One week ago today, while truck horns blared and tempers flared, Elgin-Middlesex-London MP Karen Vecchio rose in the House of Commons and gave a speech on the Motion for Confirmation of the Declaration of Emergency.
It was very late Saturday night, and yet she delivered one of the more impassioned, albeit reasoned, presentations of all those MPs who stood to relay their message.
So much so that it drew praise from two members from other parties. More on that later.
Whatever your political stripe, Vecchio’s words are well worth pondering on several accounts, not the least of which is her obvious compassion for the constituents she represents.
She began, “I am here because of my family and the families and people across Canada. And I will speak about the reasonable people that I also represent.”
She then focussed on the divisiveness and intolerance that have muscled their way into so many conversations today, whether in person or on social media.
Category Archives: Retail
‘Sad and challenging times’ – City Scope readers respond to the plight of St. Thomas’ downtown core
Last week’s item on the state of the downtown core generated a far-reaching cross-section of opinions, possible solutions and a smidgen of finger-pointing.
Here is a sampling of what has landed from various City Scope locales as of mid-week.
Jackie Harris, a patient care manager offered a valid alternative to security guards taking care of business.
“Why aren’t we thinking of peer outreach workers instead of security? There is an excellent model in London called London Cares as well as other models across Canada and the US.
“We are totally missing the boat on this St. Thomas…”
That prompted this response from St. Thomas Mayor Joe Preston.
“Thank you. St Thomas has our CMHA street team and the Mental Health Police support team both active on the street.
“We, with the help of Jeff Yurek, have reached out to the Ministry for more team members and a Detox, Rehab, Mental Crisis beds.”
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‘The filth, the garbage, the clean-up, the needles’ . . . welcome to downtown St. Thomas
“Yes, the downtown is a mess.”
Realtor Mark Hindley stated what is patently clear to those who continue to support downtown merchants.
The comment was one of many frustrated business owners aired this past Thursday (Nov. 25) in an information session via Zoom on managing the city’s homeless.
Participants included city representatives, St. Thomas Police, the Canadian Mental Health Association, Inn Out of the Cold, Southwestern Public Health, St. Thomas Elgin Social Services and Earl Taylor from the Downtown Development Board.
As Taylor advised, a number of social issues continue to occur in our downtown that are affecting our businesses and properties.
Homelessness, crime, mental health issues, drug addiction, sharps disposal and garbage continue to affect our downtown.
Hindley continued, “I agree that there’s addiction and mental health issues and some of it is just plain disrespect.”
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As was his vision, Jay Burstein says Elgin Centre will again be a happening place
Elgin Mall has wonderful potential according to the small, family-owned real estate investment company that acquired the 263,000-square-foot property in October of 2016.
At the time the mall was operating at a roughly 50 per cent vacancy rate.
Jay Burstein, spokesman for the new owners stated, “Our goal is to try and lease the vacant space as quickly as possible and try to make this mall the vibrant place it once was.”
A rather major concern was the large vacant space at the west end of the mall, formerly occupied by Zellers.
“We recognize the fact the former Zellers space is something we really have to look at,” admitted Burstein. “If we could find one tenant for that space, that would be awesome.”
Just shy of five years later and what is now known as Elgin Centre is again making headlines.
Preparatory work has begun at the very same spot in the shopping centre to make way for a $16 million, 95-room Holiday Inn Express and Suites scheduled to officially open next October.
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The latest COVID-19 shutdown: Province can’t afford to have businesses go out of business
You had to have seen it coming. After a week of new COVID-19 cases above 2,000 per day across the province, we will spend the month of April in another shutdown.
In reality, however, there are very few changes from our region’s past few weeks in the Orange zone of the COVID-19 colour-coded restrictions.
As asked of Premier Doug Ford during Thursday’s announcement, these restrictions have been in effect in the province’s hotspots with little effect, what makes you think they will have an impact now?
We asked Downtown Development Board chairman Earl Taylor how the small, independent businesses in the city are faring so far and what impact will this latest strategy have on their bottom line?
Being able to open to 25 per cent capacity “I think is better than what we had last time,” observed Taylor.
