2025 Petrolia Community Fund – Accepting Grant Applications
Petrolia, ON – The Petrolia Community Fund is now accepting grant applications for the community betterment within the Town of Petrolia. The Petrolia Community Fund was established in 2012 and over time has been able to disburse back into the Town of Petrolia over $65 000, funds have been used in supporting youth programs, facility improvements and community projects.
Mike Barron, Executive Director (SCF) had this to say, “this is a very exciting year as the Petrolia Community Fund continues to grow, there are over $12 000 available for community grant disbursement in the Town of Petrolia.”
Grant Applications can be submitted directly to the SCF office via email office@sarniacommunityfoundation.ca and will be accepted up until Monday December 1, 2025 at 400pm. Organizations can visit the SCF website directly to fill their applications out online (www.sarniacommunityfoundation.ca). If you would like more information or have questions about the granting process, please call the SCF office at 519 332 2588.
Known as The Greatest Town on Earth, Petrolia’s unique and rich history as the cradle of the global oil industry is reflected in its countless lush green parks, grand church spires, colourful gardens, and beautiful neighbourhoods. The Town’s commitment to the preservation of its history supports a quality of life that energizes its residents and inspires its visitors. Petrolia honours its success and takes pride in its fiercely independent community spirit. The Petrolia Community Fund is one means for its citizens to continue building on that rich heritage.
The Petrolia Community Fund is in collaboration with the Sarnia Community Foundation. If anyone would like more information on the Petrolia Community Fund or would like to contribute, please contact Mike Barron at the SCF office 519 332-2588 or visit town.petrolia.on.ca/about-petrolia/community-fund.
For further information, please contact:
Mike Barron Executive Director
Sarnia Community Foundation
Phone: 519 332 2588
DEPUTY FIRE CHIEF DARREN ALLAN RETIRES AFTER 25 YEARS OF SERVICE WITH THE PETROLIA AND NORTH ENNISKILLEN FIRE DEPARTMENT
After 25 years of service with the Petrolia and North Enniskillen Fire Department, Deputy Fire Chief, Darren Allan has participated in his last fire call and retired. At Council this evening he was presented with his 25-year service medal.
In 25 years with the Department, Darren has made a lot of friends in the community. He has flipped a lot of burgers, washed a lot of cars, attended calls too numerous to count, he has helped train members, coached Junior Firefighters, met with the public, educated residents, toured youth and much more.
Deputy Chief Darren William Allan joined the Petrolia North Enniskillen Fire Department on July 17, 2000, as a Probationary Firefighter. After completing his 1-year probationary period and training he was promoted to Regular Firefighter. During his 7 years as a Firefighter, he continued to advance his knowledge and skills by taking various courses such as Advanced Interior Firefighting, Fire Cause and Determination, Terrorism Awareness, Hazmat, Fire Service Leadership from Dalhousie University, Emergency Medical Technician – Basic and Paramedic level in Port Huron, Michigan. Darren received a promotion to Platoon Captain, a position he held until he was promoted to Deputy Chief in February 2020.
Darren had the distinct privilege of chairing two special committees for the purchase of two new apparatus. The first committee was for the purchase of Rescue 12, and the second committee for the purchase of Tower 13.
While on the Fire Department Darren also served seven years in the Canadian Armed Forces Reserve as a noncommissioned member.
“He will be missed at the Hall, and at calls. Darren has been a constant for many years and has left in his wake a noticeable gap in our organization. Although he will be missed, we look forward to hearing about his retirement adventures and wish him the very best.” Said Fire Chief, Rick Cousins.
Town of Petrolia Makes $5K Donation to “Strong Communities Start Here” Program at Petrolia YMCA
Petrolia – The Town of Petrolia is pleased to provide a $5,000 donation towards the opportunities that the Petrolia YMCA provides families, so they may access the Y programs and services offered. This donation is a welcome addition to the program that provided more than $40,000 in financial assistance in 2024.
This donation provides financial assistance for memberships, YMCA facility improvements, new sport and leadership programs for youth, financial assistance for Y day campers, overnight camp experiences, and fitness and social programs for seniors.
The Y describes the program as: “A growing number of our family, friends, and neighbours are having a hard time accessing safe affordable housing, transportation, education, and clean air and water. Many are experiencing racism, discrimination, and violence. This impacts the full potential of health and well-being for everyone in our community.
Some challenges are even greater for newcomers to Canada who are building lives in Southwestern Ontario. As a community builder, the Y works to reduce these barriers through our programs. Our community partnerships support many vulnerable community members and create important pathways into community and opportunities for newcomers. A strong community is one where every individual has a chance to succeed.”
