Category Archives: Parks and recreation

10.31.26
by

‘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.

Continue reading →

10.10.26
by

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.”

Continue reading →

09.12.26
by

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.

Continue reading →

08.15.26
by

Imagination Station art installation at Yarmouth Yards industrial park in St. Thomas speaks to the past, while connecting to the future.

A colourful, circular sculpture surveying the cars and trucks rushing past on Highbury Avenue is a whimsical reminder of the city’s railway heritage while cleverly linking it with the industrial revolution underway in St. Thomas.
Titled Imagination Station, the 25-foot-high wooden toy train is local artist Briony Douglas’ first permanent public art commission (seen below with St. Thomas Mayor Joe Preston).
The Woodstock native has had her installations appear at cultural institutions and link with international brands across North America, including Cadillac, Adidas, American Express, Shake Shack, and the Hockey Hall of Fame.
And now her latest work graces the gateway to the city’s industrial park, Yarmouth Yards.
Imagination Station was assembled and unveiled at a ceremony Thursday afternoon at the intersection of Dennis Road and Highbury Avenue.

Continue reading →

08.01.26
by

‘With every milestone reached, we sustain St. Thomas’ growth for decades to come.’ – Vic Fedeli, Ontario Minister of Economic Development, Job Creation and Trade

For a glimpse at the shape of things to come for St. Thomas, simply drive to the perimeter of the Yarmouth Yards industrial park.
An equally dramatic preview is now available through the transformation of the road infrastructure on the western doorstep to St. Thomas.
The Talbotville Bypass (photo below) has rapidly displaced the farmland between Wonderland Road and Hwy. 4 north of Talbotville and is due for completion by the end of next year.
And this past week, the twinning of Hwy. 3 in St. Thomas was officially launched with a ceremony on the roadway, just west of the Centennial Avenue roundabout.
Elgin-Middlesex-London MPP Rob Flack was joined by Prabmeet Sarkaria, Minister of Transportation and Vic Fedeli, Minister of Economic Development, Job Creation and Trade, on Tuesday morning to announce the start of advance work, including utility relocations and grading.

Continue reading →

07.25.26
by

Re-imagining Hepburn Parkette in St. Thomas to support ‘daily use as well as organized events and programming’

Two years ago, the planning process was underway to rejuvenate a rather forlorn Talbot Street parkette so it could again contribute to life in the downtown core.
Masterminding the transformation was the team of Andrew Gunn and Maddie King (below in the photo) of young & free press in conjunction with city staff and through the assistance of Arthur Lierman Landscape Architecture.
A similar process was undertaken in 2020, which resulted in the formation of Westlake Evans Civic Park, adjacent to St. Thomas Public Library.
Two summers ago, the pair were at the stage of gathering input from community groups and residents.
“We started a process with the city over the past year or so,” noted Gunn, “and really the idea is here are some open green spaces in the downtown and what could be added to make them active, vibrant spots for the downtown to help bring residents and visitors here.”

Continue reading →

07.18.26
by

Re-purposing 53 Hiawatha Street in St. Thomas ‘represents another meaningful step toward a future where everyone has access to housing that allows them to thrive’ – Lindsay Rice, YWCA

As the YWCA St. Thomas-Elgin puts the finishing touches on its Project Tiny Hope at 21 Kains Street – now officially christened Hope Crossing – the organization is not resting on its laurels.
The YWCA announced this week its proposed development at 53 Hiawatha Street in St. Thomas to support its vision of affordable seniors’ housing.
To kick-start the undertaking, the City of St. Thomas is donating a parcel of land adjacent to the Scott Street Municipal Parking Lot.
This will be paired with a contribution of $2.7 million through the Affordable Housing Grant Program and Housing Accelerator Fund.
The proposed 40-unit apartment development will build upon the YWCA’s ongoing investment in creating safe, inclusive, and affordable housing solutions that foster independence, connection and dignity for residents, according to a media release.

Continue reading →

05.30.26
by

‘Housing in our community is a crisis and needs to be filled,’ and the most contaminated field in the community is there to help

A large tract of barren land, a stone’s throw from Memorial Arena, a rubble-strewn reminder of the city’s once-dominant position in the age of the iron horse, has caught the eye of a London developer eager to transform the wasteland into desperately needed rental housing.

To the delight of St. Thomas Mayor Joe Preston, who is all smiles at the prospect of another brownfield undergoing rehabilitation to add as many as 2,000 units to the city’s housing inventory.

Drewlo Holdings, a family-run enterprise based in London, has acquired the 20-acre site, stretching north and east of the intersection of Wilson Avenue and Elm Street.

The firm is proposing to construct six rental buildings with between 1,800 and 2,000 housing units.

Site preparation at the highly contaminated property has been underway for some time and includes full environmental remediation.

Continue reading →

05.23.26
by

At the upcoming AMO conference, the city would like to bend the province’s ear on childcare, support for seniors, and further preparation for the explosive growth of St. Thomas

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.

Continue reading →