January 7, 2026 — The City of Sarnia is excited to announce that Adam MacDonald will serve as the General Manager of Community Services going forward, with Brianne Anic taking on the role of Manager of Building and By-Law Services / Chief Building Official.
MacDonald has been serving as the acting General Manager since August and will now continue in that role going forward.
“Both Adam and Brianne bring with them a vast knowledge base and skill set, formed over years of serving the community with the City of Sarnia. From front line service delivery to strategic planning to operational modernization, their strength of leadership continues to be a tremendous contributor to success and growth in the community,” said CAO Chris Carter.
MacDonald, a Lambton College graduate, has served the community with the City of Sarnia for 22 years in both frontline and leadership roles, most recently as Manager of Building and By-Law Services / Chief Building Official. MacDonald is actively involved in the community, he is a volunteer with the Point Edward Minor Hockey Association as a coach, trainer and on ice helper, working with youth to help them learn the value of teamwork, commitment, and the love of sport.
Anic, who was educated at Sheridan College, first joined the City in 2018, and took on the role of deputy Chief Building Official in 2021. She has been an influential force in modernizing and streamlining service delivery while fostering connections with the local building industry.
“I’m beyond excited to see Brianne taking this next step in her career, contributing her leadership and connections to the building and by-law team. She is extremely forward thinking with an eye for modernization and expediting timelines, and has a well-established positive relationship with local builders,” said MacDonald, adding, “at the same time, I’m looking forward to leading the Community Services team. We’ve made some great steps toward improving service delivery and investing in community spaces that I hope to continue and contribute to going forward.”
Since MacDonald and Anic stepped into leadership roles with Building and By-Law Services in 2021, the department has undergone significant modernization efforts, including the switch to digital submissions and back-end CityWorks implementation allowing for improved tracking of submissions and service standards, alongside more efficient review processes. Those efforts have seen improvements to the timelines in which Building Permits have been issued. Complete Building Permit application review / approval timelines have dropped from an average of 15 days in 2020 to eight days in 2025 for houses; from an average of 24 days to 13 days for large buildings; and from an average of 44 days to seven days for complex buildings.
At the same time the community has averaged 238 housing starts per year from 2023 to 2025, significantly exceeding provincial targets.