Forget Thorold becoming part of St. Catharines or Welland.  Dave Coplen wants his hometown to be its own country.

It's an idea Coplen tells 610 CKTB's Tom McConnell he's been kicking around for years, but his passion for a sovereign Thorold was re-ignited this week.

Ex Regional Chair Peter Partington told Bullet News Thorold should be absorbed by a bigger city.

But Coplen says the city of 18 000 is strong enough to stand on its own.  He says Thorold has access to the canal, industry, a sense of community, good infrastructure & is "a cradle of civilization".

Coplen suspects its why there's always so much talk of Thorold being swallowed up by bigger communities---everyone wants the city & its assets.

The self-proclaimed "Provisional leader of the Free Thorold Movement" is working on getting an online petition going.