Lambton County

Lambton County is a county in Southwestern Ontario, Canada. It is bordered on the north by Lake Huron, which is drained by the St. Clair River, the county's western border and part of the Canada-United States border. To the south is Lake Saint Clair and Chatham-Kent, another county in Ontario. Lambton County's northeastern border follows the Ausable River and Parkhill Creek north until it reaches Lake Huron at the beach community of Grand Bend. The county seat is in the Town of Plympton-Wyoming.

Lambton County
County (upper-tier)
County of Lambton
Location of Lambton County
Coordinates: 42°54′N 82°06′W
Country Canada
Province Ontario
Formed1849
County seatWyoming[1]
Municipalities
Area
 • Land3,002.25 km2 (1,159.18 sq mi)
Population
 (2016)[2]
 • Total123,399
 • Density43.8/km2 (113/sq mi)
Demonym(s)Lambtoneer
Time zoneUTC-5 (EST)
 • Summer (DST)UTC-4 (EDT)
Websitewww.lambtononline.ca/

The largest city in Lambton County is Sarnia,[3] which is located at the mouth of the St. Clair River. The two Blue Water Bridges cross the river at Sarnia, connecting it to Port Huron, Michigan. The bridges are one of the busiest border crossings between the two countries. The river is also traversed by two passenger ferries further south, and a rail tunnel, also at Sarnia, runs underneath it. The CN rail tunnel accommodates double stacked rail cars. Along with Sarnia, the population centres in Lambton County are: Corunna, Petrolia, Grand Bend, Wyoming, Forest, and Watford.

Historical map that includes Lambton County (1875)

Lambton County started as a part of the District of Hesse. The district of Hesse included British territories west of Long Point (practically all of western Ontario). The district was later divided and renamed using English district names (Essex, Suffolk, Kent, etc.). Lambton was part of Kent county. In 1849 districts were abolished and the County of Lambton was formed. Lambton and Kent first shared the capital city of Sandwich (since renamed as Windsor, Ontario). In 1852 the partnership was dissolved and Lambton become a full county. It is named in honour of John Lambton, 1st Earl of Durham, who visited the area in the late 1830s.[4]

Subdivisions

Lambton County consists of 11 municipalities (in order of population):

Independent First Nation reserves

Independent of the County, but located within the Lambton census division, are three First Nations reserves:

Demographics

Historic population:

  • 2016: 123,399 (5-year growth rate: -1.0%)[2]
  • 2011: 124,623 (5-year growth rate: 0.0%)
  • 2006: 124,600 (5-year growth rate: 0.8%)
  • 2001: 123,611 (5-year growth rate: -2.5%)
  • 1996: 126,829

The demographics below are for the Lambton census division, which combines Lambton County and three First Nations reserves.

Canada census – Lambton County community profile
2016 2011 2006
Population: 126,638 (0.3% from 2011) 126,199 (-1.6% from 2006) 128,204 (1.0% from 2001)
Land area: 3,002.25 km2 (1,159.18 sq mi) 3,002.07 km2 (1,159.11 sq mi) 3,001.70 km2 (1,158.96 sq mi)
Population density: 42.2/km2 (109/sq mi) 42.0/km2 (109/sq mi) 42.7/km2 (111/sq mi)
Median age: 43.9 (M: 42.8, F: 44.8) 42.8 (M: 41.8, F: 43.6)
Total private dwellings: 54,480 58,243 56,919
Median household income:
Notes: Excludes census data for one or more incompletely enumerated Indian reserves – References: 2016[5] 2011[6] 2006[7] earlier[8]

Economy
An oil well near Sarnia

Total employment for Lambton County is 66,370. Of those, 9,760 (14.7%) are employed in manufacturing; 7,545 (11.4%) in retail trade; 5,080 (7.7%) in accommodation and food services; and 3,155 (4.8%) are employed in agriculture.

Petrochemical and refining is the largest manufacturing sector in Lambton County's economy. Established during World War II, Sarnia and the area along the St. Clair River is home to a major processing centre for oil from Alberta.

In late 2010 and early 2011 a number of companies announced plans to provide ethane from the Marcellus Shale in the United States to Lambton County industries, providing a potential new feedstock for the production of ethylene in Lambton County.

Lambton County is the site of North America's first drilled commercial oil well at Oil Springs in 1858.

Tourism is another important industry in Lambton County, especially along the lake and river. The community of Grand Bend and the Pinery Provincial Park are especially popular tourist destinations, attracting thousands of people each week throughout the summer to their long, uninterrupted beaches. The part of Lambton County along Lake Huron known as Lambton Shores depends almost entirely upon the seasonal industries of tourism and agriculture for its well-being. There are also popular conservation areas along the St. Clair River, and a conservation area named Rock Glen Falls near Arkona along the Ausauble River internationally known for its Devonian period fossils.

Lambton County has 2,346 farms with a total of 592,793 acres. The largest single use of farmland in Lambton is crop production, with 85% of total farmland reported as land in crops. Over the last 20 years, soybeans, wheat, and grain corn have accounted for over 80% of total area crop production in Lambton. The fourth and fifth leading crops are sugar beets and hay. Oats, barley and mixed grains are also produced. Top animal production includes dairy, beef, hog, and poultry.[9]

The Blue Water Bridges

Infrastructure

Highways

Emergency services

The County of Lambton Emergency Medical Services (EMS) provides land ambulance services to the residents of Lambton County. The County of Lambton EMS has stations in Brigden, Corunna, Forest, Grand Bend, Petrolia, Thedford, Watford, and two stations in Sarnia. Lambton EMS has ten ambulances and employs approximately 150 full- and part-time Primary Care Paramedics.[10]

Policing is provided by the Ontario Provincial Police (OPP), which has detachments in Grand Bend, Forest, Petrolia, Corunna, and Point Edward. The area of Kettle & Stony Point which is one of three native reservations in Lambton County, is policed by the Anishnabek Police Service (APS) but dispatched by the OPP. Walpole Island, another first nations reservation has its own police service, the Walpole Island Police Service. The remaining first nations reservation, Aamjiwnaang First Nation, which falls geographically within the City of Sarnia, is covered by the Sarnia Police Service.

Communities

See also

References
  1. "Contact Us". The Corporation of the County of Lambton. Retrieved August 6, 2019.
  2. "Census Profile, 2016 Census - Lambton, County (Census division), Ontario and Ontario (Province)". Canada 2016 Census. Statistics Canada. Retrieved 9 July 2017.
  3. "City of Sarnia - Overview". Retrieved 9 July 2017.
  4. "The Man Who Gave Lambton Its Name". LambtonCounty.com. Retrieved 10 November 2018.
  5. "2016 Community Profiles". 2016 Canadian Census. Statistics Canada. February 21, 2017. Retrieved 2017-07-09.
  6. "2011 Community Profiles". 2011 Canadian Census. Statistics Canada. July 5, 2013. Retrieved 2012-03-28.
  7. "2006 Community Profiles". 2006 Canadian Census. Statistics Canada. March 30, 2011. Retrieved 2012-03-28.
  8. "2001 Community Profiles". 2001 Canadian Census. Statistics Canada. February 17, 2012.
  9. "Agriculture". Sarnia-Lambton Economic Partnership. Retrieved 10 November 2018.
  10. "Emergency Medical Services". Corporation of the County of Lambton. Retrieved 9 July 2017.
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