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Volume 4, Issue 49
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2013 Year in Review Pages 5-12
A Division of
Wednesday, January 1, 2014
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To look forward we must look back...
If you could talk with my high school History teachers, they would tell you History wasn’t one of my strongest subjects, but if there is one thing I have learned over the past 50 plus years, it is difficult to look forward without first looking back at 2013. From horse racing to hydro, creating a youth committee to website redesign, developer consultations to meetings with Federal and Provincial Ministers, 2013 turned out to be an excessively busy year. Joined by fellow Mayors of Essex County, we successfully navigated through the bureaucracy of Ottawa and convinced the Federal Government to take another look at their proposal to deregulate package sizing, a move that every food processor in Canada said would devastate the industry. That proposed regulation has been put to rest. While attending annual Municipal Conferences, my lobbying efforts and the substantial work Mayor John Paterson done by a variety of groups have resulted in Hydro One presenting its case to the OEB to construct a transmission line and station for the sole use of Leamington. This $70 million dollar project will open up Leamington to the possibility of commercial and industrial expansion. Needless to say, the biggest story of 2013 was the closure announcement of the 104-year-old H.J. Heinz plant. Realizing the impact this will have on our area, we have been busily working with the Province, the Federal Government, the UFCW, the tomato farmers and the supply chain. While there is much more work to be done, the flurry of activity and positive interest that has surrounded this announcement has given Council significant hope for our future. There is no doubt that we will suffer some pain, but everyone needs to remember the positive aspects of our community and what the future holds. Horse racing appears to be making a comeback right here in Leamington and from a tourism perspective that is good news. Combine that with the Trans Canada Trails coming into the area with significant cash to build connecting links through Leamington to the rest of Essex County, tourism gets another boost. Expectations are high for the building of a new Leamington District Secondary School which has the potential of drawing new residents. Add to that the building of Hospice and a proposed medical facilities cluster, Leamington will become a leader in Canada with such a concept in medical services. Aimed more so at our aging population, and focused on the medical field as well, the Leamington Mennonite Home is planning an expansion making it one of the larger employers in our Municipality. And you can top that off with the developers who are anxious to get moving on the three new subdivisions approved by Council. We have been receiving nothing but positive support from the University of Windsor and St. Clair College on how they can participate as we move forward into our new history. The same is true of our Provincial and Federal Governments which both stand ready to help us move forward. There are just too many positives to be ignored. This is an opportunity for Leamington to redefine itself and with the strength of resolve that I know to exist in our citizens, it will be a success story in which we can all share. To borrow the phrase from a local group of supporters, “Leamington Stands Strong”. I couldn’t agree more. – Mayor John Paterson, Municipality of Leamington
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Wendy Parsons of the Leamington Chamber of Commerce hands a Tim Hortons coffee to a Heinz employee during a chili luncheon held for Heinz workers Tuesday, Dec. 17. The Leamington BIA and several volunteers and membership business representatives offered their time and inventory for the luncheon. (SUN Photo)
Hot chili on a cold day for Heinz workers
By Bryan Jessop The Leamington Business Improvement Association and other local businesses, organizations and individuals have paid homage to Heinz employees. The local BIA organized a free chili luncheon for Leamington’s Heinz workers on Monday, Dec. 17 at the Erie Street south loading dock on the west side of the street, a gesture that was well-received by employees able to stop by for their mid-shift break from either 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. or 5 p.m. to 7 p.m. The idea surfaced two weeks earlier, when Lisa Bradt of Bradt’s Butcher Block came forward with the suggestion during a BIA meeting Thursday, Nov. 21. Several restaurants stepped forward to donate chili while Tim Hortons provided Timbits and coffee and Heinz paid for the rental of a tent. Carmen’s Catering, in addition to offering chili, lent insulated storage containers to keep filled chili containers fresh and warm. Volunteers who stepped forward to serve the meals expected about 300 workers for the first ‘shift’ and 200 for the early evening. “It was easy to get people to help,” said Shelly Gabriele-Gale of Gabriele Brandsource Home Furnishings. “There’s been an excellent response. The community support has been great.” Volunteer servers explained that any leftover chili — which was available in both standard and vegetarian options — was being donated to local community programs such as the Masonic Lodge’s weekly soup luncheon. The contributions of chili and crackers and other means of support for the luncheon were also provided by Amy Ingratta, Louise Harder, Kim Piroli, Jenn Fox, Jayne Longpre, Tara Church, Matt Sheehan, Stacey Jones of Royal Lepage Realty, Sally McDonald and Wendy Parsons of the Leamington Chamber of Commerce, Gary Dolphin, Hilda McDonald, Tania Iacobelli, Source For Sports, Jose’s Noodle Factory, Oak Farms, Gino’s Trattoria, Armando’s, Grossi Plumbing, Sysco Foods, Merchants Paper, Graphics Express, Southpoint Sun and Blackburn Radio
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