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Summer Recreation in St. Thomas: Walking Soccer, Camps, Pickleball and More with AshleyParker from Parks & Forestry
Mike is back on the teeter-totter with another update from St. Thomas Economic Development, this time at the turf field at 1Password Park with Ashley, Recreation Supervisor for the City of St. Thomas. Ashley walks us through everything happening in recreation this summer, including: 🏃 Walking Soccer – A brand new adult program running Mondays from 10 a.m. to noon and Fridays from 3 to 5 p.m. on the turf. The first visit is free; then it's $5 as a drop-in. Twenty people came out on the first Sunday session alone. 🏊 Pool Programs – Aquafit, public swim, lessons, lane swim and free swims are all on the way as the pool season is open as of June 29. In the off-season for Jaycees Pool, St. Thomas residents can access YMCA rates as City residents. This program is not available during the summer. 🏓 Pickleball and Badminton – Drop-in pickleball runs Monday to Friday at the Joe Thornton Community Centre, with drop-in badminton on Mondays, Tuesdays and Sundays. ⛸️ Skating Programs – Drop-in shinny*, teen shinny, adult leisure skate, public skate and parent and tot skate are all available. Check the drop-in leisure flyers for the full schedule. *an informal, pick-up version of ice hockey without referees, strict positions, or true scorekeeping 🏕️ Summer Camps – Nine weeks of programming for kids ages four to thirteen began June 29th and run through the end of August. This year's lineup includes sports, nature, fishing, arts and science, dance and drama, plus two new additions: a field sports camp at OnePassword Park and an ice-specific sports camp at the Joe Thornton Arena. And yes, we asked the important question: what happens if you run during walking soccer? Watch to find out. For full schedules and details on all recreation programming, check the City of St. Thomas Facebook, Instagram and website.
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Summer in St. Thomas is officially in full swing, and there is a lot happening.
Mike connected with Megan Pickersgill, Tourism Manager at Railway City Tourism, for a look at what's coming up across the city this season. From the Kettle Creek Food Truck Festival that kicked things off in June, to Canada Day celebrations at 1Password Park, to Nostalgia Nights on July 11th (one of the most popular car shows in southwestern Ontario, with over 1,200 cars lining the downtown streets last year), to Positively Elgin's dog-friendly festival at Pinafore Park -- there is something on every weekend. In August, the Railway City Music and Arts Festival returns, running August 13 to 16 at Pinafore Park. Born out of Iron Horse, this four-day event spotlights local and regional musicians across multiple stages, a community art show, and plenty of family programming. And wrapping up the season on September 19: Downtown Oktoberfest is back, this year at Ross and Talbot, with a headlining performance by Jim Cuddy of Blue Rodeo. Free to attend, with keg tapping, the Saxonia Hall dancers, and St. Thomas's own local breweries and cideries on hand. Want to see everything happening in and around St. Thomas this summer? Railway City Tourism keeps its events calendar updated daily. What's actually being built at Yarmouth Yards this summer?
Mike Kerkvliet from St. Thomas EDC caught up with City of St. Thomas Industrial Development Project Manager Michael Brix on-site at the Yarmouth Yards Industrial Park to get a straight answer to that question. Four active construction projects are underway, and in this video, Michael breaks down exactly what each one involves. Phase 3 earthworks and servicing, led by J-AAR, has been running since 2025. It covers the large-diameter storm and sanitary sewers, water mains, stormwater ponds, and new roads on the east and south ends of the site. Phase 4, being handled by Amico, is smaller in scope but brings a couple of notable additions: a pedestrian bridge over Technology Trail and a tunnel under the rail spur, which together link both sides of the site for cyclists and pedestrians. There's also a new gateway sign going in just off Highbury Avenue, south of Ron McNeil Line. More on this one soon! Down in the southeast corner, Birnam Excavating is building the Yarmouth Sewage Pumping Station, which collects sewage via gravity from the east and south portions of the site and pumps it back up to connect with the newer infrastructure. Rounding things out, the Rail Shunting Yard Project is in its second phase. The CN Rail spur line and the bridge over Technology Trail are already done. Now Amico is finishing the shunting yard beside the PowerCo property. When that's complete, there's a golden spike waiting to be driven. It's been waiting a while. Apparently, there's precedent for not rushing it. All four projects are scheduled to wrap up by the end of 2026. The wait is over. St. Thomas finally has a new City Animal Services facility! In this episode of From the Beehive, Sarah from St. Thomas Economic Development takes you on a tour of the newly completed St. Thomas Animal Services shelter, stopping to chat with some of the people who helped make it happen and who know firsthand how badly this new space was needed. Mayor Joe Preston shares how his own dog, Jojo, and a few too many visits to the old facility convinced him that something had to change. Bylaw officer Mike talks about how working in animal services helped him feel at home in St. Thomas, and how one shy cat named Mollie ended up claiming him. And Animal Services Coordinator Laura Keates walks us through the incredible new features, from spacious cat condos with natural light and a dedicated cat lounge to indoor-outdoor dog kennels and a quarantine wing. This facility has been a long time coming. The old shelter was built in the 1970s as a temporary solution. The new one is everything the animals, the staff, and this community deserve. The Cat Lady Chic Art Show and Sale is coming June 21st at Elgin Harvest, in tandem with Sunset Vintage Market. Proceeds from the Cat Lady Chic portion of the event support St. Thomas Animal Services. Don't miss it. Donations to support the continued work at the shelter can also be made at any time The City of St. Thomas is undergoing its Official Plan Review, and it's one of the most significant planning processes the city has seen in years.
