Ontario Chief Medical Officer of Health Dr. Kieran Moore announced Wednesday, March 9, that most provincial mandates requiring the wearing of face masks would be dropped on Monday, March 21. In a statement, he said, “With the peak of Omicron behind us, Ontario has been able to cautiously and gradually move through its reopening milestones.…
Ed McHugh, left, Corrie Sealey, Bert Bouma and Rodger Milmine played euchre organized by the 50+ Club and held at Colonel Talbot Branch 81, Royal Canadian Legion, in Aylmer on Monday afternoon, March 7. The club holds bridge and euchre games starting at 12:45 p.m. Mondays and bid euchre, also called “Pepper,” on Wednesdays at…
Aylmer Police executed two search warrants with help from the Ontario Provincial Police Tactics and Rescue Unit (TRU) and the St. Thomas Police Service street crimes unit at addressed on Sydenham Street and Melanie Drive during the early-morning hours of Wednesday, March 2. Aylmer Police Chief Zvonko Horvat reported that the searches resulted in the…
A judge has dismissed a motion by Aylmer Church of God (Restoration) and Trinity Bible Chapel in Waterloo challenging the constitutionality of COVID-19 religious gathering limits. Both churches faced charges and fines in 2021 for not following provincial restrictions aimed at minimizing transmission of COVID-19 and resulting hospitalizations. Justice Renee Pomerance, in a decision released…
Southwestern Public Health on Monday, Feb. 28, announced the coming dates for “pop-up” COVID-19 vaccination clinics: Thursday March 3, 10 a.m. to 3 p.m., Malahide Community Place in Springfield; Tuesday, March 8, 1 p.m. to 4 p.m., East Elgin Community Complex in Aylmer; Thursday, March 10, 12 noon to 6 p.m., Straffordville Community Centre; Thursday,…
Southwestern Public Health announced on Friday, Feb. 25, that an Oxford woman in her 60s was the 149th resident of Oxford, Elgin and St. Thomas to die in a COVID-related fatality since the pandemic began. SWPH also reported 73 new cases of the virus had been confirmed since Wednesday, Feb. 23, or an average of…
Inspectors from the Disaster Recovery Assistance for Ontarians program will visit Port Bruce on Friday, Feb. 25, to see if residents affected by flooding on Feb. 17 and 18 will qualify for provincial assistance. In a statement, Malahide Township said the township had requested aid for residents from the program, and provincial and other representatives…
Southwestern Public Health, in its first COVID-19 update in five days, announced on Wednesday, Feb. 23, that three residents of Oxford County had died in cases related to the pandemic. They included a man in his 80s, a man in his 60s and a woman in her 50s, bringing the total number of such fatalities…
Catfish Creek Conservation Authority on Wednesday, Feb. 23, formally announced the cancellation of its annual Springwater Maple Syrup Festival for 2022. In a statement, the authority said that faced with uncertainties around COVID-19 and logistical issues, both the festival and the usual accompanying maple syrup sales would not be offered this year. The festival has…
Bus routes in Elgin County were cancelled Wednesday morning, Feb. 23, due to freezing rain but schools remain open. At a Thames Valley District School Board meeting Tuesday night, Feb. 22, Elgin-St. Thomas Trustee Meagan Ruddock said she was sure other trustees had also received many emails from parents who were upset and frustrated by…
Malahide Township issued a statement on Friday afternoon, Feb. 18, at 3:43 p.m. announcing that road access to Port Bruce was slowly re-opening. Floodwater from Catfish Creek was receding, and public works crews were removing large chunks of ice and other debris obstructing roads. “Residents are advised to utilize strict caution if and when returning…
Southwestern Public Health on Friday, Feb. 18, reported that 55 cases of COVID-19 had been confirmed over the previous two days, or an average of 27.5 daily, in Elgin, St. Thomas and Oxford. The number of ongoing cases being tracked by the health unit declined to 331 Friday from 343 Wednesday. Only four of 34…