TOP TEN EDO
St. Thomas
Southwestern Ontario community
develops as a small city with big ideas
Canadian Design and Construction Report special feature
Located in the heart of southwestern Ontario, St.

Thomas is a “small city with big ideas” surrounded by pic-
turesque towns, lakeside villages, historic hamlets and just
a short distance from London and the beaches of Lake
Erie. Established in 1956, the St. Thomas Economic Devel-
opment Corp. (STEDC) is one of the longest running organ-
izations of its kind in the country. While its mission may
have changed over time, the focus has always been on
supporting the community.

STEDC general manager Sean Dyke says the organiza-
tion was initially formed to ease the process of growth and
to provide top level service to business and industry look-
ing to locate in the city.

“Our current mission is to enhance the quality of life for
all citizens of St. Thomas by attracting, retaining and grow-
ing our industrial and commercial sectors, which will result
in increased employment opportunities and assessment,”
he said. “Our efforts include business attraction and reten-
40 – Spring 2017 — The Canadian Design and Construction Report
tion, community outreach, marketing and promotion,
tourism, small business development and community de-
velopment.” Dyke says when he started in his current role, it was ev-
ident the city had to become more community focused,
while still working to attract new business and helping ex-
isting businesses grow. With that in mind, in 2013, the cor-
poration added Railway City Tourism to the organization.

“We began working to increase awareness of the Railway
City brand through tourism, in the hopes of increasing vis-
itation, recognition and economic development in the city.”
The branding as a Railway City is a reflection of the
growth of St. Thomas over time as more than two dozen
railways passed through the region.

Dyke says the historic rail connection emphasizes the
importance of location. “Being situated midway between
Toronto and Detroit, in the heart of Canada’s industrial and
agricultural heartland and minutes from the City of London,
St. Thomas has benefitted greatly on all fronts, from indus-
trial to commercial to residential as the city has seen
steady growth, even in turbulent times.”