St. Thomas Police have charged a London resident, 39, with possession of a narcotic for the purpose of trafficking after a store recently opened at 309 Talbot St. allegedly selling psilocybin, more commonly known as psychedelic “magic mushrooms.” In a news release Friday, Aug. 18, St. Thomas Police stated they had acted swiftly after hearing…
Local community leaders continue to grapple with a host of social issues raised – at least in part – by the migration of Ontario’s homeless population from Toronto to rural centres like Elgin County and St. Thomas. The issue came to a head locally on July 18, when St. Thomas officials dismantled a Victor Drive…
Elgin councillors at a meeting Tuesday, July 25, voted 6-3 to approve an additional $15,313 a month in funding to Southwestern Public Health for the rest of this year, though that additional support is contingent on St. Thomas and Oxford County approving extra money as well. However, as County Solicitor Nick Loeb pointed out, the…
Elgin Ontario Provincial Police Constable Brett Phair reported Wednesday morning, Aug. 2, that 13 gas-powered golf carts stolen from the Belmont Golf Club in the early-morning hours of Tuesday, Aug. 1, had been found stashed in a corn field not far from the course at 45809 Ferguson Line. The carts had an estimated value of…
Long-simmering tensions between Aylmer and Malahide councils over the operation of the East Elgin Community Complex boiled over during recent meetings. Aylmer, in brief, made public a legal report it had received on the Complex and its future. Malahide councillors expressed outrage that the town had made the move unilaterally and voted to withdraw from…
Malahide is investigating a possible sinkhole on Highway 3 just east of Elk Street on the east side of Aylmer. A small hole in the pavement’s surface was discovered Monday morning, July 24, in the centre of a depression in the road.. One curbside lane on the south side of the road was cordoned off,…
Jay Curtis, who with his wife Corinne farms on Mapleton Line east of Highbury Avenue in Central Elgin, has planted a smaller crop of sunflowers this year to raise money for St. Thomas Elgin General Hospital, but he’s hoping a combination of visitors to his field and online donors will result in another successful year.…
St. Thomas Police announced on Wednesday afternoon, July 19, that the city had dismantled a “fortified” homeless encampment on Victor Drive, following a violent assault on an adult male residing there in the early-morning hours of Tuesday, July 18. The encampment had taken root on a vacant private property in recent weeks, police stated. The…
Aylmer Police and town firefighters blocked off an area around Assumption Catholic School on South Street East Thursday morning, July 13, after construction workers inadvertently breached a natural gas main. Some homes downwind of the leak were reportedly evacuated temporarily. Police announced later that the leak was repaired by 10:40 a.m., and that everyone could…
Four Aylmer residents were among a dozen charged in the region for alleged drug and firearms crimes connected to the Outlaws motorcycle gang after an investigation that started with town police spread to other communities and the “Biker Enforcement Unit” of the Ontario Provincial Police. One of the four Aylmer residents was identified by police…
Elgin Ontario Provincial Police reported late Monday afternoon, July 3, that a 16-year-old girl who had been reported missing earlier that day had been found safe.
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…