STOP is now a five-letter word by Terry Carroll Three years ago, eagle-eyed Boo- mers and Beyond editors allowed me 700 words to meander through a piece I called, A Proposed New- comers Guide to St. Thomas . In that bit of nonsense, I fulfilled part
During the 36 months since 2022, much muddy water has flown under the bridges traversing Kettle Creek. Mayor Joe’s 55,000 population projection now feels understated. With the cooperation of three levels of government -- and Volkswagen, we’re building a tonne of housing while saving the environment by transforming 700 acres of prime farmland into an industrial Wunderland. “The EV battery plant is coming; the EV battery plant is coming.” Proof positive? Recently constructed roundabouts and green overhead directional signs in the battery plant area evoke the experience of driving a U.S. freeway into TrumpTower Tariff World. Time changes everything. As brilliant as it seemed to me (and both members of my fan club) at the time, my 2022 advice went unheeded. Newcomers failed to adjust to St. Thomas’ ways of driving. Instead, they forced their split-second, speed-crazed, bumper-riding, middle-finger- waving habits on us as they zoomed through our small city in their Genesis, their Lexus, their Leviticus Lexus. STOP is now a five-letter word spelled YIELD. Yellow and sometimes red mean, ‘Turn left now’. Speed limits translate into, ‘Drive 10K over’. What is to be done? Fear not. Hope springs eternal. In April, as I was penning my 500-word quota, Mayor Preston was in Germany. I suspect Joe was way ahead of us as usual. He was not in Europe on a trade mission or Deutsch lernen *. He was absorbing the driving habits of the Autobahn in the interest of bringing enlightenment to vehicularly challenged locals. S ehen Sie sich bald das Update des Bürgermeister** Terry can per E-Mail erreicht werden unter*** terry@carrollgroup.ca. *learning to speak German.
of my journalistic (using the word journalistic very loosely) mission: to amuse, to inform and in the immortal words of former St. Thomas Mayor, Doug Tarry Sr., ‘to leave my campsite a little better than I found it’. My 2022 column reminded avid readers that our current mayor, Joe Preston, forecast the population of The Railway City to explode to 55,000 by 2032. With my tongue firmly lodged in some area of my mouth, I advised newcomers to leave their metropolitan driving habits behind. To enjoy our fair city’s streets and its potholes, they would need to slow down and drive like the locals. The wheels of commerce do grind on, and we must adjust. Over time, my column-writing hole has been reduced by 200 words. Would a Michelangelo be asked to paint the rise and fall of humanity on the pope’s bathroom ceiling? Might a Picasso be reduced to sketching fragmented nudes on napkins? Those are intended as rhetorical questions, but just to be clear (as certain politicians say when not answering a question), my answer is a resounding No. However, having wasted 223 words on preamble, I must press on. Quickly. 83rd Annual Elgin County Alumni Dinner Picnic WEDNESDAY, JUNE 18, 2025 Hosted by Dr. Ian Begg, BA’68 St. Thomas, ON Cost: $45 per person To RSVP and for more information, contact Mary-Ellen Bolt at 519-633-6435 or Email lightningbolt@rogers.com Must RSVP by Thursday, June 12, 2025
St. Thomas’ Most Beautiful Cemetery Talk to us about our Lots • Columbarium • Markers and Laser Engraving
BOOMERS AND BEYOND – ELGIN
Geoffrey Rae Managing Editor / Sales Geoff@villagerpublications.com • 519-495-7177 All articles by Geoff Rae unless otherwise noted. Copy Editor: Peter Bloch-Hansen Publisher: Barb Botten barb@villagerpublications.com Graphic Artist – Cathy Wood • Writer – Peri Hayes
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Page 14 Boomers and Beyond – Elgin • May 2025
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