NEWS

Local news in and around Aylmer and Elgin County

Southwestern case numbers on the rise

September 16, 2021 | 0 Comments

Southwestern Public Health was reporting 16 confirmed new cases of COVID-19 in Elgin, St. Thomas and Oxford on Thursday, Sept. 16, up from 10 on Wednesday. The number of ongoing cases being tracked by the health unit also rose, to 72 Wednesday from 60 Tuesday. Just under half of all ongoing cases involve those 29…

Church ordered unlocked

September 15, 2021 | 5 Comments

Justice Bruce Thomas on Wednesday morning, September 15 announced he would sign an order agreed to by the province and a lawyer for Aylmer Church of God (Restoration) and its directors that would allow the church to be reopened to its congregation. The church, as part of a sentence for contempt findings against it and…

Anti-vaxx badges are “a profound insult to the Jewish community”

September 15, 2021 | 0 Comments

Yellow, six-pointed star stickers declaring “UN-VAXXED” offered for sale online by a local anti-restrictions activist closely mimic the yellow badges used to identify Jews in Nazi-controlled Europe during the Second Great War. A spokesperson for a national Jewish advocacy group said selling and promoting an item like this “is an exploitation of our community’s tragedy…

Ten new cases on Wednesday, Sept. 15

September 15, 2021 | 0 Comments

Southwestern Public Health was reporting 10 new confirmed cases of COVID-19 in Elgin, St. Thomas and Oxford on Wednesday, Sept. 15, up from six new cases on Tuesday. The number of ongoing cases being tracked by the health unit rose to 60 Wednesday from 50 Tuesday. Out of those cases, 63.3 percent involve individuals 39…

Body of missing swimmer found

September 14, 2021 | 0 Comments

The body of Daniel Sosa-Zerebecka, 25, of St. Catharines, a swimmer missing from Port Burwell Provincial Park beach since Saturday, Sept. 11, was found by searchers on the Lake Erie shoreline 13 kilometres east of there on Monday, Sept. 13, at 12 noon. Ontario Provincial Police Acting Sergeant Ed Sanchuk said members of the OPP’s…

Water “discolouration” warning

September 13, 2021 | 0 Comments

The Town of Aylmer issued a brief statement Monday, Sept. 13, warning that residents might experience “slight discolouration and/or odour in their tap water.” Other municipalities with public water distribution systems have done the same, blaming the violent storm that went through the area on Sunday night churning up Lake Erie in the area where…

Southwestern: 28 new cases from weekend

September 13, 2021 | 26 Comments

Southwestern Public Health was reporting from the weekend 28 new confirmed cases of COVID-19 in Elgin, St. Thomas and Oxford on Monday, Sept. 13, or an average of just over seven a day. Seven new cases had also been confirmed on Friday. The number of ongoing cases being tracked by the health unit stood at…

Power out, schools closed

September 13, 2021 | 0 Comments

Thames Valley District School Board announced Monday morning, Sept. 13, that the following elementary schools were closed for the day because of power outages: Port Burwell Public School; Springfield Public School; and Straffordville Public School. A severe thunderstorm swept through Elgin, St. Thomas and much of Southwestern Ontario late Sunday night.  

Three saved but search on for missing swimmer

September 11, 2021 | 0 Comments

Ontario Provincial Police, Bayham Fire and Rescue Services and Norfolk County paramedics are searching for a swimmer missing off the beach at Port Burwell Provincial Park. Acting OPP Sergeant Ed Sanchuck reported that on Saturday, Sept. 11, at about 1:49 p.m., emergency services were called in for a report of a missing swimmer and three…

Elgin Plowing Match draws 31 competitors

September 11, 2021 | 0 Comments

After an absence of a year, the Elgin Plowing Match returned on Saturday, Sept. 11, on the farm of Brian and Donna Lunn  south of Belmont. John Dekroon brought his Percheron team, Shadow, 6, and Sophie, 8, to compete in the horse-drawn division. He’s a farmer who pursues horse-drawn plowing as a hobby, explaining the…

Dog sought in St. Thomas biting incident

September 10, 2021 | 0 Comments

Southwestern Public Health wants to talk to the owner of a dog involved in a biting incident on Centre Street, between Queen and Metcalfe streets, in St. Thomas on Wednesday, Sept. 1, between 2 and 2:30 a.m. The health unit, in a statement, said the dog was being walked by a man when it bit…

Southwestern COVID-19 cases top 40, highest in three months

September 10, 2021 | 0 Comments

Southwestern Public Health was tracking 41 ongoing cases of COVID-19 on Friday, Sept. 10, the first time it has been over 40 since June 4. On Thursday, the number of ongoing cases had stood at 37. Friday, Southwestern reported seven new confirmed cases in Elgin, St. Thomas and Oxford, down from nine on Thursday. St.…