Curious about Thorold, Ontario, the site of the District 86 Toastmasters 2025 Spring Conference? The title of this article should give you a clue! This is also the motto of the City of Thorold.
Think way, way back to your Ontario geography classes in high school. Remember learning about the Welland Canal? This is the famous canal that links Lake Ontario and Lake Erie – along which thousands of ships travel every year. The city lies just next to the Welland Canal, and four miles, or 6.5 kilometres, south of the City of St. Catherines. (To be correct, the Welland Canal refers to not one, but four canals.)
Every year, approximately 3000 ships pass through the Welland Canal, with about 40,000 tons of cargo on board.
The motto “Where Ships Climb the Mountain” refers to the Twin Flight Locks – Locks 4,5, and 6 of the Welland Canal. Ships are lifted, step by step, over the Niagara Escarpment, to avoid having to traverse Niagara Falls (I am sure you would agree that wouldn’t be a good idea.) Before arriving at the Twin Flight Locks, however, ships pass through Lock 7, a very special lock indeed.
While in Thorold, why not visit the Lock 7 Viewing Complex to watch the ships being lifted? Lock 7 is a special lock with advanced technology, suction cups that attach to the ships and lift them up or down. Then the ships continue to the next locks in the series (Thorold boasts Locks 4 to 7 of the Canal).
In a way, we could think of our Toastmasters journey much like “Where Ships Climb the Mountain”, moving step by step through Pathways to achieve our leadership and public speaking goals, no matter how lofty they might be. The locks (Pathways levels) help us move from one stage of our development to another. In time, we move over the mountain and then beyond to destinations we might never have thought we would see.
But there is more to Thorold than just 23 million gallons of water filling the lock when a ship is about to pass through! Thorold, named after Sir John Thorold, a British Member of Parliament, was founded in 1788. It was incorporated as a city nearly two hundred years later, in 1975.
Beginning with the development of the four “course” Welland Canal in 1829, the town grew. Currently, Thorold is the site of lumber milling, quarrying, the manufacture of abrasives, and pulp and paper milling. Thorold also values its architectural heritage, winning the Prince of Wales Prize for Municipal Heritage in 2017. Its downtown has been revitalized and will be a great place for the District 86 Toastmasters 2025 Spring Conference attendees to explore and enjoy.
Don’t miss the chance to be part of a conference that is dedicated to your personal growth.
Register now at https://toastmasters86.org/district-86-2025-spring-conference/
Date: April 22-27, 2025
In-Person Events: April 26-27, 2025
Venue: Four Points by Sheraton St. Catharine’s Niagara Suites, Thorold, ON.
For more information about the Twin Flight Locks and Lock 7, visit the following:
https://www.guidetags.com/guidetags/explore//247-lock-7-and-twin-flight-locks
For more information about The City of Thorold and the Prince of Wales Prize, visit:
https://niagaraatlarge.com/2017/10/18/city-of-thorold-wins-national-recognition-with-prestigious-prince-of-wales-prize-for-municipal-heritage-leadership-2017/
For more information about the City of Thorold, visit:
https://www.thorold.ca/en/
Created by Bryn Snow, Milton Escarpment Toastmasters Club.