Sarnia—Lambton

Sarnia—Lambton occupies the southwestern tip of Ontario, where the St. Clair River flows out of Lake Huron and forms the international border with Michigan. The riding encompasses the City of Sarnia, the towns of Petrolia and Plympton-Wyoming, the municipalities of Brooke-Alvinston and Lambton Shores, the townships of Dawn-Euphemia, Enniskillen, St. Clair, and Warwick, and the villages of Oil Springs and Point Edward. It also includes the First Nations reserves of Kettle Point, Sarnia (Aamjiwnaang), and Walpole Island. The 2021 census recorded a population of approximately 128,150 across the riding's mix of urban, small-town, and agricultural communities.

The riding is predominantly English-speaking, with a demographic profile that is older than the provincial average. Indigenous peoples make up a notable share of the population, and the riding's First Nations communities—particularly Aamjiwnaang, situated adjacent to Chemical Valley—have long raised concerns about environmental health and industrial emissions.

Candidates

Marilyn Gladu (Conservative) — A professional engineer, Gladu spent 21 years at Dow Chemical in a variety of local and global roles before becoming engineering manager and then director of engineering at Suncor, followed by a consulting role at WorleyParsons. She was named a Fellow of the Canadian Academy of Engineers and a Fellow of Engineers Canada in 2017. First elected in 2015, she served as the Official Opposition critic for science and later for health, and chaired the Standing Committee on the Status of Women.

Adam Kilner (NDP) — An ordained minister of the United Church of Canada and the minister of Dunlop United Church in Sarnia, Kilner has served on the boards of local non-profit organizations and volunteered with Big Brothers. This was his second campaign for the riding, having previously sought the NDP nomination.

Lois Nantais (Liberal) — A professor of psychology at Lambton College for over twenty years, Nantais taught ethics and critical thinking and founded the college's student-led Centre for Academic Integrity. She holds a Master's degree in Ethics and is a published literary artist with ties to the Lawrence House Centre for the Arts. Born and raised in Lambton County, she comes from a family of small business owners and farmers.

Brian Everaert (PPC) — Everaert was the People's Party of Canada candidate for Sarnia—Lambton in the 2021 election.

About the Riding

Sarnia—Lambton's identity is inseparable from its petrochemical industry. Canada's "Chemical Valley"—a concentration of more than 60 refineries and chemical plants stretching along the St. Clair River south of Sarnia—represents the country's second-largest cluster of petrochemical and refining facilities. Companies including Shell, Suncor, NOVA Chemicals, and Imperial Oil operate major facilities in the corridor, and the sector has been the backbone of the local economy for over a century. The region's oil heritage runs even deeper: in 1857, the discovery of oil in nearby Oil Springs launched North America's first commercial oil well, predating the famous Pennsylvania strike by two years. Within a decade, 27 small refineries were operating in Petrolia.

Agriculture remains a significant part of the riding's economic base outside the Sarnia urban area. The flat, fertile farmland of Lambton County supports cash crops, livestock, and specialty agriculture. The Lake Huron shoreline along Lambton Shores draws seasonal tourists to communities like Grand Bend and Port Franks.

Environmental and health concerns have long been central to political life in the riding. The Aamjiwnaang First Nation, surrounded on three sides by Chemical Valley, has documented elevated rates of health problems linked to industrial pollution, and community activism around air quality and chemical spills has drawn national attention. Balancing the economic importance of the petrochemical sector with environmental stewardship and Indigenous rights remains one of the riding's defining tensions. The riding has leaned Conservative at the federal level, reflecting a broadly pro-industry electorate that also values the resource sector's contribution to local employment.