This Month in Lambton - January 2021

The January edition of This Month in Lambton includes the following news, service updates, programs and events:

• Local COVID-19 Immunization Planning
• Provincial Shutdown, State of Emergency and Stay-at-Home Order
• Virtual Exhibits from JNAAG
• Make Art with JNAAG
• Lambton Heritage Museum Community Photo Challenge
• Public Alerting During Emergencies
• Access over 3,000 magazines for free with Lambton County Library
• Bundle up with a Book
• Explore Your History With Lambton County Library
• Entrepreneurial Resources at Lambton County Library

Local COVID-19 Immunization Planning

Lambton Public Health (LPH) continues to work closely with Bluewater Health and other community stakeholders, including Long-Term Care and Retirement Homes, to actively plan for COVID-19 vaccine distribution in Lambton County.

LPH staff shared a presentation at a special meeting of Lambton County Council on Wednesday, January 20 outlining the local immunization roll-out plan. The local plan is based on the Ontario Vaccination Program, expanded to include specifics and data to assist with the local implementation of the vaccine.

To date, the province has not provided any COVID-19 vaccine supplies to Lambton County. We expect the vaccine to arrive the week of February 1, 2021.

Once vaccine allocations arrive, they will be made available to the most vulnerable groups, which include Long-Term Care and Retirement Home residents and staff. These decisions follow the province's criteria for eligible priority groups. Other priority groups will be targeted in the next phase of Lambton's immunization plan, and this information will be updated frequently once available.

To learn more about the COVID-19 vaccine and the local immunization plan, including updates, visit getthevaccine.ca.

Updates including daily case counts, outbreak notifications, case map, and vaccine roll-out information can be found at lambtonpublichealth.ca/2019-novel-coronavirus/.

Provincial Shutdown, State of Emergency and Stay-at-Home Order

On December 26, 2020, Ontario moved into a province-wide shutdown. Due to continued rising case numbers across the province, Ontario declared a State of Emergency on January 12, 2021, and implemented a Stay-at-Home order, which came into effect on January 14, 2021.

These measures are in effect for all of Ontario. They will be in place until at least Thursday, February 11, 2021.

Learn more about the measures and restrictions in place at covid19.ontario.ca, including the current detailed framework.

Virtual Exhibits from JNAAG

The Judith & Norman Alix Art gallery has completely digitized both of its current exhibitions and they can be experienced on a screen through your computer or mobile device, or via Virtual Reality.

The Ode to the Inside Out Questions by Z'otz* Collective virtual exhibit includes a time-lapse video which documents the complete creation of a mural and an essay to enhance the exhibition experience.

The Group of Seven: Their Vision Revisited 100 Years Later virtual exhibit includes close up views of Group of Seven paintings as well as a detailed timeline tracking the early connection Sarnia has to the emerging Group of Seven group through pivotal local figures Norman Gurd and members of the Sarnia Women's Conservation Art Association.

You can see the exhibitions on the Virtual Exhibitions page of the JNAAG Website. 

Make Art with JNAAG

After distributing over 430 Make Art Kits into the community we are happy to announce the JNAAG will be continuing the program in 2021.

In 2020 we explored watercolour, clay, pastel and applied our new skills to collage, character drawing and murals. We are looking forward to exploring new medias and applications in 2021 with you!

Anyone interested in future Make Art Kits is encouraged to register for the JNAAG newsletter to be notified about upcoming releases.

Lambton Heritage Museum Community Photo Challenge

Lambton Heritage Museum invites you to participate in a Community Photo Challenge. Use your spare time this winter to practice your photography skills with this fun activity.

Vintage photographs from the Lambton Heritage Museum and Lambton County Archives’ collections have been selected for you to recreate and reimagine. Find a similar background, strike a similar pose, and click. Submit an entry in the Snow category or the People category. If you’re feeling ambitious and inspired, submit pictures in both! You can even use a great old picture in your personal collection that fits one of these categories, recreate your own Snow or People picture, and submit both the old and new photos.

Submissions are now being accepted online at lambtonmuseums.ca/community-photo-challenge. You can enter as many photos as you like. Selected entries will be displayed on the Lambton Heritage Museum website from March 1 until April 10, 2021. Submission deadline is February 19, 2021.

Public Alerting During Emergencies

During an emergency, information is a valuable commodity.

