Central Elgin councillors on Monday night, Jan. 27, unanimously approved a 2014 budget that will increase the municipal tax levy from just under $11-million last year to $11.4-million, a 3.75-percent increase. About the only changes made during the course of Monday’s budget session were to shuffle some reserve fund money around, to give $15,000 to a…
Malahide councillors, at their first 2014 budget meeting Monday, Jan. 27, approved increases of five percent annually for sewer rates and seven percent for water rates this year and next. An average residential water bill will increase from $680 a year to $730. An average sewer bill for Springfield residents, who have the only municipal…
Fourteen residents of Brookside Manor Retirement Home in Aylmer were forced last Wednesday, Jan. 22 to find new homes by the end of the day on Friday. Staff from South West Community Care Access Centre were at the Talbot Street East home on Thursday and Friday, helping residents and their family members ensure appropriate care…
St. Thomas Police are asking for the public’s assistance in locating Bailey Kellestine, 13. Ms. Kellestine left her residence on Jan. 25. She has lived in St. Thomas for her entire life and is familiar with the city. Police are asking for help in locating Ms. Kellestine in order to ensure she has shelter from…
Aylmer Police picked up a Malahide man, 21, just four hours after a masked knifepoint robbery at Downtown Convenience Monday, Jan. 27, at 9:30 a.m., and an hour later charged him with robbery. Police Chief Andre Reymer said this was the fourth robbery in as many years at the store. Three had resuled in charges laid by…
Several rural schools in the area were closed on Monday, Jan. 27 due to overnight snow that had created poor road conditions. Thames Valley District School Board closed New Sarum, Port Stanley, South Dorchester, Southwold, Sparta and Summers Corners public schools due to bus cancellations. East Elgin Secondary School and McGregor Public School in Aylmer…
Grade 5 pupil Jocelyn Drenth returned a serve during a two-hour “Volleyball Extravaganza” at New Sarum Public School, Wednesday, Jan. 22. Grade 5 through 8 pupils participated in the event, which was raising money for a planned Grade 8 graduation trip to Camp Celtic in the Bruce Peninsula in the spring.
Brennan Piché-Leclaire, 13, of Aylmer is hoping to become a junior counsellor for The War Amps of Canada CHAMP (Child Amputee) program starting this summer. “They’re awesome,” he said with feeling about the organization and the help it has given both to him and his parents over his lifetime. For Brennan, who was born without…
Elgin County councillors on Tuesday, Jan. 14, unanimously rejected a request from Elgin Federation of Agriculture for a rejigging of property tax on agricultural land. Councillors unanimously rejected a request from EFA to have the tax rate for farm fields lowered from a quarter of what residential properties paid. Local farmers saw the value of…
The recent warmer weather along with rain over the weekend helped create an ice jam within Catfish Creek at Port Bruce, seen here on Sunday, Jan. 12. Malahide officials issued a flood warning for the watershed area and Port Bruce specifically Saturday night and minor flooding was reported in a few areas. An elderly couple…
A fire that started in a mini-van parked in the driveway of 211 Talbot Street East in Aylmer on the evening of Friday, Jan. 10 spread to that house as well as the neighbouring house to the east. Volunteer firefighters managed to contain the fire but not before it destroyed the van, caused extensive damage…
Central Elgin councillors on Monday night, Jan. 13, approved an exemption to the municipal bylaw to allow the St. Thomas Gun Club to hold trap-shooting competitions the mornings of Sunday, Jan. 19, and Sunday, May 18. The bylaw normally forbids shooting Sunday mornings. Matthew Campbell, who said he resided 800 metres from the gun club,…