The Votes are in! St. Catharines and Kentville each win $40,000. Over $263,000 Raised for Main Street Projects Across the Country.

Ottawa, ON, November 17, 2016
For Immediate Release

The votes have been counted and the public has spoken. The winners of the 2016 This Place Matters Competition are Save Lock One (St. Catharines) and Renewed and Rewritten: The Story of the Kentville Library (Kentville). These two communities will receive $40,000 each to implement projects to improve the vitality of their main street.

“We are thrilled with the outpouring of support from the public, with over 296,000 votes cast and $263,000 crowdfunded for 14 deserving communities,” said Natalie Bull, Executive Director of the National Trust for Canada. “We watched these participating project teams demonstrate creativity and dedication throughout the competition. We can’t wait to see these exciting community projects come to life.”

Save Lock One - St. Catharines, ON (City Beacon Category)
This project focuses on the area around Lock One of the Second Welland Canal, instrumental in opening the Great Lakes. With their $40,000 prize and $37,227 in crowdfunding donations, the group will revitalize the area allowing for public access and gathering space, a statue to commemorate the thousands of tow horses used to haul ships through the canal, and historical interpretive signage.

Kentville Library - Kentville, NS (Town Spotlight Category)
This project will create a vibrant public space and children’s library for the local community in the home of an abandoned United Church on Main Street in Kentville, Nova Scotia. While the main sanctuary of the church is under renovation, the entire library has been placed in a small, former Sunday School room. The $40,000 prize, and $59,300 in crowdfunding funds will be used to create a children’s area for both parents and children to enjoy. The library will construct a modern, community-focused space.

About This Place Matters
The goal of the National Trust’s 2016 This Place Matters Competition was to fuel local projects that bring together community partners and community members, especially youth, to improve the vitality of Canada’s main streets. This Place Matters is made possible by the generosity of the RBC Foundation.