Admittedly, our summer vacations usually included a stay at a Muskoka cottage the last week in July or first week in August. Staycationing is a trend that is gaining popularity, so my husband Rob and I finally decided to give it a try. Well, I am here to tell you that Sarnia Lambton has a tremendous amount to offer and most of what we did was free!
I am not a native of Sarnia Lambton (lived here since 1983) but I do call Sarnia Lambton my home. I am still surprised to find people who have lived here their entire lives who don't take the time to enjoy the beauty of Sarnia Lambton. Lake Huron is one of the most beautiful lakes I have seen. We spent a lot of our time this past week by the beautiful blue water that Sarnia Lambton is well known for. We enjoyed fries under the bridge (the only people food we share with our pooch), watching the boats go by and people watching too. It is so enjoyable to see families and pets out enjoying the outstanding parks and waterfront which is one of the gems of this community.
We started our week getting caught up with family in nearby Chatham-Kent and helping our great-nephew celebrate his 4th birthday, Lightning McQueen style of course! After arriving home we sat down and drafted an itinerary for the upcoming week. There were so many great things to see and do. I had no idea how busy Sarnia Lambton is the first week of August.
We enjoyed a leisurely drive down the St. Clair Parkway. Say, have you checked out the fantastic fountain that's been installed on the St. Clair River Trail across from the Shell Refinery. What an amazing piece of work. The St. Clair River Trail is so well used. What a great place to take the family for a bike ride, go for a jog, or a leisurely walk. Every park along the Parkway was being utilized by families sharing a picnic, kids dipping their toes into the river or by anglers trying to reel in the big one.
We spent a Sunday afternoon in Courtright watching the power boat races. Again, many riverfront home owners shared this day with family and friends as it seemed a never ending chain of lawn chairs formed from the park in Mooretown to beyond Courtright to get an eye full of the activity.
We used "My Chamber App" to locate Chamber member businesses and restaurants to visit. We strolled through both farmers markets. What great produce Sarnia Lambton has to offer. There were many festivals and events going on in the county as well. It was Captain Kids Days in Corunna. Everywhere you looked there were pirates! The Watford Cornfest was also on during our staycation week. Where else can you buy an ear of corn for $ 0.25 (since 1982). No inflation at the Cornfest!
We took in "The Blonde, The Brunette, and The Vengeful Redhead" at the Imperial Theatre. This community is so blessed to have the Starbright Summer Festival in our community again this year. I encourage everyone to come out and support the Festival. The very talented, university aged actors I spoke to think Sarnia Lambton is an amazing place to be, with sooo much to do. The talent is outstanding without having to travel out of town.
We finished the weeks activities with the Sarnia-Port Huron International Offshore Powerboat races held for the first time in Sarnia. Kudos to Dave Brown and the team who organized this outstanding event and kudos to the thousands of people who lined the parks and riverfront from Centennial all the way down Front Street. The crowd of thousands was thrilled by the roar of the 1000 horsepower engines of the boats and amazed at the rooster tails of the boats as they thundered by.
At the end of the week, Rob and I both agreed there really is something to this staycation trend. We renewed our appreciation for the beauty of this area, the businesses and the people of Sarnia Lambton. We are already planning our next staycation!

 Debra J. Taylor, FCGA

 

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ARE YOU READY FOR
CUSTOMER SERVICE STANDARD, JANUARY 1, 2012?

The customer service standard came into effect on January 1, 2008 and is the first standard developed under the Accessibility for Ontarians with Disability Act (AODA). It sets out the obligations for businesses and organizations to provide goods and services in a way that is accessible to people with disabilities.

WHO IS REQUIRED TO COMPLY NO LATER THAN JANUARY 1, 2012? ALL people, businesses and organizations that:
• Provide goods or services either directly to the public or to other businesses or organizations and have one or more employees in Ontario
• Broader public sector had to comply by January 1, 2010 and file a report with the Government of Ontario in 2010
• Private sector organizations, including non-profit, with 20 or more employees must comply by January 1, 2012 and file a report in 2012
• Private sector organizations, including non-profit, with fewer than 20 employees are required to comply by January 1, 2012 but are exempted from reporting

REQUIREMENTS INCLUDE POLICIES, PRACTICES AND PROCEDURES
• Establish policies, practices and procedures on how the business/organization will provide goods or services to people with disabilities.
• Use reasonable efforts to ensure the policies, practices and procedures on how the business/organization provides goods or services to people with disabilities are consistent with the principles of dignity, independence, integration and equal opportunity.
• Set a policy on allowing people to use their own personal assistive devices to access your goods or services and about any other measures your business/organization offers to enable them to access services.
• Allow guide dogs or service animals in areas open to the public, unless the animal is excluded by another law. If the service animal is not permitted, find other means to accommodate the person with a disability.
• Allow a support person to accommodate the person with a disability while accessing goods or services in premises that are open to the public or third parties.
• Provide notice ahead of time on what admission fees, if any, would be charged for a support person.
• Provide notice if facilities or services are temporarily unavailable.
• Develop a process that allows people to provide feedback on how you provide goods or services to people with disabilities and clearly explain how the business/organization will take action on any complaints.
• Communicate in a manner that takes into account a person's disability.
• Train all staff, volunteers, contractors and other third parties on the customer service standard.
• Train people who develop the internal policies, practices and procedures.

BUSINESSES AND ORGANIZATIONS WITH 20 OR MORE EMPLOYEES MUST ALSO:
• File an accessibility report with the Government of Ontario
• Document policies, practices & procedures for providing accessible customer service and meet other document requirements set out in the standard;
• Notify customers that documents are available upon request; and
• When giving documents required under the customer service standard, provide the information in a format that takes into account the person's disability.
 

How to Comply: Businesses and organizations must follow the requirements in order to fully comply with the customer service standard.
COMPLIANCE TOOLKIT The Ontario Chamber of Commerce is excited to take you on a journey to enhance your knowledge of the customer service standard. They have designed an online compliance toolkit to help Ontario business become more aware of and comply with the standard. Use the web address below to access the compliance toolkit and watch for Sarnia lambton Chamber programs regarding customer service compliance. http://www.accessibilityworks.ca/compliance-toolkit