The Elgin County Railway Museum’s request for $1 million from the City of St. Thomas is now in the hands of the City’s Treasurer. No money has been approved.
Council dealt with the request at its meeting on Monday, October 19th. In written answers to LocVox on October 20th, the City laid out what happens next. Council’s only direction was to refer the request to the Treasurer, who will investigate and report back.
In February, the City said it “cannot provide direct financial support for repairs to a privately owned facility,” as LocVox reported in September. The City confirmed that position has not changed.
Next, the Treasurer will ask the museum’s leadership for due-diligence documents and reports, according to the City. When the report comes back to council depends on when all of that information arrives.
The museum asked for the $1 million spread over five to ten years, and offered to wait until the 2028 budget year for the first payment. Because those payments would start in 2028, the City considers it unlikely the request will be part of the 2027 budget.
Supporters of the museum filled the council gallery on October 19th, and councillors said what they want to see before any decision. One councillor called it a worthy project, but asked for more information first: how much of the museum’s funding is actually secured and how much is only identified, the engineering reports showing the rest of the structure would stay stable once part of the building is removed, and the feasibility plan, to make sure the project is sustainable. Another asked what Elgin County and the municipalities within it are being asked to give, and what the request would mean for property taxes each year.
A third councillor spoke strongly for keeping the museum and noted that the decision will fall to the new council. Voting in the municipal election ends at 8 p.m. on October 26th.
The museum’s home is the 1913 Michigan Central Railway Locomotive Shops at 225 Wellington Street. Its plan is an $8.5 million project to restore about 18,000 square feet of the 52,000-square-foot building. One slide in the museum’s package to council shows a smaller restored building of 18,000 square feet, 8,300 square feet of outdoor amenity space, and 12,000 square feet labelled as future commercial space.
The package does not say in words what happens to the rest of the building. Two architect’s drawings in the package, also posted on the museum’s Save Our Museum website, show part of it as an open steel frame, with no roof or walls, standing over lawn and a plaza.
Any change like that would need City approval. The building is a protected heritage property, designated by council under the Ontario Heritage Act in 2014. The City says altering, renovating or demolishing it needs both a building permit and a heritage alteration permit.
As of October 20th, the City said it “is unaware of the museum’s plans for the building.” City planning staff have had no contact with anyone associated with the museum about plans for the building or the property, and the museum has not applied for any permits or heritage approvals.
The museum has been closed to the public since January. Early this year, the City acknowledged it had only recently received and reviewed a 2022 engineering report on the building. A newer engineering report, dated 2026, led City officials to place orders on the building under the Ontario Building Code.
On the money side, the museum says it has identified or secured about 73% of the cost, or $6.2 million, through its own resources, assets, partnerships and fundraising strategy. Its package says the rest would come from government, public donations and the business community, and that it has applied to FedDev Ontario, a federal agency, for $1 million.
The package does not say which assets, partners or pledges make up the $6.2 million, or how much each is worth. In 2024, the museum sold about 8 acres of its land to Doug Tarry Limited for $2.4 million and kept the building. Nothing in the package or on the museum’s websites says whether that money is part of the $6.2 million.
The museum’s letter says the goal is a balanced operating budget, “so that we are not returning to the municipality year after year seeking funding for ongoing operations.”
The museum’s own materials give different dates. Its website says it expects to stay closed until summer 2028. Its project brief plans construction from April 2027 to March 2029, and a timeline slide in the same package shows construction from March 2027 to June 2029, with a grand opening in June 2029.
LocVox put questions about the money, the building and the timing to the museum on October 21st and had not heard back by publication.
In the meantime, this year’s Community Christmas Tree Spectacular, run by the museum, is at the Old Imperial Market, 516 John Street North in Aylmer. It runs November 13th to December 23rd, with admission by donation.
Earlier coverage: Railway Museum Asks St. Thomas for $1 Million Toward Restoring Its 1913 Home
Sources: Elgin County Railway Museum letter and project package to council (October 19, 2026 agenda) · Ontario Heritage Act Register: Michigan Central Railway Locomotive Repair Shops, 225 Wellington Street · Save Our Museum
By Anthony Zruna · About the LocVox Newsroom
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