News

Possible sinkhole on Highway 3 east of Elk St.

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,…

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Hoping for another bumper crop of donations

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.…

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Homeless encampment “dismantled” in St. Thomas

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…

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Natural gas leak fixed at Assumption school in Aylmer

Aylmer Police and town firefighters blocked off an area around Assumption Catholic School on South Street East Thursday morning, July 13, after construction workers inadvertently breached a natural gas main. Some homes downwind of the leak were reportedly evacuated temporarily. Police announced later that the leak was repaired by 10:40 a.m., and that everyone could…

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Four Aylmer residents charged in Outlaws drug, guns busts

Four Aylmer residents were among a dozen charged in the region for alleged drug and firearms crimes connected to the Outlaws motorcycle gang after an investigation that started with town police spread to other communities and the “Biker Enforcement Unit” of the Ontario Provincial Police. One of the four Aylmer residents was identified by police…

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Missing 16-year-old found safe

Elgin Ontario Provincial Police reported late Monday afternoon, July 3, that a 16-year-old girl who had been reported missing earlier that day had been found safe.      

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Opiod deaths up 500 percent in 10 years

The number of deaths related to opioid abuse in St. Thomas, Elgin and Oxford rose from 4.2 per 100,000 of population in 2011 to 21.9 in 2021, and that doesn’t include the latest numbers from 2022 and 2023. That was one of the grim facts confronted by Southwestern Public Health Board members during a presentation…

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Smoky haze covers area

A smoky haze descended on Aylmer and area on Tuesday afternoon, June 27, as smoke from forest fires in Northeast Ontario drifted south. On Wednesday, June 28, Southwestern Public Health issued a special advisory, warning that the air quality index for the region was expected to reach 10 or higher. The health unit recommended everyone…

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Fire ban lifted

Fire chiefs from across Elgin County and St. Thomas announced Wednesday, June 14, that a ban on outdoor fires has been lifted following rain across the region.  

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Air quality warning issued

Southwestern Public Health is warning local residents that air quality would continue to worsen through Thursday because of smoke from ongoing forest fires in Northeastern Ontario and Quebec drifting into the region. Environment Canada first issued an advisory for Oxford County on June 5 and Elgin County on June 6. As of 1 p.m. Wednesday,…

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