NEWS

Local news in and around Aylmer and Elgin County

Care 2 Cycle benefits near and far

October 3, 2015 | 0 Comments

Rylee Peters, 7, navigated the “Rabbit Rodeo” course on her bicycle in the Immanuel Christian School parking lot on Saturday morning, Oct. 3 before groups of other cyclists took off for the Care 2 Cycle rides from the Aylmer school. The event, which involved 10-kilometre, 30 km and 50 km cycling rides, raised money for…

Wet sponges fly at McGregor PS to celebrate love of reading

October 2, 2015 | 0 Comments

McGregor Public School Principal Charlotte Wall, right, got ready to take a swing at a wet sponge thrown by pupil Ryan Penner, left, with Aylmer Old Town Hall Library assistant Mary Wiebe looking on Thursday, Oct. 1 during a celebration of the pupils at the Aylmer school helping to surpass the library’s Summer Reading Club…

Planet Shrimp coming to Innovation Centre

October 2, 2015 | 0 Comments

A large warehouse at the Elgin Innovation Centre (EIC) in the former Imperial Tobacco Canada plant is about to be transformed into a state-of-the-art shrimp farm. EIC Chief Executive Officer Jack Baribeau said the first set of municipal building permits had been issued on Friday, Oct. 2 for the renovation work at the warehouse located…

Honouring Terry Fox at Straffordville PS

October 2, 2015 | 0 Comments

Katie Millard, left, Connor Palmer, Mindy Epp and Elia Parker were among the pupils participating in a Terry Fox Run at Straffordville Public School in cool weather on Thursday, Oct. 1. Proceeds from the fundraiser will go to cancer research.

Protesters get Straffordville hall sale deferred

October 2, 2015 | 0 Comments

About 50 local residents gathered outside the municipal office in Straffordville before the Thursday, Oct. 1 Bayham council meeting to show their opposition of the sale of nearby Community Centre to Straffordville Evangelical Mennonite Church. A “citizens group” had collected 577 signatures on a petition stating they opposed the sale of the hall and one…

Aylmer Express debate packs Old Town Hall

September 29, 2015 | 3 Comments

Aylmer Express President and Publisher John Hueston, left, moderated a federal election all-candidates meeting at Aylmer Old Town Hall Theatre on Monday evening, Sept. 28. The gallery was packed full of local residents who listened to the candidates vying to become the next member of parliament for Elgin-Middlesex-London answer questions posed to them from the…

Port Stanley harbour dredging contract awarded

September 28, 2015 | 0 Comments

Central Elgin councillors on Monday, Sept. 28, voted unanimously to award a contract to dredge Port Stanley Harbour and create with reclaimed soil a new piece of land for a park to Huron District Contracting of Goderich, which had the low tender at $2.987-million, just slightly higher than the engineer’s estimate for the work. But…

Hepburn farm plan scotched

September 28, 2015 | 0 Comments

Central Elgin councillors, following a secret session on Monday night, Sept. 28, formally killed a proposal to purchase the 89-acre Hepburn farm on the southwest corner of Fairview Road and Southdale Line for conversion into fields for soccer and other sports. Mayor David Marr said he was disappointed to report the St. Thomas, which was…

“Walking a Mile in Her Shoes”

September 27, 2015 | 0 Comments

Local emergency services representatives, including Central Elgin Fire Chief Don Crocker, third from left, and Aylmer Police Chief Andre Reymer, right, carried placards at they led off  the annual “Walk A Mile In Her Shoes” event at St. Thomas Pinafore Park on Sunday, Sept. 27. Men were challenged to complete a mile’s walk in high…

Rewards for reading success at SDPS

September 26, 2015 | 0 Comments

Teacher Teresa Webster tried to get a cookie from her forehead into her mouth without using her hands during an assembly at South Dorchester Public School on Friday, Sept. 25. Several teachers had agreed to participate in a series of silly games if pupils read more than 1,015 books at the Belmont library’s Summer Reading…

Snakes provide slithery thrills at MarshQuest

September 24, 2015 | 0 Comments

Immanuel Christian School Grade 4 pupil Alysson Mantel, right, was handed a corn snake from East Elgin Secondary School Environmental Leadership student Dalton Cain at Yarmouth Natural Heritage Area’s Herb Kebbel Wetland near Sparta during MarshQuest on Thursday, Sept. 24. About 100 private Christian school and London District Catholic School Board pupils had just listened to a…

Full house for farm debate

September 24, 2015 | 1 Comment

A standing room only audience attended the Elgin and Middlesex Federations of Agriculture all-candidates’ debate for the Oct. 19 federal election at Belmont Arena and Community Centre on Wednesday night, Sept. 23. Five of the six candidates running in the riding of Elgin-Middlesex-London were able to attend: Conservative Karen Vecchio, New Democrat Fred Sinclair, Bronagh…