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.
Tag Archives: Scott Barnes
Hospice of Elgin – ‘No longer is hospice a place for just final moments’
Following Monday’s (May 15) council session, there was a public meeting to deal with draft official plan and zoning bylaw amendments.
Now normally these are pretty cut-and-dried affairs, usually devoid of colour.
Not in this case.
The meeting dealt with amendments required at the site of Hospice of Elgin, located at the top of the hill overlooking Waterworks Park.
Part of the meeting was devoted to a short presentation from Laura Sherwood, representing Hospice of Elgin.
Through several visuals, we were able to get a first look at what the facility will look like, with construction expected to begin later this summer.
Sherwood described it as follows.
“Hospice will be quite unique in our community. We have an incredible site at Waterworks Park and hospice will be tucked in the woods and have a cottage-like feel.”
What will the facility look like?
Childcare spaces disappear as the result of a ‘soft’ business case
A total of 88 critically needed childcare spaces in the city have just evaporated into thin air. Along with the spaces, $2.6 million in provincial funding – in hand – now has to be returned as the city has been unable to not only complete the project, it hasn’t even put a shovel in the ground.
And ultimately, you have to double back to the comment from city developer Peter Ostojic, why is the city involved in building affordable housing units themselves?
Peter and his brother Joe have completed several affordable housing developments in St. Thomas and Aylmer.
“If the joint goal of our community is to provide as much affordable housing for people (as possible), it is important that the private sector be the primary delivery agent,” advised Peter more than a year ago.”
So, what have childcare spaces to do with affordable housing?
Let’s join the dots.
Phase 2 of the social services hub at 230 Talbot Street was to include additional affordable housing plus a childcare facility. Back in July of 2019, city manager Wendell Graves admitted the cost of construction per residential unit was projected to be “fairly high” at $290,515 per unit.
