Sarnia Lambton Economic Partnership

From CHOK Radio

This summer in Sarnia-Lambton real estate has been described as being "in like a lamb-out like a lion". August was a good month, with 156 properties selling. The dollar volume topped 31 million, the second highest August in the last decade. Sarnia Lambton Real Estate Board President Donna Mathewson sees a trend, and a good autumn selling period. The average price of a house sold last month was just over 190 thousand dollars. That was skewed by a single house sale topping one million dollars.

Cathy Dobson   From www.theobserver.ca    The Observer

The quiet of the gallery experience is interrupted by a cheerful "hello" as Iaian Greenson, artist in residence, exits his studio to greet a visitor.

Greenson, 37, is an outgoing man, happy when working on canvas with paints, but just as happy to stop to answer questions and discuss the gallery and his work.

"It was my idea to have an artist in residence," he said. "It's something new to Sarnia and it makes the gallery a different experience."

The gallery is owned by Susan Kristjansson who started selling fine art in downtown Sarnia about a month ago.

Kristjansson said she was intrigued by the artist-in-residence concept because it generates discussion about both Greenson's work as well as the show, which changes monthly.

"I think it's a novel idea and it is working out well," she said.

Greenson left his home studio behind and reports to work 11 a.m. -5 p.m. Tuesday to Friday, and from noon to 4 p.m. on Saturdays.

"I paint here nearly every day," he said. "And I'm glad to talk to people who come in to see the gallery and ask questions."

He describes his work, inspired by mixed media including video, television and music, as a bold statement with a great deal of bright colour and emotion.

Greenson is self-taught and credits his uncle, a Spanish abstract expressionist, for triggering his love of art and inspiring him to start painting at a very young age.

"I didn't go to art school but I was fascinated by my uncle, Antonio Gallego. When I was growing up, we went to Spain every year to see him. I'd watch him paint and I wanted that life."

Greenson said he is anxious to welcome people into his studio, which is a small room off Kristjansson's main gallery.

"I want my space, my work, to be particularly inviting," he said. "I want to be asked questions of all kinds and I will try to be as honest as possible without giving away too much of the recipe."

He came to Sarnia five years ago with his wife and baby son. Previously, Greenson had lived only in metropolitan cities like Toronto where he held annual solo shows and enjoyed the art scene.

But having a baby changed his perspective and he wanted to take time out to be with his growing family.

That meant leaving the city in which he needed to work a retail job to afford the cost of living.

In Sarnia, where the couple had relatives already, Greenson could afford to stay home with his family and paint full-time.

"It was a radical decision," he conceded. "Thank goodness for the Internet. With the Toronto art scene, you need to be seen. But here, I showed my stuff online and that has opened up all kinds of opportunity."

Since moving to Sarnia, Greenson has been invited to hold solo shows as far away as New York City, Washington and Los Angeles.

When he met Kristjansson and saw her new fine art gallery at 186 1/2 Christina St., he jumped at a chance to try something new.

Greenson plans to teach art classes to all ages, seven years and older, this summer at the gallery.

He will also create limited edition prints of some of his work for the first time to sell at Art Walk.

For more information, contact Greenson at Iaiangreenson@gmail.com or call the gallery at 519-491-2444.

Observer Article ID# 2602605
 

Shawn Jeffords    From www.theobserver.ca    The Observer

Bluewater Power Generation's move into methane gas and solar technologies has become a $7-million investment.

The company, an arm of the local utility, is turning a small profit and has plans to grow, said chief operating officer Tim Vanderheide.

"It's promising about a 10% of return overall," he said. "It's not huge, but it's better than what you can get in the bank right now. Everything is backed by 20 year contracts for the power. We remain very risk cautious."

The company has three projects on the go: methane gas capture and recovery at both the Sarnia landfill on Blackwell Road and the Petrolia landfill, and five solar panel arrays in Sarnia.

In addition to turning a profit, the green technologies are good teaching tools, Vanderheide said.

Learning more itself can help Bluewater Power Generation better inform customers about fly-by-night solar panel providers making promises they can't back up, he said.

"There are a lot of people going around making pretty big claims, so we really wanted to try to get our heads around what is available."

To that end, the company will be installing five different 10-kilowatt systems. Two will be ground-mounted and three mounted on roofs.

Installing and monitoring the system will help give the company valuable experience and eventually become an installer of choice locally, Vanderheide said.

