Category Archives: City Scope

10.31.26
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‘We’ve got to hit the road running’ – City of St. Thomas mayor-elect Jeff Kohler

After a 20-year absence as head of city council in St. Thomas, Jeff Kohler was elected mayor on Monday by a decisive margin. He defeated runner-up Aidan Frederick by nearly 5,000 votes.
Kohler garnered 7,407 votes to 2,641 for Frederick.
Corey Janzen was a distant third with 745 votes. Campaigning on a 20-year-old credit card issue obviously did not resonate with voters.
The surprises and upsets were confined to the 18 individuals seeking one of eight seats on council.
With Kohler’s seat vacant, at least one new face would be present in the council chamber beginning mid-November.
Few would have predicted, however, that three incumbents would not be returning.
Jim Herbert, Earl Taylor and Joan Rymal lost favour with the majority of the electorate and were sent packing.
Another surprise is the return of former mayor Heather Jackson, after an unsuccessful mayoral run in 2022. She also sought a third term as mayor in 2018, but finished second to Joe Preston.

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10.24.26
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Lynden Door Products breaks ground on its new Aylmer home: With high-quality door and millwork solutions ‘manufactured and assembled in Canada by Canadians for Canadians’

One of the leading manufacturers of residential, commercial, and architectural doors in the western U.S. and Canada continues its eastern expansion.
In 2022, Lynden Door Products of Lynden, Washington, opened an Alliance Door Products distribution branch on Dennis Road in St. Thomas.
In response to growing customer demand, Lynden Door is investing in a new residential door manufacturing plant in Aylmer, announced Alliance Door Products Canada president John Ridder.
A groundbreaking ceremony was held Tuesday (Oct. 20) on 20 acres within Aylmer’s AIM Industrial Park.
Ridder talked about the firm’s humble beginnings.
“The relationships we have built through our line store products distribution operation in St. Thomas, together with growing customer demand, have given us the confidence to make the next major investment in Canada, a new Linden Door Canada manufacturing facility here in Aylmer.”
He continued, “While our business has grown and changed, the principles behind it remained remarkably consistent: integrity, service and stewardship. We remain a family-owned and operated business, rooted in deep faith and in a belief that business can be conducted with honesty, kindness, humility, and respect for others. Those values have guided us for more than 70 years, and they continue to guide us today.

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10.17.26
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St. Thomas secures close to $20 million to boost affordable housing and infrastructure in exchange for reducing development charges

A funding announcement Thursday (Oct. 15) in St. Thomas is an important step toward making housing projects more viable and building more homes.
The city is receiving up to $19.6 million in exchange for reducing development charges for three years.
The provincial and federal funding is through the Development Charge Reduction Program.
MP Rob Flack, Minister of Municipal Affairs and Housing, stressed the announcement “Is creating the conditions to ensure communities like St. Thomas can continue to grow and thrive.”
He continued, “There’s no doubt we’re in an affordability crisis in many ways, but especially when you talk about housing. That is the crisis of the day. And we’re trying to change that.
“And what you need to do to change that is work with all levels of government, federally, provincially, and municipally, and I think that is exactly what is happening here today.

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10.10.26
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An amendment to the City of St. Thomas Official Plan will ‘Create a connected parks and recreation system, rather than treating individual parks as isolated parcels’

The City of St. Thomas is updating its Official Plan to recognize parks and recreation as essential municipal infrastructure and a key component of complete communities.
The process is the subject of a public meeting this coming Tuesday (Oct. 13) at 6 p.m. in the council chamber at city hall.
A proposed amendment would align the Official Plan policies and the Parkland Dedication Bylaw with the 2026 Parks and Recreation Master Plan and current provincial requirements.
It would repeal current Parks and Recreation policy direction and introduce new policies supportive of the recommendations in the Parks and Recreation Master Plan, approved in February of this year.
According to the report to be presented to city council at Tuesday’s meeting, “The proposed changes represent a modernization of the city’s parkland planning and dedication framework that considers the city’s anticipated population growth, changing community needs, and demographic forecasts.”

