Sarnia news

• On your mark, get set, eat: Sarnia Rotary Mackinac Race breakfast returns July 18

  11-07-2026 14:47 via theobserver.ca
  
  The Rotary Club of Sarnia is getting ready to have up to 2,000 sailboat fans over for breakfast July 18.The service’s club’s 44th annual pancake breakfast is set to run 7 a.m. to 11 a.m. that day in Point Edward’s Waterfront Park next to the Blue Water Bridge as boats in the Bayview Mackinac Race make their way from Port Huron into Lake Huron.“We’ve been doing it a long time,” said Myles Vanni, chairperson of the club’s breakfast committee.Volunteers wi
  
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• Sarnia painter addresses situation in Gaza in show at Lawrence House

  12-07-2026 21:27 via theobserver.ca
  
  Painter Rabia Rizvi says she wants her show at Sarnia’s Lawrence House Centre for the Arts to inspire others to research what’s happening in Gaza and speak out.Her solo exhibition at the downtown arts centre, We Bear Witness 2, runs through July 31.“It’s a social political show,” based on what is happening in Gaza, Palestine, Rizvi said.In 2023, Hamas killed some 1,200 people in Israel, and took another 250 hostage, including several Canadian citizens, and since th
  
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• Firefighters and towing crews train together in Sarnia

  12-07-2026 15:26 via theobserver.ca
  
  Accident scenes were set up Saturday around the parking lot at Preferred Towing in Sarnia so firefighters from around southwestern Ontario could practiced their skills alongside tow truck operators.The training session had firefighters moving between four scenarios involving freeing mannequins from crashes involving transport trucks, with the help of crews from Preferred Towing and Woodstock Tire Service.“It gives the fire departments a chance to see a lot more tools in the toolbox”
  
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• Brigden Fair board 'a bit in limbo' over 2027 International Plowing Match

  11-07-2026 21:08 via theobserver.ca
  
  The president of the Moore Agricultural Society, owners of the Brigden fairgrounds, says the fair board is waiting for clarity about the 2027 International Plowing Match and Farm Expo.“We’re a bit in limbo . . . not knowing exactly what’s going on,” John Scott, president of the Moore Agricultural Society, said Saturday.Lambton County was awarded the 2027 plowing match in April 2025 by the Ontario Plowmen’s Association with plans for the event to be held at and near
  
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• FireFit regional competition returning to Lambton College

  11-07-2026 19:07 via theobserver.ca
  
  Firefighters will again test their skills at Lambton College when the Sarnia school hosts the Western Ontario Regional FireFit Championships July 17 to 19.“This is the fourth time we’ve hosted a regional,” said Sue Patrick, co-coach with Shane Bettridge of the student FireFit team at the college’s fire school.In 2023, the college hosted the national and world championships for the competition billed as the “toughest two minutes in sports,” in which firefighte
  
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• Care event for spouses of first responders offered at Lambton County respite cabin

  10-07-2026 21:04 via theobserver.ca
  
  A cabin built in Dawn-Euphemia Township to support the mental wellbeing of first responders is offering a free half-day of care for their spouses.First responder spousal support day includes a nutritional workshop, yoga, “forest bathing” and a meal during morning and afternoon sessions July 18 at Three Oaks Respite Cabin near Florence.Built by the family of Dalles Bergsma, a farmer and volunteer firefighter who died of suicide in 2020 at age 27, the cabin provides respite stays for
  
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• 'Difficult decision': Cash-strapped charity calls off Sarnia affordable housing plan

  10-07-2026 18:00 via theobserver.ca
  
  With donations down and costs rising, Sarnia’s Inn of the Good Shepherd says it can no longer afford to proceed with plans for an affordable housing project on a former church site on Exmouth Street.The board of the charity operating a soup kitchen, food bank, shelters and other programs for those struggling financially, said in a release Thursday it has made “the difficult decision” not to proceed with a plan, announced in 2024, to build an affordable housing project on the s
  
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• Crime Stoppers sign missing in Thedford: police

