A $50-million project designed to turn Sarnia’s waterfront into a destination tourist attraction has strong initial support.
Sarnia city councillors unanimously voted to send a 147-page master plan on to to budget deliberations.
The detailed report shows a multi-stage 15-year project to redevelop Sarnia’s waterfront abutting the downtown.
It includes a wish list of 34 enhancements, including a waterfront promenade, a market building, a harbour building and a floating boardwalk.
All will be publicly accessible and completed in three distinct areas, complementing existing features created by the project.
Sarnia Mayor Mike Bradley says the goal is to turn the waterfront into a space utilized by locals and a destination for visitors.
“I see it no different as what you see with Harbourfront in Toronto and what you used to see with Ontario Place. People identify it and they go there and that’s what we want to see. We want to see that mixed-use.”
An artist concept of a new market building along the waterfront in Sarnia, Ont. (Source: City of Sarnia)
Sarnia Councillor Brian White gave the highest praise to the project calling it, “...probably one of the most brilliant documents I’ve read…from an environmental standpoint, from an engineering standpoint, a revenue generation standpoint and a focus on active transportation.”
But Bradley concedes the $50-million price tag is not achievable solely through public dollars.
So, in the hopes of not seeing the proposal sputter, as London’s Back to the River Project at the forks of the Thames did, he’s pleased the report has a public and private sector component to help pay for it.
“And, there is linkage now, but not to the degree there should be, so I see that private sector involvement as being a big part of that.”
The report clearly identifies four parcels of city-owned land adjacent or nearby the waterfront that planners contend could be sold to build residential towers with commercial space on the mezzanine.
Bradley says services and amenities are the keys to making the waterfront a year-round attraction.
An artist conception of a winter skating loop around the waterfront in Sarnia, Ont. (Source: City of Sarnia)
To that point, a major project includes the construction of a skating trail along the waterfront during the winter months.
With all the cards in place, and seemingly a path to paying for a new look waterfront, Bradley says it's crucial council support remains solid into the future.
“The obligation will be on every mayor and council to move it one step forward over these next 15 years. I think that’s going to happen.”
In the wake of last year’s discoveries of unmarked graves at residential schools and the prominent displays of the Canadian flag during 'Freedom Convoy' protests, some Canadians are re-evaluating the meaning of the national symbol.
Thousands of people wearing red and white and waiving Canadian flags packed downtown Ottawa to celebrate Canada's 155th birthday on Friday, while groups of protesters popped up around Parliament Hill to protest COVID-19 vaccines and federal restrictions.
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau is calling on Canadians to recommit to the country’s values, including respect, hope and kindness, in his official Canada Day message.
A recent survey shows nearly 50 per cent of Canadians who rent expect to do so forever. As rising interest and inflation rates contribute to a sense of pessimism among first-time homebuyers in Canada, some are sharing their struggles with purchasing their first house.
The Assembly of First Nations says an Ontario court has rejected a bid by National Chief RoseAnne Archibald to overturn her recent suspension.
Moving toward reconciliation doesn't come from jumping 'the queue to perfection,' but by building bridges and trusting one another, Canadian singer-songwriter Chantal Kreviazuk told CTV News Channel during Canada Day celebrations in Ottawa on Friday.
A Russian airstrike on residential areas killed at least 21 people early Friday near the Ukrainian port of Odesa, authorities reported, a day after the withdrawal of Moscow's forces from an island in the Black Sea had seemed to ease the threat to the city.
The World Health Organization's Europe chief warned Friday that monkeypox cases in the region have tripled in the last two weeks and urged countries to do more to ensure the previously rare disease does not become entrenched on the continent.
One of Toronto’s Canada Day fireworks displays has been cancelled and another has been postponed after a vendor pulled out at the last minute.
OPP are trying to identify a man who they say was involved in an "unwanted residential paving incident" in Puslinch, Ont.
Canada Day celebrations are making a big return in 2022, here's where you can catch some of them in Waterloo region and surrounding areas.
Here's our full regional round up
In the past 24 hours, the Chatham-Kent Police Service responded to 199 calls for service, arresting six people as a result.
A heat warning remains in effect to kick off July.
