Sarnia news

• Missing Sarnia man committed a crime the day he couldn’t be found

  24-03-2025 20:47 via theobserver.ca
  
  A man who Sarnia police briefly reported missing last year has been jailed for an incident that took place the day he couldn’t be found.
  
  Read more

• Province maintains $5.6-million in homelessness funding for Lambton County

  03-07-2026 23:25 via theobserver.ca
  
  Lambton County is again receiving $5.6 million from Ontario to combat homelessness.This year’s funding from the Ministry of Municipal Affairs and Housing remains the same as the previous two years, said a county report.“Given the pressures on our community, we always would look for more,” said Melissa Fitzpatrick, the county’s general manager of social services.“We’re also grateful that we have what we have to sustain the systems we’ve been able to put
  
  Read more

• Lambton County officials want to know more about Dresden dump plans

  03-07-2026 22:28 via theobserver.ca
  
  A Lambton County mayor is raising concerns about the potential impact of truck traffic from Highway 402 to a landfill site a Toronto-area company wants to reopen in Chatham-Kent.Gary Atkinson, mayor of Plympton-Wyoming, spoke at Lambton County council Thursday about one of the anticipated trucking routes for the York1 Environmental Waste Solutions proposal in the municipality neighbouring Lambton.The company has said it plans to reopen a landfill and operate a recycling and waste facility at 29
  
  Read more

• Local organizers say 2027 International Plowing Match not coming to Brigden

  03-07-2026 19:40 via theobserver.ca
  
  The 2027 International Plowing Match will not be coming to Brigden, say local organizers.The International Plowing Match and Rural Expo was set to be held Sept. 21 to 25, 2027 in Brigden but the local organizing committee said Friday in a news release that Lambton County will no long serve as host for the event.“After careful consideration, the 2027 International Plowing Match and Rural Expo local committee has decided to withdraw its offer to host the 2027 IPM in Brigden,” local ch
  
  Read more

• Advertisement

• Westbound Highway 402 reopens in Plympton-Wyoming

  03-07-2026 17:00 via theobserver.ca
  
  A section of the westbound lanes of Highway 402 in Plympton-Wyoming reopened to traffic Friday morning following repairs.The section of the four-lane highway running from the Blue Water Bridge to London was closed between Oil Heritage Road and Mandaumin Road beginning Canada Day afternoon because of road conditions.A detour was in place while crews made repairs. The OPP reported Thursday the crews were at work at two sections of the highway.At 9 a.m. Friday, the OPP issued a notice that the wes
  
  Read more

• Mayor wants Port Lambton firefighters helping at more medical 911 calls

  02-07-2026 20:31 via theobserver.ca
  
  St. Clair Township council would like to have Port Lambton firefighters respond to some non-urgent 911 ambulance calls so they can offer help until paramedics arrive.Township Mayor Jeff Agar raised the issue Thursday during a Lambton County council meeting, asking if the tiered response arrangement for his township can be adjusted to have firefighters called out during some non-urgent ambulance calls in the Port Lambton area.“This is not a criticism of our paramedics, or dispatch staff,&r
  
  Read more

• Bid to tap immigration initiative to help fill jobs backed by Lambton County council

  02-07-2026 18:03 via theobserver.ca
  
  A Sarnia-Lambton Economic Partnership application to again lead a community effort to take part in a provincial initiative helping employers fill hard to fill jobs with foreign workers was backed nearly unanimously Thursday by Lambton County council.Only Sarnia Coun. Bill Dennis voted against supporting the partnership’s bid to lead the community’s involvement in the 2026-2027 Regional Economic Development through Immigration initiative of Ontario’s Ministry of Labour, Immigra
  
  Read more

• Unsafe road conditions close westbound section of Highway 402 in Plympton-Wyoming

  02-07-2026 17:08 via theobserver.ca
  
  A westbound section of Highway 402 in Plympton-Wyoming was closed to traffic on Wednesday afternoon because of road conditions, says Lambton OPP.The section of the four-lane highway running from the Blue Water Bridge to London was closed between Oil Heritage Road and Mandaumin Road, the OPP said.The section of highway remained closed Thursday morning, according to Ontario’s 511 traveller information website.Westbound drivers are being told to use London Line as a detour around the closed
  
