Lambton-Kent Students to Study Native-Focused English Course.

Tashmoo Avenue, Amjiwnaung Res. Zach Neal photo.

From Barbara Simpson, Sarnia Observer.

In a school board district home to four First Nations communities, a Southwestern Ontario school board is taking the lead in ensuring the culture of its First Nations students and their families is reflected in the curriculum it teaches.

All Grade 11 Lambton Kent District School Board (LKDSB) students will start taking a mandatory native-focused English course this fall, replacing English course offerings that have largely focused on Shakespeare and other traditional writers.

Students will instead have a chance to read, write and discuss the works of indigenous writers, as well as learn about indigenous issues.

“It's not just the right thing to do, but from an engagement point of view...if (indigenous students) see themselves reflected in the curriculum, we think it's good for student engagement,” said Mark Sherman, a superintendent of education with the Lambton Kent District School Board.

An estimated 1,700 students are expected to be in Grade 11 this fall at the public school board that serves both Sarnia-Lambton and Chatham-Kent, as well as four surrounding First Nation communities.

Those communities include Aamjiwnaang First Nation, just outside of Sarnia; the Chippewas of Kettle & Stony Point First Nation, west of Lambton Shores; Delaware Nation at Moraviantown, near Thamesville; and Walpole Island First Nation, near Wallaceburg.

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Sarnia Housing Starts Up Due to Demand.

From Josh Boyce, Blackburn News.

The Sarnia area housing market is heating up with the spring weather.

In April, work began on 27 single family homes, compared to the month’s average of 13 over the past decade.

Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation Market Analyst Anthony Passarelli says it’s due to supply in the resale market not keeping up with demand.

“Currently in the region, and most parts of Ontario, you see that there’s a really low supply of homes listed for sale relative to the amount of buyers out there,” says Passarelli. “When that happens, it makes it easier for new homes to be sold because there’s a shortage of homes listed for sale.”

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Sarnia's Bayside: New Life for the Old Mall.

Zach Neal photo.

From Cathy Dobson, Sarnia Journal


Downtown business people say they feel nothing but optimism about the new ownership of the struggling Bayside Centre and its plan to repurpose the building as a retirement residence.

“I am thrilled,” said Corrine Schieman, owner of Artopia Gallery & Framing on Christina Street.

Bayside, which is right around the corner from Artopia, hasn’t attracted significant customer traffic for years as mall occupancy floundered with a small number of retailers remaining.

Now Schieman is hopeful the proposed retirement residence with an estimated 140 to 160 independent and assisted living suites will generate more visitors and potential customers in the downtown core.

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Additional coverage:

From Troy Shantz and George Mathewson, Sarnia Journal


The new owners of the Bayside Centre plan to build an assisted living retirement residence in downtown Sarnia featuring 140 to 160 suites.

Though too early to say exactly how the retirement complex will fit into the mall space, the CEO of Seasons Retirement Communities said the company is working with Lambton County to keep the existing government services centre in place.

It also intends to build upward with additional stories.

“We want to go vertical,” Rick Smyth told city council last week.

Seasons, which acquired the mall on April 18, is already interviewing architects and will create a master plan for the property over the next year.

Smyth said company studies show a strong market need for more supported-living units in Sarnia and the mall property was an ideal fit.

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