Tag Archives: infrastructure funding

12.13.25
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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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09.21.24
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The Elgin Community Health Hub fills a ‘crucial gap in healthcare’ for residents of St. Thomas and Elgin

There was positive healthcare news announced Friday (Sept. 20) for thousands of residents of St. Thomas and Elgin county.
A new primary care clinic is opening Monday in St. Thomas and appointments are now available.
The Elgin Community Health Hub at 230 First Avenue will fill a gap for about 10,000 individuals without a primary care provider, explained Jill Strong, executive director of the Thames Valley Family Health Team.
And provide an option for another 20,000 or so people who use the services of a healthcare provider located outside Elgin county.
“Starting Monday, Sept. 23, Elgin (and St. Thomas) residents seeking health care have a new option, the Elgin Community Health Hub.

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11.04.23
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The good, the bad and the concerns expressed about life in St. Thomas

city_scope_logo-cmykWhat do you feel are the two most important opportunities and two most important issues facing the City of St. Thomas?
That was one of several questions posed to participants of three town hall meetings held in September and October of this year to garner input on the refresh process of the city’s strategic plan.
Climb Consulting has been retained by the city to undertake this plan update.
The meetings attracted those who live, work and access services in St. Thomas.
The information is contained in a report before council for Monday’s (Nov. 6) meeting.
Looking at the city’s strengths, participants lauded the strong sense of community and pride in St. Thomas.

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05.13.17
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Of Mark Twain and the London-centred school board

 city_scope_logo-cmyk“You close down a school in a small town and kids suddenly spend hours on the bus going to other communities.” That’s an observation from David Thompson, chairman of the Near North District School Board in Ontario, gleaned from a St. Thomas & District Chamber of Commerce news release calling for a moratorium on school closures.
At the May 6 Ontario Chamber of Commerce convention in Sarnia, member chambers adopted a resolution “supporting a moratorium on closures and for organizations including the Chamber to be engaged by the school boards to consult economic impact.”
In St. Thomas and Elgin, the Thames Valley District School board will decided later this month on a proposal to close schools in Sparta, New Sarum, South Dorchester and Springfield. Sparta would be the first to close and then be re-purposed as a second French Immersion school in Elgin.

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03.04.17
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Utility merger could power an expanded vision for St. Thomas Elevated Park

city_scope_logo-cmykAs if playing home to this country’s first elevated park wasn’t high enough honour, St. Thomas could be one starting point for an ambitious trail project – an undertaking pinned to the pending merger of St. Thomas Energy and Entegrus, based out of Chatham-Kent.
Earlier this week Serge Lavoie, president of On Track St. Thomas, released details of what the St. Thomas Elevated Park will look like when the gate at the eastern approach swings open Aug. 27. 
When the organization acquired the former Michigan Central Railroad trestle – built in 1929 at a cost of $689,000 – the purchase included 4 km of railway right-of-way at the western end of the structure running to Lyle Road in Southwold.

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06.04.11
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Rain on his parade? Steve dumps water on the speculation

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Our MP Joe Preston waxed poetic about it in Friday’s T-J. Popular QMI Agency columnist Christina Blizzard speculated in the same paper that perhaps the 39th Ontario parliament was abruptly prorogued Wednesday, a day ahead of schedule, in order to derail plans for a fond send-off on Thursday.

The centre of all this ink-drenched attention, MPP Steve Peters — who supposedly had been critical of his own government just days previous — couldn’t help chuckling when he spoke to City Scope from his home on Friday.

“I think people are reading far too much into that,” he opined. “The (provincial) clerk actually said to me Monday morning, “We don’t have a lot to do.’ There really wasn’t a lot on the agenda.”
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02.19.11
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Never look a gift factory in the mouth

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Well, Bob Hammersley pretty much nailed it last week in this corner when he advised the news emanating out of Thursday’s media scrum would be very big.

Come to St. Thomas and you could win free digs for a year in an existing factory is the essence of the challenge announced at the CASO station.

Talk about thinking outside the box.

It’s the brainchild of STIR — St. Thomas Industrial Revolution — a consortium of local business leaders intent on cutting through the clutter in a bid to attract the biggest and brightest to the city.

With the Industrial Revolution Challenge, one lucky winner will receive up to 10,000 square feet of industrial space, rent-free for a year, donated by the Ryckman Group of St. Thomas.
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07.18.09
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Storm warning – ‘a terrific financial crunch in the 2010 budget’

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While city council dares flood-prone residents to “sue us,” officials up the road in London are stepping up a program that assists those affected by basement flooding in far more proactive fashion.
This past Monday, city staff presented an engineering report to council that addresses the impact of a June downpour that generated close to three dozen phone calls from across the city from residents who experienced an influx of water.
Getting down to the nitty-gritty, the document can best be summed up with this message to those affected – sorry about your luck.
Staff and our elected officials should take a page from the preventative strategy adopted by our northern neighbours whereby owners are urged to take advantage of city subsidies to reduce sewage backups and flooding.
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06.07.09
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Feds, Ontario ante up for city

Two long-awaited projects in St. Thomas got a green light Friday (June 5) with Infrastructure Stimulus dollars from the federal and provincial governments.
But a new home for the St. Thomas Police Service missed out, again.
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