Image

Tourism takes a $60 million hit in Sarnia-Lambton says TSL head

July 14, 2020

The head of Tourism Sarnia Lambton says the region has lost about $60 million because of the COVID-19 shutdown.

Mark Perrin, executive director of TSL, spoke at a community news conference Tuesday and says with the border closed and businesses shut down the local tourism sector hurting. Perrin says hotels alone in the region have lost $7 million.

“The casinos … haven’t reported exact figures, but obviously it’s pretty significant,” he added.

Theaters, like Victoria Playhouse Petrolia, have cancelled performances for the year and museums are still working on opening to the public.

Perrin hopes to help stimulate tourism with a new $290,000 grant from the federal government. TSL is putting together aprogram where visitors would be given vouchers to spend money at local businesses.

“When people do come to our region and take part in the different attractions we have… a voucher program in place where they’re able to be rewarded with a voucher good for shopping and restaurants and retail,” he says.

“It’s going to be one of the largest that our organization and Tourism Sarnia Lambton has ever been a part of.”

Share This

Image
Front Page

ICYMI: Record-breaking crowd at Alvinston Rodeo

June 20, 2025

Heather Wright/The Independent Like the movie says; if you build it, they will come. The Alvinston Pro Rodeo committee brought in larger stands hoping to accommodate visitors to the three-day event. Saturday night, those stands were filled and there were still people looking for seats according to Chairman Dan Cumming. Here’s just some of the action from the event:

Read More

Image
Front Page

Lambton Public Health issues first heat warning of the summer

June 20, 2025

FROM LAMBTON PUBLIC HEALTH With the prediction of hot and humid weather expected to start on Saturday,June 21 and continue into next week, Environment and Climate Change Canada is issuing a HeatWarning for Lambton County. Heat warnings are issued when two or more consecutive days of daytime maximum temperatures areexpected to reach 31°C or warmer and nighttime minimum temperatures are

Read More

Image
Front Page

Rural bus service starts making stops in Wyoming Monday

June 20, 2025

Heather Wright/The Independent Before there was money to bring a bus into Wyoming, Susan Mills was answering questions from residents about a new rural transit system. The Town of Plympton-Wyoming became a partner in the rural transit system called Huron Shores Area Transit earlier this spring. But service didn’t begin immediately. Lambton Shores, which runs the system, and its partners,

Read More

Image
Front Page

Why spend $20K to study a bridge to nowhere: McEwen

June 20, 2025

Heather Wright/The Independent Plympton-Wyoming Deputy Mayor Netty McEwen says it doesn’t make sense to spend $20,000 to study a bridge that goes nowhere. Paul daSilva, Director of Public Works, in a report to council June 11, suggested spending $40,000 to do Municipal Environmental Assessments on two low-traffic bridges, one on O’Brien Road, the other on Elmsley Road. “I took a

Read More