NEWS

Local news in and around Aylmer and Elgin County

Town of Aylmer declares second state of emergency

November 2, 2020 | 18 Comments

The town of Aylmer is officially under a second state of emergency as of Monday, Nov. 2. The town’s Emergency Operations Control Group made the call due to the potential for civil unrest and service disruptions related to the protests regarding COVID-19 directions, recommendations and orders set out by Southwestern Public Health and the Ontario…

News of outbreak “distressing”-Mayor Ed Ketchabaw

November 2, 2020 | 0 Comments

Bayham Mayor Ed Ketchabaw said an outbreak of 31 confirmed new cases of COVID-19 at a farm bunkhouse in his municipality was “distressing” on Monday afternoon, Nov. 2. He was “surprised and shocked” to learn the number was that high, he said. Bayham has had no cases since August 25, except for a single one…

Local COVID-19 numbers worse than thought-updated

November 2, 2020 | 0 Comments

Southwestern Public Health on Monday morning, Nov. 2, announced that at least 31 persons residing in a Bayham bunkhouse had tested positive for COVID-19. A total of 29 cases had been listed in the health unit’s online daily update of the local situation Monday, but not all the congregate living numbers had yet been added…

Big surge in Bayham cases

November 2, 2020 | 0 Comments

The number of confirmed COVID-19 cases in Bayham jumped from one to a dozen on Monday, Nov. 2, Southwestern Public Health reported. Aylmer and St. Thomas remained steady at one case each. One new case turned up in South-West Oxford and two new cases in Tillsonburg. Woodstock declined slightly to 11 cases from 12 overnight.…

New case in St. Thomas

November 1, 2020 | 0 Comments

Southwestern Public Health was reporting a new confirmed case of COVID-19 in St. Thomas on Sunday, Nov. 1. In Elgin County, Aylmer and area continues to have one case and Bayham one. In Oxford, the number of cases in Woodstock and area declined slightly to 12 from 13. One new case appeared in Ingersoll and…

Aylmer area cases down to one

October 31, 2020 | 0 Comments

Southwestern Public Health was tracking one ongoing confirmed case of COVID-19 in Aylmer and area on Saturday, Oct. 31, down from three the previous day. One new case has appeared in Bayham. Woodstock and area saw its cases increase slightly to 13 from 12, while Tillsonburg remained steady at one. For the second time in…

EESS grads donate $6,000 in prom money to local charities

October 30, 2020 | 0 Comments

Ally Van Velzer, left, Kylie Geurtjens and Mikayla Dunn, on behalf of the 2019-20 graduating class from East Elgin Secondary School, on Friday, Oct. 30, presented donations to Allison DeBlaire of 519 Pursuit for a sock drive for the homeless in London and area, Megan Mattingley of The Inside Ride charity fundraiser at EESS, Ali…

Chartwell Aylmer staff member recovers

October 30, 2020 | 0 Comments

An employee at Chartwell Aylmer long-term care home who had contracted COVID-19 has now recovered, Southwestern Public Health reported on Friday morning, Oct. 30. That reduced the number of ongoing confirmed cases being tracked in Aylmer and area to three from four. Woodstock and area continues to have 12 cases and Tillsonburg and area one.…

Woodstock up to a dozen cases

October 29, 2020 | 0 Comments

Southwestern Public Health was tracking 12 confirmed cases of COVID-19 in Woodstock and area on Thursday morning, Oct. 29. That city has seen a steady increases in cases in recent days. The health unit continues to monitor four ongoing cases in Aylmer and area and one in Tillsonburg and area. One Southwestern-area resident who had…

Attempt to derail new Belmont school foiled

October 27, 2020 | 0 Comments

An effort by London Trustee Jake Skinner to delay the construction of a new elementary school in  Belmont failed at a Thames Valley District School Board meeting on Tuesday, Oct. 27. That paves the way for a property for the school to be purchased and plans for construction to continue. Trustee Skinner’s motion, to resubmit…

Down to four cases in Aylmer

October 26, 2020 | 0 Comments

Southwestern Public Health reported Monday morning, Oct. 26, that it was tracking four ongoing confirmed cases of COVID-19 in Aylmer and area, down from six the previous day. No other cases were being monitored in the rest of Elgin County or St. Thomas. In Oxford, numbers were unchanged, with eight cases in Woodstock and area,…

New Ontario cases a record high at 1,042

October 25, 2020 | 0 Comments

Over 1,000 new confirmed cases of COVID-19 were being reported in Ontario on Sunday, Oct. 25, a record high since the pandemic began. Locally, one case of COVID-19 was confirmed in a staff member at Secord Trails long-term care home in Ingersoll, which earlier this year had an outbreak involving eight staff members, all of…