The Thorold Public Library is a building in Thorold, Ontario, located on 14 Ormond Street North. [1]
The Thorold Public Library is a building in Thorold, Ontario, located on 14 Ormond Street North. [1]
Thorold's first library was a private institution that opened in 1858. 110 patrons paid the $1 membership fee for access to the 600 books in the library's collection. This library ceased to exist in 1867. It was replaced by another library in 1869. This second library kept the same $1 membership fee until 1895, when it was discounted to half the price in an effort to grow its customer base. The library continued to struggle and eventually asked the city to take over its collection of 5,000 books. Under the city's ownership, it became a public library. Thorold was approved for a Carnegie Library grant and a new building opened in 1912. This library operated until 1983 and was replaced by the current location attached to Chestnut Hall. [2] In 2012, Chestnut Hall was assessed by a historical society that determined it was "badly showing its age" and may also be at risk of a fire due to damaged wiring. [3]
In 2020, Thorold's city council considered creating an additional branch to the Canada Games Park but ultimately decided against it due to plans to expand the current building. These renovations are expected to cost somewhere between six and eight million dollars. Plans for a branch in the south of the city, which was deemed to be a more suitable location, were discussed but with no definitive plans. [4]
In 2022, the library stopped issuing fines to patrons in order to improve access for those experiencing financial difficulties. [5] In 2023, patrons of the library borrowed 60,621 physical items. [6] That same year, the library digitized newspaper clippings from the 1870s onwards. [7] The library offers access to laptops and internet hotspots. Library patrons may also borrow items in other libraries through the Libraries in Niagara Co-operative program. [6]
St. Catharines is the most populous city in Canada's Niagara Region, the eighth largest urban area in the province of Ontario. As of 2017, St. Catharines has an area of 96.13 square kilometres (37.12 sq mi) and 140,370 residents. It lies in Southern Ontario, 51 kilometres (32 mi) south of Toronto across Lake Ontario, and is 19 kilometres (12 mi) inland from the international boundary with the United States along the Niagara River. It is the northern entrance of the Welland Canal. Residents of St. Catharines are known as St. Catharinites. St. Catharines carries the official nickname "The Garden City" due to its 1,000 acres (4 km2) of parks, gardens, and trails.
Thorold is a city in Ontario, Canada, located on the Niagara Escarpment. It is also the seat of the Regional Municipality of Niagara. The Welland Canal passes through the city, featuring lock 7 and the Twin Flight Locks.
The Welland Canal is a ship canal in Ontario, Canada, and part of the St. Lawrence Seaway and Great Lakes Waterway. The canal traverses the Niagara Peninsula between Port Weller on Lake Ontario, and Port Colborne on Lake Erie, and was erected because the Niagara River—the only natural waterway connecting the lakes—was unnavigable due to Niagara Falls. The Welland Canal enables ships to ascend and descend the Niagara Escarpment, and has followed four different routes since it opened.
The Niagara Peninsula is an area of land lying between the southwestern shore of Lake Ontario and the northeastern shore of Lake Erie, in Ontario, Canada. Technically an isthmus rather than a peninsula, it stretches from the Niagara River in the east to Hamilton, Ontario, in the west. The peninsula is located in the Golden Horseshoe region of Southern Ontario, and has a population of roughly 1,000,000 residents. The region directly across the Niagara River and Lake Erie in New York State is known as the Niagara Frontier.
The Regional Municipality of Niagara, also colloquially known as the Niagara Region or Region of Niagara, is a regional municipality comprising twelve municipalities of Southern Ontario, Canada. The regional seat is in Thorold. It is the southern end of the Golden Horseshoe, the largest megalopolis in Canada.
Niagara Falls is a federal electoral district in Ontario, Canada, that has been represented in the House of Commons of Canada since 1953.
Niagara Centre is a federal electoral district in the Niagara Region of Ontario that has been represented in the House of Commons of Canada from 1867 to 1988 and since 1997.
The Port Colborne Sailors are a Canadian junior ice hockey team based in Port Colborne, Ontario. They played in the Golden Horseshoe division of the Greater Ontario Junior Hockey League.
The Roman Catholic Diocese of Saint Catharines is a suffragan of the Archdiocese of Toronto in St. Catharines, Ontario. It covers the municipalities of Niagara Region and Haldimand County.
The Montrose Swing Bridge is located on the Welland River at the junction with the Queenston Power Canal in the southeast portion of the City of Niagara Falls, Ontario, Canada. It was built ca. 1910 to carry the Canada Southern Railway over the river. It is a two-track bridge, although only one track remains in use today. It crosses the river at roughly a 45-degree angle.
St. Catharines Transit (SCT) was a public transit agency which provided bus services to St. Catharines, Ontario, and the neighbouring city of Thorold. The St. Catharines Transit Commission took over operation of transit services within the city from Canadian National Transportation in 1961. In January 2023, St. Catharines Transit was merged with Niagara Falls Transit, Welland Transit, and Fort Erie Transit to form a single regional transit service, Niagara Region Transit.
Welland Transit was a public transportation agency in Welland, Ontario, Canada from 1977 to 2022. Upon its inception in 1973 the bus service was operated by a private company, known as "Metro Niagara Transit," funded by the city of Welland, which assumed full operation of the transit system in 1977. On January 1, 2023, it was merged with St. Catharines Transit and Niagara Falls Transit to form Niagara Region Transit.
Niagara Centre is a provincial electoral district in Ontario, Canada, represented from 1867 until 1977 and again since 2007 in the Legislative Assembly of Ontario. Its population in 2006 was 112,875.
The Niagara Falls Convention Centre is a convention centre located in Niagara Falls, Ontario, Canada, along Stanley Avenue and Dunn Street. It was previously known as the Scotiabank Convention Centre from 2011 to 2021 and was renamed after Scotiabank's naming rights expired.
The Niagara Falls Public Library is a public library system in the Canadian city of Niagara Falls, Ontario. The library has three branches: Victoria Avenue, Stamford Centre, and the Community Centre. There are two former branch libraries: Drummond and Chippawa. A bookmobile provides resources to different areas of the city.
Morningstar Mill is a 2.98-acre (1.21 ha) heritage site located in St. Catharines, Ontario, Canada. The site includes the Morningstar Mill, a sawmill, the home of the Morningstar family, a barn used for blacksmith demonstrations, and the Decew Falls gorge along the Niagara Escarpment. The site is operated by the volunteer group Friends of Morningstar Mill and owned by the City of St. Catharines. The gristmill was restored to working condition in 1992.
The Brown Homestead is a designated heritage property located on 1317 Pelham Road, St. Catharines, Ontario. The dwelling is an example of Loyalist Georgian architecture. It is the oldest residence remaining in the city, as it was first constructed in 1796. The Brown Homestead was expanded through an addition completed in 1802. At the time of construction, Pelham Road was a stagecouch route.
The St. Catharines Public Library is a public library system that provides service to residents of St. Catharines, Ontario. The library has four branches: Central, Merritt, Port Dalhousie and Dr. Huq. Materials available for loan include books, films, musical instruments, and video games. As of September 2024, residents from Niagara Falls, Niagara-on-the-Lake, Port Colborne, Thorold, Wainfleet, and Welland could borrow items from the library.
The Canada Summer Games Park is an athletic venue built in Thorold, Ontario, for the 2022 Canada Summer Games. It now hosts local events.
The Niagara-on-the-Lake Public Library is a library in Niagara on the Lake, Ontario, Canada. It offers various resources and programs. The library received press coverage for firing its chief librarian in 2024.