Josh Boyce, Blackburn News | February 7, 2018 Fibre-optic internet access and public Wi-Fi is coming to the Village of Pt. Edward. They’ve partnered with Bluewater Regional Networks to install services in the area. Village CAO Jim Burns says it guarantees coverage of a large area for the next ten years. “It will be basically going up Front St.,…
Tyler Kula, The Sarnia Observer | February 8, 2018 Wednesdays a group of students at Alexander Mackenzie High School have been spending lunches learning about coding and robotics in the library. Thanks to a $5,700 cash injection Thursday, the Sarnia school’s Idea Lab makerspace is poised to up what it offers. Alexander Mackenzie is one of nine winning schools…
Melissa Schilz, Postmedia News | February 7, 2018 Brigden Public School officially launched their newly named Learning Commons with Makerspace in conjunction with their community library last Thursday. The space long known as the library has evolved to include new technological resources, including tablets and a 3D printer owned by the library. Learning Commons Coach Melissa Holmes said they…
Paul Morden, The Sarnia Observer | January 15, 2018 Makerspace, one way the Lambton County Library is embracing changing technology, has been a hit. Launched in June 2016 with funding from the provincial government, Makerspace has a permanent location at the Sarnia Public Library with a 3D printer, laser cutter, book binder, button makers, sewing machine and other machines…
Cathy Dobson, Sarnia Journal | January 8, 2018 Sarnia has one of the fastest growing bio-based economies in Canada, an unprecedented number of green economy announcements in 2017 have confirmed. “Things ramped up considerably after construction of BioAmber’s ($141-million plant) in 2015,” says Matthew Slotwinski, business development consultant at the Sarnia-Lambton Economic Partnership (SLEP). “This has been the biggest…
The Intelligent Community Forum says smart communities are marked in part by their ability to understand challenges, identify opportunities for change, and their willingness to advocate for that change. In Sarnia-Lambton, community agencies have rallied around the understanding that the average age of the local population is more than four years older than the provincial average, and the provision…
Carl Hnatyshyn, Postmedia Network | December 16, 2017 Since the Alzheimer Society of Sarnia-Lambton launched its Mindful Music program in 2015, hundreds of seniors suffering from dementia have had their memories sparked, their depression momentarily lifted and anxieties temporarily alleviated because of the program’s music. The society is now teaming with researchers from Lambton College to measure the program’s…
Sustainability is one of the criteria the Intelligent Community Forum (ICF) considers when evaluating what makes an Intelligent Community. ICF describes sustainability as an Intelligent Community’s ability to improve current living standards, while maintaining the ability of future generations to do the same, and reducing the environmental impact of that growth. For decades Sarnia-Lambton has been at the centre of…
Josh Boyce, Blackburn News | December 1, 2017 Sarnia-based BioAmber has partnered with Genome, and the University of Toronto to develop a more environmentally-friendly nylon. Genome Canada, along with the Ontario Government, and other partners, are investing $5.7-million into the applied research project. Nylon is currently made from petroleum, and there’s strong demand for an alternative using sugar-based chemicals…
The Intelligent Community Forum (ICF) considers digital equality when evaluating what makes an Intelligent Community. The organization says Intelligent Communities promote digital equality by creating policies and programs that provide offline citizens with access to computers and broadband, by providing skills training and by promoting a compelling vision of the benefits that the broadband economy can bring to their lives. In…