NEWS

Local news in and around Aylmer and Elgin County

Elgin beaches won’t re-open this weekend, possibly longer

June 8, 2020 | 0 Comments

Central Elgin Administrator Don Leitch said Monday night, June 8, that Port Stanley beaches wouldn’t be opening this coming weekend, and neither would other municipal beaches in Elgin County. He told Central Elgin councillors that a joint task force involving the four Elgin municipalities that had public Lake Erie beaches, along with Southwestern Public Health…

You can get a haircut starting Friday

June 8, 2020 | 0 Comments

Hair salons,  barbershops and other personal service businesses, except for those providing facial services, will be allowed to re-open this Friday as most of Ontario moves to “Phase 2” of its plan to get the provincial economy moving again. Ontario Premier Doug Ford announced Monday, June 8, the government was taking a regional approach to…

Down to just three area cases of COVID-19

June 6, 2020 | 0 Comments

Southwestern Public Health was reporting just three ongoing confirmed cases of COVID-19 in St. Thomas and Oxford County on Saturday, June 6. Two are in St. Thomas, and are related to the recent institutional outbreak at Ontario Plants Propagation in Southwold. One remains in Tillsonburg. No cases are reported in Elgin County municipalities. Most infected…

Six ongoing COVID-19 cases in Southwestern area

June 4, 2020 | 0 Comments

Southwestern Public Health was reporting six ongoing cases of COVID-19 in St. Thomas and Oxford on Thursday morning, June 4. Elgin County municipalities currently have no ongoing cases, and St. Thomas two. Tillsonburg has two, Ingersoll one and Woodstock one in Oxford County. So far, 65 residents in the Southwestern area have recovered from COVID-19,…

More money for rural high-speed Internet

June 3, 2020 | 0 Comments

Ontario Premier Doug Ford on Wednesday, June 3, announced an additional $150-million in funding to encourage private providers to bring high-speed Internet access to rural parts of the province and the North. That’s on top of $315-million in similar funding announced last year, he said. “Reliable high-speed Internet is no longer a luxury.” Twelve percent…

Elgin technically free of COVID-19 confirmed cases but…

June 2, 2020 | 0 Comments

Southwestern Public Health on Tuesday morning, June 2, was still reporting no confirmed cases of COVID-19 in any Elgin County municipalities, but like some modern sports records, that comes with an asterisk. About 20 cases of the virus have been confirmed among workers at Ontario Plants Propagation in Southwold during the last week. However, all…

Elgin’s beaches still closed

May 29, 2020 | 0 Comments

All public beaches in Elgin County remain closed to the public due to COVID-19 pandemic precautions, Warden David Mennill announced on Friday, May 29. That included Port Burwell, Port Bruce, Port Glascow and Port Stanley, he stated. While the first hot weather of the year might tempt local residents to go to beaches, he said,…

Assault with a weapon charged

May 29, 2020 | 0 Comments

One person has been taken to hospital with serious injuries after an incident at a home on Talbot Line east of Rogers Road in Malahide on Thursday, May 28, at 6:23 p.m. Constable Troy Carlson of Elgin Ontario Provincial Police said a Malahide man, 23, has been charged with assault with a weapon and uttering…

No confirmed COVID-19 cases in Elgin County

May 28, 2020 | 0 Comments

Elgin County is currently free of COVID-19 cases confirmed by medical testing, Southwestern Public Health was reporting Thursday morning, May 28. St. Thomas still has one confirmed case, and Oxford County, the other part of Southwestern Public Health’s region, eight. Southwestern noted that of the 73 confirmed cases so far this year in its area,…

Richmond bridge treacherous on two wheels

May 28, 2020 | 3 Comments

By Brett Hueston of The Aylmer Express At least six cyclists have been injured badly enough to require hospitalization after crashing on the Phillmore Bridge just south of Richmond on County Road 43 (Richmond Road) since it was resurfaced in 2016 – changed from tar-and-chip to a steel grate. And while the most recent incident occurred…

Port Stanley Festival Theatre cancels summer season

May 27, 2020 | 0 Comments

Port Stanley Festival Theatre announced Tuesday morning, May 26, it was cancelling its 2020 summer season. The theatre noted that it had been providing summer shows for over 40 years. “For the longest time we have clung to the possibility that we would be able to present some kind of partial programming to patrons in…

No Aylmer Fair this year

May 27, 2020 | 0 Comments

Aylmer and East Elgin Agricultural Society President Randy Laur announced Monday, May 25, that the annual Aylmer Fair would not be held this year. He said that complications created by the COVID-19 pandemic had made holding a fair untenable. However, he added, board members were already starting to plan for the 175th edition of the…