Tag Archives: Joe Preston

08.01.26
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‘With every milestone reached, we sustain St. Thomas’ growth for decades to come.’ – Vic Fedeli, Ontario Minister of Economic Development, Job Creation and Trade

For a glimpse at the shape of things to come for St. Thomas, simply drive to the perimeter of the Yarmouth Yards industrial park.
An equally dramatic preview is now available through the transformation of the road infrastructure on the western doorstep to St. Thomas.
The Talbotville Bypass (photo below) has rapidly displaced the farmland between Wonderland Road and Hwy. 4 north of Talbotville and is due for completion by the end of next year.
And this past week, the twinning of Hwy. 3 in St. Thomas was officially launched with a ceremony on the roadway, just west of the Centennial Avenue roundabout.
Elgin-Middlesex-London MPP Rob Flack was joined by Prabmeet Sarkaria, Minister of Transportation and Vic Fedeli, Minister of Economic Development, Job Creation and Trade, on Tuesday morning to announce the start of advance work, including utility relocations and grading.

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07.18.26
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Re-purposing 53 Hiawatha Street in St. Thomas ‘represents another meaningful step toward a future where everyone has access to housing that allows them to thrive’ – Lindsay Rice, YWCA

As the YWCA St. Thomas-Elgin puts the finishing touches on its Project Tiny Hope at 21 Kains Street – now officially christened Hope Crossing – the organization is not resting on its laurels.
The YWCA announced this week its proposed development at 53 Hiawatha Street in St. Thomas to support its vision of affordable seniors’ housing.
To kick-start the undertaking, the City of St. Thomas is donating a parcel of land adjacent to the Scott Street Municipal Parking Lot.
This will be paired with a contribution of $2.7 million through the Affordable Housing Grant Program and Housing Accelerator Fund.
The proposed 40-unit apartment development will build upon the YWCA’s ongoing investment in creating safe, inclusive, and affordable housing solutions that foster independence, connection and dignity for residents, according to a media release.

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07.04.26
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‘I don’t think there was a single conservation authority that wanted to be forcibly combined with any of their neighbours’ – Catfish Creek Conservation Authority board chair Morgaine Griffin

To Premier Doug Ford, it would seem that conservation authorities are annoyances that just get in the way of the province’s land developers.
And so, it is full speed ahead with consolidating the current 36 authorities into nine regional authorities.
Under the original consolidation scheme, much of southwestern Ontario would have been lumped into the Lake Erie Regional Conservation Authority, which would have covered watersheds draining into Lake Erie, including the Thames, Grand, and Sydenham systems, supporting agriculture, industry, and shoreline communities.
In November of last year, we spoke with Dusty Underhill, General Manager of the Catfish Creek Conservation Authority, who conceded the word ‘consolidation’ is certainly not music to his ears.

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06.20.26
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‘The dream of home ownership should always be within reach’ – St. Thomas homebuilder Doug Tarry

“We’re not so much in a housing crisis; we are in an affordability crisis.”

That was the observation this week from Rob Flack, the province’s Minister of Municipal Affairs and Housing.

He was speaking Monday afternoon at Geerlinks Home Hardware, as he toured several of the outlets in Elgin-Middlesex-London with Home Hardware President and CEO Ian White (second from right in the photo below).

For the St. Thomas stop, they were joined by Mayor Joe Preston and homebuilder Doug Tarry.

Flack continued, “And everybody knows that things are expensive in this world these days. Everything has gone up in price, especially housing.

And when that happens, people put their thumb on the pause button, Number 1.

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06.06.26
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The City of St. Thomas is proving to be a very forgiving landlord when dealing with The INN and Indwell

At last Monday’s (June 1) council meeting, members unanimously agreed to waive the outstanding rent arrears owed to the city by the city’s emergency shelter, The INN, and Indwell Community Homes, which operates Railway City Lofts on Talbot Street and The Station on Queen Street.

Indwell is also re-purposing the former Balaclava Street Public School into 78 supportive housing units, equipped with essential supports to assist residents.

In her report to council, Danielle Neilson, the city’s Acting Director of Social Services, advised that The INN leases 10 Princess Ave. from the City of St. Thomas and depends on municipal and provincial financial commitments, as well as other grants, bursaries, and fundraising to keep its doors open.

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05.30.26
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‘Housing in our community is a crisis and needs to be filled,’ and the most contaminated field in the community is there to help

A large tract of barren land, a stone’s throw from Memorial Arena, a rubble-strewn reminder of the city’s once-dominant position in the age of the iron horse, has caught the eye of a London developer eager to transform the wasteland into desperately needed rental housing.

To the delight of St. Thomas Mayor Joe Preston, who is all smiles at the prospect of another brownfield undergoing rehabilitation to add as many as 2,000 units to the city’s housing inventory.

Drewlo Holdings, a family-run enterprise based in London, has acquired the 20-acre site, stretching north and east of the intersection of Wilson Avenue and Elm Street.

The firm is proposing to construct six rental buildings with between 1,800 and 2,000 housing units.

Site preparation at the highly contaminated property has been underway for some time and includes full environmental remediation.

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05.23.26
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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.

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05.16.26
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The City of St. Thomas is seeking ‘visionary and innovative proposals’ for the former Wellington Street School

September 17, 2012, proved an exciting day in the life of St. Thomas, as students returned to Wellington Street School for the first time in several years.

The former Thames Valley District School Board facility, purchased by the city in 2011 to provide parking spaces for the new consolidated courthouse, was being revitalized as the St. Thomas campus of Algoma University.

“This is a great day for Algoma University, and it’s also a great day for St. Thomas and Elgin County,” enthused Algoma president Richard Myers.

“You’ve made my St. Thomas a richer place today, and it’s a richer place for all of us,” added Andrew Gunn, trustee for the estate of Dorothy Palmer, which contributed more than $1 million to the refurbishment of the heritage school.

Fast forward 20 months, and the headline of that day was being put to the test.

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05.09.26
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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.

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