NEWS

Local news in and around Aylmer and Elgin County

Hildebrandt guilty of obstructing police

April 14, 2022 | 7 Comments

Herbert Hildebrandt, 38, of Malahide, and Andre Beauchamp, 34, of North York, were both found guilty of obstructing a peace officer, in Ontario Court of Justice on Thursday morning, April 14. That follows a trial for their actions December 27, 2020 at the entrance to the Aylmer Church of God. After receiving a summons for…

Mandatory masks extended at hospitals

April 11, 2022 | 2 Comments

The rising number of local cases of COVID-19 has led to a mandatory requirement for face masking to be extended indefinitely at St. Thomas Elgin General Hospital and other hospitals in Southwestern Ontario. STEGH President Karen Davies said, “As a system of hospitals, we have been continually assessing what we feel are responsible protections for our…

St. Thomas man in his 80s latest COVID death

April 11, 2022 | 0 Comments

Southwestern Public Health announced Monday morning, April 11, that a St. Thomas man in his 80s had become the 157th resident to die with COVID-19 in St. Thomas, Elgin and Oxford since the pandemic began two years ago. SWPH also reported 139 new cases of the virus had been confirmed over the weekend, or an…

Elgin, municipalities lift state of emergency

April 8, 2022 | 0 Comments

A “state of emergency” declared by Elgin County and its seven municipalities in March of 2020 in response to the COVID-19 pandemic were rescinded as of Friday, April 8, at 10 a.m. In a statement, the county said the Ontario government had first declared as state of emergency on March 17, 2020, under the Emergency…

COVID fourth doses available starting Thursday, April 7

April 6, 2022 | 1 Comment

Southwestern Public Health has announced that, as of Thursday, April 7, its mass-immunization clinics in St. Thomas and Woodstock would welcome anyone 60 or older for a fourth dose of COVID–19 vaccine. Anyone 18 or older from a First Nations, Inuit or Metis household would also be eligible. The health unit advised that while a…

Elgin County’s website, online services and incoming email down

April 6, 2022 | 0 Comments

Elgin County has been experiencing an “ongoing technical disruption” since Friday, April 1, that has affected its website and other online services, and its ability to receive incoming email. The cause of the disruption has not been revealed. In a statement issued on Wednesday, April 6, the county said it was “working hard to get…

Ontario okays Port Bruce disaster assistance

March 31, 2022 | 1 Comment

The Ontario Ministry of Municipal Affairs and Housing has announced that Port Bruce home owners, tenants and small business owners affected by February flooding have been approved for Disaster Recovery Assistance For Ontarians, but some conditions do apply. The deadline for applications will be July 29. Those with sufficient insurance to cover any damages will…

Changes to COVID-19 clinics

March 29, 2022 | 0 Comments

Southwestern Public Health has announced the following changes to its COVID-19 vaccination clinics: –Starting Friday, April 1, appointments will no longer be offered for vaccinations at mass immunization clinics. All will be operating on a walk-in basis only. –The St. Thomas mass clinic will move to SWPH’s local headquarters at 1230 Talbot St. effective Friday,…

Oxford man in 80s dies with COVID-19

March 28, 2022 | 0 Comments

Southwestern Public Health announced Monday, March 28, that an Oxford man in his 80s had become the 155th death linked to COVID-19 since the pandemic began two years ago. His death was connected to an outbreak at Tillsonburg District Memorial Hospital, SWPH stated. The health unit also reported that the number of Elgin, St. Thomas…

St. Thomas man in his 70s latest COVID death

March 23, 2022 | 0 Comments

Southwestern Public Health announced Wednesday, March 23, that a St. Thomas man in his 70s had become the 154th death related to COVID-19 since the pandemic began in Elgin, St. Thomas and Oxford. The health unit also reported 57 new cases of the virus had been confirmed over the previous two days, versus 60 over…

Paid parking scotched

March 17, 2022 | 0 Comments

A proposal to convert two-hour no-charge parking into paid parking in Aylmer’s downtown Sydenham Street parking lots failed to get support at town council on Wednesday, March 16. No one was even willing at first to move or second a motion to proceed with the proposal from town staff to put an additional $36,000 into…

Oxford man in his 90s dies with COVID-19

March 16, 2022 | 0 Comments

Southwestern Public Health announced on Wednesday, March 16, that an Oxford man in his 90s had become the 153rd death linked to COVID-19 in Elgin, St. Thomas and Oxford since the pandemic began two years ago. The health unit also reported 34 new cases of the virus had been confirmed over the previous two days,…