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We’re back with another little update — this time from one of St. Thomas’ most iconic buildings: the Balaclava Street School.
Join Mike from St. Thomas Economic Development, Mayor Joe Preston, and Julie Ryan from Indwell as we take you behind the scenes of a powerful transformation in progress. Once a hub of education, this 1898-built school is now being preserved and reimagined as supportive and affordable housing for 78 community members. This project, in partnership with Indwell, reflects our city’s ongoing commitment to ending homelessness with dignity, compassion, and a whole-community approach. Learn how preserving our heritage, addressing housing challenges, and supporting mental health all come together in one thoughtful development. 🏛 A heritage building saved 🏠 78 new affordable housing units 🤝 A strong collaboration with Indwell 💚 A step closer to eliminating homelessness in St. Thomas Watch the full update to see how St. Thomas is building a future where everyone belongs. A Public Meeting about this project will be held on May 20, 2025 at 6pm using ZOOM - Learn More
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We're back with another Little Update from the City of St. Thomas! In this episode, Mike from St. Thomas Economic Development catches up with Dan Koppert from the City to talk all things infrastructure—from major sanitary sewer replacements on Chestnut Street to neighbourhood improvements on Forest, Smith, and Centre.
Learn why separating stormwater from wastewater matters, get a sneak peek at project timelines, and stick around for a fun moment as Dan finally receives his long-overdue MyFM Spirit Award for “Favourite Roundabout” for the Talbot & Sunset Gateway. Projects featured: Chestnut Street deep dig (6m!) Forest & Smith combined sewer separation Centre Street multi-phase upgrades First & Talbot update—and what’s coming next on Fairview Did you know the City of St. Thomas posts construction updates on their website? In this episode, Mike from St. Thomas Economic Development visits the St. Thomas Municipal Airport to chat with Airport Manager Dale Arndt about the airport’s unique past and dynamic present.
From its origins as a WWII Commonwealth Air Training base to its role today as a hub for aviation maintenance, flight training, and international aircraft servicing, this local airport is busier than you think. Learn about the aircraft overhaul operations happening right here in St. Thomas—including planes from Croatia—and how the growing aviation sector is creating local jobs and career opportunities. Highlights from the Video: ✈️The history of the airport ✈️Smart Aviation Maintenance Operations ✈️Purple Hill Air ✈️Maple Wings Flight Centre ✈️The global reach of this small but mighty airport Welcome back to From the Beehive!
Today, Sarah from St. Thomas Economic Development is literally between two trees on Burwell Road with a chilly—but important—update from the St. Thomas Megasite. She's joined by Michael Brix from the Industrial Development team for a brisk walk-through of the existing Burwell Pumping Station—affectionately dubbed "just a little guy"—and what’s coming next as part of the city's infrastructure upgrades. 💡 In this episode: 💧Why the current Burwell Pumping Station isn’t quite up to the task 💧Plans for a brand new pumping station to support Megasite and community growth wastewater flows 💧How construction will be staged to keep One Password Park (and the existing pump) fully operational during the upgrade 💧The timeline for construction and what residents can expect 💧This is one of the many behind-the-scenes steps making the St. Thomas Megasite a success! 📍 Don’t forget to like, subscribe, and follow us on Facebook to stay in the loop with all the latest from the Megasite and beyond. 📣 Got questions or want us to cover something specific? Drop a comment below! Sarah from St. Thomas Economic Development in onsite in this episode with an exciting update from Southdale Line & Bill Martyn Parkway with Laura Keates from St. Thomas Animal Services to talk about a project that’s close to many hearts — our brand-new animal shelter! 🐶🐱
In this video, we discuss: ✨ What’s happening at the construction site 🏡 Why our current shelter desperately needs an upgrade 📅 When we expect to open the new facility (hello, 2026!) 🐾 The wide range of animals and services this new space will support — from cats and dogs to skunks, birds, and pocket pets 🚪 What the adoption process looks like and how you can get involved 💖 How the community can support through donations, fundraisers, trivia nights, puppy parades, and more! Thanks to the generous $1 million donation from Sara Teare, we’ve gained significant momentum in raising the remaining funds needed to bring this exciting project to life.👀 Want to help build a better space for our furry friends? 💸 Click here to donate 🖼️ Support through local art with proceeds going to the shelter 📍 Got questions? 🐾 Check out the Animal Services website: 🐾 Visit the current shelter at 100 Burwell Rd between 8:00 AM - 4:30 PM 🐾 Message the team on Facebook: 🐾 Email: [email protected] Adoptable cutie patooties featured in our video today are Batista, Maria, Doc, Carol, and Gover - check them out on Petfinder! Mike from St. Thomas Economic Development is back with another quick update about what you can anticipate about "construction season", or Spring in St. Thomas.