  10-07-2026 15:47 via theobserver.ca
  
  Somebody call Crime Stoppers: Its sign in Thedford has gone missing.Lambton OPP are asking for the public’s help investigating the theft of a sign with a value estimated at $800.The large Crime Stoppers sign, posted near Highway 79 and Arkona Road at the entrance to the Lambton Shores community, was reported stolen July 1, police said.Police ask anyone with information about the missing sign, suspicious activity in the area or who may have dash camera footage, to call them at 1-888-310-11
  
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• Sarnia-area home sales climb in June

  09-07-2026 19:58 via theobserver.ca
  
  Homes sales warmed up in June in the Sarnia-area, just as April Barnard expected.The president of the Sarnia Lambton Association of Realtors said last month local home sales cooled during the early weeks of May but were showing signs of increasing as the weather warmed as the month went along.That turned out to be the case with June’s 170 local home sales registering a five per cent jump from the same month in 2025.“I like it when I’m right,” Barnard said. “It was
  
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• Sarnia-raised hip hop artist and author named to Order of Canada

  09-07-2026 17:36 via theobserver.ca
  
  When The Amazing Race Canada asked Duane (D.O.) Gibson what his hometown is, he didn’t hesitate.“I said my hometown is Sarnia, Ont.,” Gibson said.The rapper, author and newly named member of the Order of Canada was born in Saskatchewan to a family with Cape Breton roots, grew up in Sarnia before heading to Toronto two decades ago for university and then a career as a motivational speaker and hip hop artist.“Sarnia, the community, is what made me into the person that I am
  
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• McFadyen Scholarships grow at Sarnia's Great Lakes secondary school

  09-07-2026 14:57 via theobserver.ca
  
  The number and the value of scholarships awarded this year to Great Lakes secondary school students in memory of a Sarnia judge have grown.The Anne McFadyen scholarships were established in 2025 by George McFadyen to honour his late wife who was the first woman to be president of the Lambton Law Association and was appointed to the Ontario Court of Justice bench in 1998. She died in February 2024.The scholarship fund, established with the Sarnia Community Foundation, awarded five $12,000 schola
  
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• No-show trucker gets 15 years in $7.5M Sarnia drug-smuggling case

  08-07-2026 22:06 via theobserver.ca
  
  A Brampton truck driver found guilty of smuggling $7.5 million worth of drugs into Canada over the Blue Water Bridge has been sentenced to 15 years in prison.But Charanpreet Singh, 29, isn’t behind bars because he allegedly cut off his GPS tracker while out on bail and fled Canada days before he was to be sentenced at the Sarnia courthouse, sources say.Stephane Marinier, a veteran prosecutor who handled this case, said it’s uncommon for an accused person to flee the jurisdiction bef
  
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• Provincial association 'committed' to 2027 International Plowing Match in Lambton

  08-07-2026 20:12 via theobserver.ca
  
  The Ontario Plowmen’s Association (OPA) says it remains committed to holding its 2027 International Plowing Match and Rural Expo in Lambton County following the local committee’s decision to withdraw from the event.Lambton County was awarded the 2027 plowing match in April 2025 by the provincial association with plans for the event to be held at and near the Bridgen Fairgrounds, but last Friday, a local committee that has been putting plans in place and recruiting volunteers issued
  
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• Sarnia cycling programs outgrow storage shed after only three years

  07-07-2026 22:15 via theobserver.ca
  
  Cycling programs for seniors and youngsters in Sarnia have been growing quickly in recent years.That led to a recent extension of a storage shed the city built for local cycling programs three years ago next to the Strangway community centre on East Street.It stores bikes for the youth program and several “trishaws” volunteers use to take seniors for rides around the community.“Since we started the cycling-without-age program and youth program, the need has increased way more
  
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• Blue Water Bridge drug-smuggling trial: Brampton trucker will learn his fate July 30

  07-07-2026 20:27 via theobserver.ca
  
  A Brampton trucker who denied knowing there were about 300 kilograms of cocaine in his trailer when he crossed into Canada via the Blue Water Bridge will learn his fate later this month.Border officers on the Canadian side of the twin-span bridge between Michigan and the Sarnia area found 281 bricks of cocaine, which weighed 333 kilograms in the packaging, while inspecting a truck late on March 5, 2025. The drugs would’ve been worth between $5 million and $34 million, depending on how the
  
