NEWS

Local news in and around Aylmer and Elgin County

Mark Wales running again for Malahide council

February 11, 2014 | 0 Comments

Current Malahide councillor Mark Wales recently submitted his nomination to run again for the Ward 4 position in the Oct. 27, 2014 municipal election. He was acclaimed as the Ward 4 representative in the 2010 election as no other candidate ran against him. He joins current Mayor Dave Mennill and Deputy Mayor Jim Jenkins who…

County okays 4% levy increase

February 11, 2014 | 0 Comments

Elgin County councillors on Tuesday, Feb. 11, unanimously approved a $62-million budget for 2014 that will increase the local property tax levy by four percent. Financial Services Director Jim Bundschuh said the average home might expect to pay an additional $32 in property tax to the county, though actual increases would vary depending on property…

Pork virus found in Elgin

February 11, 2014 | 0 Comments

Two cases of porcine epidemic diarrhea (PED) were recently discovered at farrow-to-finish hog farms in Elgin County. The first diagnosis was confirmed on Feb. 4 and the second on Feb. 9. The Ontario Ministry of Agriculture and Food does not release the location of new cases of the outbreak, only the county in which a…

Malahide “second-class citizen”

February 10, 2014 | 0 Comments

Malahide Councillor Mark Widner was clearly unhappy with his Mayor David Mennill and Deputy Mayor Jim Jenkins as well as Aylmer councillors at a township council meeting Thursday, Feb. 6. Malahide councillors had received formal notice that their Aylmer counterparts essentially tossed in the trash a township proposal to expand the town’s library by moving…

Mount Salem man dead in south London crash

February 10, 2014 | 0 Comments

Jacob Rempel, 48, of Mount Salem died at London Health Sciences Centre on Sunday, Feb. 9, as a result of injuries he sustained in a head-on collision south of London the night before. London Police were still investigating the crash that took place at about 7:45 p.m. on Saturday, Feb. 8 on Highbury Ave. S.…

Medical calls go up and up

February 9, 2014 | 0 Comments

The number of medical calls answered by Malahide volunteer firefighters continues to increase each year. In his 2013 year-end report to township councillors Thursday, Feb. 6, Fire Chief Paul Groeneveld said 64 percent of all alarms answered by firefighters last year were medical-related. The only reason he could imagine for the increase was the ageing local…

Family Central restaurant opens

February 5, 2014 | 2 Comments

The Family Central restaurant opened its doors for business on Monday, Feb. 3, in the refurbished former Central Hotel in downtown Aylmer. Renovations were so extensive it’s nearly impossible to recall the dimly lit bar that occupied the main floor for so many years. The restaurant, and the 1883 historic hotel building, are owned by a…

Cruelty to animals charged

February 5, 2014 | 0 Comments

A St. Thomas woman, 19, has been charged with cruelty to animals after allegedly leaving a dog and two young cats without food or water for up to three weeks in a downtown apartment. St. Thomas Police reported police entered the apartment Monday, Feb. 3, after neighbours raised concerns about the welfare of the animals. The…

No set date for Complex study completion

February 4, 2014 | 0 Comments

An operational review of East Elgin Community Complex that started in mid-September and was expected to be done by Christmas still hasn’t arrived, and no one here knows when it will. Aylmer Mayor Jack Couckuyt said the process has turned out to be “certainly longer than I would have hoped for.” The consultant chosen for…

Aylmer snubs library at Complex idea

February 4, 2014 | 0 Comments

In a four to three recorded vote, Aylmer councillors at their Feb. 3 meeting approved receiving and filing a request from Malahide council to consider looking into locating a new library at East Elgin Community Complex. Receiving and filing correspondence amounts to a municipal council not taking any action on the matter. Mayor Jack Couckuyt, Deputy Mayor…

Missing teen found

January 29, 2014 | 0 Comments

St. Thomas Police thanked the public after a missing St. Thomas teenager was located on Tuesday, Jan. 28. Bailey Kellestine left her residence in St. Thomas on Jan. 25 and police had asked for the public’s assistance in finding her. Police wanted to find Ms. Kellestine as soon as possible in order to ensure she…

Elgin greenlights start of Dexter Line shift

January 28, 2014 | 0 Comments

Elgin councillors at a meeting Tuesday, Jan. 28, started the ball rolling for an eventual shift of Dexter Line west of Port Bruce to the north to escape Lake Erie erosion. They’ve authorized the start of land acquisition and engineering, which is expected to cost $500,000 out of the $4.5-million projected cost of the move.…