Lambton County residents can keep themselves informed by subscribing, for free, to My Community Notification Network (MyCNN) to receive alerts about tornado warnings, drinking water emergencies, shelter-in-place and evacuation advisories, and missing children.  Register today to ensure alerts are received through the medium of your choice (i.e. text, phone call, etc.).  MyCNN is funded by Community Awareness/Emergency Response (CAER).

For more details, visit EmergenciesLambton.ca or CAER.ca.

Access over 3,000 magazines for free with Lambton County Library

Take out those new devices you got over the holidays and browse over 3,000 of the top magazines with Lambton County Library!

Digital magazine access has moved to Libby, previously available through the RBDigital app. With a Lambton County Library card, magazines can be accessed for free and downloaded for offline use. Digital magazines have no wait lists or holds and do not count toward checkout limits. Download the Libby app to your device today and access titles such as Canadian Living, The Economist, J-14 and Hello! Magazine.

Bundle up with a Book

Are you looking for fun reading challenges to do with the kids this winter? Register for Lambton County Library’s Winter Reading Program, Bundle Up With A Book!

Between Monday, January 18, 2021 and Friday, February 19, 2021 participants are encouraged to record the number of books they read for a chance to win prizes. Participants will earn one free book prize for every five books read to a maximum of three book prizes, and each book read will enter them in a draw to receive one of three prizes, including a $100 gift card to Amazon, a $50 gift card to The Book Keeper or a $25 gift card to The Book Keeper.

Kids can participate in the program by registering at lclibrary.ca/wrp. During registration, kids are asked to pick an animal team to join: Arctic Hare, Moose, Grey Wolf, Walrus or Saw-Whet Owl. At the end of the Winter Reading Program, a draw will be held for one person from each team to win a chance to adopt their animal through the World Wildlife Fund. With the adoption, the winner will receive a kit that includes: a plush animal, a picture of the adopted animal, an adoption certificate and a species card giving more details on the animal. Participants will receive one ballot for every book read.

In addition, each week there will be a challenge on Lambton County Library’s Facebook page encouraging followers to get creative with themed literary phrases, and to post their creations online.

Visit lclibrary.ca/wrp to register today.

Explore Your History With Lambton County Library

Is discovering your family history one of your New Years Resolutions? Lambton County Library cardholders have free access to Ancestry Library Edition at home until March 31, 2021.

Ancestry Library Edition provides access to billions of historical documents and is a popular resource for people interested in researching their family histories. Ancestry Library Edition is typically only available while on-site at a Lambton County Library location or the Lambton County Archives. It is now available at any location for free.

Visit lclibrary.ca, login to your account and start discovering today!

Entrepreneurial Resources at Lambton County Library

Are you thinking about starting your own business or do you currently own a small business? Lambton County Library is partnering with the Sarnia-Lambton Economic Partnership and the Business Enterprise Centre to present a three-part online seminar series. This series will focus on the basics of entrepreneurship and how to write an effective business plan.

Seminar topics and details include:

Entrepreneurship 101

Learn about the free resources and services that are available through Lambton County Library and the Business Enterprise Centre to help entrepreneurs and small businesses. This session will include a general overview of what a business plan is and how it can help you succeed.

• Wednesday, January 27, 2021, 6:30 – 8:00 p.m.
• Saturday, February 20, 2021, 10:00 – 11:30 a.m.

Writing a Business Plan Part 1 – “The Company Profile”

This session begins with an overview of the free resources and services available to help entrepreneurs and small businesses. Participants will then engage in a detailed discussion on how to build a successful business plan and review legal considerations that should be examined before starting a business.

• Wednesday, February 17, 2021, 6:30 – 8:00 p.m.
•  Saturday, February 27, 2021, 10:00 – 11:30 a.m.

Writing a Business Plan Part 2 – “The Industry Profile”

This session begins with an overview of the free resources and services available to help entrepreneurs and small businesses. Participants will then take part in a detailed discussion and instruction on how to build your business plan including market sizes, political affects and competition. At the end of this session you will receive a personal invitation for free, one-on-one counselling with the Business Enterprise Centre.

• Wednesday, February 17, 2021, 6:30 – 8:00 p.m.
• Saturday, March 13, 2021, 10:00 – 11:30 a.m.