Gary Clarke requested a recorded vote.

Let’s see if we can establish why this action was undertaken.

THE ECHO CHAMBER

Responding to last week’s item on the Wellington Block, Dave Mathers submitted this observation.

“I still agree with Wendell’s plans to convert the school into luxury apartments. I saw a similar school in Windsor that had been converted, and it was spectacular with the tall windows and high ceilings.

“Hopefully, a developer will see the potential.”

Questions and comments may be emailed to City Scope

Visit us on Facebook

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.