Rural families now have another way to access free internet during school closures brought on by the COVID-19 (coronavirus) pandemic. Thames Valley District School Board (TVDSB), in partnership with Elgin, Middlesex and Oxford counties have expanded Wi-Fi access at select locations, with the help of technology company Cisco Canada. The range of the access is…
Ontario Premier Doug Ford announced that private parks, marinas and golf courses could re-open for business on Saturday, May 16, as long as strict distancing requirements continued to be met. Campgrounds can re-open to prepare for the coming season Saturday, but access is limited to campers with full-season rentals for now. He also said that,…
The number of COVID-19 cases confirmed through medical testing in the Southwestern Public Health Region, which includes Elgin, St. Thomas and Oxford, dropped to seven as of Wednesday, May 13. Locally, Malahide continued to have two cases and St. Thomas two. Oxford dropped to three, with two in Woodstock and one in South-West Oxford. So…
Ontario Minister of the Environment, Conservation and Parks and Elgin-Middlesex-Oxford MPP Jeff Yurek and Premier Doug Ford announced on Saturday, May 9, that over the next week, 615 provincial parks and conservation reserves would re-open for walking, hiking, bicycling and birdwatching. Camping, beaches and playgrounds would not be open at this time, they said. Minister…
The number of ongoing cases of COVID-19 in Elgin and St. Thomas has dropped to four, though a “new” one has appeared in Malahide Township recently. Megan Cornwell, communications director for Southwestern Public Health, said the new case was unusual. The person’s spouse had developed COVID-19 earlier this year after returning from a trip. Both…
The Calgary-based Justice Centre for Constitutional Freedoms has announced it will file, on behalf of the Church of God in Aylmer, a Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms legal challenge against the Ontario government. The centre, in a statement, said the province had infringed on the church’s “freedom of peaceful assembly.” “Ontario authorities have threatened…
Ontario Premier Doug Ford announced Wednesday, May 6, that effective Friday, May 8, garden centres and nurseries could re-open to public shopping, as long as distancing and other health precautions could be and were maintained. Hardware and safety supply stores could do the same starting Saturday, May 9. Finally, on Monday, May 12, all retail…
The number of ongoing COVID-19 cases confirmed by testing in Elgin and St. Thomas has dropped to five, with no new cases being discovered since Friday, April 24. Southwestern Public Health on Wednesday, May 6, was reporting three cases in St. Thomas and one each in Malahide and Dutton Dunwich. Oxford has eight ongoing cases.
Southwestern Public Health’s Medical Officer of Health Dr. Joyce Lock is telling cottagers and other seasonal visitors that the province easing some COVID-19 pandemic precautions “does not mean an immediate return to normal activities.” In a statement posted on Central Elgin’s website, she said, “This includes visits to secondary residences, such as cottages, beach houses,…
Aylmer Police Chief Zvonko Horvat, in a statement on Monday, May 4, commented on the latest drive-in service at Church of God on John Street North in Aylmer on Sunday, May 3. He said that before the service, officers told organizers that, with the onset of warmer weather, they were concerned about the potential harmful…
Three days after Aylmer Police announced they wouldn’t pursue charges against Aylmer Church of God on John Street North for violating provincial pandemic orders forbidding gatherings for religious services on Sunday, April 26, another drive-in service was held on Sunday morning, May 3. The parking lot was full for the service. A new sign, added…
Southwestern Public Health hasn’t recorded a single new case of COVID-19 confirmed by medical testing in Elgin, St. Thomas and Woodstock since Friday, April 24. As of Saturday morning, Southwestern’s website was reporting seven ongoing cases in Elgin and St. Thomas. St. Thomas has four cases, and Aylmer Malahide and Dutton Dunwich one each. Oxford…