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10.03.26
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‘I want to make sure that the community that has moved mountains to make this happen is getting the 3,000 jobs that made all that worthwhile’ – MP Andrew Lawton on last week’s PowerCo announcement

Following last week’s PowerCo announcement, MP Andrew Lawton cautioned that the community has the right to know what’s being done to ensure the promised jobs materialize.
You can read last Saturday’s item here.
This comes in light of the federal government offering up to $13 billion in subsidies.
On Sept. 24, Powerco announced that production at the massive EV battery factory in St. Thomas has been pushed back until some time in 2029, although the move is not being painted as a step back.
Lawton, Conservative MP for Elgin-St. Thomas-London South, said it is important to acknowledge work is proceeding at the site.
“Look, we have to be very clear to acknowledge that there is work going on. And even the announcement from PowerCo indicates they intend to see this project through.

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09.26.26
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‘The St. Thomas gigafactory remains a cornerstone of our North American strategy’ – Joel Karlsberg, PowerCo Canada

Production at the massive PowerCo EV battery gigafactory in St. Thomas has been pushed back to sometime in 2029, although the move is not being categorized as a step back.
The original plan called for a 2027 opening, which was amended to the second quarter of 2028.
The information was included in a media release issued this week announcing that EllisDon Corporation will be the general contractor for the $7 billion megaproject in Yarmouth Yards industrial park.
Construction includes the production-building shell, mechanical, electrical and plumbing installations, energy and utility systems, and supporting site services. Approximately 60 EllisDon workers are on site. That number is expected to ramp up to roughly 1,300 workers at peak, alongside additional personnel supporting parallel project activities.

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09.19.26
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2026 municipal election: St. Thomas candidates’ night Sept. 16

St. Thomas residents had an opportunity to meet candidates hoping to lead the city and serve on council ahead of this fall’s municipal election.
The St. Thomas Kinsmen teamed up with the Columbus Club to host an All Candidates Night on Wednesday (Sept. 16).
Each of the candidates seeking one of eight spots on council was given two minutes to make their pitch to the overflow crowd at the Columbus Club.
Gibbs Alobwedge Diobe, Sandra Hamill and Malachi Male did not participate.
Each of the three mayoral candidates then had five minutes for their presentation.
The evening then moved into a meet-and-greet until 9 p.m.
St. Thomas Kinsmen member and Kin Canada District 1 Governor, Matt Sharpe, served as moderator.

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09.12.26
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Railway Lands Area Master Plan presents a dramatic view of the shape of things to come in St. Thomas

Two weeks ago, we documented the public meeting held at the CASO station to garner public input on the Preferred Master Plan for the railway lands downtown.
The plan will identify areas for development and redevelopment, permitted land uses, transportation and mobility connections, parks, public service/community uses, and infrastructure strategies.
All of this while recognizing the historical significance of the railway lands and the Downtown St. Thomas Heritage Conservation District to ensure an appropriate transition of new development to low-rise residential areas.
In part, this follows the recent sale of a parcel of land at the Elgin County Railway Museum to Doug Tarry Homes for a planned residential development.
You can read that item here.

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09.05.26
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Laying the groundwork for a future integrated transportation network linking St. Thomas with Aylmer

A new Highway 3 corridor appears to be on the radar and will improve connectivity between St. Thomas and Aylmer.
The Ontario Ministry of Transportation has retained Stantec Consulting Ltd. to undertake a Planning, Preliminary Design, and Class Environmental Assessment.
Stantec made a presentation to Elgin County council on Aug. 11.
The purpose of the study is to identify transportation improvements to Highway 3, including a new arterial road connecting to the St. Thomas Expressway extension, known as Technology Trail, to improve transportation connections between St. Thomas, including Yarmouth Yards, and communities to the east.

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