Sharon used to love her job. She’s worked more than 30 years at local restaurants as a server and bartender. She has raised her children and managed quite nicely earning the $12.45 an hour afforded servers at licenced establishments in Ontario. That’s nearly $2 below minimum wage, because it’s understood that servers also receive tips… Read more »
Dave & Janet Greenwood Most people knew Pat “Whitey” Stapleton for his exploits as a hockey player: NHL All-Star, captain of the Chicago Blackhawks, Team Canada member in the famed 1972 series against the Soviet Union. But as city council considers renaming Sarnia Arena for this man, it’s fitting to know what he did off… Read more »
Phil Egan & Mary-Jane Egan The British, we know, are famous for maintaining a “stiff upper lip” in even the most trying circumstances. Consider this entry in the flight log of a British pilot: “Crashed. Slow rolling mid-round. Bad show.” Those cryptic words were how RAF fighter pilot Douglas Bader described the accident that took… Read more »
Bob Boulton “More mayhem in the Motor City!” Dick Smyth’s urgent news delivery assaulted us, each new catastrophe punctuated with teletype clacking in the background. Our Sarnia home in the early 1960s was two worlds, separated by radio. Mornings around the breakfast table were for Sarnia’s own CHOK. Its community news and playlist of hummable… Read more »
Petrolia froze its spending, why can’t Sarnia? Sir: Sarnia council recently met to discuss a staff proposal for a new user fee on taxpayers to pay for stormwater sewer work. Didn’t they just make a huge increase in the 2021 capital budget, with a significant increase to water and sewer rates for taxpayers? And now they want even… Read more »
Pam Woodhurst What the heck is Canada doing with its COVID-19 vaccine rollout? It’s been a colossal mess. At first we heard how Ottawa had purchased three to four times the vaccine needed for our population. We were even criticized on CNN for being a ‘greedy’ nation, given the worldwide disparity of vaccine distribution. So… Read more »
Mike Lapaine According to William Shakespeare, “The meaning of life is to find your gift. The purpose of life is to give it away.” As we celebrate National Volunteer Week from April 18 to 24, we pay special tribute to those in our community who have found their gifts and improve the wellbeing of others… Read more »
Randy Evans BUSY GUY – After graduating from the University of Toronto with a degree in architecture, Chester Charles Woods (1890-1970) returned to his native Sarnia to ply his profession. By the time he was done, Woods had designed 12 Ontario hospitals, 10 movie houses (including one in Sarnia), London Road Public School (1920), Johnston… Read more »
Why does Sarnia have a noise bylaw if it’s not enforced? Sir: I read with interest the article in the March 25 edition regarding business owners defying the lockdown order. To me, the interesting point was the fact that Sarnia actually had two bylaw enforcement officers supported by four uniformed Sarnia Police officers swiftly move… Read more »
Plastic just isn’t my bag Sir: In response to Peter Smith’s Feb. 25 letter, “Plastic surgery needed,” I fully concur that the general public needs a major awareness check in regards to our plastic-polluted environment. I admit to months of retraining my own shopping habits. Now, if I forget my reusable bags, I opt for… Read more »
