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.
Tag Archives: Marc Roskamp
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.
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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.”
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‘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
“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.”
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Central Elgin and St. Thomas reach a settlement for boundary adjustment compensation, ‘now the heavy lifting begins’
It’s being referenced as a historic settlement.
An $80 million compensation package to the Municipality of Central Elgin for the hundreds of acres of land absorbed by St. Thomas for its new industrial park that is to be the home of the PowerCo EV battery plant.
The land was obtained by the city under provisions in Bill 63, St. Thomas – Central Elgin Boundary Adjustment Act, 2023.
The $80 million is made up of $15 million in monetary compensation and access to 7,700 cubic metres per day of wastewater treatment capacity at flow rates equal to City of St. Thomas rates.
This is projected to have a value of $75 to $85 million.
The question to ask is how will this impact water rates for Central Elgin residents?
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Southwestern Public Health raises a red flag over the province’s move to expand alcohol sales, a step it calls ‘an all-encompassing community health concern’
Southwestern Public Health is airing its concerns as the province moves to expand alcohol sales.
The health unit wants to ensure “the province takes a stronger commitment to the health and well-being” of Ontario residents.
In a conversation this week with SWPH board chair Bernia Martin, she explained, “We originally received a report from staff on alcohol-related harms on our community back in October (of last year).
“And at that time, the board took the recommendations and one of those recommendations was to reply to the province outlining our concerns.”
Other recommendations included a request for the provincial and federal governments to beef up advertising regulations, increase taxes and improve access to treatment.
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The St. Thomas Police Service CIRT unit is ‘another tool in our toolbox to make sure we provide and deliver on responsive services’ – Chief Marc Roskamp
Before being sworn in as St. Thomas Police Chief, Marc Roskamp left no doubt as to one of his priorities.
In a conversation with the deputy chief in November 2022, Roskamp stressed, “If we’re healthy on the inside, we will be healthy on the outside to deliver services to the community.”
He continued, “From a public safety perspective, I believe so strongly in the health of the community and its citizens. And one of my main priorities will also be to build up the resiliency of our members of the police family.
“In recent years, there has been a shift in police culture and some of that is the direct result of the dynamic nature of policing, the pandemic and the widespread social challenges that we have been facing.
“And this has changed the collective heart of policing in many ways and the wellness of officers.”
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Celebrating the ninth anniversary of the Grace Cafe . . . a bittersweet moment for founder Ginny Trepanier
Exactly one year ago, the Grace Cafe celebrated its eighth anniversary with a full house of guests.
That’s what founder and CEO Ginny Trepanier calls those who drop in for food, clothing, comfort and company.
And last Saturday (Dec. 9), on the ninth anniversary, she had this announcement.
“We are coming into a change and I am leaving the cafe and Don (husband Don Trepanier) is stepping down from The Annex, but we have got solid people, Lori (Graves) and Mike (Toth) to take over and run things.
“We have volunteers who are wonderful.”
It was a bittersweet moment for Trepanier. Continue reading
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The 2024 St. Thomas draft budget comes in at under a 4 per cent increase. Can city council whittle this down further?
City council begins 2024 budget deliberations on Monday (Dec. 4) and the adjusted tax levy comes in at a 3.76 per cent increase.
Keep in mind this is a preliminary look at the budget and in recent years, council has been able to shave up to a percentage point off the initial levy figure.
The proposed levy for the coming year is a shade under $69 million, which is an increase of $4.2 million over this year.
When you factor in $1.7 million in additional growth-related tax, the levy increase drops to $2.4 million, which is a 3.76 per cent increase over this year.
Contractual increases in wages and benefits – $2.5 million – and wages and benefits for new positions next year – $1.4 million – are the biggest contributors to the tax levy increase. Continue reading
