Sarnia residents have the chance to name the County of Lambton’s newest affordable housing building at 471 Kathleen Avenue. The county is accepting name suggestions until noon on Friday, September 18, 2026.
The three-storey building will have 50 deeply affordable rent-geared-to-income units. Fourteen of those will be barrier-free and run by March of Dimes Canada for people with disabilities. The project cost is expected to be $16.5 million, with construction starting in mid-2025 and the first residents moving in during late fall 2026.
People can submit a name online through the County of Lambton website. Paper forms are also at the Lambton Shared Services Centre at 162 Lochiel Street, Suite 100 in Sarnia.
Melisa Johnson, the county’s housing services manager, said the name should reflect the local area. “Every name tells a story,” she said. The winning name will be announced when the building officially opens.
Lambton County says it needs 1,096 new affordable and specialized housing units over the next 10 years, with 412 of those being rent-geared-to-income. Right now, about 1,002 households are on the waitlist for rent-geared-to-income housing, while the county manages 1,238 community housing units. Rents in Sarnia have gone up by 38 to 42 percent since 2020.