“I think the government has finally come to terms with the fact they can’t afford to have these businesses go out of business. So, I think it is better than nothing.” Continue reading
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Working through COVID-19: ‘We’ve all got to be on the same page’ – St. Thomas Police Chief Chris Herridge
With the province now in a shutdown scenario for at least 28 days and the onus on residents to stay at home except for essential tasks, does that mean city police are lurking, waiting to collar unsuspecting citizens caught in the act?
That’s far from the reality, advised St. Thomas Police Chief Chris Herridge in a conversation yesterday (Friday), one day after the order came into effect.
“We’re trying to put out as much information as we can to keep the public informed,” assured Herridge. “As the information comes in, we feel, if it’s applicable, to keep the public informed. Because if they’re informed, they know what to do.
“And, if they know what to do that makes our job of vital enforcement so much easier. Even today we put out a Q&A.”
You can find it on the St. Thomas Police Facebook page.
“We thought it appropriate to continue to inform our community as best as possible.
“Let’s just stay at home. We’re going to carry on business as usual as best we can, given the restrictions that we have to live under.
“We had a similar situation in the past. We had a state of emergency back in the spring and all we’re asking people to do is abide by the restrictions in place.”
“We’re not going to be pulling people over randomly to do a COVID test. We’re not going to be stopping people randomly to check if you’re staying home.
“If there’s something that’s obvious, something that’s blatant and in violation of the current order then yes, we will deal with that.
“And we’ll take the same approach as we would take along with bylaw enforcement as well. A lot of the calls we’ve been triaging and sending along to bylaw enforcement, our partners at city hall.
“But, our community has been very, very good. We’ve been very fortunate. I know our case count has gone up since September, but I applaud the residents of St. Thomas for the excellent work they have been doing with compliance.”
And, these tighter restrictions into February are not something city hall or police have instituted, they were mandated by the Doug Ford government.
“We have to follow, just like any other regulation, legislation or law that is implemented. And the police have to enforce it and we will use our discretion as best we can, given the circumstances.
“But the bottom line is, we need to get through this pandemic and we need to try and save lives and keep people healthy as best as we can. And, we all need to work together as one big team here.
“I know not everyone is on the same page with the pandemic and COVID, but it’s happening and people are dying and people are getting sick and this is not slowing down any.
“This is starting to wear thin on people. We’re approaching a year now having to deal with this and we’ve never seen anything like this in our lifetime.
“We’re definitely being tested here. Something that may not have triggered a person six months or a year ago, those little things are now starting to trigger people.”
The burn factor is something Herridge has to deal with internally at headquarters on CASO Crossing.
“So I respect and understand how the public feels. So, I just ask let’s all try and work together and abide by these restrictions and we’re going to come out of this.”
“I’m seeing it wearing on our officers. It’s a long go for them as well. When you throw that on top of everything else they have to deal with, it’s challenging.”
It’s not just the front-line officers, reminds Herridge.
“It filters through the entire organization. There’s clerical work, there’s prisoner transport work, there’s court work and it all involves the entire organization.
“We try to do a number of things around here to keep the morale up and ensure we’re looking after all of our staff. Communication is key.
“So I respect and understand how the public feels. I just ask, let’s all try and work together and abide by these restrictions and we’re going to come out of this.
“And, we’re going to come out of this better. But, it’s going to take some time. During that time we’re working through this, we’ve all got to be on the same page.”
In addition to the police Q&A on their Facebook page, a complete breakdown of what is deemed essential and what is not can be found on the myFM website at https://www.stthomastoday.ca/2021/01/15/shedding-light-on-the-provinces-stay-at-home-order/.
STAY AT HOME FROM A CITY HALL POINT OF VIEW
The above segment lays out the police playbook on enforcing the stay-at-home orders, but what is the approach at city hall through bylaw enforcement?
We spoke with city manager Wendell Graves on Thursday, the day this came into effect, for an update.
“Since Day 1 of our pandemic experience since last March, our police and bylaw enforcement have been working very closely together so that the roll-out of any enforcement is on the same level. And that’s been working extremely well.
“We have COVID cases in our community but we haven’t had any major flare-ups and that’s a testament to the regard that everyone is having for it.”
