This Month in Lambton - May 2023

The May 2023 edition of This Month in Lambton includes the following news, service updates, programs and events:

• Integrated Homelessness Prevention Team accepts OMSSA award
• Lakeshore Road closure
• Household Hazardous Waste collection events
• Lambton County Library events
• Lambton Shores Farmers’ Market returns to Lambton Heritage Museum
• Lambton Heritage Museum hosts PA Day Event: Trash to Treasure, What Can I Do? with Lynn Tremain
• Lambton Heritage Museum Celebrates Opening of New Lambton Gallery
• Virtual Talk – Stuck in Rock: Oil Industry in Craigleith
• PA Day event: The Science Behind Refining and Oil
• JNAAG events and exhibitions

Integrated Homelessness Prevention Team accepts OMSSA award

The County’s Integrated Homelessness Prevention Team accepted a Local Municipal Champion Award from the Ontario Municipal Social Services Association (OMSSA) at the 2023 Exchange Conference held in Ottawa on May 9 and 10.

These awards recognize exceptional work done in advancing excellence in human services integration and service system management by teams from Consolidated Municipal Service Managers and District Social Services Administration Boards across the province.

“The County of Lambton developed the Integrated Homelessness Prevention Team to support integration efforts and meet the needs of the increasing number of individuals and families experiencing homelessness due to the COVID-19 pandemic,” said Valerie Colasanti, General Manager, Social Services Division. “We’re thrilled that the Team’s ongoing hard work is being recognized through this award. The Team, made up of staff from both the Ontario Works and Homelessness Prevention departments, uses an innovative intensive case management model to help people exit the emergency shelter system, provide stability supports, and secure housing.”

As an award winner, the County was invited to participate in a presentation and panel discussion highlighting the team’s work. Ian Hanney, Supervisor, Homelessness Prevention and Social Planning for the County of Lambton, highlighted the County’s program and was able to share more about the Team’s ongoing efforts through a panel discussion alongside representatives from the City of Windsor, District of Thunder Bay, and City of Ottawa.

The Team has been successful at developing a quality by-name list using the Homeless Individual and Families System (HIFIS), and in supporting community partners in using these valuable tools as well.

Through this work, individuals and families continue to be linked to support services within the community, including but not limited to primary health care, harm reduction services, and mental health supports. Relationships and communications were enhanced internally and with key community partners, and the Team has been successful in transitioning over 230 people into safe, affordable, and permanent housing since its formation.

“The creation of this Team not only resulted in a significant reduction in those experiencing homelessness but was also part of a catalyst in working to make tremendous gains in the service system that supports the homelessness sector as we move forward,” Colasanti continued. “This successful initiative has demonstrated that an integrated approach to Service System Management can improve the lives of the individuals and families we provide services to within our communities.”

Doug Ball, Executive Director, OMSSA, presents the OMSSA Local Municipal Champion Award to County of Lambton staff Mike Konstantinou, Supervisor, Ontario Works, and Ian Hanney, Supervisor, Homelessness Prevention and Social Planning. Photo credit Sarah Bradley, iShootEvents.ca

Lakeshore Road closure

Reminder - Lakeshore Road (County Road # 7) is closed between Aberarder Line and Hillcrest Road in the Town of Plympton-Wyoming for major rehabilitation of the Bonnie Doon Creek bridge. The work is expected to be completed by late September 2023, weather permitting.

Detours routes are posted. No through traffic is permitted during construction. Please visit www.municipal511.ca and www.lambtononline.ca/roadclosures for more road closure information.

Thank you for your patience and cooperation during this project.

Household hazardous waste collection events

Bring your household derived hazardous waste to one of the upcoming Household Hazardous Waste Day events and it will be disposed of by experts, at no cost to you!

Household Hazardous Waste Day events will be held at Clean Harbours Canada, 4090 Telfer Road, St. Clair Township from 9:00 a.m. until 2:00 p.m. on the following dates for the 2023 season:

• Saturday, May 27
• Saturday, June 24
• Saturday, September 30
• Saturday, October 28

There will also be a mobile HHW event taking place at Lambton College (Parking Lot 11, 1457 London Road, Sarnia) on Saturday, June 17 from 9:30 a.m. until 2:00 p.m.

Corrosive, toxic, reactive, and flammable materials will be collected at these events. These items should never be placed in a regular landfill because they have the potential to injure sanitation workers and the potential to damage our environment.

Examples of these types of materials include:

• Corrosive - Batteries, Drain Cleaners, Oven Cleaners
• Toxic - Pesticides, Rat Poison, Cleaning Fluids, Pharmaceuticals
• Reactive - Pool Chemicals, Ammonia, Bleach, Aerosols
• Flammable - Gasoline, Paints, BBQ Starter, Oils, Solvents, Propane Cylinders

Items NOT accepted include PCBs, commercial, industrial or radioactive wastes, electronics and explosives (flares and ammunition).

For more information visit lambtononline.ca/hhw or call 519-845-0801.

Lambton County Library events

Rhythms of Lambton – Brothers Wilde

Celebrate music in Lambton County with the next Rhythms of Lambton concert featuring Brothers Wilde. This concert will be held on Friday, June 2 from 7:00 to 8:00 p.m. at the Sarnia Library Theatre.

With a vision and a song, brothers Nolan and Ethan Wilde have set out to make their mark in the music industry. Growing up in Kettle & Stony Point First Nation, Nolan and Ethan were raised on being humble, working hard, and a wide variety of good music. The duo was nominated for the 2022 Forest City London World Music Group of the Year.

