SEPT/OCT 2014
H
business elite canada 39
By Leah Kellar
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Sarnia Lambton Economic Partnership is a
public-private sector partnership corporation
that is advancing Canada’s petrochemical and
refining centre in Lambton County. Lambton
County, situated in Southwestern Ontario on
the shores of Lake Huron, is also home to the
growing Sarnia-Lambton Biohybrid Chemistry
Cluster. This is an area that encompasses a di-
verse range of industries including chemical
production, bio-based manufacturing and re-
search, agriculture, automotive, engineering,
instrumentation, metal and plastics fabrica-
tion, machining, and environmental solutions
for process and other types of manufacturing
industries.
Lambton County has distinct roots in the oil
and gas industry as the location of North Amer-
ica’s first oil gusher in 1862, preceding much
of the present day supply coming from Alber-
ta and the United States. Oil was discovered
in the aptly named town of Petrolia, which is
near Sarnia. The town, billed as “Canada’s Vic-
torian Oil Town”, is often credited with starting
the oil industry in North America.
The Economic Partnership sets itself apart
with only 10 staff and a governing board that
is truly representative of the community. The
16-member board of directors has representa-
tion from the Warden of the County of Lamb-
ton, the Mayor of Sarnia—which is the largest
city in Lambton County— and representation