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• Fatal collision closes section of Confederation Line in Sarnia: police

  07-07-2026 18:44 via theobserver.ca
  
  One person has died and another was injured in a collision late Monday evening in Sarnia, say police.Sarnia police said officers and other emergency services were called out shortly after 11 p.m. to a report of a collision on Confederation Line between Modeland Road and Blackwell Sideroad.Police said two individuals went to hospital, and one was later pronounced dead. Police described the other individual’s injuries as life-threatening.A section of Confederation line was expected to remai
  
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• Pride in the Park set for this weekend in Sarnia

  07-07-2026 16:23 via theobserver.ca
  
  Pride in the Park returns this weekend to Sarnia’s Canatara Park.It’s the second year for the celebration in the park by Queer Joy Canada, a Sarnia-based organization founded by Jessica Baker.The event is free, including drag shows Friday and Saturday evenings at Refined Fool on London Road, Baker said. Doors open at 8 p.m. both nights.Events in Canatara Park run noon to 5 p.m. on Saturday and Sunday with vendors and music, including a concert Saturday at 1:30 p.m. by Sarah Smith.&l
  
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• Petrolia high school's Nicol scholarships to end in 2029

  06-07-2026 22:07 via theobserver.ca
  
  After four decades of awarding several US$10,000 scholarships a year to graduates of Petrolia’s high school, the Nicol scholarships are to end in 2029.Created in 1987 with US$1.3 million left in the will of former student Robert Nicol, hundreds of the scholarships have been awarded through the years, but funds for only three more years of awards remain, said Tim Hummel, Canadian representative with the U.S.-based Nicol Foundation.“We’re winding it down,” Hummel said. &ld
  
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• New Alberta-Sarnia pipeline would save, create jobs: economic developer

  06-07-2026 20:55 via theobserver.ca
  
  If the proposed Northern Shield Energy Corridor pipeline from Alberta to Sarnia is built, it will help keep thousands of existing jobs in the community and should create more, a local economic developer says.“I think it’s fantastic news,” said Matthew Slotwinski, chief executive of the Sarnia-Lambton Economic Partnership, of Monday’s announcement by Ontario Premier Doug Ford and Alberta Premier Danielle Smith of a proposed 3,000-kilometre Alberta-Sarnia route for the cru
  
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• New Alberta-Sarnia oil pipeline save, create jobs: economic developer

  06-07-2026 20:55 via theobserver.ca
  
  If the proposed Northern Shield Energy Corridor pipeline from Alberta to Sarnia is built, it will help keep thousands of existing jobs in the community and should create more, a local economic developer says.“I think it’s fantastic news,” said Matthew Slotwinski, chief executive of the Sarnia-Lambton Economic Partnership, of Monday’s announcement by Ontario Premier Doug Ford and Alberta Premier Danielle Smith of a proposed 3,000-kilometre Alberta-Sarnia route for the cru
  
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• Century-old fire truck showcased in Brigden

  05-07-2026 22:44 via theobserver.ca
  
  BRIGDEN – A 100-year-old fire truck was on display here Saturday as the local fire department celebrated a century of firefighting.A 1926 Ford Model T fire truck was showcased during the St. Clair Township fire department’s open house at its station in Brigden from noon to 4 p.m.“In its day that 1926 there was a pretty good truck and everybody was happy to have it,” said Richard Boyes, St. Clair Township’s fire chief.The historic truck was parked next to a brand-ne
  
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• A generation of gears on display in Petrolia

  05-07-2026 22:04 via theobserver.ca
  
  PETROLIA – A new, family-friendly event focused on old and new machinery was held here Saturday.The Generations of Gears car, truck and tractor show ran Saturday in the park and field next to the Greenwood Recreation Centre. Along with the various new and old equipment on display, Generations of Gears also featured live music, food, and children’s entertainment such inflatables.The new event, hosted by the Petrolia and Enniskillen Agricultural Society and featuring the Sarnia Street
  
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• 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
  
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• 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
  
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• 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
  
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• 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
  
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• 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
  
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• 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
  
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• 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
  
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• 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
  
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