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THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 30, 2021
Vol. 8 Edition 29
FREE!
Time for new leaders? By Bruce Corcoran bruce@chathamvoice.com
Pam Wright/The Chatham Voice
Tons of debris rushed down the surging Thames River late last week, forcing crews to remove it at the Third and Fifth Street bridges in Chatham.
Debris clutters up the Thames River
By Pam Wright Local Journalism Initiative pamwrightlji@gmail.com
Spring-like flooding in September saw the Thames River carry a huge amount of debris to downtown Chatham. So much so, heavy equipment has been used over the weekend and into the week to clear two large globs of floating rubble that included
a mix of trees, driftwood, vegetation, and even a large yellow duck floatie, plus a pontoon boat and a personal watercraft. Municipal engineer Brendan Falkner said Toronto Zenith, the company currently working of the Third Street Bridge rebuild, worked all day Friday to clear the mess. Falkner, who is in charge of bridges, said the company continues to moni-
tor the situation, clearing debris as it comes downriver. He said it’s not yet known how the flooding will affect the timeline of the $14-million rebuild of the Third Street Bridge. “The water will have to go down before we can assess the damage,” Falkner said, as the forms for concrete are made of wood. However, he said the municipality hopes to
have at least two lanes of traffic open by year-end. The target for completing the bridge is spring 2022. The Fifth Street Bridge also saw an accumulation of debris. It closed overnight Sunday and Monday to allow municipal public works to remove the blockage. Jason Wintermute, watershed manager for the Lower Thames Valley
Conservation Authority, said staff was busy in recent days, keeping a close eye on rising water levels. On Sept. 22, Chatham-Kent received 60 mm. of rain, but the amount increased as you headed upstream. Wintermute said there was a big stretch through London and another pocket that received upwards of 100 mm of rain.
Continued on page 3
The political landscape didn’t change that much with the federal election – locally or across the country – but pundits wonder if big changes might be coming. Dave Van Kesteren, former MP for Chatham-Kent–Leamington, a candidate who served the riding for 13 years and endured five elections, said the status quo of a Liberal minority could spark multiple leadership changes. “We may see Mr. (Justin) Trudeau step down. That’s what happens when leaders were not successful,” he said of the Liberal prime minister who failed to gain a majority despite calling an election only two years into his mandate. “On the same side, we might see Mr. (Erin) O’Toole step down. We may see some new leadership at the national level.” O’Toole, chosen by the Conservatives to replace Andrew Sheer after Sheer’s 2019 defeat, fared no differently. In fact, he won two fewer seats in an elected called by Trudeau in the middle of a pandemic. Continued on page 3
