Bill C-14 proposes reforms to Canada’s bail and sentencing laws, including changes to reverse-onus provisions, bail conditions, sentencing factors, and restrictions on house arrest, to increase public safety.
Elgin-St. Thomas-London South MP Andrew Lawton, who sits on the House of Commons Standing Committee on Justice and Human Rights, has put forth an amendment that will strengthen our criminal justice system by ensuring that criminals cannot vouch for people who have been criminally charged to be released on bail.
Lawton’s amendment was adopted this past week by the committee and bars anyone convicted of an indictable offence in the last 10 years from acting as a surety for another accused.
Tag Archives: Lake Margaret
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.
Share this:
The St. Thomas Terry Fox Run gets a shot of adrenalin for this year and beyond
For 45 years, it has been a fall tradition.
And tomorrow (Sept 14), St. Thomas will join more than 650 communities across Canada in hosting a Terry Fox Run, a fundraiser in support of cancer research.
This year’s event will take place in 1Password Park, notes one of the organizers, Bre Betts.
A St. Thomas native, Betts and her husband have moved back to the city in the past month, and participating in the annual run has been an important family tradition.
And she stresses, “The thing with Terry Fox, like any charitable work, it’s very much reliant on volunteers, so there’s been a very dedicated group here of a few people who have used their might, and who have really chugged it together each year to get something going, so I’m really grateful for that.”
Share this:
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.
Share this:
Hospice of Elgin will provide ‘Exceptional heartfelt care for individuals and their families at end of life’
With a projected opening later this year, Hospice of Elgin will be a 17,000 sq. ft. one-floor facility at 8 South Edgeware Road in St. Thomas.It will provide wrap-around care to individuals (and their families) at end-of-life in a welcoming ‘cottage-like’ setting. Hospice is about comfort, quality of life and care. This includes addressing pain and symptoms, while also supporting the psycho-social, spiritual, and practical needs of the individual.
Executive Director Brenda Fleming appeared before city council this past Monday (May 12) to present an update on what is affectionately known as ‘The Cottage.’
She was accompanied by Robert Furneaux, board chair.
Share this:
Ryan Davies’ drowning in Lake Margaret is the impetus for a life jacket loaner program
What began as a pleasant morning of fishing on Lake Margaret this past Labour Day quickly turned tragic when a canoe holding three friends tipped over.
Two people were rescued, however, after a day-long search, the body of 26-year-old Ryan Davies was recovered.
The St. Thomas Fire Department’s water rescue unit was on the scene supplemented by the OPP underwater rescue unit.
Coast Guard officials arrived just before noon that day with sonar and submersible equipment to assist in what became a recovery operation.
St. Thomas Fire Chief Dave Gregory explained that the thick matted weeds under the surface of the water were making matters difficult.
Gregory advised at its deepest spot, Lake Margaret has a depth of about 20 feet.
Share this:
‘If we’re healthy on the inside, we will be healthy on the outside to deliver services to the community’ – incoming St. Thomas Police Chief Marc Roskamp
The city’s new police chief – as of January next year – wants to ensure the St. Thomas Police Service continues to deliver services to the highest standards of integrity and professionalism.
That was abundantly evident during our conversation this week with current Deputy Chief, Marc Roskamp.
He’s a 25-year veteran of the St. Thomas Police Service with 16 years in uniform patrol before moving up to the Criminal Investigation Branch and then being appointed Deputy Chief in 2018.
The announcement of the retirement of Chief Chris Herridge and the promotion of Roskamp has an added personal touch.
Born and raised in Chatham, Roskamp’s father was also involved in policing.
“My father was a police officer in Chatham and, coincidently, he retired as the chief of police for the Chatham Police Service.
“So this is quite an honour, both personally and professionally, for myself and my family.
“My research tells me it is rare to have a father and then a son reach the office of chief.”
Share this:
Modified Step Two of the province’s Roadmap to Reopen: A restaurant killer?
It was less than encouraging news this week for St. Thomas and area businesses.
Ontario’s top doctor, Dr. Kieran Moore, advises he can’t offer any guarantee the current COVID-19 public health restrictions will be lifted on Jan. 26, even though in-class learning opens up on Monday.
Businesses across the province have been begging for greater clarity on the restrictions.
Dr. Moore says he understands their frustration, but any easing of restrictions will be tied to hospital and ICU cases.
There is an expectation, says Dr. Moore, the picture may become a little clearer sometime next week, however, those restrictions will be eased in a slow and careful fashion.
Just after announcing the move to a Modified Step Two of the Roadmap to Reopen at the beginning of January, we talked with Earl Taylor, chairman of the Downtown Development Board to get a sense of the impact locally.
Share this:
Will sticker shock dampen the enthusiasm for a community/aquatic centre?
There is no doubt plenty of support in the city for a community and aquatic centre. To the extent, if you add all the bells and whistles sought by the public, the projected cost would be well more than the estimated $25 million just for an aquatic centre.
This is all contained in a report to council for Monday’s (Dec. 20) meeting from the technical committee struck to “create a physical concept plan and determine the location for a new community and aquatic centre in order to be prepared for future funding opportunities by December 2021.”
To prepare its report, the committee looked at the Bostwick Community Centre, East Lions Community Centre, Komoka Wellness Centre, South London Community Pool and the Stoney Creek Community Centre.
