With the holiday season now past and many snowbirds flying south for the remainder of winter, the Port Stanley Festival Theatre continues to see the generosity of the community through support of their expansion campaign.  Going on the third year of construction, a variety of spaces in the theatre have been completed and several are still on the horizon.

St. Thomas Public Library, January 26, 2016 – St. Thomas Public Library has been chosen as a recipient of the Ontario Library Capacity Fund Research and Innovation Grant, as announced by Michael Coteau, Minister of Culture, Tourism and Sport this morning in Milton. The Library will receive $100,000 over two years which will support the Wellington Block Innovation Centre project.

A funding commitment of $638,000 for the Wellington Block Innovation Centre, from the Estate of Dorothy Palmer, has been announced by the City of St. Thomas. The money has been received by the City and plans for its use are underway. The Centre is expected to open in 2016. It will provide opportunities for youth, adults, and families to learn about advanced technologies in an interactive, hands-on environment. During the daytime, elementary and high school students will explore 3D printing, robotics, digital media, and much more. In the evenings and on weekends, the proposed site will host tech-related clubs, workshops and events.

CENTRAL ELGIN, ON – Elgin County Economic Development is pleased to announce that Great Lakes Farms in Southwold has been approved for an Elgincentives Community Improvement Plan (CIP) grant.

The St. Thomas Rotary Music Festival will reach its 62nd year when it takes place February 22 to 26, 2016. The St. Thomas Rotary Club has released the Syllabus which is now available on the Club’s website www.rotarystthomas.org. Printed copies may be picked up at Maestro Music Academy, 323 Talbot St., Central Music Academy, 135 Wellington St., Public Libraries in St. Thomas and Aylmer, St. Thomas public schools, or from Ron Somerville [email protected]. Copies are also available at schools in East and West Elgin.

St. Thomas, Ontario – The St. Thomas-Elgin Local Immigration Partnership (STELIP) together with St. Thomas Elgin Public Health and Canadian Mental Health Association – Elgin Branch hosted the 4th Annual WALK WITH ME Networking Event on Friday. This event gathered service providers, agencies, and newcomers from St. Thomas and Elgin County to learn about cultural competency and increase the quality of referrals across agencies by fostering information sharing.

Since spring of this year, St. Thomas Economic Development has invited community members to get thinking, talking and excited about St. Thomas with the #stthomasproud campaign. It has been a joint effort of the EDC, Elgin-St. Thomas Small Business Enterprise Centre, Railway City Tourism and, of course, many community members who have gotten on board and shared the reasons they are proud of St. Thomas. The campaign was recognized by the Economic Developers Association of Canada at their annual conference, this past week, with a Marketing Canada Award for excellence in Online Community Outreach.

Election Day is October 19th, 2015. Here is some basic information related to the election and to the Elgin-Middlesex-London riding.