"We'd like to build a portfolio of renewable projects over the next 10 or 15 years." sjeffords@theobserver.ca

Observer Article ID# 2601664

www.lanxess.com – media release

USD 10 million investment in Gevo Step toward securing alternative raw material supply Strengthening of ‘Green Chemistry’ activities
Leverkusen - LANXESS, the world’s largest producer of synthetic rubber, has invested in U.S. biofuel & biochemical company Gevo, Inc. as part of a proposed cooperation to produce isobutene from renewable resources. The companies aim to find an alternative route to source isobutene – a key raw material needed in the manufacturing of butyl rubber.

Isobutene is conventionally produced in steam crackers, which use petroleum derivatives as a feedstock. Alternatively, Gevo is developing a fermentation process to produce the organic compound isobutanol from the fermentable sugars in biomass, starting with corn. Isobutanol is a fundamental building block for making biodiesel, bio jet fuel as well as plastics, rubber and fibers. 

Gevo and LANXESS intend to use their technical know-how to produce isobutene by dehydrating isobutanol. Researchers from LANXESS’ innovation department and the Butyl Rubber business unit are working together to optimize the dehydration process, which has proven successful in the laboratory. 

 “This investment and the proposed cooperation broaden our future supply options against the background of volatile raw material prices and consolidation within the petrochemical industry,” said Axel C. Heitmann, Chairman of the LANXESS Board of Management. “This investment also underpins our commitment to ‘Green Chemistry’, which is becoming more important to all stakeholders.”

LANXESS has invested USD 10 million in the Denver, Colorado-based company. In exchange, it has received a minority shareholding in Gevo and a seat on the Director’s Board, which will be filled by Ron Commander, head of the company’s Butyl Rubber Business Unit.

“We are extremely pleased to have LANXESS make a strategic investment in Gevo and appreciate their confidence in our isobutanol platform,” said Patrick Gruber, CEO of Gevo. “We expect this renewable hydrocarbon feedstock will have many applications in a variety of chemical markets.”

Other noteworthy investors in Gevo are the French oil and gas group Total SA and airline-founder Richard Branson’s Virgin Green Fund – a leading investor in the cleantech industry. Gevo has 55 employees and works closely with a number of world-renowned institutions including the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) and the California Institute of Technology. The company was founded in 2005.

LANXESS is the world’s second largest producer of butyl rubber and has plants in Sarnia, Canada, and Zwijndrecht, Belgium. In addition, the company is investing a record EUR 400 million in a new butyl rubber plant in Singapore, which will start up in the first quarter of 2013.

‘Green Chemistry’ initiatives

Since its inception in 2005, LANXESS has been focusing on sustainable technologies and processes. For example, the company has reduced its direct climate gas emissions globally by more than 50 percent over the last two years. In addition, the goal set for Germany of reducing climate gas emissions by 80 percent by 2012 compared to 2007 was already reached last year. A key contributor to this achievement has been LANXESS’ nitrous oxide (N2O) reduction unit in Krefeld-Uerdingen, Germany. The new facility neutralizes around 5,000 metric tons of nitrous oxide per year. This corresponds to approximately 1.5 million metric tons of CO2 equivalents in comparison to 2007.

LANXESS has developed synthetic rubber and rubber additives that improve the fuel efficiency of high-performance tires, while at the same time not compromising on safety. The reduction in fuel consumption cuts down the discharge of CO2 and lowers the impact on the environment. 

Clean drinking water has become a precious resource in many emerging countries in view of growing populations and climate change. LANXESS plays a leading role here by developing innovative ion exchange resins that help remove toxic impurities from drinking water, such as heavy metals and other harmful substances including arsenic.

LANXESS is a leading specialty chemicals company with sales of EUR 5.06 billion in 2009 and currently around 14,300 employees in 23 countries. The company is represented at 42 production sites worldwide. The core business of LANXESS is the development, manufacturing and marketing of plastics, rubber, intermediates and specialty chemicals.
 

From www.mynewwaterfronthome.com

Downloaded May 17, 2010

Sarnia is all about chic urban condos and charming hamlets - stop by and discover why 'Bluewaterland' is so popular
 
The community's original name was The Rapids. It was named Port Sarnia in 1836, then shortened to Sarnia in 1857.  

The name Sarnia has Celtic origins and is linked to the Island of Guernsey in the Channel Islands.  

Alexander MacKenzie, a stonemason and Canada’s second prime minister, represented Sarnia and is buried there. A concerted effort beginning in the 1970s to preserve the waterfront for the public has paid off handsomely for the citizens of Sarnia.  

Today, this city of 71,000, the largest urban centre on Lake Huron, controls an unbroken area stretching along the St. Clair River through the downtown core, and enjoys significant holdings along its lakeshore.  

