Tag Archives: St. Thomas

08.29.09
by

Culture Minister Aileen Carroll’s 15 months of shame

Aileen Carroll

Aileen Carroll


Posted by Bob Foster

Dear Mr.Premier,
Today marks exactly 15 months to the day that we lost beautiful & historic Alma College in St.Thomas.The Alma supporters thought our culture minister would surely step forward after the horrific fire and designate the property to protect the 2 remaining buildings and outdoor amphi-theatre,but sadly we were mistaken.Aileen Carroll has FAILED to do anything of importance,when it comes to Ontario’s built heritage.Countless buildings have been demolished on her watch,and with 14 months left before the next provincial electon,we are sure to lose many more before Ontarian’s realize what a failure this Liberal government has been,on so many fronts.Aileen Carroll was recently voted the 2nd most invisible provincial cabinet minister by the people in her own riding.Letters were sent to the editors of several newspapers by the voters in her riding,claiming she does not respond to e-mails,letters or phone messages.A spokesman for Carroll claimed she likes to work quietly behind the scene to get things done.Now that statement is laughable,Minister Carroll doesnt work quietly,in fact she doesnt work at all,at least not for the protection of built heritage.I’ve seen Minister Carroll on the evening news,at the opening of several art galleries and other regal events,but have yet to see her do anything of significant value in the area of built heritage.96 Moore Street has always been a candidate for Provincial Heritage Designation,and the Ontario Heritage Trust recommended such designation,but the ministry of culture hid the OHT report for months,letting the “demolition by neglect” to continue,until the college was burned to the ground 15 months ago.Will Minister Carroll now give 96 Moore Street the honor it so deserves,will she finally recognize the contribution Alma College made to our province for well over 100 years,or will she continue allowing historic buildings and properties to be demolished and bulldozed.The Alma supporters await designation for this historic property,anything less would be an insult to 100 years of service.We await a response,but according to voters in her own riding of Barrie,responding is not a top priority for Aileen Carroll.

Bob Foster
Brampton,Ontario

08.29.09
by

MacKinnon Transport acquisition of Walker Transport means jobs lost in St. Thomas

The intention is to close the Walker Group’s trucking terminal in St. Thomas and relocate those operations to MacKinnon Transport, which is headquartered on Laird Road in Guelph.

MacKinnon said Guelph operations, which will continue as MacKinnon Transport, can accommodate most Walker staff, with the anticipated loss of about 20 employees in St. Thomas.

But that means 120 more jobs in Guelph, he stressed.

Full story

08.28.09
by

Ford to drop police car production at St. Thomas plant

crown vic
DEARBORN, Mich., Aug. 28 (UPI) — U.S. auto giant Ford Motor Co. said Friday it would close out production of the Crown Victoria police car from an Ontario, Canada, plant in 2011.

Ford told members of the Canadian Auto union it had no replacement planned for the Crown Victoria, the Detroit Free Press reported Friday.

The St. Thomas Assembly Plant in Ontario also produces Mercury Grand Marquis and Lincoln Town Car models.

Ford spokesman Robert Parker declined to elaborate on the company’s plans for the popular police vehicle. “We expect our plans to be firmed up by the end of the year,” he said.

But Parker said building police cars “is not a business we take lightly.”

“The company is committed to it,” he said.

In the first half of 2009, Crown Victoria sales dropped 30.9 percent to 21,949 compared to the same period of 2008. Ford stopped selling the model to the public in 2007.

Ford did not confirm rumors it would replace the Crown Victoria with a police car based on the Taurus, the newspaper said.

08.28.09
by

Ford to cops: St. Thomas-built Crown Vic is out

Dearborn — In June, Ford Motor Co. invited the heads of some of the nation’s largest police fleets to Dearborn to talk about the future of police cars.

For nearly two decades, that market has belonged to Ford’s Crown Victoria — a vehicle that departments from coast to coast have come to respect for its toughness and reliability. Now the Crown Vic is running out of road.

“They told us that 2011 would be the last year they build the Crown Vic,” said Larry Tagawa, commander of the Los Angeles Police Department’s Motor Transport Division. “But Ford also made a commitment to support departments with a new vehicle.”
Full story

08.27.09
by

Road merges for family-owned Elgin trucking firm

LEwalker
GUELPH, Ont. — Two of Canada’s most prominent family-owned for-hire carriers have merged.

Evan MacKinnon, president and CEO of MacKinnon Transport in Guelph, Ont. announced that his company has acquired St. Thomas, Ont.-based LE Walker Transport and its subsidiary MidAmerican Freight Systems.

Both southern Ontario carriers are major players in the cross-border dry van and flatbed markets. Walker also has a growing number of tankers and container chassis and its inroads in the intermodal sector will likely complement MacKinnon’s own intermodal transport business as well.

Full story

06.30.09
by

Future of St. Thomas Assembly Plant – CAW to press Ford on staying in Canada

The Canadian Auto Workers union will insist that Ford Motor Co. maintain its current manufacturing footprint in Canada as part of negotiations about helping the auto maker cut its costs here, CAW president Ken Lewenza says.

“We’re not going to go into early bargaining just because GM and Chrysler went into it,” Mr. Lewenza said yesterday. “We’ve got to get something in return and the only thing you get in return at this particular time is a commitment to product and that’s exactly what we’re going to work on.”

The Canadian manufacturing operations of Ford represent about 13 to 14 per cent of its North American manufacturing, he said.
Full story

06.07.09
by

Feds, Ontario ante up for city

Two long-awaited projects in St. Thomas got a green light Friday (June 5) with Infrastructure Stimulus dollars from the federal and provincial governments.
But a new home for the St. Thomas Police Service missed out, again.
Continue reading →

06.02.09
by

Region’s auto parts plants feeling on edge by collapse

The bankruptcy of General Motors and Chrysler is sending shock waves through South-western Ontario’s huge auto parts industry.

And although Ford of Canada is still afloat, the company’s St. Thomas assembly plant became a casualty yesterday when it was suddenly shut down for one week. The company blamed a “parts shortage.”
Full story

04.27.09
by

725 to be idled at Formet St. Thomas

Magna International Inc. said Monday it will lay off 725 workers at its Formet Industries plant in St. Thomas, Ont.

Canada’s largest auto supplier blamed the layoffs, which it said are temporary, on a customer temporarily shutting down a full sized truck plant.
Full story

And see also Further details