Dave6T4
Well-Known Member
There was an official announcement on CTV news tonight that a new industry is coming to St. Thomas, Ontario. The city of St.Thomas has been grabbing property from the neighbouring Municipality of Central Elgin, and so far has accumulated around 1,500 acres of prime farmland. Today, Volkswagon announced that they will be developing a factory to produce EV batteries. This deal is worth $$$billions and is the largest EV-related investment in Ontario, if not Canada so far. This is a HUGE shot in the arm for the St. Thomas/London area, no matter how one personally feels about the EV industry as a whole. At one time, our region had a lot of well paying automotive related industries, but one by one, they left us for various reasons, sending our area into decline. An Amazon building sits on the site,now, of the former Ford St.Thomas assembly plant. Is was a huge blow to our local economy when this business was pulled back to U.S., since it set the wage standard here.
On one hand, it great to see the investment here, but it is also sad to witness 1500 acres of farmland covered in concrete and pavement in support of an industry that I feel is questionable at best. The way this land was accumulated was underhanded. Our provincial Premier passed some laws that made it easier for cities to acquire lands from greenbelt areas to turn over to industries and subdivisions. A close friend of ours was contacted about a year and a half ago to sell her 100 acre farm. She said she never really had a sense of just who she was dealing with. She lived in, and paid her property taxes to Central Elgin township, but ultimately found that it was St.Thomas who was negotiating the purchase of her land. And that was how things went with her neighbours as well. The last land grab of an additional 700 acres happened so fast that the mayor of Central Elgin did not know about it until he saw it on the evening news on TV!
After selling her farm, our friend was unofficially told that she would likely be able to stay on the property until September. She has bought a building lot in a nearby village, contracted a builder, and selected a house plan. Two weeks ago she was notified that she had to be off the property on April 12. The house builder has only just dug the hole for the house basement! Usually it takes 4 or 5 months to get a house built around here, so our friend, with my wife's help, is scrambling to get her house packed up in a steel packing crate. She still has to figure out where to live until her new house is completed. Although she was paid well for her property, she has found the whole process stressful and depressing. Our friend and her husband built their "forever" dream home on this farm ten years ago, sparing no expense (probably $1,000,000 for the house alone). Tragically, he passed away suddenly before he could move into his new home. Now, she knows it will pushed down and covered with concrete.
On one hand, it great to see the investment here, but it is also sad to witness 1500 acres of farmland covered in concrete and pavement in support of an industry that I feel is questionable at best. The way this land was accumulated was underhanded. Our provincial Premier passed some laws that made it easier for cities to acquire lands from greenbelt areas to turn over to industries and subdivisions. A close friend of ours was contacted about a year and a half ago to sell her 100 acre farm. She said she never really had a sense of just who she was dealing with. She lived in, and paid her property taxes to Central Elgin township, but ultimately found that it was St.Thomas who was negotiating the purchase of her land. And that was how things went with her neighbours as well. The last land grab of an additional 700 acres happened so fast that the mayor of Central Elgin did not know about it until he saw it on the evening news on TV!
After selling her farm, our friend was unofficially told that she would likely be able to stay on the property until September. She has bought a building lot in a nearby village, contracted a builder, and selected a house plan. Two weeks ago she was notified that she had to be off the property on April 12. The house builder has only just dug the hole for the house basement! Usually it takes 4 or 5 months to get a house built around here, so our friend, with my wife's help, is scrambling to get her house packed up in a steel packing crate. She still has to figure out where to live until her new house is completed. Although she was paid well for her property, she has found the whole process stressful and depressing. Our friend and her husband built their "forever" dream home on this farm ten years ago, sparing no expense (probably $1,000,000 for the house alone). Tragically, he passed away suddenly before he could move into his new home. Now, she knows it will pushed down and covered with concrete.
We know at least one of them is.
