Information AboutSarnia, Ontario |
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HISTORY The growth of the city received a major boost when North America's first oil discovery was made at nearby Petrolia in the 1850 s. In 1938 , the Blue Water Bridge was built to join Sarnia with Port Huron, Michigan ; in 1997 , the bridge was twinned. Today linking Ontario Highway 402 with the US I-94 , the bridge is one of the most important gateways on the north/south truck routes. This bridge to the United States had been preceded by the construction of the St. Clair Tunnel in 1891 — the first Rail Tunnel ever to pass under a river. The tunnel was an engineering marvel in its day, achieved through the development of original techniques for excavating in a compressed air environment. When World War II threatened Tropical sources of natural Latex for Rubber , Sarnia was selected as the site to spearhead development of synthetic petroleum-based rubbers for War materials. Large pipelines bring Alberta oil to Sarnia, where Oil Refining and petrochemical production have become mainstays of the city's economy. Large Salt beds found under the city became a source of Chlorine and another significant ingredient in the success of the "Chemical Valley". While industry expanded south along the St. Clair, Sarnia's population tended to move out eastward along the Lake Huron shoreline. The sandy Fresh Water beaches are a popular tourist attraction, while the sheltered harbour houses marinas for recreational Sailing . Since 1925 , the 250-mile Mackinac race from Sarnia/Port Huron to Mackinac Island , at the north end of the lake, has been the highlight of the sailing season, drawing more than 3000 sailors each year. GOVERNMENT Sarnia City Council consists of nine elected members, including: the Mayor, four City and County Council members and four City Council members. City and County Council members are elected to serve on both the City of Sarnia and Lambton County Councils, along with the Mayor. City Councillors serve on City Council only. All Council members are elected for 3 year terms. EDUCATION The Lambton Kent District School Board is responsible for the 13 elementary and 4 secondary public schools located within Sarnia's boundaries. The St. Clair Catholic District School Board is responsible for the city's 7 elementary and 2 secondary catholic schools. Both boards also provide french immersion education. The French Catholic School Board - the Conseil Scolaire de District des Ecoles Catholiques du Sud-Ouest, represents the french Catholic schools in the city. Lambton College is one of Ontario's 21 Colleges of Applied Arts and Technology. It has a full time enrollment of 2,500 and a part-time enrollment of about 8,000. In 2005 The University Of Western Ontario opened a Research and Development Park in Sarnia to work on a variety of research innovations. PEOPLE CONNECTED WITH SARNIA In 2002 , Michael Moore filmed segments of his documentary '' Bowling For Columbine '' in Sarnia. He interviewed residents outside the local Taco Bell , The Plaza beside it, the Famous Players ' Lambton 9 Movie Theater and at a gun show in nearby Point Edward . Additionally, in the summer of 2004 , Sarnia mayor Mike Bradley (who was also interviewed in the film), named Moore an honorary citizen of Sarnia. This occurred as a direct result of Moore being criticized for telling Canadians to vote against the Conservative Party Of Canada during the Canadian Federal Election, 2004 . Famous people from Sarnia include:
MEDIA Radio
Television Sarnia does not have any originating television stations of its own, although the city does have Rebroadcaster s of several television stations originating in other markets, as well as being able to directly receive stations from Windsor, Ontario / Detroit, Michigan .
As in all Canadian cities, Sarnia has a Community Channel on Cogeco Cable service in the city. Newspapers The city's main daily newspaper is the '' Sarnia Observer '', owned by Osprey Media . ''Sarnia Sun'' is a free daily paper aligned with the Quebecor owned Sun chain (of Toronto Sun fame), which features local news and sports. "Sarnia Sun this Week" is a weekly paper which is delivered weekly. The "Sarnia Sun this Week" also distubutes the "Penny Saver" once a week that includes local sales and contest. SARNIA FACTS
DEMOGRAPHICS 1996 Population: 72,738 2001 Population: 70,876 In the 1970 s, Sarnia was a prosperous and growing city. That trend had even continued into the early 1990 s. In recent years, however, a shift has occurred and that area was one of the few places in Southern Ontario to see negative population growth. This is due to a combination of several things. A slowing growth in the prominent manufacturing industry has led to fewer new residents. Also, the service industry has been hurt by fewer people travelling from Michigan. This is a result of both the recent strengthening in the Canadian dollar and tighter border restrictions in the wake of the September 11 Attacks . An economy that is poorer in Sarnia compared with the rest of Southern Ontario has led to this population decrease. Some plant closures, and small businesses closing have also led to people leaving the city. Sarnia was rumored to have been a candidate city for Volkswagen to built a plant in Sarnia in the late 1980's. Toyota was also interested in building a plant in Sarnia in 2005. These factors in combination with an aboriginal baby boom mean that now a higher concentration of First Nations people live in Sarnia than ever. Census Data According to the 2001 Statistics Canada Census:
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