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Mario Lafond rubs the tensor bandage on what used to be his foot. His eyes squint in pain as he rubs the already worn bandage. The pain isn’t just physical, it is also mental as he thinks about the future for his young family. On Oct. 9, LaFond arrived at his job at SofSurfaces in Petrolia for his 7 am

  A strike has been averted at Clean Harbours. The 72 workers at the hazardous waste site on Petrolia Line were set to walk off the job Tuesday but a   was reached to avoid the strike. UniFor Local 9-14 National Representative Glen Sonier says employees voted 82 percent of the deal Friday night. The main sticking point in the

The Wyoming firefighters are stepping up to help one of their own. They’re organizing a benefit for George Klazinga and his family for Nov. 30. Klazinga, a 22-year veteran of the volunteer department has been ill for about two years and has recently been diagnosed with two rare blood diseases which are affecting his immune system. He’s been in hospital

Victoria Playhouse Petrolia is going to be bursting with laughter and song in 2014. That’s the theme for the upcoming season according artistic directors David Rogers and David Hogan who introduced the season Oct. 30. “Five of six of the shows have music in them,” says Hogan. While there is a wide range of offerings this year, Hogan says there

Oil Springs resident Charles Fairbank is being recognized for preserving the history that defines us. Fairbank was presented with the Lieutenant Governor’s Award from the Heritage Canada Foundation for his work in heritage conservation. The lone medal was presented at the National Gallery in Ottawa over the weekend during an awards night hosted by Heritage Canada Foundation. Heritage advocate Ian

Your eyes are not deceiving you. The coach behind the bench of the Petrolia Midget Reps team is a hockey dad; but this is not any hockey dad. This is NHL veteran and owner/general manager of the London Knights, Mark Hunter. And right beside him, another former NHLer, Bobby Gould. Hunter, whose day job is managing the operation of London’s

The cast of Till Beth Do Us Part take to the VPP stage  Nov. 14   A German exchange student working with Petrolia Community Theatre on its upcoming production is impressed by the dedication and level of professionalism he’s seeing. Max Hirch is a Grade 11 student on exchange from Germany who is attending LCCVI. He began his acting career

Tom Eady has always had a heart for the men and women who serve in the military. But around Remembrance Day, the Petrolia man wears his heart on his sleeve placing memorials on the walls of the Lambtonian Apartments where he lives. Eady, a past member of the reserves, has close ties with the military. When he was just 15,

The Ministry of Labour is investigating after worker at a Petrolia manufacturing facility was injured on the job. The incident happened three weeks ago, but is only coming to light because The Independent questioned the ministry about the incident. William Lin, spokesperson for the Ministry of Labour says on Oct. 9 the ministry was “notified by the OPP of an

Workers at Clean Harbours on Petrolia Line could soon be walking the picket line. The 77 members of Local 9-14 of Unifor have voted in favour a strike after turning down a contract from the company last week. Unifor Local 9-14 Representative Glen Sonier says the workers, who do everything from operate the heavy equipment at the hazardous waste landfill

Petrolia Mayor John McCharles calls it an “excellent situation.” Town Treasurer Rick Charlebois says the town’s debt load is about 50 percent of the maximum allowed by the province. “Next year it will be down to about 45 percent,” he told The Independent. A debt load analysis prepared for town council shows Petrolia needs to budget $1.12 million for loan

Several hundred people gathered at the cenotaph in Victoria Park, Petrolia Sunday to lay wreaths in advance of Rembrance Day Nov. 11.