Community Round Table
On April 17th of 2004, the City of Sarnia sponsored the first Community Summit for the Sarnia-Lambton Community. The summit was held at Lambton College and was facilitated by Michael Rowland of The Randolph Group. About 135 individuals from a cross-section of the community attended the event. Participants provided their input on Sarnia-Lambton’s strengths and challenges, their vision for the community, and strategic directions that governments and community partners should pursue to realize this vision. Click here to view a copy of the Summary Report.
The next step was the formation of the Community Round Table: a group of citizens representing various sectors in the community enlisted to look at the ideas put forward by the participants at the summit.
On May 6, 2005 the Community Round Table presented their 2005 Status Report to ensure that participants at the Summit and the community at large are kept informed of information gathered and action being taken, or proposed to be taken, to achieve the vision of the Community as expressed at the Summit. Click here to view a copy of the Status Report.
On May 14, 2005 a “Community Branding Meeting” was held at Lambton College. Approximately 35 business and community leaders attended the session. Click here to view a copy of the report from that session.
On November 26, 2005 the 2nd Community Summit was held at Lambton College. The purpose of the meeting was to provide an update on what had happened since the first summit and to hold an information session about a branding and image project being considered. Click here to view a copy of the report from the 2nd Community Summit which summarizes the discussions held.
From the 2nd Community Summit a sub-committee was formed to look at the City’s branding/image. The sub-committee met several times and it was the recommendation that it was premature to embark on a branding exercise until the community itself has a better understanding about the issues facing industry, products produced by industry, industries’ contribution to the community, the current status of the environment and health of the community, and strategies that are underway to reduce or eliminate spills or releases to the environment. Click here to view a copy of the Branding Committee Report.
On November 10, 2007, the Community Round Table hosted an Environmental Summit - “Working Towards a Sustainable Future”. The well-attended morning event was held at Lambton College. On the night before the Summit, many individuals viewed a presentation of “The 11th Hour”, a Leonardo DiCaprio documentary which discusses the environmental crises caused by human actions and the impact on the planet. Over fifty of the world’s leading thinkers and activists, including David Suzuki, Mikhail Gorbachev and Stephen Hawking discuss the issues and potential solutions for developing a more sustainable and healthier environment.
At the Environmental Summit, individuals discussed the question “What can we do as individuals to help sustain our environment?” To generate thought, four presentations were made focusing on:
o The Natural Environment
o Energy Conservation
o Garbage/Recycling
o Water/Air
Breakout sessions were held to discuss these topics further. Click here to see a copy of the top actions identified by each of the break out groups.
An Implementation Committee was formed to look at implementing the actions identified at the summit. After several meetings the Environmental Action Plan 2008 report was completed in April, 2008, focusing on individual actions to a greener community.
In the summer of 2008, the Community Round Table formed a partnership with Sault Ste Marie and agreed to undertake the “First Impressions Community Exchange”, a program offered by the Ontario Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs (OMAFRA). Visitors from Sault Ste Marie traveled to Sarnia and anonymously evaluated the City. Likewise, visitors from Sarnia traveled to Sault Ste Marie to anonymously evaluate the City. These visitors gathered their ‘first impressions’ of the two communities’ infrastructure, services, parks, recreational opportunities, arts, culture, and more. On October 1, 2008, one of the visitors from Sault Ste Marie returned to Sarnia to present their report at Sarnia City Hall Council Chambers. To view a copy of the report click here.
Alison Mahon, Chair (Health)
Dean Edwardson (Industry)
(vacant) (Education)
Darlene Coke (County of Lambton)
Gord Simmons (Seniors)
Rich Bouchard (Children & Youth)
Don McCabe (Agriculture)
Don Pitt (Social Services)
