Category Archives: Provincial politics

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 →

05.09.26
by

For Cliff Barwick, it was always about respect for the mayor’s chain of office

For many city residents, their first introduction to Cliff Barwick would have been at Arthur Voaden Secondary School, where the long-time mayor and alderman ruled over the classroom.

That certainly was the case for former mayor and MPP, Steve Peters.

“I took a couple of classes with him over the years,” recalled Peters this week after the news of Barwick’s passing.

Barwick was born and raised in Fort Erie and moved to St. Thomas after completing teacher’s college.

“He was a really good educator. He challenged students to think a little differently. It’s been interesting reading some of the Facebook posts of former students and how he inspired them or instilled in them certain career paths.

Continue reading →

05.02.26
by

These investments in education ‘reflect the remarkable growth we are experiencing in St.Thomas’ – Mayor Joe Preston

It was a red-letter day for education in St. Thomas and Southwold Township this past Tuesday.
The province announced a $1.8 billion investment to build and expand schools across the province, with more than $80 million in funding earmarked for three new area schools.
Of that total, almost $44 million will be spent on a new high school with a capacity of 703 students to replace Arthur Voaden Secondary School.
A new 412-place elementary school with 49 licensed child care spaces valued at $22 million will be built in Talbotville.
And, in a joint venture between the Thames Valley District School Board and Ecole scolaire Viamonde, a new French elementary school, with room for 262 students, will share the same site at a cost of almost $16 million.
The local funding is part of a $92 million investment announced Tuesday morning for new and expanded schools in Thames Valley.
No details were announced on the exact locations of the three new facilities.

Continue reading →

04.25.26
by

St. Thomas relaunches program designed to assist low-to moderate-income households purchase their first home

After a hiatus of nearly six years, the City of St. Thomas is reviving the St. Thomas-Elgin Affordable Homeownership Program (AHP), originally launched in 2007.

The AHP was designed to assist low-to moderate-income households in purchasing their first home.

This AHP was originally funded as a one-time allocation under the Canada-Ontario Affordable Housing Program.

It is worth noting that since its inception, 46 households have successfully achieved homeownership through the initiative.

So, how does the program operate?

In her report to council at the April 20 meeting, Ellen Hickey, Supervisor of Housing Stability Services, explained, “AHP provides down payment assistance in the form of an interest-free, forgivable loan over a 20-year period to help eligible St Thomas-Elgin households transition from renting to home ownership.

Continue reading →

04.18.26
by

Hydro One to begin powering growth in the city this spring with construction of the St. Thomas Line

Work on the PowerCo EV battery plant began in earnest last summer with the pouring of concrete for the first pad of the gigafactory, and structural steel can now be seen reaching skyward.

But it doesn’t really give you a sense of just how massive this facility will become in the next couple of years.

Well, this eye-watering statistic may help clarify the picture.

The EV battery plant will require 380 megawatts of power when in production. That’s equivalent to the energy needed for a city the size of Windsor, according to Hydro One.

And that has necessitated construction of the St. Thomas Line, a 230-kilovolt, double-circuit transmission line that will extend from their existing transmission corridor north of Hwy. 401 in London to the new Centennial Transformer Station in St. Thomas.

Continue reading →

04.11.26
by

The City of St. Thomas partnership with Indwell is leading the charge for a new vision of hope and homes for the homeless in the community

A new supportive housing project for St. Thomas was announced last March, a continuation of the successful partnership between the city and Indwell.

The organization is a Christian charity dedicated to providing affordable housing and community support

A groundbreaking ceremony was held Thursday morning on the site of the former Balaclava Street Public School.

Indwell had announced that they will be transforming the four-storey structure into 78 units of supportive housing, equipped with essential supports to assist residents, and to be known as Balaclava Crossing.

This will include 36 units within the existing school structure and an additional 42 units in a new extension.

Continue reading →

04.04.26
by

The updated model of care at St. Thomas Elgin General Hospital results in the loss of 26 PSWs

St. Thomas Elgin General Hospital is updating its model of care, which will result in the elimination of 26 full-time Personal Support Worker positions.

The announcement came on the same day that London Health Sciences Centre indicated more than 200 nursing positions will be eliminated through voluntary resignations or retirements over the next three to five years.

According to a hospital spokesperson, there will be no media release outlining the rationale behind the model of care changes or additional details on what these changes might look like.

The method of care update at STEGH is designed to better meet the needs of patients whose medical conditions have become increasingly complex.

The spokesperson advised in a text message that more patients now require frequent nursing assessments, complex medication management, and timely clinical interventions

Continue reading →

03.21.26
by

The road ahead for Railway City Transit: Ensuring you will be able to promptly get there from here

Less than 18 months after a consultant’s report called for an aggressive shift to sustainable travel modes in St. Thomas, the city is undertaking a ‘Railway City Transit Plan for Growth.’

Before delving into the latest exercise in putting the city’s transit system under the microscope, let’s recap some of the findings of the Transportation Master Plan refresh project compiled by Paradigm Transportation Solutions.

Kevin Jones of Paradigm recommended an aggressive shift in the operation of Railway City Transit that would see a six-fold increase in annual service hours involving 26 buses in service operating 17 hours every weekday.

These figures are based on a city population of 79,500, a couple of decades distant.

Jones went on to note, there is a “need to fund transit that provides an affordable alternative, enables access to all areas of the city and gives residents choice in how they travel.”

Continue reading →

03.07.26
by

Provincial funding allows St. Thomas Police, in partnership with Changing Ways, to challenge the roots of gender-based violence

Rarely does a day go by that the St. Thomas Police Service media release does not contain at least one reference to domestic violence or intimate partner violence incidents. And the cases are increasing in frequency.

This led to the police service pursuing provincial funding to establish programs to not only assist victims of these crimes, but also to attend to those committing violent acts to avoid repeat occurrences.

Last month, the St. Thomas Police Service received $341,000 in provincial funding to support early intervention efforts to reduce intimate partner violence. The funds will also strengthen victim safety within the community.

The grant is courtesy of the Ontario Ministry of the Solicitor General’s Victim Support Grant Program.

Continue reading →