This Month in Lambton - November 2022

The November 2022 edition of This Month in Lambton includes the following news, service updates, programs and events:

• Lambton County Library is mailing letters to Santa
• Oil Museum of Canada receives OMA Award of Excellence
• Respiratory Illness Season Update
• Power Outages
• Upcoming events at JNAAG
• Canada Learning Bond
• Local Immigration Partnership working with UWO to conduct research on discrimination
• Children’s Services PD Day Event

Lambton County Library is mailing letters to Santa

Lambton County Library is helping give children the opportunity to send a message to Santa Claus this holiday season. During the month of November, children of all ages are invited to visit their local library and write their letters to Santa. All 25 Lambton County Library locations will provide letter templates during opening hours. The library will mail these letters using Canada Post’s Letters to Santa service, to ensure the letters get to the North Pole before Christmas.

All letters completed in the library by Wednesday, November 30, 2022 will receive a response mailed back to them by Santa Claus himself. Santa responds in more than 35 languages, including Braille.

For full details on locations and hours of operation visit lclibrary.ca.

Public Services Coordinator - Youth Programs and Outreach, Vanitia Campbell holding Santa letter templates.

Oil Museum of Canada receives OMA Award of Excellence

The Oil Museum of Canada, National Historic Site has been presented the Award of Excellence in Exhibitions, by the Ontario Museum Association (OMA).

The OMA presents awards in several categories, all of which celebrate museums across the province that demonstrate outstanding contributions to the Ontario museum community with an emphasis on innovation, advancing the museum profession in Ontario, and encouraging high standards of excellence in the museum field. The Award of Excellence in Exhibitions focuses on new and innovative exhibitions. The winner is selected from a pool of nominations from Ontario museums of all sizes.

This award recognizes the Oil Museum of Canada’s recent renovation project that transformed exhibition space, improved accessibility, and replaced end of life equipment and building systems. While the project did not include changes to the footprint of the building, existing space was creatively used to incorporate the original architectural vision, merging focused thematic exhibits indoors with still functioning original technology of working oil fields outdoors through floor to ceiling windows.

The project enhanced key areas to improve visitor’s comfort and experiences with interactive components including an interactive projection timeline, touch screen computers which further explore topics and include interactive games, an immersive projection room showcasing the impact local drillers had on the international oil industry, a virtual reality set that dives into an oil well and explores the geology behind the formation of oil pools, and a bubbling display showcasing the different viscosity of oils.

A video showcasing the project can be found on the Oil Museum of Canada’s YouTube page. The renewed exhibit space at the Oil Museum of Canada, National Historic Site can be experienced during operating hours on Wednesday, Friday and Saturday from 11:00 – 4:00 p.m. and Thursdays from 11:00 – 8:30 p.m.

To view a full list of Ontario Museum Association’s Awards of Excellence, visit the OMA website.

Staff from the Oil Museum of Canada, National Historic Site accept the Award of Excellence in Exhibitions at the OMA Conference. Left to right: Christina Sydorko, Deanna Bullard, Donna Barnes, Erin Dee-Richard, Laurie Webb, Andrew Meyer.

Respiratory Illness Season Update

Cold weather has made its way to Lambton County and with it, the return of respiratory illness season.

With the holidays and large family gatherings around the corner, it is especially important to remember the basic actions we can take to prevent spread of illnesses, as this year we are seeing COVID-19, the flu, RSV, rhinovirus, and more converge and overwhelm healthcare providers and hospitals locally and around the province.

This strain on the healthcare system could lead to a reduced ability to treat those most vulnerable to severe respiratory illness when they need it the most.

It is important we remember the measures we can take now to help protect those in our lives that are most vulnerable to severe illness this time of year. The best way to ensure that protection is to stay up to date on all vaccines, including COVID-19 and the flu.

More information regarding vaccine eligibility can be found on the Lambton Public Health website while vaccine appointments can be booked by visiting GetTheVaccine.ca or calling us at 226-254-8222. Call Centre Hours are Monday to Friday, 9:00am – 4:00pm.

Additional information on COVID-19, including advice on how to live safely with COVID-19 is available through the Province of Ontario’s website.

