Veteran politician Steve Peters steps down from St. Thomas City Council

In a shocking announcement at St. Thomas City Council, long-serving politician Steve Peters announced he’s stepping down effective immediately.

Thirty-seven years after his first election win at the age of 25, Peters now 62 is stepping back to focus on his other career.

“For the past year, I’ve been wearing two hats,” Peters tells CTV News.

“A year ago, I was appointed as the chair of the Ontario Greenhouse Vegetable Growers (OGVG). What I’m finding is my time commitment to try and do justification to both is really challenged. I’m a person that needs to be focused … and I’ve made the decision that I want to focus in on the Ontario greenhouse vegetable sector.”

The OGVG represents 170 growers and over 4,300 acres of greenhouse vegetables.

“We have a lot of challenging issues facing the greenhouse sector, whether it’s the upcoming free trade discussions, municipal issues, provincial issues,” adds Peters.

“So I’m still going to be in politics, but I’m just going to be in vegetable politics now.”

Peters was first elected to city council in 1988. Three years later he became the youngest mayor in Canada at the time.

He then went on to become an MPP, Minister, and Speaker of the Legislative Assembly of Ontario. He returned to municipal politics in 2018 and has served as a member of City Council for seven years.

“It’s been a great run,” said Peters.

“I have been a mayor. I’ve been a Minister of Agriculture, Minister of Labour, the Speaker of the Legislature, and for another seven years a stint on council. For me, it’s all about serving people. I’ve been passionate over the years about putting people first and that’s something that I will miss because public service is something that’s really important.”

Peters’ passion for his hometown and knowledge of St. Thomas are what has made him a beloved politician. His loss will be felt around the horseshoe.

“I’ll never downplay the knowledge that’s in that man’s head about the history of our community and things that have happened in the past,” said Joe Preston, St. Thomas’ mayor.

“He also helped us put together a really comprehensive strategic plan for the city moving forward that has got us seven years towards, where we are with the industrial growth and the growth in our community but now 30 years, looking out as to what our community would look like.. Things that Steve Peters has touched will carry on with his legacy, even after he’s not sitting in the horseshoe working with us.”

Preston says he will still lean on Peters’ knowledge and friendship and they will still communicate often for advice.

“I can’t find another mayor in Ontario that had two former mayors on his council, Steve being one of them,” said Preston.

“We were friends when he was the Member of Provincial Parliament, and I was the Member of Federal Parliament, and we worked together across party lines to get great things done and we’ve kept that friendship even here. Look, do we always both agree with the same thing? Absolutely not. But it’s where I get some of my best ideas by having friends like Steve, helping us run the city.”

Peters says he will continue to serve on the Old St. Thomas Church Maintenance and Restoration Trust, and as a volunteer at the St. Thomas Food Bank where his spouse is the manager.