St. Thomas business owners will have a chance to speak directly with their federal and provincial representatives at a lunch event next month. The St. Thomas & District Chamber of Commerce is hosting its annual MP & MPP Luncheon on Tuesday, July 7, 2026, from 11:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. at the historic CASO Station on Talbot Street.
Federal MP Andrew Lawton and provincial MPP Rob Flack will be there to give remarks and then take questions from the audience. Lawton is the first-term Conservative MP for Elgin—St. Thomas—London South, elected in April 2025. Flack, the Progressive Conservative MPP for Elgin—Middlesex—London, also serves as Ontario’s Minister of Municipal Affairs and Housing.
With St. Thomas in the middle of a major economic boom driven by the $7 billion PowerCo SE electric vehicle battery plant, the timing of the event is significant. The factory is expected to create 3,000 direct jobs and up to 30,000 indirect jobs when production starts in 2027. Local business operators are likely to raise questions about housing, workforce development, and infrastructure as the city prepares for more growth.
The Chamber, which has been around since 1869 and now represents more than 625 businesses, will accept questions in advance by email. People who want to attend can register through the Chamber’s website. Tickets cost $50 plus HST for Chamber members and $65 plus HST for non-members. Non-members must call the office to register.
The venue itself, the CASO Station, is a landmark from the 1870s that once connected St. Thomas to a continent-wide rail system. It now houses the North America Railway Hall of Fame and serves as a gathering place for community events like this one.
