Sarnia news

• 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
  
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• 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
  
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• 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
  
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• 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
  
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• '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&
  
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• 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
  
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• 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
  
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• 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
  
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• 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
  
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• St. Clair Township mayor feeling 'frustrated' after local energy projects fail to move ahead

  24-06-2026 21:36 via theobserver.ca
  
  Ontario’s decision to go with three battery storage projects elsewhere in the province, instead of proposals for battery storage and additional natural gas-fired electricity generation in St. Clair Township, has frustrated its mayor.The township neighbouring Sarnia was the site of five natural gas generation and battery storage proposals submitted to a round of electricity capacity procurement where Ontario’s Independent Electricity System Operator this month instead selected batter
  
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• Pathways CEO retiring in September

  24-06-2026 20:19 via theobserver.ca
  
  It’s been a privilege and an honour, says Alison Morrison.The CEO of Pathways Health Centre for Children, a 51-year-old children’s treatment centre that offers services such as speech and recreational therapy for youngsters, is planning to retire Sept. 7.The Chatham-Kent native who started with Pathways on a speech-language pathology student placement in 1998, said she has wonderful memories meeting with families to help their youngsters, working with other community groups, and hel
  
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• Firefighting, First World War themes at Mooretown model train event

  24-06-2026 19:32 via theobserver.ca
  
  A Second World War theme drew a larger than usual crowd to last year’s model train day at Moore Museum.And volunteer event organizer Tom Walter is wondering if this year’s homages to the First World War will do the same.Walter, who’s helped organize model train events at the Mooretown museum since 2013, said this year’s eight model train layouts include a Great War-era G-scale train, hauling model pieces of the Red Baron’s plane.A rare O-scale British Beyer Garratt
  
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• Strong start for Bright's Grove library hub fundraising campaign

  23-06-2026 23:42 via theobserver.ca
  
  Almost $750,000 had already been raised at the official launch Tuesday of a fundraising campaign for a Bright’s Grove community hub and library project.“That’s all from people who came to us,” said Mark Moran, co-chair of the committee backing the $5.9-million project.A plan to raise $1 million from the community has been eyed for years as project proponents vied for council approval.Council, over a series of budget cycles, has backed the accessibility and space upgrade
  
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• Bright's Grove library hub fundraising off to strong start

  23-06-2026 23:42 via theobserver.ca
  
  Almost $750,000 already had been raised as a fundraising campaign for a Bright’s Grove community hub and library project kicked off this week.“That’s all from people who came to us,” said Mark Moran, co-chair of the committee backing the $5.9-million project.A plan to raise $1 million from the community has been eyed for years as project proponents vied for council approval.Council, over a series of budget cycles, has backed the accessibility and space upgrade at the und
  
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• Point Edward eyeing new parking lot, asking for input

  23-06-2026 19:31 via theobserver.ca
  
  Point Edward is considering creating a 22-space parking lot, as a result of a $7.3-million road reconstruction project, and wants to hear what people think.Eyed for space beside a public works facility at 701 Lite St., the 660-square-metre lot would add space for local businesses and people visiting Point Edward, said Mayor Bev Hand.The site is along a trail, she said, recently built as part of the St. Clair and Lite streets project that also replaced water mains, reduced the number of road lan
  
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• Rezoning for affordable appartments approved; Sarnia city council notebook

  23-06-2026 03:30 via theobserver.ca
  
  Sarnia city council approved rezoning and official plan amendments Monday for a four-storey, 94-unit affordable apartment building project off Cathcart Boulevard.The changes add the building and more parking beside an existing two-storey, 42-unit apartment building, along bus routes and near shopping.Two residents at the meeting panned the County of Lambton project at the former St. Bartholomew church property as an overdevelopment and said they’re concerned about safety, while another ca
  
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• Humane society given right of first refusal for surplus Sarnia park parcel

  23-06-2026 00:55 via theobserver.ca
  
  Sarnia city council has agreed to list a portion of Centennial Park for sale.Council unanimously declared the 1.2-hectare (three-acre) northern park parcel beside the Sarnia and District Humane Society surplus Monday, and 8-1 agreed to give the humane society right of first refusal to match offers.A public input meeting is scheduled for the July 20 council meeting, and council at that time will be asked to provide city staff direction about seeking expressions of interest, a city report says.Bo
  
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• Humane society gets right of first refusal for surplus Sarnia park parcel

  23-06-2026 00:55 via theobserver.ca
  
  Sarnia city council has agreed to list a portion of Centennial Park for sale.Council unanimously declared the 1.2-hectare (three-acre) northern park parcel beside the Sarnia and District Humane Society surplus Monday, and 8-1 agreed to give the humane society right of first refusal to match offers.A public input meeting is scheduled for the July 20 council meeting, and council at that time will be asked to provide city staff direction about seeking expressions of interest, a city report says.Bo
  
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• Charges laid after business targeted in fraud scheme: Sarnia police

  22-06-2026 21:24 via theobserver.ca
  
  One person faces charges and police are looking for another in connection with a $120,000 fraud investigation.A local business owner contacted Sarnia police Jan. 27, reporting potential fraud, police say.In October, 2025, the business owner told police, the business began supplying products to another company, police said.The two companies had done business before, police said.The firm attempted to source one of the sought pieces of equipment online to fulfill the order, police said. There was
  
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• Walpole Island slaying: Convict can't seek parole for 14 years