Despite the City of Windsor prohibiting the use of fireworks on most days of the year, Walkerville resident Jordan Whelan says his family has been disturbed by the sounds of loud pops multiple times a day for the past six months.
A Barrie woman who encountered a man posing as a cop at an accident scene is grateful she followed her instincts and refused to get into his car when he offered.
Friday marks the return of restriction-free Canada Day festivities across the region, with a series of closures to celebrate the nation's birthday.
The skies will be lit up on Friday for Canada Day, with fireworks displays planned for several areas across the region.
For Ukrainians who were able to flee from Russia's invasion into the country, Canada has become a safe haven.
The Timmins Police Service is issuing a public safety reminder to all persons ushering in the Canada Day Holiday weekend with related celebrations.
In Greater Sudbury on Thursday, a Sirens For Life event was held. This two-month long national event is a challenge between first responders to see who can donate the most plasma.
Thousands of people wearing red and white and waiving Canadian flags packed downtown Ottawa to celebrate Canada's 155th birthday on Friday, while groups of protesters popped up around Parliament Hill to protest COVID-19 vaccines and federal restrictions.
A sea of red and white filled downtown Ottawa and LeBreton Flats to celebrate Canada's 155th birthday, while events are also being held across the city.
CTVNewsOttawa.ca looks at the Canada Day activities across the city of Ottawa, including at the new location at LeBreton Flats.
Ontario drivers experienced some relief from record-setting prices at the pump on Friday as the province's gas tax cut came into effect.
One of Toronto’s Canada Day fireworks displays has been cancelled and another has been postponed after a vendor pulled out at the last minute.
A 14-year-old boy has been charged after fireworks were set off on a GO train in Toronto Thursday night, police say.
Quebecers across the province will notice the unmistakable sight of moving vans, parking spots marked off and furniture left on the curb as thousands of residents move as leases expire.
This year, Quebec summer camps are facing staffing shortages and rising costs, and some have had to cut back on spaces leaving families in the lurch.
Laval police are asking for the public's help to find 30-year-old Mario Minassian.
The spouse of the gunman in the Nova Scotia mass shooting will testify mid-July before a public inquiry, but she won't face direct questions from lawyers representing victims' families.
As Claire Mahaney-Lion dropped her son off at school this morning, she questioned the reasons behind scheduling a school day that would last fewer than two hours.
Saint John is having its dog day. The host city of the 2022 Memorial Cup is celebrating after the Saint John Sea Dogs bested the Hamilton Bulldogs 6-3 in front of a capacity crowd during Wednesday's championship game at TD Station.
Officers with the Manitoba RCMP have confirmed that a body was found in the Assiniboine River on Thursday.
In the wake of last year’s discoveries of unmarked graves at residential schools and the prominent displays of the Canadian flag during 'Freedom Convoy' protests, some Canadians are re-evaluating the meaning of the national symbol.
A unit at a Winnipeg duplex is likely a total loss following two fires in the span of nine hours.
Here's a look at what's open and what's closed in Calgary over the Canada Day long weekend.
Calgary police is requesting public assistance to locate a missing woman.
The 'Freedom Convoy' demonstrations that gridlocked the streets of Ottawa in February may seem a long way off in the July sun, but the memory of protesters draped in flags, waving them while singing the national anthem and hanging them from the trucks whose horns blared day and night is still fresh for locals.
An explosive comeback will light up the Edmonton sky Friday night as Canada Day fireworks return to pre-pandemic proportions.
Ottawa protest organizer Tamara Lich will remain in custody in Ottawa until at least Tuesday after she was arrested in Alberta for allegedly breaching bail conditions.
In the wake of last year’s discoveries of unmarked graves at residential schools and the prominent displays of the Canadian flag during 'Freedom Convoy' protests, some Canadians are re-evaluating the meaning of the national symbol.
There was more frustration for BC Ferries passengers at the Horseshoe Bay terminal Friday, with some waits extending upwards of five hours at the outset of the long weekend.
Vancouver is no longer the most expensive city in Canada, according to the 2022 Mercer Cost of Living survey.
The health authority for the Vancouver area says expectant parents in Squamish, B.C., may be diverted to other health-care facilities in the region this month due to what it calls a "temporary gap in coverage" at the Squamish General Hospital.
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