“Our approach is to try and do the education piece first and if we do get a complaint, then certainly someone is going to follow up and see what’s happening.
“If we see something blatantly going on, then they will address that. For the most part, we act on bylaw complaints.”
The approach will not be unlike the week-long education campaign undertaken late last year with downtown businesses. That blitz involved a cooperative effort with city police and Southwestern Public Health.
“We found just a great response from the community,” advised Graves. “It reinforces the face our bylaw folks certainly aren’t working independently of law enforcement in our relationship with police.
“We really have had wonderful response from the community, in terms of complying. You always get the odd pebble in our shoe we have to address.
“We have COVID cases in our community but we haven’t had any major flare-ups and that’s a testament to the regard that everyone is having for it.”
Circling back to that education blitz with local businesses, we received a wrap-up analysis following the campaign from St. Thomas Police corporate communications coordinator Tanya Calvert, who praised the efforts of small business owners and their regard for the safety of staff and customers.
But we haven’t heard anything back from the health unit which was dealing with the big box stores and businesses outside the city.
Will city bylaw enforcement deal with possible infractions at those bigger stores allowed to stay open during the orders, at the expense of smaller, local outlets?
“They could be,” advised Graves.
We’ll be avoiding those larger outlets to help support the downtown and smaller businesses around the city but feedback on your experience at the big-box stores will be welcome.
SKATING (SAFELY) THROUGH THE PANDEMIC
Driving along Elm Street past Pinafore Park on a cold, clear winter day, you couldn’t help miss people enjoying that great Canadian past-time, skating outdoors on a frozen pond.
Well seems the hot spot (not literally) this winter is Lake Margaret. Last weekend it was populated with skaters of various ages enjoying all manner of ice activities.
Even though several days earlier a dog and its owner nearly met their fate on that very same spot.
Now, if you’re familiar with the lake, then you’ve seen the posted signs prohibiting swimming, fishing and boating.
The lake is now owned by the city, so we touched bases with Ross Tucker this week to get the official word on gliding across the ice.
“When we re-did our parks and rec bylaw we were silent on the idea of skating on all of our water in the city,” advised Tucker, Director of Parks, Recreation and Property Management,
“There’s no bylaw that says you can or cannot skate on the ice. We do have going up on the recommendation of our insurance company is a sign saying, ‘Danger Thin Ice.’
“How do you say you can’t skate on Lake Margaret, but come to Pinafore? There’s always an inherent risk with everything.”
“The age-old days of saying ‘use at own risk’ is not an acceptable term anymore. We’ve really been working with our insurance company on it.
“Even though we don’t test it, we understand people do test the ice. Somebody’s been checking the ice.
“It’s a fairly shallow body, and no one was on Pinafore on the weekend and it’s quite a bit deeper and hadn’t frozen through and there was more water movement.
“There were a lot of people on Lake Margaret and, in all honesty, it looked like they were having a great time.”
There’s nothing that says Canada like braving the chill and skating around a frozen body of water. Why it’s a Tim Hortons’ moment.
“How do you say you can’t skate on Lake Margaret, but come to Pinafore? There’s always an inherent risk with everything.”
However, don’t savour the arrival of spring and outdoor fun on the water.
“Those activities are in the bylaw,” advised Tucker. “Council has the ability in the bylaw to designate usage.”
You can, added Tucker, use canoes or kayaks on other city water bodies.
“And, the reason people are on Lake Margaret right now,” noted Tucker, “is there’s no snow. It’s not a perfect ice surface but for kids playing and, certainly during this global pandemic, it’s so tough on people. You have to have something to do.”
So, check the ice and skate on.
Related post:
https://ianscityscope.com/2018/06/02/for-steve-wookey-is-this-the-best-way-to-go-fishing-for-votes/
GAME TIME 5 P.M.
After toying with various start times over the past few years, city council has settled on 5 p.m. for its regularly scheduled meetings. A notice of motion will be before council Monday to make the change official.
And reference committee meetings will no longer be stand-alone, explains city clerk Wendell Graves.
“What we’re going to do is envelop our reference committee discussions into council meetings. We will have those broad discussions at the same time versus breaking up into two separate meetings.”
