The number of deaths related to opioid abuse in St. Thomas, Elgin and Oxford rose from 4.2 per 100,000 of population in 2011 to 21.9 in 2021, and that doesn’t include the latest numbers from 2022 and 2023. That was one of the grim facts confronted by Southwestern Public Health Board members during a presentation…
A smoky haze descended on Aylmer and area on Tuesday afternoon, June 27, as smoke from forest fires in Northeast Ontario drifted south. On Wednesday, June 28, Southwestern Public Health issued a special advisory, warning that the air quality index for the region was expected to reach 10 or higher. The health unit recommended everyone…
Fire chiefs from across Elgin County and St. Thomas announced Wednesday, June 14, that a ban on outdoor fires has been lifted following rain across the region.
Southwestern Public Health is warning local residents that air quality would continue to worsen through Thursday because of smoke from ongoing forest fires in Northeastern Ontario and Quebec drifting into the region. Environment Canada first issued an advisory for Oxford County on June 5 and Elgin County on June 6. As of 1 p.m. Wednesday,…
Fire chiefs in St. Thomas and Elgin County have issued an immediate ban on all open-air and recreational fires. In a statement, they said, “Open air fires are defined as any fire outside of a building and include bonfires, campfires, burn barrels, outdoor fireplaces/chimineas or any other fires set in open air. “Although there is…
Central Elgin residents around the edges of the proposed new Volkswagen electric-vehicle battery plant are calling for compensation for suddenly finding themselves with a “gigafactory” as a neighbour. They lined up to convey that message at a public hearing about proposed rezoning for the north side of Highway 3, between the road and a railway…
Most of the 25 participants in a “town hall” session Friday, May 26, on a planned one-year pilot program that would merge minor hockey Rep teams from Aylmer and Belmont under a new “East Elgin” banner were supportive of the test that will start in September. The only exceptions were Gary Rabbets and Eugene Lindsay,…
Tensions between Central Elgin councillors and staff flared at council’s May 23 meeting. Deputy Mayor Todd Noble suggested that interim chief administrative officer Wendell Graves was out of line asking council to approve a new psychological health and wellness policy, just two weeks after a show of emotions by the deputy mayor. The deputy mayor…
Southwestern Public Health is seeking help to identify a dog that bit someone at Little Creek Park in Port Stanley on Sunday, May 7, between 11 a.m. and 1 p.m., to determine if it had been vaccinated against rabies. The dog was described as a small Dachshund with a solid brown coat and short hair.…
Aylmer Mayor Jack Couckuyt and Deputy Mayor Pete Barbour want to see police return to routine visits to local schools. At a town council meeting Wednesday, May 17, Deputy Mayor Barbour said Thames Valley District School Board had, since before the COVID-19 pandemic began, denied access to police to deliver safety messages and programming to…
Malahide councillors continue to demand that Elgin replace the current crash-prone intersection of county-owned Imperial Line and Ron McNeil Road with a traffic roundabout. At a meeting Thursday, May 18, Councillor Rick Cerna said yet another crash had occurred two days earlier at the intersection, the fourth or fifth since January. He suggested Malahide pressure…
Aylmer Optimist Club held a banquet and danced to live music as members and guests celebrated the 75th anniversary of the founding of the club on Saturday, May 13, at Saxonia Hall. “It turned out really well,” President Linda Stewart said the following day. “It was nice to have the bigwigs there,” including Aylmer Mayor…