A municipal election campaign that had all the excitement of watching paint dry exploded into life Tuesday with Cliff Barwick’s announcement he is seeking a return to the mayor’s office at city hall.
That pits the two primary combatants in the 2010 mayoral showdown — Mayor Heather Jackson and Barwick — in a rematch on Oct. 27.
But, it is going to get better.
Over the next week or so, expect either Ald. Jeff Kohler or Ald. Mark Cosens to join the fray.
If it’s the former, that sets up a tantalizing scenario pitting the last three St. Thomas mayors in a winner-take-all smackdown.
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Tag Archives: Accessibility issues
Lights out on this curious decision
Something just doesn’t feel right here. The lights are on, but is anyone in the council chamber?
Why would members authorize an expenditure of almost $20,000 to a consulting firm to complete a street light energy efficiency project when, surely, the expertise is right in our own backyard?
Why isn’t council utilizing the resources over at Ascent — the former St. Thomas Energy — to undertake this analysis?
Isn’t this kinda like what they do for a living?
And, hasn’t the city just come to an agreement with Ascent to provide IT services at city hall? Why not go back to the well and tap into their bank of knowledge?
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When a working toilet becomes a luxury
You have to admire the patience of St. Thomas Police Chief Darryl Pinnell, who calmly answered a bevy of questions Thursday during an accessibility tour of the Colin McGregor Justice Building.
The walk-through of all three floors — including the lock-up area — proved an eye-opener in several regards. The structure is a daunting challenge for anyone with accessibility issues and the floor space available on the now-vacant second floor likely cannot be considered functional for police use without significant modifications
Designing work areas around the two large courtrooms remaining intact surely must be a design challenge.
There is not one single accessible washroom in the building, the one elevator is in the centre of the structure and originates in the jail area and even the existing main floor is a cluttered maze.
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Are we talking police HQ or condos?
Exactly when did this happen? Obviously city council held a closed door meeting and went ahead and approved construction of a new $26 million police station. Talk about a fast one.
Don’t believe this is a done deal? We’ve got the proof.
It says so right here on the introduction to a video produced by Bendel Productions (http://bit.ly/1hRIcNT). Let me quote.
“Our City Council has given the green light to build a new $26,000,000.00 Police Station.”
Can you believe it?
Well don’t.
The only thing this video illustrates is how spiffy a living room Bob McCaig has.
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Redefining hospital’s future languishes on wait list
We’ve badgered the administration at St. Thomas-Elgin General Hospital for some time now, so it’s interesting to note CEO Paul Collins will make a guest appearance Monday at city council with a presentation on redefining the hospital’s future.
In summary, the vision encompasses new adult mental health programs, a new emergency department that is double the size of the existing area, new surgical suites and centralized ambulatory care housed in Complex Continuing Care.
The redevelopment represents a $106 million investment in St. Thomas and Elgin.
It’s a business case that was presented to the ministry of health in July, 2009, where it has languished ever since. However, it is a project the hospital has advocated for many years and should there be a change in government come October, it could add a whole new dimension to wait times.
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New logo won’t mask air of entitlement at STEGH
Last week’s editorializing in this corner on the $40,000 image makeover at St. Thomas-Elgin General Hospital certainly raised the ire of several faithful readers.
Including two retired hospital employees who question the poor allocation of public funds at STEGH.
To say they are frustrated with the air of entitlement displayed by certain members of the hospital administration and the total lack of any business reasoning in the use of public funds is an understatement at the least.
Really, if you were a patient flat on your back at the hospital, would you care if there was a new logo?
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Will pending CAO debate trigger a flip-flop frenzy?
Mark Dec. 13 on the calendar, because it should trigger the process that will witness the return of a CAO to city hall.
The position has been vacant since 2004, when council determined Roy Main just didn’t fit into the city’s plans.
City clerk Wendell Graves would sure fit the bill now, however.
In a chat this week with Times-Journal reporter Kyle Rea, incoming mayor Heather Jackson-Chapman said she fully expected a notice of motion would come forward on that date to initiate debate on a CAO.
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Accessibility barriers result in feeling of isolation
Prior to the Oct. 25 municipal vote, City Scope teamed up with accessibility advocate Ed McLachlan to expose members of council and aldermanic candidates to the frustrations encountered by city residents dealing with accessibility issues in their daily routine.
Bill Sandison, Wayne Northcott, Linda Stevenson, Rose Gibson, Joan Rymal, Ald. Dave Warden and Ald. Lori Baldwin-Sands accepted our invitation to visit municipal facilities, including city hall, the police station, Emslie Field, Pinafore Park, the Timken Centre and St. Thomas-Elgin Ontario Works to discover first-hand the obstacles faced by residents wishing to enjoy events at those venues or undertake business with staff.
Whether seated in a wheelchair or peering through vision-impairing glasses, the participants were profoundly impacted.
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‘People in a wheelchair don’t have the ability to cheat’
“I can’t do this without cheating.”
That was the honest assessment from Ald. Dave Warden this past Monday as he attempted to navigate a wheelchair into the downstairs washroom at St. Thomas Public Library.
This corner and accessibility advocate Ed McLachlan invited Warden to revisit the route taken four years ago when he agreed to participate in our initial accessibility challenge.
Backing into a stall was virtually impossible.
He was humbled when it came time to answer nature’s call.
“People in a wheelchair don’t have the ability to cheat,” stressed Warden, has he attempted to back into a stall and then wash his hands at the sink.
“Even if you could use those washrooms, what really concerns me is you cannot use those sinks. You can’t wash your hands and that is a major concern.”
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