In support of a “longstanding partnership,” the Port Stanley Lions Club has donated a utility vehicle to Central Elgin Fire Rescue, a contribution officials say will help strengthen emergency response capacity in the growing municipality.
Central Elgin Mayor Andrew Sloan praised the donation, noting the 2026 Can-Am Defender Max XT replaces a utility vehicle the volunteer organization donated to the fire department 15 years ago.
“They donated the fire department’s first utility vehicle because they recognized the challenges firefighters faced responding to emergencies on the beach,” Sloan said. “Community groups, service groups and dedicated citizens are key ingredients of what makes our community great.”
Sloan said the donated vehicle will play a “critical role” in operations where traditional fire equipment cannot easily access.
The roughly $27,000 vehicle is a “vital piece of equipment” that will support two key areas of the fire service, including the municipality’s beach patrol in Port Stanley – a popular Lake Erie beach town about 45 kilometres south of London – said Central Elgin Fire Chief Jeff VanRybroeck.
“We have the beach patrol team that operates in July and August, so this will be a key piece of equipment for them on the beach,” he said.
VanRybroeck said the vehicle will also support rescue operations in difficult terrain such as ravines.
“It’ll be a (crucial) piece of rescue equipment to help us get into those hard-to-reach areas . . . where people tend to get themselves into challenging situations,” he said.
Sloan said Central Elgin has “pretty good” fire service coverage across the municipality, with stations in Belmont, Yarmouth, Union and Port Stanley. He added the growing community will consider expanding fire services when needed.
Central Elgin, with a population of roughly 13,000, is preparing for growth that could include a 3,500-home development housing about 9,000 residents and businesses on 150 hectares (370 acres) of the former St. Thomas Psychiatric Hospital lands.
Redevelopment of the sprawling former hospital property is widely viewed as compensation for Central Elgin after it lost land when the province and neighbouring St. Thomas reached a deal for Volkswagen’s electric-vehicle battery plant, expected to open in 2027 and employ more than 3,000 people.
Infrastructure Ontario has said the former psychiatric hospital property is surplus land being transferred to Central Elgin to support growth linked to the plant.
A total of 485 hectares (1,200 acres) of Central Elgin land was annexed by neighbouring St. Thomas for the battery plant. The municipalities reached a settlement in April 2024 in which Central Elgin received $15 million – two-thirds up front and the remainder over five years – as well as access to St. Thomas’s wastewater-processing system.
“As we look at growth in areas such as the potential of the site, then yeah, there’s constantly refocus on where we need to have our facilities,” Sloan said. “The growth will come, and with that growth will come the growth of the fire services at the needed time.”