Community Statistics
Income inequality in Canada has increased over the past 20 years with more older adults experiencing poverty each year.
As many as 1 in 7 households don’t have enough money to maintain a healthy diet.
9 in 10 Canadians didn’t attend a live community event or had no involvement in neighbourhood or community projects during the pandemic.
Many newcomers are experiencing poverty in Southwestern Ontario and struggle to find work in their field.
Source: SWAHN Community Health Profile, Angus Reid, Statistics Canada, Fraser Institute, LPRC
The Town of Petrolia is proud of the Petrolia YMCA for their efforts to provide support to families that may otherwise be unable to access the facility.
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Photo: Cheque Presentation L-R Rick Charlebois, Town of Petrolia CAO/Treasurer; Julie Bullock, Town of Petrolia Director of Parks, recreation and Facilities; Wade Babula, Petrolia YMCA General Manager; Joe Cebulski, YMCA of Southwestern Ontario Regional Manager – HFA Operations, Lambton/Kent; R. Brad Loosley, Mayor of the Town of Petrolia
Mayor of Petrolia Announces Draft 2026 Budget Timeline
This will be our first municipal budget under the Strong Mayor Powers legislation. Mayor R. Brad Loosley has delegated as many of the Strong Mayor powers as possible to Council and the Chief Administrative Officer (CAO).
The Mayor is not permitted to delegate the Strong Mayor budget powers. Our 2026 Budget will be the Mayor’s Budget. Therefore, Mayor Loosley has implemented a Budget Review Team consisting of Deputy Mayor, Joel Field; Councillor Bill Clark (Finance Liaison); and Mayor Loosley.
The draft staff 2026 budget includes the largest capital expenditure plan in Petrolia’s history- we use Canadian companies, Canadian workers and Canadian products to the greatest extent possible. These are exciting times with significant challenges facing us locally, provincially and nationally.
The Strong Mayor Powers legislation has added several necessary steps into our budget process. The Mayor’s 2026 budget will come to Council at the Council Meeting in January 2026 seeking Council’s adoption.
Timeline
Sept. 22, 2025 – 2026 Water and Sewer Rates Information Session
By Nov. 5, 2025 – Public Release of Mayor’s Proposed 2026 budget
Nov. 7-24, 2025 – Remaining members of Council to review Mayor’s proposed budget
Nov. 10, 2025 – 2026 Proposed Fee Schedule at Council
Nov. 25, 2025 – Mayor’s proposed budget meeting with Council and the management team
Dec. 8, 2025 – Mayor to host a public information session to introduce budget
January 12, 2026 – Budget to be on Council Agenda for consideration
“As in the past, staff are available to help with any questions or comments. I look forward to working cooperatively with the rest of Council as we have in the past. These are some very exciting times in Petrolia, and we have a lot of work to do to see the multiple projects through to completion and to continue to provide the services to our residents that contribute to an excellent quality of life.” Said Mayor R. Brad Loosley.
Petrolia Water Treatment Plant in Brights Grove Kicks Off a Multi-Year, $16.2M Intake Project
The Town of Petrolia, Township of Enniskillen, Township of Dawn-Euphemia, and Village of Oil Springs will benefit from the intake replacement project, as it will restore treatment capacity at the Bright’s Grove WTP and maintain a safe drinking water supply system to over 11,200 residents in the Town of Petrolia, Townships of Enniskillen and Dawn-Euphemia and the Village of Oil Springs.
The current estimate cost for this project is $16.2M. A funding announcement of $11.9 million was made in 2022 by the federal government and the Province of Ontario. The announcement comes after an application to the 2021 intake of the Green Infrastructure funding stream of the Investing in Canada Infrastructure Program (ICIP) was approved at both the Federal and Provincial level.
At the kickoff to the project, Stuart Winchester, P.Eng. from CIMA+ addressed those in attendance with some information about the project and some timelines.
• The Works were tendered publicly on 18 February 2025. Bids for the works were received from five (5) pre-qualified firms, with the lowest acceptable bid submitted by Stone Town Construction Limited of St Mary’s, Ontario at a Total Tender Price of $12,512,773.50 plus HST.
• The Contract was Awarded to Stone Town Construction Limited on 15 April 2025, with an anticipated in-service date of 30 September 2026.
• On-site works to proceed through 2025 and early 2026. In-water works scheduled for spring/summer of 2026.
The Works include:
o Construction of a new Low-Lift Pump Station with a rated capacity of 12.0 MLd (Million Litres daily).
o Construction of a new 600mm intake pipeline extending approximately 380m into Lake Huron. The new intake pipeline will be constructed using HDPE pipe.
o Pre-treatment facility installed upstream of the existing membrane filters, to remove grit and turbidity from the raw water and protect the membrane filters.