Vaccination is not the only way to help each other stay safe and healthy and prevent strain on our healthcare system, however.

To further protect yourself and those you love, continue to practice these basic actions:

• Stay home when sick
• Practice proper respiratory etiquette, including wearing a mask in settings where there are individuals who are at high risk for severe outcomes
• Practice proper hand hygiene
• Self-screen for cold symptoms before attending congregate spaces
• Maintain physical distance where possible

Power Outages

Whether it’s because of high winds, ice storms, or equipment failure, power outages can occur at any time.

You can be prepared by:

• Storing flashlights and fresh batteries in rooms throughout your home
• Learning how to manually operate your garage door opener
• Keeping your vehicle’s gas tank half-full
• Making sure you have a cellphone charging cord that fits your vehicle’s accessory outlet
• Notifying your hydro provider if you rely on special healthcare equipment (i.e., dialysis machines, oxygen generators, etc.)
• Considering having a back-up heating system or power generator installed.

If a power outage does occur, use your battery or crank-powered radio to listen for updates. Limit device usage to checking for urgent updates only.

Be sure to turn off tools, appliances, computers, and other equipment so that the power system is not overloaded when it comes back online.

Limit the opening and closing of your fridge and freezer and discard any thawed food that has been at room temperature for more than two hours.

Consider also subscribing to MyCNN to receive urgent public safety updates from officials in your community.

Upcoming events at JNAAG

Join the Judith & Norman Alix Art Gallery this month for one of their upcoming events. Learn more and see a full list of exhibitions and programs at jnaag.ca.

Canada Learning Bond

November is Financial Literacy Month and the week of November 14-18 was Education Savings Week, focusing on Mobilizing Education Savings. With this in mind, November is a great time to review your own financial health!

While you are updating your own financial information, why not educate your children on finances, banking and saving for their education? This is the perfect time to work together to learn more about financial literacy as a family.

Don’t forget to look into the Canada Learning Bond to see if your children are eligible for up to $2,000 in free month for post-secondary education – from college and university to trade school and apprenticeships!

Learn more about the Canada Learning Bond, find out if you are eligible, and apply quickly and easily online at lambtonlearns.ca.

Local Immigration Partnership working with UWO to conduct research on discrimination

The Sarnia-Lambton Local Immigration Partnership (SL-LIP) is collaborating with the University of Western Ontario and other LIP’s in Southwestern Ontario to conduct research on discrimination experiences of immigrants and racialized people in the region.

Immigrants and racialized persons who have experienced discrimination in the workplace, in a public space, or by a local authority in the last three years are invited to participate in a virtual interview with researchers at Western. By sharing their stories and offering feedback, they will help communities across the region, including Lambton County, in their work to become more inclusive and welcoming.

To conduct the interview, participants will require the use of a personal computer, tablet or cell phone enabled with a camera, microphone, and internet connection. The interview will take approximately one and a half hours and will be recorded. Those that agree to be interviewed will receive an electronic gift card for $30 (Tim Hortons or Walmart). The interview will take place in English, however, interpretation services are available. Participation is completely voluntary, and the information provided will be kept confidential.

Those interested in participating are asked to complete a short pre-screening questionnaire.

Children’s Services PD Day Event

Over 420 Early Childhood Educators and Child Care professionals from across Lambton County attended the second Professional Development Day held on October 21, 2022.  

Warden Marriott brought welcoming remarks to begin the day and Faith Hale, Executive Director of Ska:na Family Learning Centre, and Naomi Wilson, Programs Policy Analyst for Ska:na Family Learning Centre, taught a valuable Interactive Indigenous Practices Workshop, including a beautiful Indigenous closing ceremony. The day was filled with interactive activities and recognized the outstanding work Early Childhood Educators deliver in educating and caring for children and families within our community.

Picture (top): Warden Marriott, Kim Godin, Supervisor Children’s Services & EarlyON.
Picture (bottom): Faith Hale, Executive Director of Ska:na Family Learning Centre and Naomi Wilson, Programs Policy Analyst for Ska:na Family Learning Centre.