Remembering Newell Hastings
Petrolia offers residents fall colours
October 8, 2013
Petrolia homeowners have a chance to add a little fall colour to their backyards.
The town is once again offering about 100 free trees on a first come, first served basis.
Three trees will be available this year; silver maples which has yellow fall leaves, autumn blaze maple with fire red fall colour, and tulip trees, which produces yellow-green flowers which bloom in the spring.
“If you’re interested in getting a tree and putting it in your yard, all you have to do is pick it up and dig a hole and put it in your yard,” says Mayor John McCharles. “It’s quite interesting that we can actually get some free trees to do that.”
The town gets funding from the St. Clair Region Conservation Authority for the trees from Windover Nursery.
Residents have until Oct. 15 to obtain a certificate for a tree and the pick up and planting will be from Oct. 15 to 30.
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Remembering Newell Hastings
June 14, 2025
Heather Wright/The Independent Sunday, Newell Hasting’s service to King and Country over a century ago was remembered in a peaceful church cemetery near Watford. Hasting was born in Petrolia and his family moved to Watford around the turn of the century. He signed up to serve in the miltia with Watford’s 149th Battalion before being called up for service. He
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Sidewalk projects around First Ave this summer
June 13, 2025
Heather Wright/The Independent Sidewalks along First Street in Petrolia will be getting an upgrade once school is out for the summer. It’s part of the latest large project to improve the town’s sidewalk system. In 2023, BM Ross and Associates completed a study on Petrolia’s sidewalk system and found it lacking. It suggested $1.5 million in sidewalk construction was needed
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Aamjiwnaang evacuates parts of community as INEOS decommissioning increases benzene levels
June 13, 2025
Leaders of the Aamjiwnaang First Nation are evacuating residents between Churchill Road and Tashmoo Ave after high levels of benzene have been detected in the area. Just before noon Friday, INEOS Styrolutions issued a notice saying hourly benzene emissions have been detected about 0.021 parts per million. The company is decommissioning the plant which is within eyesight of Aamjiwnaang’s band
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St Philip’s student wins big at national fair
June 13, 2025
The Independent Ben Harper made a splash at the Canada-Wide Science Fair in Fredericton taking home a bronze medal. The Grade 8 student from St. Philip’s in Petrolia presented his climate-focused project called A Wavy Problem – Navigating the Surges of Climate Change last week and won a bronze medal in his division. The Petrolia student tested six different offshore
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