News
Voters express sentiments over Conservative nomination
Andrew Lawton, of London, was installed as the Conservative Party of Canada nominee for the Elgin–St. Thomas–London South riding on Saturday, Nov. 9. Mr. Lawton bested Central Elgin candidate Anthony Shields, who was endorsed by current MP Karen Vecchio. The race to become the CPC candidate in the next federal election followed MP Vecchio’s announcement…
Read MoreInsurance dispute threatens high school swimming
East Elgin Secondary School’s swim team is in imminent danger of collapse and, if it does, it will potentially take down competitive swimming for all schools in Thames Valley District School Board. Parents and volunteers involved in running the swim team say the issue involves a dispute over insurance coverage between the Ontario Ministry of…
Read MoreFire victims face long recovery
Cornelius Woelke and his young sons Cornelius Junior, two-and-a-half years old and Jacob, who will turn a year old on Nov. 1, severely burned during a fire in their apartment in Springfield on Saturday, Oct. 19, have started to respond to medical treatment but face a long road to recovery, Jake Friesen said. Jake, of…
Read MoreThree badly burned in Springfield fire
Thick black smoke churned out of two houses on fire on Ron McNeil Line in Springfield on Saturday afternoon, Oct. 19. One was a three-unit apartment building and the other a single-family home. Both were heavily damaged, and a father and two very young children were badly burned and remain in hospital. Malahide Fire chief…
Read MoreNew mural unveiled
East Elgin Secondary School art students Capri Thiessen, left, Sky Mitton, Emma Monster, Joey Yaw, Gracie Huisman and Kristen Peters recently unveiled the mural they painted, with the help of others, to cover a utility box in Balmoral Park in Aylmer. Absent were Avery Heynen, Angela Kloosterman, Miranda Hew, Adriel Kuepfer, Keana Zacharias and Kris…
Read MoreTapping the keg…isn’t supposed to go this way
Beer gushed out of a ceremonial keg as Malahide Stellvertretender Bürgermeister (Deputy Mayor) Mark Widner, armed with a hammer, left, and Aylmer Bürgermeister (Mayor) Jack Couckuyt, holding a spigot, tried to tap it on Saturday night, Oct. 5 at Saxonia Hall Oktoberfest celebrations. Featured performer was Walter Ostanek and his band, and German food and…
Read MoreMayor scolds unnamed councillor, Desrosiers says it’s her
Aylmer Mayor Jack Couckuyt at the end of a town council meeting Wednesday, Oct. 2, sharply criticized an unnamed council member for what he asserted was support for a defamatory online remark. (Councillor Kathryn Desrosiers later in the week posted on Facebook that the mayor’s criticism was aimed at her.) “I thought a long time…
Read MoreDon’t resort to vigilantism, Aylmer Police warn
Aylmer Police want residents to report suspicious activity when they see it, but not to go beyond that and engage in what amounted to “online hate” against individuals. That is what allegedly led to a “violent assault” against an individual on Aug. 31 that is now under investigation. Police found no evidence to substantiate online…
Read MoreFree public skate for diversity
Jaydon Ball, 17, a Grade 12 student at East Elgin Secondary School, is hosting a free public skate at East Elgin Community Complex on Saturday, Oct. 5, from 5:30 p.m. to 8 p.m., and he wants everyone to come. Someone without skates doesn’t have to worry—skate rentals will also be free that night. The event…
Read MoreAylmer gets a slice of provincial infrastructure pie
Aylmer Mayor Jack Couckuyt was all smiles on Sept. 18 as ministers of the Ontario government visited the region and announced $57.2 million in infrastructure funding that will expedite construction of some 40,000 new houses in Elgin and Middlesex counties. The mayor’s welcome news of a $4.5 million Housing-Enabling Water Systems Fund grant that the…
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