Tag Archives: Joe Preston

11.01.25
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‘Vianode’s decision to invest here is a testament to our city’s talent, innovation, and commitment to a sustainable future.’ – St. Thomas Mayor Joe Preston

It has been a banner week for St. Thomas. While Trump’s tariff temper tantrum continues to cast economic uncertainty across the country, the former Railway Capital of Canada is forging ahead as the EV Battery Capital of Canada.
Earlier this week, we had confirmation from PowerCo that work was proceeding on a trio of major buildings at the Yarmouth Yards industrial park. Foundation and formwork are underway on the first cell production building within the massive facility.
More on that announcement in the following item.
Meantime, on Friday afternoon (Oct. 31) came the announcement that Norwegian company Vianode, a global leader in sustainable battery materials, will build its first North American facility at Yarmouth Yards in St. Thomas. This multi-billion-dollar investment marks a major step forward for Canada’s clean energy and critical minerals strategy.

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09.20.25
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Element5’s St. Thomas expansion: ‘We have come here with a long-term vision – to stay, and to help shape the future of building with wood.’

At a ceremony Tuesday morning in St. Thomas, Element5 officially opened its new state-of-the-art glue-laminated production line and unveiled the expansion of its mass timber manufacturing facility in the city’s north end.
Element5 is the province’s first certified manufacturer of cross-laminated timber, and the expansion more than doubles the size of the plant from 130,000 square feet to over 350,000 square feet.
It will create 150 new jobs, increasing the company’s workforce to over 325 employees.
The expansion doubles the facility’s production capacity from 50,000 cubic meters annually to 100,000 cubic meters annually of cross-laminated timber (CLT) and glued-laminated timber (Glulam) products.

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08.23.25
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Contracts awarded and work set to begin at the massive PowerCo gigafactory – ‘We plan to be relevant for a very long time’

Within weeks, construction will begin on what is to become the largest EV battery manufacturing plant in Canada.
PowerCo, a Volkswagen subsidiary, announced Thursday the awarding of two major contracts for structural steel and foundation work for the $7 billion gigafactory at the Yarmouth Yards industrial park in St. Thomas.
Meredith Gibbons, Chief Procurement Officer for PowerCo Canada, called the announcement a major milestone.
“We’ve been very busy working hard to get this thing up and running. Today’s major milestone for the St. Thomas gigafactory is the announcement of our two major contracts: structural steelwork to SteelCon and the concrete foundation work to Magil Construction.”

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08.16.25
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The Central Elgin Life Jacket Lending Program: transforming grief into action

The central lifeguard tower at Main Beach in Port Stanley was the backdrop Thursday afternoon for the launch of the Central Elgin Lifejacket Lending Program. The initiative is a result of collaboration, determination, and a shared belief that drowning is preventable.
The Elgin County Drowning Prevention Coalition is the driving force behind the program, led by Briar McCaw.
However, the true inspiration has been provided by Linda King (pictured below centre, with Briar McCaw, left, and Nathan MacIntyre), whose 26-year-old son Ryan Davies drowned on Labour Day last year when a canoe he was in with two friends tipped over in Lake Margaret.
This spring, the Ryan Davies Project was unveiled in St. Thomas, which encouraged the City of St. Thomas to develop a Personal Flotation Device bylaw and install ring buoys around Lake Margaret.

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08.02.25
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Andrew Lawton uses the occasion of the MP-MPP luncheon to announce the launch of his business advisory roundtables

Normally, events like the MP-MPP Luncheon and Mayor’s Luncheon, hosted each year by the St. Thomas & District Chamber of Commerce, are fairly subdued gatherings.
There was a luncheon a couple of years ago, following the significant land acquisition by the City of St. Thomas, where former Central Elgin Mayor Sally Martyn dominated the Q&A period, targeting Mayor Joe Preston.
But despite the stifling heat inside the Elgin County Railway Museum this past Monday (July 28), this MP-MPP get-together did have its moments, no doubt the result of the Trump tariffs impacting almost every facet of life as we know it.
The answer to literally all questions directed toward the two participants ultimately referenced the tariffs in some form.

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07.19.25
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New legislation gives the St. Thomas Police Service enhanced resources to combat illegal drug activity

For St. Thomas Police Chief Marc Roskamp, new provincial legislation designed to ensure safer streets and stronger communities is a step toward reducing illegal drug activity while also providing support for affected communities, promoting safety, and encouraging rehabilitation.
Bill 10, the Protect Ontario Through Safer Streets and Stronger Communities Act, is a broad ‘justice-and-safety’ omnibus bill passed into law on June 5th of this year.
As noted on the Canadian Mental Health Association website, “An omnibus bill is one that introduces or amends multiple new or existing laws at once. Each new or existing law that Bill 10 impacts is addressed in a separate ‘Schedule’ of the Bill. Schedule 8 is a new law titled the Measures Respecting Premises with Illegal Drug Activity Act.”

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06.28.25
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Celebrating The Annex in St. Thomas: ‘When the pain of quitting is lower than the pain of continuing to use, that’s when people are ready for success’ – Executive Director Mike Toth

The Annex, the addictions resource centre and outreach program of the Grace Café, is dedicated to helping individuals access addiction services, programs and supports.
We last wrote about the Talbot Street facility two years ago this month on the occasion of its first anniversary.
The goal of The Annex is to positively impact the lives of individuals facing the many challenges of substance dependency.
It does this through addiction support groups, substance abuse resources and addiction counselling.
In a safe, compassionate, and non-judgmental environment.
We caught up with Executive Director Mike Toth this week, on the third anniversary of The Annex, the brainchild of Ginny and Don Trepanier.

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06.21.25
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Future tourism signage: Come and enjoy the sun, sand and surf at the County of Elgin’s smoke-free beaches

With the blistering hot weather steamrolling into southwestern Ontario this weekend, Lake Erie beaches likely will prove a popular destination to seek relief from the heat and humidity.
However, is that quality outdoor time sprawled on a beach towel atop the sand negatively impacted by a blue haze of cigarette smoke wafting in the breeze?
The Smoke-Free Ontario Act (SFOA) prohibits smoking in many public areas; however, municipal bylaws are still needed to cover the gaps in places like parks and beaches.
Many municipalities have smoke-free park bylaws, but beaches in the Southwestern Public Health region remain unregulated.
All of that could change by as early as next summer.

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06.14.25
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Industrial growth in the city? ‘The majority of it is reinvestment by companies that have shown that they care about St. Thomas’ – EDC CEO Sean Dyke

All factors considered, “2024 was a pretty good year for St. Thomas.”
That was the assessment of Sean Dyke at the city council meeting this past Monday (June 9).
As CEO of the St. Thomas Economic Development Corp., Dyke is a front-line worker when it comes to the city’s overall fiscal health.
He presented an economic scorecard to council members on Monday, highlighting the EDC’s relatively new vision statement.
“It is to cultivate a community that people fall in love with, where businesses thrive and prosperity blooms.
“It sounds flowery on purpose,” conceded Dylke. “We’re trying to suggest that we’re doing a lot of work behind the scenes to really help people enjoy being here in St. Thomas, whether it’s from a business or residential perspective. Tourism, of course, also.”

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