Those reference committee meetings had been held before council gatherings and then recently were moved to afterward.
There is value to those committee meetings and, in the past year, much has come forward from those detailed discussions.
“We want that to still happen,” advises Graves. “It will be the same kind of format when we get to that point in the agenda.”
As has been the case up to now, each reference committee meeting had a defined agenda, quite often involving input from staff and outside sources.
“When we get to that point in the agenda we will identify that this will be a discussion topic.”
The 5 p.m. start time is not necessarily a convenient start time for the public since many people will either be at work or on their way home, meaning you will have to watch the archived live stream on the city hall webpage.
“It’s because we’re trying to envelop all of these sessions together without having disjointed breaks in them,” reiterates Graves.
The onus is now on the city’s IT people to ensure a good live stream of those meetings is always available and archived in a prompt fashion.
Not always the case in recent months.
THE READER’S WRITE
Last week’s item on the city’s pollution control plant raised a stink with a few readers. Carrie Hedderson Smith stresses in her Facebook comment, “the saga continues.”
“I think Justin Lawrence should live in the courthouse area, try and sit outside or go for a walk and see if he can accomplish and enjoy the action without feeling like he has to throw up.
“It may be improved but it is far from resolved. Colder weather may have dampened down the smell a bit, trust us, we’ve called the ministry and so have the neighbours, the saga continues.”
Chris Smith-Heidt has empathy for Carrie.
“Odours are strong in the Memorial Arena area as well.”
The area around the St. Thomas Elevated Park is also not immune, notes Deb Hardy.
“We live nearer to the elevated park on Sunset and rarely smell it in the cooler months, but come summer, pew!”
And, Dave Mathers has a more personal relationship with the plant.
“I cut the grass, was a spare operator and did general clean-up at the sewage plant for two summers over sixty years ago. There were complaints even then about the smells. The good news? You get used to it!! LOL”
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And a reminder, I can be heard weekday afternoons as news anchor and reporter on 94.1 myFM in St. Thomas. As always, your comments and input are appreciated.
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Spending it well on affordable housing for St. Thomas
The magnificent edifice at the corner of Talbot and Mary Streets, formally known as the Mickleborough building, has had a bit of an uncertain future over the past three years.
It was the former home of Ontario Works before the city purchased it from London developer Shmuel Farhi in March of 2017.
It dates back to the early 1900s and was designed by St. Thomas architect Neil Darrach. Its appraised value at the time of the sale was $4 million.
Under the deal, Farhi Holdings was to donate $2.3 million in exchange for a tax receipt and the city would pay the remaining $1.7 million.
The intent at the time was to partner with the Central Community Health Centre in hopes of consolidating their operations into the structure that once housed the British mainstay Marks and Spencer in the 1970s and Huston’s Fine Furniture into the 1990s.
Added to its functions this year was transforming a portion of the stately building to serve as a day shelter for the homeless.
A far cry from the home of fine furniture.
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Keeping the wolves from the front door and the homeless from the back
Love where you shop.
That’s the branding employed by the St. Thomas Downtown Development Board as they promote shopping in the city’s historic core area along Talbot Street.
Although in this exceptional year, the downtown merchants have faced a double whammy: shuttering for several months due to the coronavirus and having to contend with the homeless who wander Talbot Street and frequent the back lanes.
Although they are now open again, for the most part, many shoppers are leery to venture downtown citing the less than inviting atmosphere.
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The funding is not a concern, the worry is the financial accountability on the part of city hall
Well, wasn’t that quite the diatribe this week from Vishal Chityal and his counter ego Charlie Duke over at SupportiveLiving.ca. The lengthy Facebook posting was in response to last week’s item on COVID-19 precautions that may be in place at Walnut Manor, a home operated by SupportiveLiving.ca.
There hasn’t been pushback like that from Vishal/Charlie in the six years we’ve documented conditions at Walnut Manor, beginning with the closure of the kitchen by the health unit in 2014.
So, why is that?
And, the detailed itemization of the many protocols now in place at the facility including increased sanitization, temperature monitoring and PPE for frontline staff.
Ian's City Scope 