It’s all about seeing cranes reaching up into the sky over St. Thomas.
That was the observation of Mayor Joe Preston on Wednesday morning (Nov. 22) for the groundbreaking ceremony at the 14-storey Highlands Tower 1 apartment building.
It’s Phase 2 of the redevelopment of the former Timken Canada property at Talbot Street and First Avenue.
“It’s the beginning of the next phase of the growth here,” suggested Preston, “and what a great team they have on this project and how beautiful this will be for this corner.
“An old brownfield site of an industry. I loved the Timken company when it was here, but what a great way to re-purpose the site we’re standing on.”
The 162-unit development is being undertaken by Fast Forward Ventures Capital of London.
In March of last year, approval was granted for the first of several towers expected to rise on the property.
Preston called it one more step in attacking the city’s housing shortage.
Tag Archives: Timken
Back-to-back announcements this week an example of ‘attacking housing from each end in St. Thomas’
It has been a significant week for housing news in St. Thomas.
A pair of announcements mid-week covered off a broad swath of the residential spectrum.
At Wednesday’s site plan control committee meeting, conditional approval was granted to Fast Forward Ventures of London for their 14-storey, 162-unit apartment building to rise on the south end of the former Timken Canada property near the intersection of First Avenue and Talbot Street.
The Timken plant closed in 2013 and was demolished and the site cleared in 2017.
The next day, the province announced $3 million in funding to develop 20 supportive housing units inside Phase 2 of the city’s social services and housing hub now under construction at 16 Queen Street.
Let’s take a closer look at both developments – which Mayor Joe Preston described as “one more step in attacking the city’s housing shortage.”
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‘If you want change, you’ve got to be part of the change’ – MP Karen Vecchio
One week ago today, while truck horns blared and tempers flared, Elgin-Middlesex-London MP Karen Vecchio rose in the House of Commons and gave a speech on the Motion for Confirmation of the Declaration of Emergency.
It was very late Saturday night, and yet she delivered one of the more impassioned, albeit reasoned, presentations of all those MPs who stood to relay their message.
So much so that it drew praise from two members from other parties. More on that later.
Whatever your political stripe, Vecchio’s words are well worth pondering on several accounts, not the least of which is her obvious compassion for the constituents she represents.
She began, “I am here because of my family and the families and people across Canada. And I will speak about the reasonable people that I also represent.”
She then focussed on the divisiveness and intolerance that have muscled their way into so many conversations today, whether in person or on social media.
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From bearings to big box, a makeover on the way for Timken site
When completed, it will be a big box bonanza for St. Thomas and area shoppers.
Rock Developments of Tecumseh, Ontario is proposing to construct two, multi-unit retail buildings at the north end of the former Timken property on Talbot Street.
The structures would sit on the south side of the service road into the existing SmartCentre, opposite the Canadian Tire parking lot.
The subject land is six acres in size and would be severed from the approximately 20-acre footprint of the Timken plant. No firm plans have been announced for the southern portion of the property although it is likely to include some residential development.
Rock Developments’ client base includes Winners, Best Buy, Bouclair, The Brick, TD Canada Trust, Bank of Montreal, Staples, Boston Pizza, Rexall, Golf town, Shoppers Drug Mart and The Municipal Property Assessment Corporation (MPAC) among many others. Continue reading
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Grant or sponsorship, nixing request the right move
Sponsorship or grant, council made the right decision by not immediately approving a request to financially support a new Elgin Business Resource Centre and St. Thomas & District Chamber of Commerce awards event.
We dwelt on this last week and our municipal officials hashed it around Monday before turning thumbs down on the $5,000 call for support from chamber president Bob Hammersley, who wanted the process fast-tracked.
This is one more reason why the city should follow the lead of Elgin county council and put the hammer down on all new grant requests.
Ratepayers should not be on the hook to support various causes and events cherry-picked by council for consideration.
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‘Time to sweep aside featherbedding,’ says Bob McCaig
He’s never one to shy away from controversy and if that has ever been in doubt, then the following comments passed along to us from St. Thomas entrepreneur Bob McCaig should spark lively debate.
His observations are culled from a letter sent to Randy Hillier, Conservative MPP for Lanark, Frontenac, Lennox and Addington, in which McCaig praises Ontario PC’s “for having the guts to openly discuss major labour reform in Ontario.”
In a nutshell, McCaig says the time has come to end the union free ride at the expense of taxpayers.
Bob McCaig
I warned you feathers would be ruffled.
McCaig opens by observing: “Here in St. Thomas where I live, we have witnessed the careful dismantling of 99% of our industrial base. It would be convenient to blame organized labour, particularly the CAW, for the collapse of our manufacturing base, but it would be unfair to blame them alone.
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Volume decline drives Timken loss for the quarter and reduced full-year earnings outlook
CANTON, Ohio–(BUSINESS WIRE)–The Timken Company (NYSE: TKR) today reported sales of $828.9 million for the second quarter of 2009, a decrease of 46 percent over the same period a year ago. The decline in sales was due to weaker demand across most of the company’s end markets, lower steel surcharges and currency, which were partially offset by improved pricing.
For the quarter, the company incurred a loss of $64.5 million, or $0.67 per share, compared with income of $88.9 million, or $0.92 per diluted share, a year ago. Excluding special items, the second-quarter loss was $20.6 million, or $0.21 per share, compared with the prior-year’s income of $92.4 million or $0.96 per diluted share. The results reflect lower sales volume and manufacturing utilization, which were partially offset by favorable pricing and cost-reduction initiatives.
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