Nicknamed Bluewaterland for the sky-blue shades of the lake on whose southern tip Sarnia sits, the city’s civic strategy has long been to develop and maintain the waterfront as the main recreational and cultural focal point. Developers are not allowed to build right at the water’s edge, but rather behind a border of publicly owned property that follows the riverfront.  

Along the lake, much of the land has been built up with private homes, but there are several parks and the city has improved public access to the water at the ends of several roads that run to the water’s edge.
 
Highrise condos offer downtown living with a view
Several apartment condos sit next to the public waterfront space, strategically located to take advantage of the river and lake views. And in the village of Point Edward, which is tucked into the corner where the St. Clair River empties from Lake Huron and surrounded on two sides by the city, a seaside-type community is built around a marina. 

Sarnia is a significant gateway to the U.S. and has long been an important port for lake freighters and salt-water ships carrying grain and petroleum products.  

Originally linked to the lumber trade, Sarnia’s economy took off in the latter days of the 19th century, after the discovery of petroleum a few miles away in Oil Springs and Petrolia. Oil refineries were built along the St. Clair River south of the city’s downtown and, in 1942, when there were fears that rubber manufacturing would be jeopardized by the Second World War, Polymer Corp. was established in Sarnia, ushering in the petrochemical era.  

Today, Sarnia is supplied its crude oil by pipeline from Alberta and, in an area dubbed Chemical Valley, it still represents the largest concentration of refineries and petrochemical plants in the country. Few visitors can help but be impressed by the array of tubes, towers and tanks, festooned in lights, as they glitter brilliantly after dark. Chemical Valley was formerly featured on the back of the $10 Canadian bill.  

Passing ships a beloved sight here
Sarnia’s environmental engineering expertise is widely known in the field, based on a distinct industrial service sector in planning, designing, building and monitoring systems to protect the environment.  

As it flows out of the lake, the St. Clair River soon opens up into Sarnia Bay. This natural harbour was visited by the French explorer LaSalle in 1670. In the 1920s, new facilities, including a wintering harbour and grain elevators, assured its reputation as an important deep-water port and today, 100 million tonnes of shipping pass through annually.  

The passing ships, and the wintering over of several in the harbour, have drawn spectators for decades. Sarnia has capitalized on that by creating a linear park from the downtown to the harbour, where entertainment and recreational facilities have been built. Plans call for the extension of the linear park south of the core, into what was once CN Rail lands at the northern extremity of Chemical Valley.  

The city is endeavouring to maximize the economic development potential of the downtown waterfront and promote it as a destination for major tourism draws, development, celebrations and events. Already, there are places for seating, picnicking and fishing, with children’s play areas, and more are planned.  

Don't miss the Sarnia-Port Huron Mackinac sailing race
The city would like to attract a “display ship” that might be used for a restaurant/bar, bed and breakfast, or an interpretive centre, where topics might be themed on the Great Lakes, shipping or the city’s industrial history. Sarnia is unusual in that a First Nation reserve exists within the city limits and that, too, could provide a subject for interpretation.  

Recognizing that Point Edward sits in a strategic spot where the Blue Water Bridge enters Canada, Sarnia is working with the village to link up their respective attractions. Partnerships could also be created with the City of Port Huron, the American community on the other side of the international bridge.  

Already, Sarnia and Port Huron sponsor the annual 400-kilometre Mackinac sailing race, which draws more than 3,000 participants. Inaugurated in 1925, the race begins in Port Huron and Sarnia and ends at the northern tip of Lake Huron. Thousands line both banks of the river to watch the boats sail beneath the Blue Water Bridge.  

The bridge has been seen in at least two feature-length Hollywood films, Renaissance Man and Bless the Child. Michael Moore filmed parts of Bowling for Columbine in Sarnia, then returned to get footage for his film on the American medical system, Sicko.  

Festivals, cruises keep waterfront hopping
Built in 1938 and twinned in 1997, Sarnia’s Blue Water Bridge is the second-busiest border crossing between Canada and the United States. Today, it links Highway 402 with the U.S. Interstate system.  

Canada and the U.S. are also linked under water: The first railway arrived at Sarnia in 1858 and, in 1891, a rail tunnel was constructed under the St. Clair River to Michigan, the first time a rail tunnel had been constructed beneath a river. A tunnel opened in 1995 accommodates double-decked rail cars.  

The riverfront has undergone a huge transformation over the past four decades. Where piles of coal once sat, the Dow People Place Entertainment Centre stands, featuring local entertainers throughout the summer months.  

