Year ahead has its challenges

By NICK LYPACZEWSKI TIMES-JOURNAL

For Conservative MP Joe Preston, 2011 proved an exciting year, but it had its disheartening moments.

"There is that melancholy piece. During this year, unemployment rose St. Thomas. I'm not proud of that, but I'm proud of the work we've done to work towards jobs and growth," Elgin-Middlesex-London's parliamentarian observed.

"Our manufacturing base in southern Ontario needs a bit of a push and we keep pushing as hard as we can to create jobs so there are — if you will —- bittersweet memories of 2011, but I feel pretty good about it to tell you the truth."

While recognizing high unemployment and Ford Canada's exit in September, Preston says his fourth federal election victory on May 2 tops his personal highlights list.

"That probably stuck out as the biggest story for me this year," he recalled.

For the first time in his political career, Preston is part of a majority government and he said he's noticed the differences.

"The actual procedures and the way legislation moves doesn't change much but, boy, at the end of the day, you know what the vote's going to be," he stressed.

"You don't work any less hard. There's no less debate but . . . when the votes are counted you know that — each and every one — you're going to pass that legislation."

Preston added — while the procedure isn't different — the Conservative's new-found majority has led to more expediency.

"In a minority, there's always a reason for it (an issue) to be debated just a little bit longer, and I find that — sometimes after about 40 or 50 speeches on the same topic — there's no new information coming forward. It's just a stalling tactic. It's the only method that the opposition has."

Closer to home, the early success of the Elgin Business Resource Centre's Innovation Centre for Entrepreneurs, Port Burwell's successful securing of the HMCS Ojibwa submarine and Central Elgin's acquisition of Port Stanley Harbour from the federal government are some of the memorable events.

He added the CASO Railway station's renovations started to bear fruit this year and that has impressed him.

"There are some really good ones (local projects) that are ongoing from our days of stimulus (funding) . . . the CASO station and how well it's moved forward and has tenants in it and it's now working and really looking almost like a finished building."

One of those tenants is the riding's PC MPP, Jeff Yurek. Preston noted he's made an effort to serve as a mentor for Yurek, in a similar way former EML MPP Steve Peters did for him.

"Steve and I had a great relationship and Steve taught me a lot. He was there before I was and now I'm trying to do a similar thing with Jeff and show him the co-operation part of the job," Preston explained.

But, he said — in addition to federal and provincial networking — solid collaboration and consultation with the county's mayors, warden and chambers of commerce will all benefit the riding in 2012.

"It just is the only way it will work. We've proven over these last seven or eight years it doesn't work if we all try to do our own thing. It will work if we all work together."

But, even with the networking amongst the various levels of government, Preston expects a lot of hard work from riding residents in the new year.

"There's no magic cure to this (job losses and unemployment). It's just hard work, put your shoulder to it and everybody push the same boulder uphill and we'll get there."

"I really see things starting to roll. We've always been able to — if you will — pull up our socks and move forward and I see St. Thomas really being able to do that."