  22-06-2026 15:20 via theobserver.ca
  
  The man convicted of second-degree murder and kidnapping by a Sarnia jury in a grisly 2021 Walpole Island homicide probe will spend at least 14 years in prison before he can seek parole.Jahton Blair, 45, who has ties to Windsor and the Toronto area, pleaded not guilty Feb. 10 at the Sarnia courthouse to first-degree murder and kidnapping. Following a month of evidence and legal instructions, the jury deliberated for two days before convicting Blair of second-degree murder and kidnapping March 1
  
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• Sunday's Google 'doodle' created by Aamjiwnaang First Nation artist

  21-06-2026 14:45 via theobserver.ca
  
  Sunday’s Google site “doodle” marking National Indigenous People’s Day was created by Aamjiwnaang First Nation artist Nico Williams.“I was speechless when I got the call . . . and also proud to be approached as an Anishinaabe artist,” said Williams who lives and works in Montreal.That’s where his beadwork design, inspired by the Great Lakes and traditional Anishinaabe iconography, was created to appear in the shape of the Google letters.Since the first
  
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• One person injured in Sarnia house fire

  20-06-2026 22:34 via theobserver.ca
  
  Michele Dionne said Saturday she was thankful for her neighbours on Davis Street.A fire that began around noon in the house the family has rented for many years sent one of two sons living there with her and her spouse to Bluewater Health with burns, but everyone else escaped uninjured, she said.Cause of the fire was being investigated by Sarnia Fire Rescue but Dionne said one of her sons was upstairs and discovered the fire she believes may have started on that floor.“He told us to get o
  
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• Small business grants giving nine Lambton County enterprises a boost

  20-06-2026 17:04 via theobserver.ca
  
  A small business grant program offered this spring by the Sarnia-Lambton Economic Partnership attracted more than 100 applications.The agency funded by Lambton County to attract jobs to the region and nurture local businesses, recently announced nine recipients of the small business support grants of up to $4,000 each.It was a “one-time delivery program we were lucky enough to be able to provide to the small business community” this year, said partnership CEO Matthew Slotwinski.The
  
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• Sarnia food bank cereal drive has its best year collecting more than 5,000 boxes

  20-06-2026 15:15 via theobserver.ca
  
  A reinvigorated cereal drive brought in a record haul for the food bank at the Inn of the Good Shepherd in Sarnia.Opening up its Cereal Dom-Inn-os drive paid off the Sarnia charity by bringing in 5,078 boxes in the event’s fifth year.“It was amazing,” said program manager Adrienne McPhee. “Our biggest year yet.”Previously, the drive involved local elementary schools volunteering to gather donations of boxes of cereal and line them up in the school hallway to knock
  
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• MTO study may gobble up $400K housing target payout: Sarnia mayor

  19-06-2026 22:00 via theobserver.ca
  
  Sarnia has another $400,000 in provincial funding for meeting local home-building targets.But that Building Faster Fund cash might be needed for a provincially required study, Sarnia Mayor Mike Bradley said.Sarnia, he said, recently received word from Ontario’s Transportation Ministry of Transportation that a highway access management plan is needed before extending Wellington Street and underground infrastructure to unlock new development in the city’s Development Area 2.The 570-he
  
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• MTO calling for Wellington Street extension project study, Sarnia's mayor says

  19-06-2026 22:00 via theobserver.ca
  
  Sarnia’s has another $400,000 in provincial funding for meeting local home-building targets.But the Building Faster Fund cash might be needed for a provincially required study, Sarnia Mayor Mike Bradley said.Sarnia, he said, recently received word from Ontario’s Ministry of Transportation that a highway access management plan is needed before extending Wellington Street and underground infrastructure to unlock new development in the city’s Development Area 2.The 570-hectare (1
  
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• Construction of new Lambton ambulance HQ on track for 2027 start

  19-06-2026 21:53 via theobserver.ca
  
  An architect is expected to be hired soon to design Lambton County’s new ambulance service headquartersThat design should be completed by year’s end, followed by selection of a contractor, and ground-breaking in spring toward an expected 2028 opening, says a progress report on recommendations in Lambton County Emergency Medical Services’ (EMS) master plan.That five-year plan, adopted by county council in 2024, sets out 16 recommendations, include improving response times by re
  
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• Multicultural dinner to showcase Sarnia-area francophone history project

  19-06-2026 21:35 via theobserver.ca
  
  The history of Sarnia-Lambton’s francophone community links strongly to the former village of Blue Water , says Lo-Anne Chan.The Second World War-era village that sprouted beside the former Polymer plant during the war effort, and was levelled in the 1960s, was majority francophone, said the Centre communautaire francophone de Sarnia-Lambton rep.“A lot of French names in the community now, a lot of those were families that had come and established the village,” Chan said, befo
  
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• Walpole Island slaying: Killer can't seek parole for at least 14 years

  19-06-2026 20:28 via theobserver.ca
  
  The man convicted of second-degree murder and kidnapping by a Sarnia jury in a grisly 2021 Walpole Island homicide probe will spend at least 14 years in prison before he can seek parole.Jahton Blair, 45, who has ties to Windsor and the Toronto area, pleaded not guilty Feb. 10 at the Sarnia courthouse to first-degree murder and kidnapping. Following a month of evidence and legal instructions, the jury deliberated for two days before convicting Blair of second-degree murder and kidnapping March 1
  
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• Sarnia Legion Pipe Band enjoying infusion of youth

  19-06-2026 17:50 via theobserver.ca
  
  Some younger sets of lungs will be at work this summer at the Sarnia Legion Pipe Band’s waterfront performances, parades and other appearances.Free evening performances at the flag court in Centennial Park are a tradition for the 25-member marching band of pipers and drummers that also maintains a busy schedule of parades, special events and community performances.For the monthly summer waterfront performances, the band marches from Branch 62 of the Royal Canadian Legion, where it holds p
  
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