  Read more

• Advertisement

• Turnout dips for Canada Day in Sarnia amid heat warning

  01-07-2026 23:52 via theobserver.ca
  
  There were fewer people than usual in Canatara Park for Canada Day celebrations in Sarnia Wednesday.“The crowds are a little bit down, but we expected that,” said Becky Wellington-Horner, who chairs Sarnia’s organizing committee for the annual celebration.Typically tens of thousands turn out for the festivities, including international food vendors, music, and other attractions in Canatara Park, followed by more stage shows and fireworks in Centennial Park.With an orange heat
  
  Read more

• Two arrested, drugs and knife seized: Sarnia police

  01-07-2026 20:41 via theobserver.ca
  
  Sarnia police seized drugs and a knife Monday evening, after two men suspected of drug trafficking backed into a police vehicle and then tried to flee on foot, police say.Members of Sarnia’s emergency response team, canine unit and drug unit were, around 7:50 p.m., moving to arrest two men in a vehicle, police said in a news release.The vehicle was stopped in the 100 block of Mitton Street, police said.The men were thought to be in possession of controlled substances for the purpose of tr
  
  Read more

• Ontario asked to approve extending the life of landfill near Watford

  30-06-2026 23:02 via theobserver.ca
  
  A plan to extend the life of a large landfill near Watford for another dozen years is in the hands of Ontario’s Ministry of Environment, Conservation and Parks.Members of the public have until Aug. 14 to submit comments to the ministry about WM (Waste Management) Canada’s final report, prepared under Ontario’s environmental assessment process, supporting the company’s proposal to extend the life of its Twin Creeks landfill, which is expected to be full in 2031, until 204
  
  Read more

• Gala for HOPE to aid Theatre Sarnia youth group and Inn of the Good Shepherd

  30-06-2026 23:01 via theobserver.ca
  
  A memorial fundraiser for Theatre Sarnia youth programs and the Inn of the Good Shepherd is setting sail Sunday.Helping Other People Eat (HOPE) in memory of Anthony Fracalanza, a Theatre Sarnia volunteer and staff member at the Inn of the Good Shepherd, has been held annually for several years and this year’s event is again a cruise on the St. Clair River.It’s the second year for the cruise following several years when volunteers collected food donations at the theatre for the Inn a
  
  Read more

• Study needed before increasing Highway 402 speed limit: Point Edward OPP detachment board

  30-06-2026 22:07 via theobserver.ca
  
  Point Edward’s OPP detachment board wants Ontario to pause a planned speed limit increase near the Blue Water Bridge border crossing.The already perilous stretch doesn’t need vehicles moving faster amid backed up commercial truck traffic, some carrying dangerous goods, said board chair Greg Grimes.“It’s only 10 kilometres an hour. I get that,” Grimes said about the proposed July 31 speed limit increase, to 110 kilomtres per hour, from Waterworks Road to 350 metres
  
  Read more

• Interest increases for Bluewater Health clerkship program

  30-06-2026 18:08 via theobserver.ca
  
  Bluewater Health’s clerkship program for third-year medical students is seeing a surge in interest.When it launched in 2025 , the program that lets Western University students learn hands-on from local physicians in hospital only had enough applicants to fill five of its eight spots.“Because people just didn’t know a lot about it,” said chief of staff Dr. Mike Haddad.All eight spots are now full, after 11 applied for year two of the program, he said.“It’s bee
  
  Read more

• Free skin cancer screening offered at Mole Mobile stop in Sarnia

  30-06-2026 17:10 via theobserver.ca
  
  The Mole Mobile tour is set to roll into Sarnia Friday and offer free walk-up skin cancer screening from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.Melanoma Canada’s Mole Mobile, operated in partnership with the Canadian Dermatology Association, is scheduled to be at Walmart on Quinn Drive in Sarnia Friday as part of a cross-Canada tour providing first-come, first-serve skin checks by a certified dermatologist.“We started the tour because there’s a huge shortage of dermatologists in Canada,” said
  
