NEWS

Local news in and around Aylmer and Elgin County

St. Thomas support services stressed by cold weather

February 4, 2026 | 0 Comments

Frigid winter weather conditions in St. Thomas have put local support services to the test. The homeless and transient populations are seeking shelter at warming stations at the Joe Thornton Community Centre, 75 Caso Crossing, from 8 a.m. to 10 p.m., as well as 24/7 emergency shelter at The Inn St Thomas-Elgin, 10 Princess Avenue. Both…

“St. Thomas Sally” predicts six more weeks of winter

February 4, 2026 | 0 Comments

After consulting with St. Thomas Sally, the mural groundhog, Mayor Joe Preston announced Monday, Feb. 2, that there would be six more weeks of winter. The third annual Groundhog Day ceremony attracted a dozen spectators for the 7:30 a.m. prognostication. It was held at Westlake Evan Park beside the St. Thomas Library. (AE/contributed by Brian Wilsdon)

Centre Street houses torn down

January 29, 2026 | 0 Comments

A demolition crew made quick work of tearing down a historic house at 50 Centre St. in Aylmer on Monday, Jan. 26. A more modern house north of it was also demolished. The property belongs to Cherry Street, which plans to relace the home with nonprofit housing. Some neighbours objected to the demolition, citing the…

Millions in municipal water, sewage funding

January 29, 2026 | 0 Comments

Elgin-Middlesex-London MPP Rob Flack on Thursday, January 22, announced huge investments in funding, over $61-million across Elgin County, for municipal water and sewage improvement projects. Aylmer will receive $7.2-million toward installation of headworks and a “fixed bed biological media system” for the town sewage lagoon in Malahide. And Malahide, which administers the Port Burwell Secondary…

Six hurt in crash north of Aylmer

January 22, 2026 | 0 Comments

Six people, including three pedestrians, were injured after a serious collision on Imperial Road in the Township of Malahide. Elgin Ontario Provincial Police Const. Jeff Beaumaster reported that on Thursday, January 22,  at 1:18 a.m., OPP officers, along with Malahide Fire and Elgin paramedics, responded to a three-vehicle collision involving a minivan and two sedans…

Three teens charged in Aylmer shooting

January 22, 2026 | 0 Comments

Aylmer Police have charged three teen boys in connection with a shot fired into a home in town on Tuesday, Jan. 20, just after 3 p.m. Police were called to a house after a resident believed a projectile had struck a window. An investigation quickly determined that a bullet fired from outside had struck a…

Malahide counter-offers at 10 percent CCCA levy increase

January 21, 2026 | 0 Comments

Malahide council members on Thursday, Jan. 15, decided to offer Catfish Creek Conservation Authority a 10 percent increase in its annual levy on the township, not the 20 percent CCCA had sought. The original allocation in the proposed 2026 Malahide budget had been just 2.4 percent. Mayor Dominique Giguère said after the budget and CCCA’s…

Cleaning up after a heavy snowfall

January 21, 2026 | 0 Comments

While clearing snow from laneways in Aylmer, James flashes a begloved shaka (the Hawaiian “hang loose” greeting) from a riding snowblower last week, adding a warm gesture on a cold day. A significant snowfall kept snow removal crews, push blowers and especially shovellers busy across the community. (AE/Contributed by Shirley Goddeeris)

Operations suspended at railway museum

January 14, 2026 | 0 Comments

Years of neglect have caught up to North America’s oldest locomotive repair shop and the St. Thomas Railworks Coalition has opted to “temporarily suspend operations” at the historic building housing Elgin County Railway Museum’s inventory of vintage rolling stock and railway relics. With “no confirmed reopening date,” the decision comes on the heels of the…

Integrity complaints against Barbour dismissed

January 14, 2026 | 0 Comments

An integrity commissioner investigation has dismissed two complaints from Councillor Kathryn Desrosiers that alleged Deputy Mayor Pete Barbour violated the code of conduct for town councillors and had harassed her. The 5,000-word report did correct a statement that Deputy Mayor Barbour made at a council meeting, suggesting that not just council members but also their…

“Everyone knows we need a new hospital”

January 7, 2026 | 0 Comments

St. Thomas Elgin General Hospital President Karen Davies, in a recent annual report to Elgin County council members, stressed the need for a bigger new hospital to serve the area. She started, though, by listing some of the hospitals highlights for 2025, including: STEGH’s “systemic therapy program” (chemotherapy for cancer) had been expanded to five…

Syed Hasan a world-traveller

January 7, 2026 | 0 Comments

Syed Hasan, the proprietor at Moe’s Variety on Talbot Street in St. Thomas, is determined to travel to all the countries in the world. He has visited 189 countries already and is actively planning trips to the final eight on his personal list, including North Korea, Venezuela, Sudan, Nauru, Mali and The Republic of the…