Other events take place in the riverfront parks. Festivals include the Celebration of Lights in Centennial Park and the Sarnia BayFest Summer Rock Concert in July, which has featured performers such as Bon Jovi, Kiss, ZZ Top, Mötley Crüe and Aerosmith. A cruise ship offers charters and scheduled lunch and dinner tours from Sarnia Bay.  

To the north on Lake Huron sits the 200-acre Canatara Park. Part of it has been maintained in its natural state, while other areas are designated for public use and recreation. It includes Lake Chipican, a sandy beach on the lakeshore, a children’s petting farm, historic log cabins and public open space often used for large celebratory events.  

Vibrant arts and culture scene
The ships, however, will always be a part of the local waterfront. Recognizing the importance of shipping-related activities to the economy and the attraction they have for visitors and residents, Sarnia has no intention of chasing these away. Instead, the city explicitly includes grain elevators, winter docking and repair in its Waterfront zoning designation and encourages more display and tour boats to use the area. Other permitted uses include hotels, restaurants, boutiques, open space and recreation.  

Downtown, the art deco Capitol movie theatre has been transformed into the Imperial Oil Centre for the Performing Arts, which hosts live entertainment. Also downtown, a grand old mansion has been turned into the Lawrence House Suncor Centre for the Arts, and is available for art exhibits and children’s programs. The RBC Centre, home to the city’s Junior A hockey team, is also available for concerts and other events.  

On the gambling front, Sarnia has the Hiawatha Horse Park and Slots, while Point Edward has a charity casino. For golfers, there are more than 20 courses in the area to choose from. Mike Weir launched his career in the city.  

In health care, the Bluewater Health hospital maintains two sites in Sarnia and one in Petrolia.  

In education, Lambton College is a school of applied arts and technology, with 2,500 full-time and 8,000 part-time students. It has become a national leader in information technology programs and, in co-operation with the University of Windsor, it offers bachelor’s degrees and post-graduate programs.  

Local airport honours astronaut Hadfield
The college has recently welcomed a neighbour, the Bioindustrial Innovation Centre Sarnia-Lambton Research Park. It is hoped the centre will become Canada’s most important centre for the development and commercialization of large-scale industrial biotechnology, such as biofuels, bioenergy and biochemicals. The centre is credited with attracting new alternative-energy companies to the city.  

The local airport is named for astronaut Chris Hadfield, a Sarnia native. The city has a public transit system and is served by VIA Rail.  

On the real estate front, recently listed waterfront property in Sarnia included a one-bedroom, one-bath apartment condo on the St. Clair River for $124,900 and a two-bedroom, two-bath condo on the river, downtown, for $299,000. At the higher end of the budget, $879,950 would buy you a lakeside estate with four bedrooms, 100 feet of private sandy beach and a gazebo from which you could watch those fabulous Lake Huron sunsets.
 

From www.theobserver.ca   The Observer
 
A Texas pipeline company says it is moving ahead with a planned natural gas pipeline project that will extend to the Sarnia market. Buckeye Partners LP has announced that a recent bid to gauge potential customer support for the project was overwhelmingly positive. In a news release the company states the project has received "favourable responses from potential customers to transport natural gas liquids (NGLs) produced in the Marcellus Shale Basin in Pennsylvania, United States to the market in Sarnia ..."

Buckeye and NOVA Chemicals have signed a memorandum of understanding to evaluate and develop the mixed natural gas liquids pipeline from the Marcellus Basin in Pennsylvania to Corunna. The Marcellus Basin is one of the largest unconventional natrual gas deposits in the world. The company conducted its previously announced non-binding open season for the Union Pipeline last month to better define the potential demand for the proposed pipeline. The expressions of interest received by Buckeye support continued development of engineering designs for the Union Pipeline, the news release states.

The project will consist of either a 12-inch or 16-inch pipeline to the Detroit area, then continue north to the NOVA facility. Natural gas liquids carried in the pipeline would be used principally as petrochemical feedstock. It is believed that the pipeline will allow NOVA to secure long-term competitive petrochemical feedstock supply. The Union Pipeline Project is still subject to final agreements and regulatory approvals.

Buckeye would develop, build, own and operate the pipeline, and it's expected to seek out other potential customers in Sarnia- Lambton. Local officials say the pipeline bodes well for the future viability of the NOVA facility, as well as the local petrochemical industry and industrial base as a whole.

Buckeye has announced it will hold another binding open season to gauge additional customer support for the project in mid-2010.