Mike from the St. Thomas Economic Development Corporation sits down with Senior Planner Kevin McClure to break down what the Official Plan actually is, why it matters to residents and businesses alike, and what to expect from this review cycle. From employment lands and residential growth to transportation, heritage, and green space, the Official Plan touches every corner of how a city functions and evolves. With St. Thomas experiencing rapid growth and major legislative changes at the provincial level, the upcoming review is expected to bring substantial updates, all aimed at producing a more accessible, forward-looking document that plans through 2051. The process kicks off May 28th at Memorial Arena, 6 to 8 p.m. Expect public workshops, focused topic sessions in the coming months, and real opportunities to shape the city's long-term direction. St. Thomas residents, business owners, and community members are all encouraged to attend and participate. St. Thomas is getting a major boost to its rental housing supply, and we went straight to the source to find out what's coming.
Mike from St. Thomas Economic Development sat down with Carrie O'Brien, Planner at Drewlo Holdings, at the corner of Elm and Wilson to talk about one of the most significant residential projects in the city's recent history. On a 20-acre brownfield site that once served as a rail terminal, Drewlo is proposing six purpose-built rental buildings with 1,800 to 2,000 units. Before a single unit could be planned, the team had to address the site's complex history, excavate remnant foundations, crush the material for on-site reuse, and complete all required environmental remediation. Carrie breaks down why purpose-built rental matters for overall housing affordability, how this kind of development creates movement across the entire housing continuum, and what it means for retirees looking to downsize and first-time families looking to get into the market. She also shares what attracted Drewlo, a London-based family company, to St. Thomas, including the city's Community Improvement Program (CIP), which helped make brownfield redevelopment financially viable by offsetting development charges and parkland contributions. Groundbreaking on the first building could come as early as later this year. We took a detour into the woods this week and found something worth stopping for. Sarah from St. Thomas Economic Development wandered into the south forest at Yarmouth Yards and connected with Meredith from the City of St. Thomas Industrial Development Team, who shared what's been in the works: a 1.5-kilometre natural trail winding through one of two protected woodlots on site. The trail links to the 12 kilometres of paved recreational paths throughout Yarmouth Yards and will eventually connect to the broader St. Thomas trail network via a multi-use path along South Edgeware Road.
The forest itself isn't just a trail corridor. Conservation work is already underway for bats, birds, and sensitive plant species like trilliums, and both woodlots are protected in perpetuity. If you're looking for a place to step away from the screen and into the trees, this is it. Rebecca from the City of St. Thomas checked in with Tegan from PowerCo, whose team brought out 20 volunteers to help clear and mark the trail as part of this city-led initiative. Three public trailheads mean this space is open to everyone in the community, whether you're walking, running, or cycling. And before we leave the woods entirely: a reminder that the Horton Farmers' Market opens for the 2026 season on Saturday, May 9th, from 8 a.m. to noon at 10 Manitoba Street in downtown St. Thomas. Follow along for updates from local businesses, community initiatives, and everything happening in the Railway City. Explore Railway City Start a Small Business, we can help The one where we learn about the 2026 Municipal Election in St. Thomas: From The Beehive - E1394/22/2026 Thinking about running for council in St. Thomas? Here's everything you need to know.
St. Thomas EDC's Mike sits down with Jon Hindley, Manager of Legislative Services and Deputy City Clerk for the City of St. Thomas, to break down the municipal election process ahead of the October 26, 2026 election. In this video, we cover: Who is eligible to run for city council or mayor in St. Thomas How to file your nomination papers (Form 1 and Form 2) The nomination period: May 1 to August 21, 2026 Campaign sign rules and where signs can and cannot be placed Campaign finance rules, spending limits, and reporting requirements Where to get candidate information packages Candidate Info Session Monday, April 27 | 6:00 PM to 8:00 PM Carnegie Room, St. Thomas Public Library Zoom option is also available. Details on the city's website. Candidate information packages are available in person at City Hall starting Monday, April 27th. Mike from St. Thomas Economic Development chats with Danielle Nielsen, Acting Director of Social Services for the City of St. Thomas and Elgin County, to discuss the new 10-Year Housing and Homelessness Plan currently being developed for our community.
Filmed on location at 230 Talbot Street, this conversation covers the transition from the 2014-2024 plan into the upcoming 2026-2036 cycle, what makes St. Thomas a recognized leader among Canadian communities in its response to homelessness, and the four pillars guiding the next decade of work: End Homelessness, Build Housing, Sustain Stock, and Lead Collaboratively. Danielle also speaks to the cross-sector collaboration that has helped St. Thomas achieve something many communities are struggling to do right now: actually reducing homelessness, even as other cities see numbers climb. Want to have your say? Community input is still being collected. 1. Public Open House / Information Centre: Wednesday, April 8, 2026, 4 – 6 p.m. St. Thomas-Elgin Social Services Building 230 Talbot Street, St. Thomas Community Room (main floor, Talbot St. entrance) 2. Online Feedback Form Available March 25 – April 15, 2026 Review the additional information, complete the public survey, and make your voice heard in this important planning process. Mike from St. Thomas Economic Development is back on-site at the Yarmouth Yards Pumping Station with another construction update, and this time he's joined by Nishant for a closer look at what's happening underground.
Since the last visit, this project has transformed from an open excavation into a serious feat of engineering. Nishant walks us through what this pumping station actually does (hint: it can move up to 200 litres of water per second), why the walls of the wet well are a full three feet thick, and how the construction team has broken the concrete pour into three carefully staged phases. With two of those pours already complete and the final stage underway, commissioning is on track for October of this year, at which point the station will be ready to accept flows from the Yarmouth Yards industrial development site. It's a big build, a bigger capacity, and a critical piece of infrastructure for one of the most exciting development projects St. Thomas has seen in years. Thanks for watching! If you found this update helpful, hit the like button and subscribe so you don't miss what's coming next from the Beehive. Learn more about how the sewage treatment process works in St. Thomas. |
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