We take a look at the history and future of the Fairview Avenue Bridge — a structure that’s stood for nearly 50 years. Originally built over a now-removed railway, the bridge has become outdated and in need of repair, but also unnecessary. Starting this June, it will be removed for safer, more efficient road improvements. 👷♂️ What’s coming next? ✔️Improved sightlines with a new grade-level intersection ✔️Added left-turn lanes for both directions on Fairview Avenue ✔️A sneak peek at exciting upcoming changes to Talbot Street in 2026 ✔️Public input opportunities for Fairview Ave from Elm to Talbot We also touch on how this project fits in with the broader infrastructure updates happening across the city — and don’t worry, north- south routes won’t be under construction simultaneously! 🖼️ Bonus: If you’re a fan of local street art, now’s your chance to check out the graffiti under the bridge before it’s gone! 📌 Stay informed on all the latest developments and information about public input opportunities. Check out the City of St. Thomas construction page for this project. Mike from St. Thomas Economic Development is back on site with another exciting St. Thomas Megasite update. In this video, we take you to the northwest corner of the Yarmouth Yards industrial site, where a major infrastructure project is underway!
Mike Brix from the City of St. Thomas and Ryan from BlueCon Construction are filling us in on a complex storm sewer installation beneath the CP rail line. This crucial project will help manage stormwater drainage across the site, ensuring long-term sustainability for the region. What You’ll See in This Update: ✔️ Storm sewer installation beneath active CP railway tracks ✔️ Two massive storm pipes (1800mm & 1650mm diameter) for water management ✔️ Challenges of working with railway infrastructure & rapid weather changes ✔️ Innovative trenching techniques to minimize track disruption ✔️ Project completion timeline & next steps for Yarmouth Yards Phase 2 Despite heavy rainfall and unexpected flooding, the team worked tirelessly to get the job done—ensuring the railway was back in operation with minimal downtime! Mike from St. Thomas Economic Development is back, bringing you an important update from First and Wellington with Dan Koppert from the City of St. Thomas.
What's Happening? Starting Monday, March 10th, a major sewer upgrade will begin on First Avenue between Wellington and Talbot. The existing 675mm pipe will be replaced with a larger 825mm pipe to double capacity to support community growth. How Long Will It Take? The project kicks off March 10th and is expected to wrap up by June (weather permitting). Will Businesses Stay Open? Yes! All local businesses will remain open, though access may be limited, and alternate access off Talbot for businesses at the North point of the project. At the South point, businesses have alternate access off Wellington. Please continue to support them during construction! Shout out to the impacted businesses. We know this is an inconvenience, but crews will be hard at work getting the job done as efficiently as possible. Thank you for your patience. Talbot Access: Mission Thrift St. Thomas The Chiropractic Clinic Steele St. Access: First Ave Family Medical Mary St. Access: Woody's Body Shop Wellington Access: Geerlinks Home Hardware Purity Diamonds St. Thomas Nails & Spa Boxcar Donuts First Ave Pharmacy The Wine Makers Hearing Life St. Thomas HCR Personnel and Staffing CAA Store Stay Informed – Watch the full video to learn how the city will manage sewer flows, keep construction on track, and maintain business access. 🚧 St. Thomas Megasite Update: Booster Pumping Station Progress! 🚧
Mike from St. Thomas Economic Development is back onsite with a chilly but exciting update from the St. Thomas Megasite! ❄️ Today, we're inside the new booster pumping station at Yarmouth Yards, where this critical infrastructure project is coming together. I'm joined by Trevor from Hayman Construction, the general contractor overseeing the build. 💡 What’s Inside the Booster Pumping Station? 🔹 Overhead crane – Installed and ready to lift pumps for maintenance and installation. 🔹 1200 inlet & 900 outlet pipes – Key components to support water flow. 🔹 Four pumps (plus one for future expansion!) – Ensuring long-term capacity. 🔹 Electrical room – Powering the entire system for seamless operation. It's incredible to see this project taking shape, and we’re grateful for the hard work of Hayman Construction, Arcadis, and all the teams on-site! Mike from St. Thomas Economic Development is back with another Megasite update!
Today, we’re braving the brisk weather at the northwest corner of the PowerCo site to check out the progress on Yarmouth Yards Earthworks and Servicing – Phase 2 (YYES2). 🚜 What’s happening? ✅ Electric Avenue extension – stretching north to Ron McNeill Line ✅ New roundabouts – including one at the north parking lot entrance ✅ Stormwater management ponds – major excavation and infrastructure work ✅ Concrete headwalls & pipes – improving drainage and site prep Big shoutout to Blue-Con Construction for keeping the momentum going in 2025! Stay tuned for more updates on the St. Thomas Megasite! |
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