Observer Article ID# 2533895

By Paul Morden  from  www.theobserver.ca    The Observer

Word that a pipeline could be built from Pennsylvania to NOVA Chemicals' Corunna plant is good news for Sarnia-Lambton, local officials say. The pipeline company Buckeye Partners L.P. and NOVA have signed a memorandum of understanding to evaluate and develop a mixed natural gas liquids pipeline from the Marcellus Basin in Pennsylvania to Corunna.

"That is a very good piece of news," said Ray Curran of the Sarnia Construction Association. "Anything that helps NOVA helps the community."

Natural gas liquids carried in the pipeline would be used principally as petrochemical feedstock. NOVA spokesperson Greg Wilkinson said the proposal is in its early stages "but we're certainly excited about the potential." The Union Pipeline Project is subject to final agreements and regulatory approvals. Buckeye would develop, build, own and operate the pipeline, and it's expected to seek out other potential customers in Sarnia-Lambton, a news release states.

"It bodes well for the security of jobs we have currently with NOVA Chemicals, and others in the community that purchase products from NOVA," said St. Clair Township Mayor Steve Arnold.

"It's good news they're still looking at this as a prime area for investment and I'm really encouraged for our whole community." Sarnia Mayor Mike Bradley, chairperson of the Sarnia-Lambton Economic Partnership, called the pipeline proposal a positive step "because it gives strength to the local industrial base."

Wilkinson said, "We think the project has significant potential benefits" for both companies, as well as the Sarnia region and natural gas producers in the Marcellus Basin. "It's the largest unconventional natural gas deposit in the world," Wilkinson said, adding it is "expected to significantly change the natural gas market in North America." The Chemical Valley's location makes it a natural market for the deposit's gas liquids, he said. "For our business in Sarnia, particularly our Corunna cracker, competitive feedstock is the key to our success," he said. "Finding an additional source of competitive feedstock, like this Marcellus shale, helps ensure the commercial sustainability of our Sarnia operations." Wilkinson said NOVA currently buys feedstock from Western Canada, the U.S., and offshore. The Corunna site is one of several plants NOVA operates in Sarnia-Lambton.

Bradley said the economic partnership has been looking for ways that government can help petrochemical industries, particularly the refinery sector where there appears to be an overcapacity in North America. "Refineries are being shut in the U.S. and we just had one shut in Montreal," he said. "It's my view that the petrochemical industry is the Rodney Dangerfield of industries in Canada. There isn't respect shown by other levels of government to what a wealth creator it is." Bradley said the partnership is concerned about the impact changes in the international marketplace are having on local refineries and petrochemical plants. "We have competition we haven't had before." That why the announcement about the pipeline proposal is a "positive step forward" for the area, he said.

Observer Article ID# 2444027
 

By Tyler Kula   www.theobserver.ca   The Observer

 
A recent study undertaken at Imperial Oil in Sarnia has yielded new insight into the use and storage of heating and transportation fuel containing biodiesel. The study was jointly funded by Imperial, the Canadian Petroleum Products Institute (CPPI) and the Canadian government's National Renewable Diesel Demonstration Initiative. It found that up to 10% biodiesel in heating oil shouldn't cause furnace performance issues, limiting saturated monoglycerides can help avoid filter plugging, especially in cold weather, and antioxidants can help product stability in long term storage.

"All of that information is intended eventually to advance the understanding and to make sure that, as this product is introduced into the Canadian marketplace, the consumer will be well protected," said Gilles Morel, director of fuel for CPPI.

The results -- detailed reports of which can be found at www.cppi.ca -- have drawn attention from the Canada General Standards Board and its U.S. counterpart, he said. "The main intent of that work was to try to better understand the mechanism or to understand some of the known potential issues with biofuel," he said. Heating oil with biodiesel is already used in Europe and some parts of the U.S., Morel said, but testing was needed to ensure it was suitable for Canadian climates.

There were 57 different diesel blends tested at the Imperial research facility, with $202,000 coming from the federal government.

The Canadian Oil Heating Association, Canadian Trucking Alliance, Canadian Renewable Fuels Association and several industry players also provided assistance in the study.
 

From www.chok.com   CHOK Radio

Despite the recession, 2009 building stats in Sarnia go into the history books as the fourth best of all-time. Construction values last year were almost five million dollars better than the year before, coming in at 99.3 million dollars. There were 802 building permits issued in 2009, 51 more than in 2008. Sarnia Mayor Mike Bradley credits diverse investments locally. Meantime, 125 permits were issued for single family homes, 72 fewer than 2008. 128 permits were issued for multi-family units last year compared to 14 the year before. That's inflated by the 111 apartment units at the Tricar building on Front Street.