Tag Archives: Marc Roskamp

06.07.25
by

The return of School Resource Officers – ‘It’s important for youth to connect with police officers as people’

As part of the Supporting Children and Students Act, introduced by the Ford government at the end of last month, is a provision whereby public school boards would be required to implement School Resource Officer (SRO) programs in areas where they are offered by local police services.
This is to take effect in the fall.
In 2021, the Thames Valley District School Board hit the pause button on the School Resource Officer program board-wide.
That prompted Dave Jenkins, chair of the Elgin Group Police Services Board, to advocate for a return of the SRO program.

Continue reading →

05.03.25
by

The key to his success in Elgin-St. Thomas-London South? ‘The people saw through a lot of the noise’ – Andrew Lawton

Following his victory speech Monday night at the Columbus Club, MP-elect Andrew Lawton faced his first media scrum.
An opportunity for David Menzies, the chapeau-festooned reporter with Rebel News, to trot out the victim card in characterizing Lawton’s successful campaign.
“Look at some of the mainstream media coverage, which was perhaps unfair at best, vicious at worst,” suggested Menzies.
” You had demonstrators picketing outside your campaign office. So in other words, it wasn’t just you going up against the Liberal, NDP and PPC candidates, it was the media, special vested interest groups, and yet you still won.
“What do you say, reflecting back on that?”

Continue reading →

01.25.25
by

‘The need for a new hospital is undeniable’ – St. Thomas Elgin General Hospital case for a new facility

St. Thomas Elgin General Hospital President and CEO Karen Davies is scheduled to present a compelling pitch to members of Elgin County council on Tuesday morning.
Her presentation is titled, St. Thomas Elgin General Hospital Case Case for a New Facility.
It is subtitled, Supporting the Growth, Health and Future of Elgin County.
“The need for a new hospital has become undeniable as our aging infrastructure and growing demands strain our ability to meet healthcare needs effectively,” notes the opening page of the handout.
The presentation by Davies “provides information and updates about STEGH and outlines the need for a new hospital to meet the evolving healthcare needs of St. Thomas and Elgin County.

Continue reading →

01.11.25
by

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.

Continue reading →

10.26.24
by

‘It’s oxymoronic to think you can have growth without expense under public safety’ – St. Thomas Police Service Board chair Dan Reith

It’s a simple premise if we agree to use it as a starting point.
The presence of police acts as a deterrent.
To put this into context, St. Thomas department heads are now preparing draft proposals to present to council in November as the basis for the 2025 capital and operating budgets.
With the explosive population growth projected in the coming decades – nearly doubling by 2050 – one critical area will be ensuring the well-being of newcomers to St. Thomas.
You do not attract new industries – and with it, workers to fill those jobs – when they will potentially be located in crime-ridden neighbourhoods.
So, this past week we sat down with Dan Reith, chair of the Police Service Board to discuss what is expected to be a budget ask representing a 14 per cent increase over the 2024 budget.
At first glance, that might seem like an aggressive ask by Chief Marc Roskamp and the Police Service Board.

Continue reading →

09.28.24
by

Project Tiny Hope big build blitz: constructing the ‘best-in-class in North America’

A long-time intrusion on the north side of Kains Street – a rubble and weed-strewn brownfield, the former home of Elgin Handles – has been transformed overnight.
The site at 21 Kains Street is now the city’s Field of Dreams with eight tiny homes sprouting up over three days this week in what was billed as The Big Blitz for Tiny Hope.
From Tuesday through Thursday, teams from Wastell Homes, Collier Homes, Winmar Construction, MP Custom Homes, Mark Thomas, DHP Homes, Woodfield Design and Build joined project lead Doug Tarry Homes to erect walls, add plumbing, electrical, insulation, paint finishes and cabinetry to eight tiny home units situated at the north end of the property now owned by YWCA St. Thomas-Elgin.

Continue reading →

09.07.24
by

Eastwood’s latest affordable housing project Highview Hideaway: ‘This is just another example of what we can do when we work together’

They are the second largest affordable housing provider in Elgin county and on Thursday of this week, Eastwood Housing Corporation hosted a ground-breaking ceremony for one of their largest undertakings of late.
The event drew a significant gathering to the vacant lot at 220 Highview Drive, just south of Wellington Street.
It will become the home of a five-storey, 82-unit complex known as Highview Hideaway.
In June of this year, we spoke with Jon McCurry, Eastwood’s Director of Operations, about the ambitious undertaking in partnership with Doug Tarry Homes.
Eastwood already has an inventory of 325 units in 11 properties across St. Thomas and Elgin county.

Continue reading →

07.27.24
by

Zero tolerance versus common sense when dealing with trespassing issues at the CN Rail yard in St. Thomas

A leisurely Saturday afternoon bike ride down memory lane proved an expensive outing for St. Thomas resident John Van Duynhoven and his wife.
As they briefly rode their bikes near the tracks at the CN yard at the end of St. Catharine Street, they were stopped by CN police and ticketed for trespassing.
The incident occurred last Saturday and we spoke with him midweek.
Because of a lack of clear signage, 71-year-old Duynhoven stressed they were unaware of where the CN property line is.
“I am a senior and if I sounded nervous on the phone when I left you a message, it’s because I have a lot of anxiety over this.
“I haven’t slept for a couple of days very well because it was an innocent bicycle ride on a Saturday afternoon.
“We were going out to see how the construction was going on Scott Street.”

Continue reading →

04.27.24
by

‘I am getting so tired of losing women and children because nobody is listening’ – Jodi Marissen, whose letter moved St. Thomas city council to action

city_scope_logo-cmyk“I actually was recording it and you can audibly hear me at the end of it, after they voted unanimously I was definitely overwhelmed with emotion.”
That was the reaction of Jodi Marissen when at the April 15 meeting, members of St. Thomas city council unanimously endorsed a motion declaring intimate partner violence to be an epidemic in the city.
That motions was based on a letter sent to council by Marissen – and supported by similar correspondence from St. Thomas Police Chief Marc Roskamp – urging council to take that step on behalf “of all the vulnerable women and children of the City of St. Thomas . . . on behalf of the abused women and children of the City of St. Thomas . . . on behalf of the women and children of the City of St. Thomas who have died at the hands of their abusers.”

Continue reading →