Category Archives: Automotive Industry

12.06.25
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Some tinkering with the proposed 2026 property tax levy, but the result is still a hike in the range of six per cent for St. Thomas ratepayers

Round 2 of 2026 city budget deliberations is on tap for Monday’s (Dec.8) council meeting.
Several amendments are being presented by the city’s Director of Finance, Adam Boylan; however, they will not lower the projected six per cent hike to the municipal property tax levy next year.
A major consideration is the rescoping of the Emslie Field grandstand project.
Boylan notes city staff are exploring a ‘fresh start’ approach that would entail demolition of the grandstand, to be replaced by “modern, accessible amenities at a significantly reduced cost.”
These would include new, concrete bleacher pads, accessible bleachers, a barrier-free ramp, equipment storage, replacement player benches and protective netting.
The approximate price tag is $600,000, well below the original estimate of $1.2 million to fully rehabilitate the grandstand.

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11.22.25
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‘St. Thomas is exactly where we need to be’ – Vianode CEO Burkhard Straube in announcing a $3.2 billion investment in the city

With the Yarmouth Yards industrial park serving as a backdrop, Ontario Premier Doug Ford called Thursday’s (Nov. 20) announcement of a $3.2 billion investment by Norwegian firm Vianode a historic milestone for southwestern Ontario and a major win for workers.
The ceremonial ground-breaking was on the site of what will become a state-of-the-art synthetic anode graphite manufacturing facility that will initially result in 300 new, good-paying jobs.
Anode graphite is a critical component in electric vehicle batteries, nuclear reactors, semiconductors, aerospace and defence systems, steelmaking and other strategic industries.

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11.08.25
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‘We cut out the noise, focus on the signal’ – PowerCo hiring blitz is underway

It was an invite-only event with a twist.
Thursday evening (Nov. 6), PowerCo held a Shopfloor Hiring Network Event designed to connect local talent in industrial electrician, millwright and industrial automation roles with their gigafactory team.
Those attending had the opportunity to meet company leadership, explore career opportunities and get an up-close look at what it would be like to be an employee at what is to become the largest such factory in Canada.
As the evening started to wind down, we spoke with Shuja Qadri, manager of talent acquisition, who observed, “Considering this was an invite-only RSVP event that we wanted to look at based on skill set and experiences, we actually had over 65 people turn up for the event.”

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08.23.25
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Contracts awarded and work set to begin at the massive PowerCo gigafactory – ‘We plan to be relevant for a very long time’

Within weeks, construction will begin on what is to become the largest EV battery manufacturing plant in Canada.
PowerCo, a Volkswagen subsidiary, announced Thursday the awarding of two major contracts for structural steel and foundation work for the $7 billion gigafactory at the Yarmouth Yards industrial park in St. Thomas.
Meredith Gibbons, Chief Procurement Officer for PowerCo Canada, called the announcement a major milestone.
“We’ve been very busy working hard to get this thing up and running. Today’s major milestone for the St. Thomas gigafactory is the announcement of our two major contracts: structural steelwork to SteelCon and the concrete foundation work to Magil Construction.”

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08.09.25
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PowerCo launches recruitment campaign: ‘We are committed and we really want to be the future for St. Thomas’

“We are very excited, and we also talked as a team and said this is the time when we really want to go out there and again talk about the progress we’re making. So we are excited to create more jobs for St. Thomas and the region.”
And that is precisely what transpired on Wednesday morning as Norman Wickboldt, Chief Human Resources Officer at PowerCo Canada, launched a hiring campaign with high-quality, well-paying jobs available at what will become the largest EV battery plant in Canada.
PowerCo, a Volkswagen subsidiary, has already hired about 200 employees working out of their Talbot Street office in the downtown core, and the plan is to open a second office at the Yarmouth Yards industrial park.
And now, about 50 new high-quality, well-paying jobs have been posted on the PowerCo website.

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01.11.25
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Ryan Davies’ drowning in Lake Margaret is the impetus for a life jacket loaner program

What began as a pleasant morning of fishing on Lake Margaret this past Labour Day quickly turned tragic when a canoe holding three friends tipped over.
Two people were rescued, however, after a day-long search, the body of 26-year-old Ryan Davies was recovered.
The St. Thomas Fire Department’s water rescue unit was on the scene supplemented by the OPP underwater rescue unit.
Coast Guard officials arrived just before noon that day with sonar and submersible equipment to assist in what became a recovery operation.
St. Thomas Fire Chief Dave Gregory explained that the thick matted weeds under the surface of the water were making matters difficult.
Gregory advised at its deepest spot, Lake Margaret has a depth of about 20 feet.

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11.30.24
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Does the Volkswagen front in St. Thomas seem somewhat quiet?

Steady progress is being made at the Yarmouth Yards industrial park with activity continuing at a hectic pace.
Now, we’ve chosen our words carefully when referring to the 1,500-acre industrial park in general.
That’s because there has not been a lot of chatter of late related to the PowerCo EV gigafactory which will be the primary tenant on the site.
In fact, in Monday’s (Dec. 2) city council agenda package, there is an Industrial Development Update that indicates the majority of work at Yarmouth Yards is progressing on schedule.

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11.23.24
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‘The future is more like emergency housing or more supportive housing, not emergency shelters’ – Danielle Neilson, City of St. Thomas

A reiteration at the city council meeting this past Monday (Nov. 18) that The INN is not the answer to homelessness, it is strictly an emergency shelter.
The point was driven home – again – by Danielle Neilson, the city’s Manager of Housing Stability Services during a discussion of The INN’s ongoing operating budget.
It generated a bevy of questions from council members, kicked off by Coun. Steve Peters requesting clarification on the financial role of ElginCountyy.
“In our role as the social service provider and the housing provider on behalf of the County of Elgin, if at budget time we approve this, I take it there will be a share of those costs provided by the county?
Neilson responded in the affirmative.
“I am happy to confirm that there will be cost sharing between St. Thomas and the county, subject to the budget being approved.”

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08.03.24
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‘It all comes down to giving back to the community’ – MP Karen Vecchio in announcing she will not seek re-election

MP Karen Vecchio called a week ago yesterday (Friday) wanting to talk.
It seems it had something to do with expiration dates, which caught my attention.
So, we agreed to meet in the myFM studio at which point she laid this one on us.
“I made my decision and that is to not run in the next election.
That would be the 45th election that we are expecting in October of 2025.
“And unfortunately, my name will not be on the ballot. And, next year when the federal election occurs, I will have been at it (sitting as an MP) for 10 years.
“I believe everybody has an expiry date and I know it’s time for me to be home.”
Now, there’s a world of difference between an expiry date and a best-before date and Vecchio has many productive years in front of her before reaching the latter time stamp.

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