Breaking Barriers – Jessica Platt

Join Jessica Platt, the first openly transgender athlete to compete in the Canadian Women's Hockey League, as she shares her story at the Sarnia Library Theatre on Saturday, June 17 from 1 – 2 p.m. Guests will hear about Jessica's experience as a kid in hockey, what lead her to step away from the sport, how she returned to hockey, and her experience as a professional athlete.

Lambton Shores Farmers’ Market returns to Lambton Heritage Museum

The Lambton Shores Farmers’ Market is once again returning to Lambton Heritage Museum. Beginning Wednesday, May 24, the market will operate on-site every Wednesday between 8:00 a.m. and 1:00 p.m. until October. With up to 25 vendors and a wide variety of products including fruits, vegetables, meats, syrups, and plants, the market offers something for everyone. Drawing from Lambton, Huron, and Middlesex counties, the market is a great opportunity to support local farmers and artisans.

For more information, visit the Lambton Shores Farmers’ Market Facebook Page.

Lambton Heritage Museum hosts PA Day Event: Trash to Treasure, What Can I Do? with Lynn Tremain

Drop-in to the Lambton Heritage Museum on Friday, June 9 for a PA Day Event about litter and the environment.

Environmentalist Lynn Tremain will encourage children to explore the impact of trash on local ecosystems through artistic activities. Children will be invited to use found material collected on local beaches to make a collage. Participants can then use poster material to make informative reminders on the consequences of littering and pledge to care for the environment.

This event takes place between 11:00 a.m. and 4:00 p.m. Art materials will be supplied, and registration is not required. Regular museum admission rates apply. Admission is $5.00 for adults, $4.00 for seniors and students, $3.00 for children and $15.00 for families. Children three and under are free.

Lambton Heritage Museum celebrates opening of new Lambton Gallery

Visit Lambton Heritage Museum on Saturday, June 10, between 11:00 a.m. and 4:00 p.m. to celebrate the completion of the new permanent exhibit in the Lambton Gallery. Festivities will include guided tours by Dana Thorne, Curator/Supervisor, at 11:30 a.m., 1:00 p.m. and 2:30 p.m. and historical demonstrations throughout the day.

The Lambton Gallery has been the main exhibition space at Lambton Heritage Museum since the Museum was established in 1978. With the assistance of architects and contractors, over the past several months, Museum staff and exhibit contributors have completely reimagined the space with new walls, display areas, and supports. The new permanent exhibit highlights the rich history of Lambton County using artifacts from the Museum’s collection of over 25,000 objects. Interactive components such as touch screens and games offer visitors hands-on opportunities to engage with history in a different way. Come and experience the new Lambton Gallery for yourself!

Regular museum admission rates apply. This project was funded in part by the Government of Canada through the Federal Economic Development Agency for Southern Ontario (FedDev Ontario).

Virtual Talk – Stuck in Rock: Oil Industry in Craigleith

On Thursday, May 25 at 7:00 p.m. Alessia Farris, Curator of the Craigleith Heritage Depot, is presenting the virtual talk, Stuck in a Rock: Oil Industry in Craigleith. Alessia explores the geological formation that allowed the production of Canadian shale oil, as well as the remarkable history of Ontario’s only successfully producing shale oil manufacturing plant, Craigleith Shale Oil.

PA Day event: The Science Behind Refining and Oil

Join the Oil Museum of Canada and Shell Canada from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. to explore the science and processes used in the local refining industry. There will be on-site demonstrations of a fluidized bed, discussions about safety devices such as flairs and bugs, hands-on crafts, and Shell Canada experts will be on site to answer questions.

This is a free event where visitors can peel back the layers of the work of refineries, ask questions and learn about the incredible science involved in the production of petroleum based products.

JNAAG events and exhibitions

Family Saturday studio drop-in

Every Saturday afternoon, JNAAG offers a free workshop for all ages from 1 p.m. to 3 p.m. where families are welcome to drop-in for a short, artist-facilitated studio activity inspired by the current exhibitions. During June, explore portraiture and drawing each Saturday. Have fun with colourful oil pastels as you experience how contour and shading work together to create dimension in your portrait drawing. Children must be accompanied by an adult.

Current exhibitions

Judith & Norman Alix Art Gallery invites everyone to enjoy their three current exhibitions, for free. The gallery is open Wednesday from 11:00 a.m. – 4:00 p.m., Thursday from 11:00 a.m. –  8:30 p.m., and Friday and Saturday from 11:00 a.m. – 4:00 p.m.

Re View Exhibition 3

This captivating exhibition invites visitors to delve into the theme of identity through dramatic portraits, thought-provoking en plein-air paintings, mesmerizing folklore-inspired and abstract paintings by local Lambton County-based artists. The exhibition will feature paintings by renowned area artists Gary Nixon and Norman Barney, as well as historic works by Pegi Nicol MacLeod and Mary Abraham. Photography enthusiasts will also be treated to a selection of Stephen Livick's stunning large-scale portraits.

Many Lives Mark This Place

In 2014, Ontario-based painter and printmaker John Hartman (b. 1950) embarked on a project to capture the intimate relationship between more than thirty leading Canadian authors and the places that inspire them. The result was a body of large-format portrait paintings that celebrate the richness of Canada’s literary fabric.

Biskaabiiyang | Returning to Ourselves 

Nico Williams, ᐅᑌᒥᐣ is Anishinaabe and member of Aamjiwnaang First Nation community and is currently working in Tiohtià:ke | Mooniyang | Montréal. He began experimenting with beadwork in 2015 using Japanese glass Delicas (beads), natural materials and seed beads. He has actively been focusing on the revitalization and evolution of this medium.