The design was prepared based on 20-year population projections and included provisions for future upgrades depending on growing demands in the service area.
MP Marilyn Gladu said, “This is a project that is integral to the future of Petrolia, and to their neighbours in Enniskillen, Dawn-Euphemia and Oil Springs. The importance of clean and sustainable drinking water can not be underscored enough, and I am very pleased to be a part of this project.”
MPP Bob Bailey said, “I am extremely pleased that the federal and provincial governments are teaming with our local municipalities to modernize the critical water infrastructure in rural Lambton. This investment is part of the provincial government’s plan to create sustainable communities with resilient infrastructure for residents today, and for generations to come.”
The project will take place at the Brights Grove Water Treatment Plant (WTP) that is owned by the Town of Petrolia and operated by Ontario Clean Water Agency (OCWA) on behalf of the Town.
The project includes:
- replacement of the existing 400mm diameter cast iron intake pipe with a new 600 mm diameter “open” gravity intake system connected to a new intake wet well equipped with 3 submersible low lift pumps.
- Installation of a new in-lake passive intake screen with a protective crib structure
- Frazil ice and zebra mussel control systems
- Piping connections from the new intake pipe onshore to the intake wet well and from the intake pump station to the WTP
- Process / pre-filtration upgrades to improve the performance-based capacity of the WTP and prevent uncontrolled plant shut-downs during storm and/or water quality events associated with climate change.
Mayor of Petrolia, R. Brad Loosley said, “…Of all the critical infrastructure items in a Municipality, access to safe drinking water is the absolute, single most important component to a healthy community. I would like to thank our neighbours in the Township of Enniskillen, Township of Dawn-Euphemia, and Village of Oil Springs for their support of this project. Further, I would like to thank MPP, Bob Bailey and MP, Marilyn Gladu for their continuous support, and the provincial government and the federal government for the funding to make this project a reality.”
Warden of the County of Lambton, and Mayor of Enniskillen Township, Kevin Marriott said, “We are pleased to work together with our neighbours to see this project through to completion. This is a key project for our community also. We are grateful to the senior level governments for their vision and support.”
Mayor of Dawn-Euphemia, Alan Broad said, “We would like to express our gratitude to the province and the federal government for this funding, and to our neighbours for the partnership to see this project through. This important infrastructure component will serve our communities well into the future and maintain our extremely high-quality drinking water.”
Mayor of Oil Springs, Ian Veen said, “Oil Springs is proud to be a part of this project and identifies the high importance of safe drinking water for our community. We would like to extend our thanks to the province, the federal government and to our neighbouring communities, for once again working together to benefit a large part of rural Lambton.”
The project is expected to take eighteen (18) months to complete. The Town of Petrolia wishes to give thanks to CIMA+, Stone Town, and OCWA for their efforts and support of this sizeable project.
It was a perfect day in Petrolia as the Petrolia and Area Kiwanis Club officially opened the splash pad at the Petrolia YMCA. After fundraising the project and working with the Town of Petrolia for the past few years, the project is complete and already playing host to many families looking to cool off!
The seasonal addition to the Town has been one of the highest requested amenities in recent years, and the Town of Petrolia is grateful to the Petrolia and Area Kiwanis Club for their donation and dedication to seeing this project through to completion.
“Not only are we appreciative of this project, and for the community amenity, but we are also so proud that the Petrolia and Area Kiwanis Club included an oil derrick as the centerpiece – a nice nod to our history as a community and region.” Said Mayor R. Brad Loosley.
In the area there are changerooms, washrooms, benches, and a concession area. As the park space continues to develop, the soccer fields will open, and future additions will be considered and included.
Deputy Mayor, Joel Field said, “I’d like to congratulate the Petrolia and Area Kiwanis Club on this awesome addition to Petrolia! This has been talked about for the 15 years that I have been on Council, and it’s so great to see a service club rise to meet the challenge! Petrolia is so fortunate!”
Director of Parks, Recreation and Facilities, Julie Bullock said, “…I am very excited to have the splash pad open for all to enjoy. It’s been a pleasure to work with the Kiwanis Club members to see this become a reality.”
The Splash Pad remains open until the end of September, and the full schedule is June through September annually, open daily from 9:00 a.m. – 9:00 p.m.
PETROLIA YMCA
FARMER’S MARKET
VICTORIA PLAYHOUSE
COMMUNITY FUND
CONTACT US
411 Greenfield Street, Petrolia, ON N0N 1R0 | TEL: (519)882-2350 | petrolia@petrolia.ca
The Corporation of the Town of Petrolia 2016 | PRIVACY POLICY
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