  Read more

• Sarnia couple open foot care and psychotherapy clinic

  29-06-2026 23:11 via theobserver.ca
  
  The connection between foot care and psychotherapy maybe isn’t immediately obvious.But it’s there, said Jason Willman, one half of the husband-wife duo behind Sarnia’s recently opened Willman Healthcare Group.“A lot of people have a lot of trauma and bad experiences,” said the long-time registered practical nurse at Sarnia’s hospital, recently educated as a PodOrtho foot specialist.“A lot of people, once they get comfortable with you, open up about thin
  
  Read more

• Sombra man sets off on journey of hope

  29-06-2026 22:04 via theobserver.ca
  
  Feeling “spiritual” at the onset of a 706-kilometre journey, Don Wells said Monday he was focused on the task at hand.Never mind it was his 77th birthday, said the Sombra man battling bladder, colon, and stage four prostate cancer.“It’s about these kids,” said Wells, who is piloting his electric scooter from Walpole Island’s Cultural Community Centre to the Parliament buildings in Ottawa.His fifth in a Journey of Hope series that started years ago – col
  
  Read more

• Mural installed at Canatara Park lifeguard station by nuSarnia Foundation

  29-06-2026 21:36 via theobserver.ca
  
  Emily Wright, the artist who created Canatara at Sunset, a mural installed at the Canatara Park lifeguard station, was born and raised in Sarnia.“I’ve always come here since I was a kid to watch the sunset,” she said Monday before the start of a celebration and ribbon-cutting the NuSarnia Foundation held to celebrate the mural project it led.“The vibrant colours of the sunset, I just really wanted to display that and the simplicity and beauty of the natural world,”
  
  Read more

• Sarnia man, 66, in jail after police raid nets 200 grams of cocaine, stun gun

  29-06-2026 02:58 via theobserver.ca
  
  A 66-year-old man Sarnia police said is facing drugs and weapons charges after officers seized more than 200 grams of cocaine and a stun gun is still in jail and is due back in court Monday.Sarnia police said around 4:30 p.m. Thursday their drug unit, canine unit and emergency response team raided a home in the 400 block of Russell Street South. Officers found about 205 grams of cocaine, worth about $20,500 on the streets, and nearly $750 in cash.They also seized drug trafficking paraphernalia
  
  Read more

• 'Play ball': New batting cage, bleachers open in Petrolia

  28-06-2026 03:41 via theobserver.ca
  
  PETROLIA – A new batting cage and bleachers at a baseball diamond here were officially unveiled Saturday.Petrolia Mayor Brad Loosley, along with several local baseball players and members of a baseball-loving family, cut a baseball-themed ribbon to mark the opening of the new facilities at one of the diamonds in Greenwood Park.“I would like to officially announce them as open for use,” Loosley said shortly before the ribbon cutting. “Congratulations. Play ball.”Acc
  
  Read more

• Canada Day bashes under way in Sarnia-Lambton

  28-06-2026 03:12 via theobserver.ca
  
  BRIGHT’S GROVE – Canada Day celebrations are officially under way in Sarnia-Lambton.Thousands of people showed up here Saturday for the Bright’s Grove Optimist Club’s Canada Day in the Grove event. Held in Kenwick Park, the community gathering ran for 11 hours.It started at 11 a.m. with the parade from Wildwood Park, then featured various children’s entertainment, such as rides, bouncy castles and face painting, from noon until 3 p.m. The band Clear Oversight perfo
  
  Read more

• Sarnia eyeing incentives for economic development

  26-06-2026 21:55 via theobserver.ca
  
  When it comes to enticing businesses to set up shop in Sarnia, breaks on things like development charges, and building permit fees have been lacking.So says Matthew Slotwinski, the head of Lambton County’s Sarnia-Lambton Economic Partnership.“In many cases, the absence of competitive incentives can disqualify a location” as businesses consider what different communities have to offer, he said.“Not only late in the process, but sometimes even before a community is serious
  
