PowerCo and city forge new community nature trail in St. Thomas

The City of St. Thomas and PowerCo partnered to launch a public nature trail near the future EV battery gigafactory.

A trail-blazing St. Thomas business was making a trail of another kind Friday, as City of St. Thomas staff and workers from the PowerCo EV battery gigafactory under construction joined forces to clear a new public nature trail.

Workers cleared a path through a woodlot in the Yarmouth Yards Industrial Park, establishing a new 1.2-kilometre trail system. The industrial park is set to become home to PowerCo and a number of other businesses, and the newly created trail will eventually connect with a network of paths and trails running through the city, enhancing recreational opportunities for residents and employees.

Meredith Woodhouse, project manager with the City of St. Thomas, highlighted the trail’s potential as a local amenity.

“It’s definitely a great refuge just to come out and reset your mind, you know, come out. Power walk,” Woodhouse said. “It should be capable to do it in 15 minutes. So definitely before work, after work, during lunch. And, you know, builds camaraderie.”

PowerCo representatives expressed enthusiasm for the collaborative effort. Tegan Versolatto, media relations & content specialist, stated that company employees were excited to participate in the project, recognizing its benefits for both PowerCo staff and the wider St. Thomas community.

“To have a trail that’s going to be just steps away from our facility, and to be able to use it every day to disconnect and truly recharge personally. Kind of invaluable,” Versolatto commented. “So, to have the opportunity to partner with the city on initiative like this, it really felt like a no brainer.”

Versolatto says the project demonstrates PowerCo Canada’s commitment to sustainability with bat boxes and hummingbird houses have also having been installed in the woodlot, further enhancing the natural habitat.