Sarnia news

• 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
  
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• 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
  
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• 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
  
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• 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
  
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• 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
  
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• 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
  
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• 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
  
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• 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,”
  
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• 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
  
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• '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
  
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• 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
  
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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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• 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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• '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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