Plain language summaries of what St. Thomas city council decided this month, written from the city's official meeting documents and reviewed, edited, and approved by our editor before publishing. How our newsroom works →
If you or someone you know is a low-income senior, woman, or youth at risk, a new project called Hiawatha Affordable Homes could matter a lot. The YWCA St. Thomas-Elgin is getting $2.7 million over the next couple of years to build inclusive, supportive housing, with 20 percent of units fully accessible. A few other local organizations also received smaller grants through the same program.
This year's Downtown Oktoberfest is growing, and it's shifting to the corner of Talbot and Ross Streets on Saturday September 19th from 2 to 9:30 pm. Parts of Talbot and Ross will be closed to traffic from 8 am to 11 pm that day, so plan your route ahead of time. There will be a temporary transit detour in place, so check before you ride.
Your city is looking at roughly a $500,000 shortfall for 2026, driven by a tough winter, rising fuel costs for transit and waste collection, and extra fire services overtime due to staffing gaps. Staff are recommending the city issue $7.4 million in long-term debt tied to affordable housing to help shore up the reserves. It is worth watching how this plays out in next year's budget conversations.
City council is the elected body that sets the city's budget, decides what gets built where, and passes the bylaws that shape daily life in St. Thomas. Regular meetings are held in the Council Chambers at City Hall on the first, second and third Monday of each month at 5:00 p.m., with changes around holidays and a lighter schedule in the summer.
Meetings are open to everyone. Full agendas, staff reports and minutes are published on the City of St. Thomas website, and residents who want to speak to council about an issue can register as a delegation through the City Clerk's office.
After each meeting the city publishes a Keeping Track highlights document. LocVox turns it into the plain language summaries on this page, and every summary is reviewed and approved by our editor before it appears here. More about how we work →