  Read more

• Lambton County asked to explore offering fire inspection services

  26-06-2026 19:12 via theobserver.ca
  
  Lambton County has been asked to consider providing fire inspection services to several of its municipalities.The request came from Brad Goodhill, director of fire and emergency services for Warwick Township, on behalf of his municipality, as well as fellow fire chiefs in Petrolia, Dawn-Euphemia Township, Oil Springs and Brooke-Alvinston.“Many communities do not have the need for a full-time fire inspection officer,” Goodhill said.“Warwick contracts inspection services with a
  
  Read more

• Bluewater Health deficit shrinks to $3.84 million

  26-06-2026 19:06 via theobserver.ca
  
  Bluewater Health’s deficit-shrinking plan is working better than expected.The Sarnia and Petrolia hospital group finished 2025-26 $3.84-million in the red, its audited financial statements say.That’s a nearly $7-million improvement compared to the previous year, said Paula Reaume-Zimmer, president and CEO with the corporation with nearly 2,500 staff, professional staff and volunteers.Audited financial statements from a year prior list the 2024-25 Bluewater Health operating deficit a
  
  Read more

• Sarnia skipper aims for first place in this summer's race to Mackinac Island

  26-06-2026 17:13 via theobserver.ca
  
  Sarnia skipper Matt Lane and his eight-member crew are looking forward to having fun racing to Mackinac Island during the annual Bayview Mackinac Race in July, but they also want to win.Last summer, Lane and his crew, sailing from the Sarnia Yacht Club, placed second in their division during the 101st running of what’s billed as the longest continuously running long-distance freshwater yacht race.“We had a great race,” Lane said.“We ended up being first across the line i
  
  Read more

• 'Portfolio' of Sarnia-area affordable housing proposals to seek federal funding

  26-06-2026 14:56 via theobserver.ca
  
  An affordable housing proposal for which Sarnia city council approved rezoning Monday could help the community leverage more than $50 million in upper government funding.The proposed $32.5-million, 94-apartment building Lambton County would like to build next to an existing affordable housing site on Cathcart Boulevard is expected to lead a portfolio of local affordable housing projects seeking funds from the federal Build Canada Homes agency.“The way Build Canada Homes is structured, it&
  
  Read more

• Unionized custodian jobs eliminated on the Canadian half of the Blue Water Bridge near Sarnia

  25-06-2026 21:09 via theobserver.ca
  
  Custodians working on the Canadian half of the Blue Water Bridge were let go earlier this month and replaced with an outside contract service, says the Public Service Alliance of Canada (PSAC).The union said in a news release 10 custodial workers employed by the operator of the Canadian side of the crossing, the Federal Bridge Corp., were “suddenly terminated and escorted off the property” on June 10.“Members were called into a meeting and weren’t really given any notice
  
  Read more

• Interim Sarnia police chief says he's been warmly welcomed

  25-06-2026 20:02 via theobserver.ca
  
  Sarnia’s interim police chief says his first weeks on the job have gone well.“It’s a privilege to have been asked to work as your chief,” Mike Federico told the service’s board Thursday, during his first Sarnia board meeting.The former Toronto police deputy chief was appointed to shepherd Sarnia’s service as chief Derek Davis, deputy chief Ron Hansen, and an unnamed civilian member are suspended with pay pending the outcome of a workplace harassment investiga
  
  Read more

• Police board defers strategic plan update

  25-06-2026 19:07 via theobserver.ca
  
  Sarnia’s police board will likely get more community input before crafting its next strategic plan.“I think we will probably redo those,” board chair Kelly Ash said about public input sessions held last September to help map out a new three-year strategic direction.Service plans were still in place at that time for a new police headquarters, but funding then failed to materialize in last year’s city budget process.The need to address existing station shortcomings hasn&rs
  
  Read more

• Lambton Heritage Museum celebrating agricultural hall renovation with Bygone Days Bash

  24-06-2026 22:27 via theobserver.ca
  
  The Lambton Heritage Museum is throwing a party to celebrate renovations to its agricultural hall.The building, holding about 140 artifacts at the museum site in Lambton Shores, recently underwent renovations valued at about $70,000, said curator-supervisor Dana Thorne.“We refinished all of the walls inside the hall” along with new display cases and interpretive panels, she said.“We wanted an opportunity for the public to come to see all the changes in the agricultural hall an
  
  Read more

Follow @Sarnia_News on Twitter!