Tag Archives: Shmuel Farhi

05.05.12
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Sorry, we’re very busy getting our house in order

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It’s a gutsy call . . . turning down an opportunity to have St. Thomas profiled on the Oprah Winfrey Network.
Mayor Heather Jackson and other city officials turned thumbs down on feelers from Force Four Entertainment in Vancouver requesting the city consider serving as a backdrop for the second season of Million Dollar Neighbourhood.
Promotional material touting the series gushes, “Million Dollar Neighbourhood is a groundbreaking television series about taking control of finances, the power of community and guiding people toward their best lives.”

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04.30.12
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The full story, Elgin St. Thomas Public Health – as related in a Shmuel Farhi email

WITHOUT PREJUDICE

London developer Shmuel Farhi’s accounts of the events leading up to a tentative deal with Farhi for property at the west end of Talbot Street to be the new home of Elgin St. Thomas Public Health as taken from an April 19, 2012 email to Ald. David Warden and Mayor Heather Jackson, with copies to Ald. Gord Campbell and Ald. Tom Johnston. This follows April 28,2012 discussion in City Scope which you can read here. The email is entitled Without Prejudice . . .

Hello Dave:

I am very pleased we finally had the opportunity to talk at length yesterday about the history of the Health Unit’s search for a new building.

As I told you, I met with Paul Smith, Cynthia St. John, Amy Dale and others in my office in the early fall of 2009 and we received “verbal agreement” on a design/build/lease package.

On November 5, 2009, Cynthia sent an email that included the following: “I am pleased to report that Amy will be in touch with you and Colleen to finalize the offer to lease. The board did have some specific questions about materials used in the design and such but nothing that will hold us up. Once Amy, Colleen and I have finalized the offer to lease, I have direction from my board to sign it so we are moving ahead which is great news. Thank you for your patience and availability over the last while to finalize this deal.” (Emphasis mine.)

On November 5, 2009, Kim Eitel of the Health Unit emailed the following to me: “Amy Dale will be in touch with your office Friday or Monday to finalize the “offer to lease”.” (Emphasis mine.)

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04.28.12
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Search for new health unit home may begin in court

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Well, that didn’t take long. We hinted in this corner last week debate on a new home for Elgin St. Thomas Public Health was likely to heat up in the near future, however we didn’t expect matters to flare up in such threatening fashion over the course of seven days.
To recap, the health unit board of directors has indicated a move is in store from their current home at 99 Edward St., to a yet-to-be-determined two-acre site.
That new home will not be located on property owned by London developer Shmuel Farhi at the west end of St. Thomas on Talbot Street.
Farhi thought he had a deal with the board of directors and health unit CEO Cynthia St. John in 2009 for a 30,000 sq. ft., purpose-built structure on a long-term lease.
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04.21.12
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Rescoping? Beats me, insists former MPP Steve Peters

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Watch for the matter of a new home for Elgin St. Thomas Public Health to heat up dramatically in the coming days.
The health unit has been out of the public spotlight of late and that’s not a bad thing after the drama and controversy that dogged the previous board of directors.
The new board, including Elgin Warden Bill Walters and St. Thomas Ald. Dave Warden, has got the organization focused on moving forward.
However, will it withstand the fallout from a forthcoming announcement on a move from its current digs at 99 Edward St. to a two-acre site that is not the west Talbot Street property owned by Shmuel Farhi?
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06.11.11
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No financial accountability? Then no public funding

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Members of city council will don their referee shirts Monday as the Downtown Development Board and North America Railway Hall of Fame escalate their funding feud.

The jousting dates back to last summer when the DDB, under chairman Mark Cosens, “loaned” NARHF the sum of $10,000.

Now, the DDB wants the sum repaid, however it is being stymied at every turn by NARHF.

Dan Muscat, current DDB chairman, is attempting to obtain records from NARHF to determine the status of the loan.

“This situation is a city council issue as it is the past DDB board (under the leadership of Cosens) that sanctioned the loan,” asserts Muscat, in a letter to council.
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04.16.11
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Health unit budget a case of shuffling deck chairs

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Not a good week for the guiding light over at Elgin St. Thomas Public Health. But then again, CEO Cynthia St. John hasn’t enjoyed many shining moments over the past year or so.

Following last Saturday’s revelation St. John has called in city police to investigate the actions of a dismissed inspector, we learn she was summoned to appear before Elgin county council Tuesday to shed light on the health unit’s 2011 budget.

Council has expressed concerns about a number of increases in this year’s budget versus the 2010 edition.

Specifically, a whopping increase in the service/repairs line item from $30,000 last year to $208,460 this time around.
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04.02.11
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Behind the scenes financially after the 2010 municipal vote

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Lost in the swirl of indignation following Round 2 of public sector salary disclosures this week were revelations contained in the financial declarations of all candidates in the 2010 municipal election.

This week, we’ll take a look at the three mayoral contestants in what proved, at times, to be a nasty battle, with the beleaguered Sutherland Press building serving as a bizarre backdrop.

Suffering through a double downside was Al Riddell, who lost at the polls and in the pocket.

According to his financial declaration, Riddell poured $17,062.69 into his bid to sit as mayor, nearly double the combined amount of the other two candidates.

That works out to nearly $6 for every vote he garnered. A poor investment for a third-place finish.
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01.02.10
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The past year in words and what you won’t hear in 2010

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As an avid collector of notable quotations, I love this time of year. Cast a line back over the past 365 days and troll for the best of the best. Those utterances that generate thoughtful approval at the time, but over time, quite often leave you scratching your scalp in puzzlement.
To set the scene, let’s turn to the master of the put-down, Will Rogers, who noted many years ago, “Everything is changing. People are taking the comedians seriously and the politicians as a joke.”
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10.31.09
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A $100 million green light shines for St. Thomas

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Sitting through yesterday’s announcement finalizing the location of the new, consolidated court facility for St. Thomas and Elgin, it was, quite honestly, difficult to grasp the enormity of this long-
awaited undertaking.
And, the historical significance of this project that, quite
literally, is a process begun decades ago.
While short on facts and figures detailing the modern and accessible consolidated courthouse that will incorporate the current facility on Wellington Street (older than Canada itself) into its design, the price tag being bandied about is in the neighbourhood of $100 million.
That’s right … $100 million for what surely is the biggest
government investment ever in this area.
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