Posted by Ian:
One of the most iconic names in North American ground transportation is about to sever a decades-long relationship with St. Thomas.
As of April 10, travellers will no longer be able to board a Greyhound bus in the city, one of a dozen stops on the meandering London to Niagara Falls Highway 3 route that, over the years, has been cut back to a Fridays-only service.
Greyhound Canada vice-president Stuart Kendrick told the Times-Journal with just a handful of passengers hopping aboard the ‘Hound for the scenic service, it’s a matter of economics that will be mirrored on other inter-city routes in the province.
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Tag Archives: Elgin county
Comments to Central Elgin council from ratepayers association
December 3, 2009
The Mayor, Deputy Mayor and Councillors
The Corporation of the Municipality of Central Elgin
450 Sunset Drive
St. Thomas, ON N5R 5V1
2010 Municipal Budget
Ladies & Gentleman:
It’s a very harsh economic environment, especially for the many who have or are about to lose their jobs and for those who must live off retirement funds that have taken a severe blow in the investment markets.
The excuse of provincial downloading seems to be back. The potential loss of $500,000 from the Ontario Municipal Partnership Fund (OMPF) may be real but it’s a red herring. All municipalities will be effected by this chop of funds. It doesn’t change the fact that Central Elgin is one of the most highly taxed municipalities in Ontario. The Municipality of Central Elgin and the County of Elgin have historically done a poor job of keeping tax increases near inflation. Only a roll back of the municipal and county tax levy and costs over the next five years will placate voters in Central Elgin. Our membership and the public are becoming more vocal about this issue.
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Will St. Thomas – London GO train service ever get on track?
A commuter train service between London and St. Thomas means a greener region: financially and environmentally.
That was the word from Rod Morley, vice chair of London’s Advisory Committee on the Environment, during a public meeting last week (Nov. 25).
Morley, along with John Lucas, Division Manager – Transportation Engineering for the City of London, and members of the St. Thomas and London Commuter Rail Association (STALCRA), discussed the initiative with the public during a meeting at City Hall.
Besides reducing car emissions and urban congestion, implementing the train service could stimulate economic growth in Southwestern Ontario, Morley said. It could create numerous jobs and attract more businesses to the region.
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St. Thomas/Elgin needs to go green to jump-start economy, says Jack Layton
From the Times-Journal:
An industrial strategy, taking aim at eco-friendly jobs and technology, is what’s needed to help the flagging economy in Elgin-St. Thomas.
So said federal NDP leader Jack Layton who, Friday, met with a dozen local labour leaders, including representatives from Ford’s St. Thomas Assembly Plant, at the CAW Hall, north of Talbotville.
Irene Mathyssen, NDP MP for London-Fanshawe, attended as well.
“The message is unanimous: Manufacturing is in a crisis here and the federal government just doesn’t understand the magnitude of it,” Layton said. “What we need is an industrial strategy that’s going to put this, (the) best manufacturing work force in the world, back to work.”
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A future without Ford – the new reality
By Kyle Rea
St. Thomas Times-Journal
As fallout continues from the news that Ford’s St. Thomas Assembly Plant will shut its doors in fall 2011, three of the biggest casualties locally — Southwold township, the Lear Seating plant and the Elgin-St. Thomas United Way — are taking a look at a future without the plant.
Last Friday, leaders of the Canadian Auto Workers union confirmed what has long been suspected, that the St. Thomas Ford facility will shut its doors in September, 2011, as the company looks to phase out production of the large cars manufactured there — the Crown Victoria, Lincoln Town Car and Grand Marquis. When that happens, 1,400 people will lose their jobs.
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Plant closing means more than loss of jobs
When Ford closes its mammoth St. Thomas assembly plant in about two years – as it’s expected to – the fallout won’t stop with the loss of 1,500 or so well-paying blue-collar jobs. There’s the matter of the millions of tax dollars Ford pays in Elgin County, the hundreds of thousands of dollars Ford workers contribute to the United Way every year and the tens of millions they spend in their communities on homes, cars, groceries, appliances, municipal taxes, entertainment and recreation.
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Road merges for family-owned Elgin trucking firm
GUELPH, Ont. — Two of Canada’s most prominent family-owned for-hire carriers have merged.
Evan MacKinnon, president and CEO of MacKinnon Transport in Guelph, Ont. announced that his company has acquired St. Thomas, Ont.-based LE Walker Transport and its subsidiary MidAmerican Freight Systems.
Both southern Ontario carriers are major players in the cross-border dry van and flatbed markets. Walker also has a growing number of tankers and container chassis and its inroads in the intermodal sector will likely complement MacKinnon’s own intermodal transport business as well.
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Why Lake Erie ferry plan didn’t work in Elgin County
Fishing tugs in Port Stanley harbour
Port Stanley was the first choice for a ferry proposal that landed this week in front of Norfolk council.
Seaport Management Corporation of Jarvis wooed the lakeside community in Elgin County for several years before turning its attention elsewhere. Seaport did so because Central Elgin council decided it didn’t want a ferry operator in its harbour.
Central Elgin has been waiting patiently for Transport Canada to turn over responsibility for the harbour to the municipality. That has yet to happen because major dredging is required, among other issues.
Yesterday, Port Stanley Coun. David Marr said the Seaport Management proposal came at a bad time. Central Elgin council wants to assume ownership of the harbour with a clean slate and take the time to examine proposals so that the facility is put to its highest and best use.
Central Elgin has asked the federal government to complete the transfer within a year. The municipality’s $100,000 business plan for the harbour makes no allowance for a ferry service.
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Reinventing the rural economy
An economic alliance is growing in the sandy areas of Southwestern Ontario where tobacco once reigned.
“We’re trying to reinvent the rural economy,” Aylmer Mayor Bob Habkirk said yesterday, just before Middlesex County council endorsed turning the Southern Central Ontario Region (SCOR) into an incorporated not-for-profit body.
The intent is to make sure about one million hectares of agricultural land regains its spot as one of the most fertile economic drivers in the region.
The partnership that has approved the group’s new strategic plan includes Middlesex, Norfolk, Elgin and Brant counties, with Oxford’s official endorsement expected today. All five partners have been working towards SCOR’s incorporation for a little more than a year.
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