Image

February 2, 2017

 

It’s in the hands of Parks Canada.

After months of work, the application to have the Oil Springs Industrial Landscape included in a Canada’s Tentative List for World Heritage Sites is complete.

Fairbank Oil Fields’ Owner Charles Fairbank has been working with Lambton County on the application after hearing from a Parks Canada representative that the government would be considering World Heritage sites again, soon.

Oil Springs is the birthplace of the modern day oil industry.

The Fairbank Oil Fields are 350 wells spread out over more than 600 acres. It is a commercial operation which uses authentic 19th century technology to pull the oil from the ground.

The area is already a National Historic Site and part of the County’s Oil Heritage Conservation District under the Ontario Heritage Act.

Securing the UNESCO designation as a World Heritage Site would make Oil Springs a major tourist attraction.

And the bid is getting some support from other corners. Local politicians met with Ontario’s minister of tourism recently to get a boost for the bid.

While the local work has been done, it will be some time before Lambton County finds out if it is even on the list to be considered. The application has to be reviewed by Parks Canada. If it is selected as one of Canada’s choices for a UNESCO designation, then UNESCO would evaluate the submission. All that could take years.

If the Oil Springs Industrial Landscape is given UNESCO status, it will be one of nine sites in Canada.

Share This

Image
Front Page

LCCVI artists win at Fast Forward exhibit

May 12, 2025

Blake Ellis/The Independent “This means so much to me,” said Brooklyn Brown. The Grade 12 student at LCCVI received one of three outstanding works awards. Brown, 18, received the award which came with a $250 prize, on Saturday during the exhibition of Lambton County secondary schools’ senior student art show, Fast Forward, hosted by Gallery in the Grove in Brights

Read More

Image
Front Page

Environmental law association says Dresden dump project ‘may not be subject to any environmental assessment requirements’

May 12, 2025

The Independent The Canadian Environmental Law Association is concerned there may be no environmental oversight York1 Environmental’s plan to revive the Dresden dump. The company’s plan for a construction waste and soil recycling facility and rebuilding an expanded landfill at the site between Dresden and Dawn-Euphemia became public in last year. York1 wanted to move the massive project through the

Read More

Image
Front Page

Port Lambton Pirates sweep Chatham

May 12, 2025

Both Port Lambton teams topped the Chatham Diamonds on Saturday at the Western Counties Senior baseball season opened in Wallaceburg. The Pirates’ 22u team downed the Diamonds, 11-0 and the Port Lambton senior club beat Chatham, 12-2. Chatham fell to 0-3 on Sunday bowing 9-0 to Dresden. The scheduled game last Friday between the Wyoming Cattlebarons and the Wyoming Jr.

Read More

Image
Front Page

OPP launch school bus safety blitz after nine collisions last month

May 12, 2025

If you see an OPP cruiser following a school bus around, don’t be surprised. The OPP in southwestern Ontario has launched a campaign called Safety Stops Here this week. Officers from 13 detachments will conduct enforcement blitzes for school bus runs using marked and unmarked cruisers. Officers will also adopt a bus by selecting a route and following the bus

Read More