Sarnia, Ontario

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Sarnia is a city in Southwestern Ontario, Canada (population 70,876 in 2001). It is the largest city on Lake Huron, located where the three upper Great Lakes empty into the St. Clair River. The city's natural harbour first attracted the French explorer La Salle, who named the site "The Rapids". The Sarnia port is still an important center for lake freighters and "salties" carrying cargos of grain, ore, and petroleum products. The growth of the city received a major boost when North America's first oil discovery was made at nearby Petrolia in the 1850s.

In 1938, the Blue Water Bridge was built to join Sarnia with Port Huron, Michigan; in 1997, the bridge was twinned. 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 America 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 freshwater beaches are a popular tourist attraction, while the sheltered harbor 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.

In 2002, Michael Moore filmed segments of his documentary Bowling for Columbine in Sarnia to prove how much safer Canada is than the US, even though there's just as many guns. He interviewed residents outside the local Taco Bell, at the Lambton 8 cinema complex and at a gun show in nearby Point Edward.

Famous people from Sarnia include:

• Alexander Mackenzie, the second prime minister of Canada;
• Mike Stevens, regular on the Grand Ole Opry;
• Chris Hadfield, astronaut;
• James Doohan, "Scotty" on Star Trek;
• Kim Mitchell, rock musician;
• Marie Prevost, actress;
• Lance Evers, professional wrestler known as Lance Storm;
• Harry Neale, CBC hockey commentator
• and more than 20 NHL ice hockey stars.

PGA TOUR golfer Mike Weir, winner of the 2003 Masters, actually comes from Bright's Grove, on the outskirts of the city, but Sarnians tend to claim him as their own.

The Sarnia Golf & Curling Country Club is currently managed by Don Summerton.

Sarnia is the self proclaimed kissing capital of the world.

Sarnia is also home to the Sarnia Sting, an Ontario Hockey League team.

According to the 2001 Statistics Canada Census:

• % Change (1996-2001): -2.6
• Dwellings: 30,859
• Area (sq. km.): 164.62
• Density (persons per sq. km.): 430.5

Communities

• Blackwell
• Brights Grove
• Bunyan
• Camlachie
• Fourth Line
• Lucasville
• Sarnia
• Vyner

Demographics

1996 Population: 72,738
2001 Population: 70,876

In the 1970s, Sarnia was a prosperous and growing city. That trend had even continued into the early 1990s. 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 strenghening in the Canadian Dollar and tighter border restrictions in the wake of September 11. An economy poor in Sarnia compared with that in the rest of Southern Ontario has led to this population decrease.

These factors in combination with an aboriginal baby boom mean that now a higher concentration of First Nation people live in Sarnia than ever.