It was clearly evident that half of the members of city council are loath to ruffle the feathers of upper-tier government officials.
This relates to a matter discussed during Monday’s (Dec. 15) council meeting, dealing with the province’s move to consolidate Ontario’s 37 conservation authorities into seven regional authorities.
Under the consolidation, much of southwestern Ontario would fall into the Lake Erie Regional Conservation Authority (see map below), which would cover southwestern Ontario watersheds draining into Lake Erie, including the Thames, Grand, and Sydenham systems, supporting agriculture, industry, and shoreline communities.
Category Archives: Provincial politics
Joy Dawdy’s swimming lessons earn a reprieve; however, some conditions will apply
The days of treading water for the owner of 21 Philip Street are over, at least for the time being.At Monday’s meeting of city council (Dec. 8), members unanimously agreed to direct staff to design a temporary bylaw, allowing Dawdy to continue offering swimming lessons in her backyard pool, likely for a period of three years.
Something she has done for more than three decades.
Staff were not recommending Official Plan and zoning bylaw amendments in a report to council from Michelle Knieriem, Manager of Planning Services.
She concluded, “Staff understand and appreciate that the swimming lessons provided by the applicant are valued by many members of the community. While this value is noted, staff recommend refusal of the Official Plan and Zoning Bylaw Amendment applications due to issues of compatibility.
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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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‘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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‘The dream of home ownership cannot be extinguished, it has to stay alive in this province’ – Rob Flack, Minister of Municipal Affairs and Housing
This week, the provincial government introduced the Fighting Delays, Building Faster Act, 2025, that, if passed, would build “a more prosperous, resilient and competitive economy by fighting costly delays and regulatory burdens that slow the delivery of homes, roads, and infrastructure that communities need.”The legislation would cut red tape, thereby getting shovels in the ground faster, added Rob Flack, Minister of Municipal Affairs and Housing.
“With tariffs and economic uncertainty taking aim at our economy, we’re working with municipal leaders and homebuilders to get shovels in the ground faster so we can build more homes and keep workers on the job,” noted Flack.
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‘So 37 years later, it’s my opportunity to pass that hat to somebody else’ – Steve Peters steps away from city council
An announcement out of left field, but, in the final analysis, likely inevitable.Steve Peters stood up as Monday’s city council meeting drew to a close to announce he was walking away from municipal politics, effective immediately.
Ironically, this year is Peters’ 30th anniversary of holding elected office.
You can read his announcement to council below.
Peters wants to spend more time in his position as chair of the Ontario Greenhouse Vegetable Growers, a position he was appointed to last year.
The organization represents 170 growers of over 4,300 acres of greenhouse vegetables.
“I’m a focused person, and I really want to focus on the greenhouse sector. We’ve got a lot of stuff on our plate.”
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‘Our communities feel abandoned by the very institutions meant to protect them.’ – St. Thomas Police Chief Marc Roskamp
“In communities plagued by chronic criminality, safety seems to have become a privilege instead of a fundamental right.”A compelling observation from St. Thomas Police Chief Marc Roskamp.
It was not spoken at city hall during a council meeting; instead, it was delivered Thursday afternoon via video conferencing to the Standing Committee on Justice and Human Rights at their meeting in the Wellington Building in Ottawa.
Elgin-St. Thomas-London South MP Andrew Lawton sits on the committee, as does Brantford-Brant Conservative MP Larry Brock, who visited St. Thomas in July for a roundtable discussion to examine the evolving challenges impacting public safety in St. Thomas and Aylmer.
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Project Tiny Hope move-in day is Oct. 1: ‘The first phase of residents living, growing and creating the community we always dreamed of’
On June 27 of last year, construction began on the first tiny home to populate 21 Kains Street, where, eventually, 40 such homes and other amenities will provide safe, affordable housing in a downtown neighbourhood community.A community of more than just housing, it’s a new beginning.
The Project Tiny Hope partnership includes the YWCA St. Thomas-Elgin, Doug Tarry Homes and Sanctuary Homes.
The community will be a mix of one-, two- and three-bedroom rental units to accommodate adults, youth and families.
And 15 months later, the countdown to move-in day is underway for the residents who will call Project Tiny Hope their new home.
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Working together ‘on highly collaborative initiatives that support the community’s aim of functionally ending homelessness in the coming years’
A good portion of city council’s attention at Tuesday’s (Sept. 2) meeting was devoted to housing and homelessness initiatives and funding.Which meant Danielle Neilson, Housing Stability Services Manager, fielded a significant number of questions from the mayor and council.
She authored the St. Thomas-Elgin 10 Year Housing and Homelessness Plan: 2024 Progress Report, which sees city staff and community partners “work together on highly collaborative initiatives that support the community’s aim of functionally ending homelessness in the coming years.”
We briefly touched on this report last week regarding the city’s emergency shelter, The INN.
