Sarnia Chris Hadfield Airport Public Input

At its February 10, 2025 meeting Sarnia City Council will discuss direction on the long-term role of the City in the future of the Sarnia Chris Hadfield Airport. Due to the potential impact of the pending decision on the community, and to help inform Council’s decision, we are inviting the public to provide written input on the City’s role in the future of the airport.

Specifically Council will discuss options toward either investment by the City in the airport, or divestment in the asset.

The decision to invest or divest in the future of the airport is significant and should be looked at holistically. Consideration must be given to whether the past, current, and potential future economic and social benefits of Sarnia Airport justify continued municipal investment in the facility in terms of operating, maintenance, and capital financial contributions; City Staff resources; and City Council oversight. A decision is necessary to establish clear direction for the future of the facility.

Learn More

To learn more about the decision, background and potential next steps, please review the January 20, 2025 report on the subject.

Provide your input

You can provide your input and insight on the issue in writing. To be included in the report presented to Council, submit your comments before noon on February 7, 2025 to the Office of the City Clerk at clerks@sarnia.ca

Hard copy written submissions can be dropped off to the Office of the City Clerk on the second floor of City Hall, Monday to Friday, 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.

Written comments received will be made publicly available through the Council Meeting Agenda.

Personal information is being collected under the authority of the Municipal Act and will be used by Sarnia City Council to inform its decision regarding the long-term role of the City in the future of the Sarnia Chris Hadfield Airport. Questions about this collection should be addressed to the City Clerk, 2nd floor, City Hall, 255 Christina Street North, Sarnia, ON N7T 7N2. Telephone: 519-332-0330. Email: clerks@sarnia.ca

Past Public Consultation

Extensive public consultation has been conducted with the business and resident community since the loss of scheduled service in 2020. Public consultation on the airport was conducted in the following projects.

High-level Economic Development Strategy 2020

The High-Level Economic Development Strategy 2020 was presented to Council at the September 14, 2020, regular meeting and included:

The public engagement portion of this project included:

The launch of a Speak Up Sarnia page with project updates
An online survey
Stakeholder interviews with the business community, asset operators, managing staff, members of Council and more

2020 Airport Survey and Open House

In 202 the City engaged the community for input on the future of the airport. A Speak Up Sarnia page was launched and an airport survey and virtual open house was facilitated by Staff in Fall 2020. Results were reported to Council on December 7, 2020. Responses received include:

27 written submissions
231 survey responses
41 open house attendees

Airport Action Working Group

A community-led Airport Action Working Group was established in February 2021 through a report to Council and included one representative from each of the following:

Scottsdale Aviation
Sarnia Lambton Chamber of Commerce
Tourism Sarnia-Lambton
Lambton Federation of Agriculture
Sarnia Lambton Industrial Association
Sarnia and District Labour Council; and
Two citizen appointments

This committee conducted further consultation was conducted with City Council members, Lambton College, private sector stakeholders, other Economic Development offices, tenants at the Airport, upper levels of government, other airports, and the public who expressed interest in sharing their thoughts and expertise on future use. This is not a complete list of the parties consulted.

The feedback from consultation, along with the recommendations from the AAWG, were presented to Council in AAWG Presentation to Sarnia Council at the October 25, 2021 regular meeting.

Airport Master Plan

The Airport Master Plan project launched in 2021 and concluded in 2022 with its presentation from HM Aero to Council at the April 11, 2022 regular meeting. The full report can be accessed here.

Public engagement was conducted as part of the plan’s development and included the following:

A project webpage was launched on Speak Up Sarnia in December 2021 and was updated throughout the duration of the planning process
A resident outreach survey was launched and received 837 responses
A business outreach survey was launched and 25 responses
A project open house was held with 82 individuals registered and 58 individuals attending
50 detailed interviews with Airport stakeholders and key regional representatives were conducted

Economic Development Master Plan

The Economic Development Master Plan kicked off in Fall 2024. Public consultation concluded in November 2024 and included questions regarding the community’s perception and prioritization of the airport in the city’s economic future.

The “What Was Heard” report was presented to Council on January 20, 2025 and reflects input from:

713 respondents to the survey,
79 attendees at 4 targeted focus groups, and
21 detailed one-to-one interviews.

Staff and Industry Engagement

In addition to the project-specific public engagement efforts, Staff have spent 4 years engaging and networking with aviation representatives, airport managers, airport operators, carriers, aviation consultants, regulatory bodies, aviation professionals, and more. These interactions represent a significant amount of engagement with professionals in the industry.

Staff have reported to Council and the public on matters related to Council through the meeting agenda. This includes quarterly reports on the financial subsidy and a high-level update on carrier attraction, as well and project-specific initiatives noted above.