News

Belmont to get its new school

The Ontario government has approved calling tenders for a new $8.7-million public elementary school to be built in Belmont. Elgin-Middlesex-London MPP and Ontario Minister of the Environment, Conservation and Parks Jeff Yurek announced the approval, as well as stating the school was expected to open for the 2023-24 school year, in a news conference in…

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New COVID-19 case in Malahide

Southwestern Public Health reported Wednesday, June 24, that a new case of COVID-19 had been confirmed by medical testing in a Malahide resident. Overall, the number of cases in Elgin, St. Thomas and Oxford had dropped overnight from four to three. In addition to the new case in Malahide, one ongoing case continued in Dutton…

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Kayakers rescued from Lake Erie off Port Bruce

Elgin Ontario Provincial Police Constable Troy Carlson reported that the U.S. Coast Guard assisted police and local boaters with the rescue of four kayakers, three of them 14 years old and one adult, from Lake Erie just south of Port Bruce on Tuesday night, June 23. The three youths, all from the Aylmer and Malahide…

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Ford unhappy with Essex farmers

Ontario Premier Doug Ford on Monday, June 22, pleaded with farmers in Windsor-Essex to get their migrant workers tested for COVID)-19, and warned if needed he’d take stronger measures to ensure that. As a result of outbreaks among farm workers in that area, Labour, Training and Skills Development Minister Monte McNaughton announced at the same…

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School boards to decide how classes resume in September

Ontario Premier Doug Ford announced Friday June 19, that individual school boards across the province would decide how education would resume starting in September. In a daily news conference, he said that options included: a return to classrooms,  but in “cohorts” of no more than 15 children who would be allowed to interact closely with…

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Elgin-St. Thomas drops to two confirmed cases

Southwestern Public Health on Friday, June 19, was reporting only two ongoing cases of COVID-19 confirmed by medical testing in Elgin and St. Thomas. One of two ongoing cases in St. Thomas has recovered. That leaves one in St. Thomas and a relatively new case in Dutton Dunwich. Meanwhile, Oxford County has five cases, three…

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Three rifles stolen from Aylmer gun shop

Three rifles were stolen from Guns and Gadgets shop in Aylmer after a break-and-enter on Wednesday, June 17. An Aylmer police investigation revealed that unknown persons broke into the store on Raglan Street through the rooftop between 1 a.m. – 2:30 a.m. and stole a Beretta CX4, ISSC MK22 and Ruger 10/22. The investigation is…

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COVID-19 back in an Elgin municipality

COVID-19 has returned to an Elgin County municipality, with a single new case confirmed by medical testings in Dutton Dunwich, Southwestern Public Health reported on Tuesday, June 16. St. Thomas continues to have two ongoing confirmed cases. In Oxford County, three ongoing cases are reported in East Zorra-Tavistock, and one in Tillsonburg.

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Haldimand-Norfolk to move to Phase 2

Ontario Premier Doug Ford announced Monday, June 13, that Haldimand-Norfolk on Friday, June 19, would move to the second phase of the province’s plan to restart the Ontario economy as progress is made in the fight against COVID-19. Southwestern Public Health, which includes Elgin, St. Thomas and Oxford, moved to Phase 2 as of Friday,…

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Reach out and touch…up to nine others

Ontario Premier Doug Ford announced Friday, June 12, that public health guidelines for the COVID-19 pandemic were being relaxed to allow everyone to have a “social circle’ of up to 10 persons in total that they could feel free to touch and hug, ignoring physical distancing. He said that would allow families and friends to…

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