NEWS

Local news in and around Aylmer and Elgin County

Search on for missing swimmer

September 1, 2023 | 0 Comments

Elgin Ontario Provincial Police, Central Elgin Fire and Rescue and the Canadian Coast Guard are searching for a swimmer reported missing from a 25-foot sailboat in the waters of Lake Erie, near Port Stanley. Const. Brett Phair of Elgin OPP said a London resident, 64, had gone swimming from the boat at 3:48 p.m. on…

Boat abandoned in Port Stanley

August 31, 2023 | 0 Comments

Elgin Ontario Provincial Police officers are trying to determine why a sailboat was abandoned docked to a pier in the Port Stanley. Const. Brett Phair said police received a report Wednesday, Aug. 30, that a boat had been docked alongside the pier on the west side of the harbour on Friday, Aug. 25, at about…

Over 300 riders turn out for 3 Port Tour

August 23, 2023 | 0 Comments

The over 300 riders who participated in the 11th 3 Port Tour on Saturday, Aug. 19, enjoyed “a perfect day for riding,” Aylmer Bicycling Club President Brett Hueston said afterward. The day before the bicycle ride, covering routes of 50-, 100- and 160-kilometres, had been very windy, the day after was much warmer and humid.…

Pride flag theft caught on camera

August 21, 2023 | 0 Comments

A man was recorded on a security video stealing a Pride flag from a house on Beech Street West in Aylmer on Sunday, Aug. 20, at about 3:23 a.m. (see picture). The man got out of the passenger side of a dark-colours four-door vehicle and ripped down the flag from the front of the house…

“Magic mushroom” shop searched, charge laid

August 18, 2023 | 0 Comments

St. Thomas Police have charged a London resident, 39, with possession of a narcotic for the purpose of trafficking after a store recently opened at 309 Talbot St. allegedly selling psilocybin, more commonly known as psychedelic “magic mushrooms.” In a news release Friday, Aug. 18, St. Thomas Police stated they had acted swiftly after hearing…

St. Thomas a magnet for encampments

August 2, 2023 | 0 Comments

Local community leaders continue to grapple with a host of social issues raised – at least in part – by the migration of Ontario’s homeless population from Toronto to rural centres like Elgin County and St. Thomas. The issue came to a head locally on July 18, when St. Thomas officials dismantled a Victor Drive…

County okays more public health funding

August 2, 2023 | 0 Comments

Elgin councillors at a meeting Tuesday, July 25, voted 6-3 to approve an additional $15,313 a month in funding to Southwestern Public Health for the rest of this year, though that additional support is contingent on St. Thomas and Oxford County approving extra money as well. However, as County Solicitor Nick Loeb pointed out, the…

Stolen golf carts found

August 2, 2023 | 0 Comments

Elgin Ontario Provincial Police Constable Brett Phair reported Wednesday morning, Aug. 2, that 13 gas-powered golf carts stolen from the Belmont Golf Club in the early-morning hours of Tuesday, Aug. 1, had been found stashed in a corn field not far from the course at 45809 Ferguson Line. The carts had an estimated value of…

Aylmer, Malahide battle over Complex

July 28, 2023 | 0 Comments

Long-simmering tensions between Aylmer and Malahide councils over the operation of the East Elgin Community Complex boiled over during recent meetings. Aylmer, in brief, made public a legal report it had received on the Complex and its future. Malahide councillors expressed outrage that the town had made the move unilaterally and voted to withdraw from…

Possible sinkhole on Highway 3 east of Elk St.

July 24, 2023 | 0 Comments

Malahide is investigating a possible sinkhole on Highway 3 just east of Elk Street on the east side of Aylmer. A small hole in the pavement’s surface was discovered Monday morning, July 24, in the centre of a depression in the road.. One curbside lane on the south side of the road was cordoned off,…

Hoping for another bumper crop of donations

July 19, 2023 | 0 Comments

Jay Curtis, who with his wife Corinne farms on Mapleton Line east of Highbury Avenue in Central Elgin, has planted a smaller crop of sunflowers this year to raise money for St. Thomas Elgin General Hospital, but he’s hoping a combination of visitors to his field and online donors will result in another successful year.…

Homeless encampment “dismantled” in St. Thomas

July 19, 2023 | 0 Comments

St. Thomas Police announced on Wednesday afternoon, July 19, that the city had dismantled a “fortified” homeless encampment on Victor Drive, following a violent assault on an adult male residing there in the early-morning hours of Tuesday, July 18. The encampment had taken root on a vacant private property in recent weeks, police stated. The…