Latest news with #SarniaLambton
CBC
a day ago
- Climate
- CBC
Elevated air pollution leads to air quality advisory for Windsor, Chatham, Sarnia region
Windsor-Essex, Chatham-Kent and Sarnia-Lambton can all expect elevated air pollution levels again Tuesday. Environment and Climate Change Canada has once again issued a special weather statement for the region. This time, the weather office says weather conditions are expected to cause increasing levels of ozone. It expects Air Quality Health Index values to be in the moderate range Tuesday with short-term high-risk values caused by ozone combining with residual smoke. "When air pollution levels are high, everyone should limit time outdoors," the weather office said. "Consider reducing or rescheduling outdoor sports, activities and events." Common symptoms from exposure to increased air pollution include eye, nose and throat irritation, headaches or a mild cough. More serious but less common symptoms include wheezing, chest pains or severe cough. Anyone who thinks they are having a medical emergency should seek immediate medical assistance, weather officials said. People more likely to be impacted by outdoor air pollution include people aged 65 and older, pregnant people, infants and young children, people with an existing illness or chronic health condition, and people who work outdoors. When indoors, people should keep windows and doors closed as much as possible, the weather office said. They can improve their indoor air quality by using a clean, good quality air filter in their ventilation systems and/or a certified portable air cleaner that can filter fine particles. The region is also currently under a heat warning. When there is an extreme heat event occurring with poor air quality, the weather office said people should prioritize keeping cool. They should also check in on others who are in their care or live nearby who may be more likely to be impacted by outdoor air pollution.
CBC
24-06-2025
- General
- CBC
Rural homelessness is a small piece of the puzzle in Sarnia-Lambton — but remains a concern
Social Sharing Historically, the overwhelming majority of people experiencing homelessness in Sarnia-Lambton are city residents. More than 90 per cent utilize services within the border community, according to the County of Lambton's manager of homelessness prevention. As it stands, there are approximately 300 unique individuals without permanent shelter in Sarnia-Lambton, according to Ian Hanney. The data is available as part of the county's Be Part of the Solution campaign website. He says it's more common for rural cases to be more transient compared to people in more urban areas. "It can be more difficult to identify potential encampment locations," he said. According to Hanney, his team was recently notified by St. Clair Township officials of a person living unsheltered off of a county road. In that instance, he says, they "quickly developed trust" and found them housing in an outside community of their choosing. Hanney's team was created around three years ago. He says they've helped more than 100 people living outside to find permanent housing. "We partner with our local member municipalities, be it their bylaw team, their parks and rec departments, to help us identify locations of potential encampments as well." He says more often than not, people experiencing homelessness within the county are moved to indefinite housing within their home community. "Generally speaking, housing precarity and homelessness has been increasing across Ontario. Lambton is no exception," said Hanney. "[However] our community has done very well to stabilize our total levels of homelessness and in fact even produced a reduction of more than 50 per cent in our local youth homelessness within the past year. But rural homelessness is no exception to this general trend, and communities are certainly still in great need of of long term housing solutions." Conservation area closure A popular conservation area in Lambton County has taken the unusual step of closing because of vandalism and other illegal activity on the property, according to Ken Phillips. He's with the St. Clair Region Conservation Foundation. The foundation runs Greenhill Gardens — known as a remote spot popular for graduation and wedding photos. The carefully manicured property is at the corner of a gravel road in a rural area of St. Clair Township, north of Wallaceburg, and east of Sombra, that's primarily farm agriculture. The foundation acquired the property from a family estate in 2022. Phillips says over the past year there's been a "perfect storm" of events, most notably during their off-season. "We had issues with unhoused people taking up residence on the property," he told Windsor Morning host Amy Dodge. "We have the property being used at night for illegal legal activities such as drug dealing, that type of thing. And it's because of its location. We don't have staff there to monitor the property 24/7."
