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 beer were also on offer.…
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 about talking about this,” he…
Bill Gheysen of Vienna has been recognized by the Ontario government for over 55 years as a community volunteer through his activities in the Vienna Lions Club. He celebrated his 92nd birthday on Saturday, Sept. 28, as he recovered from a heart attack suffered three weeks before he was interviewed for this story. He considers the greatest achievement of Vienna…
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 accusations against the man. For…
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 is themed “Breaking The Ice,”…
The annual Aylmer Express Thanksgiving Food Drive kicked off this week, with donation bags included in the newspaper. Donations will go to East Eglin Community Assistance Program’s Corner Cupboard food bank in Aylmer or the St. Thomas Elgin Food Bank in St. Thomas (pictured here with Operations Manager Sarah Coleman, left, and Administration Manager Karen McDade). The campaign comes at…
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 Province officially awarded to the…
Joan Branje, left, Julie Therrien, Susie Giesbrecht, Kelsey Henry, Alexandra Hunt, Alex Branje and Christine Frisch of the Aylmer office of Community Living Elgin placed labels onto donation bags for the 35th annual Aylmer Express Thanksgiving Food Drive for East Elgin Community Assistance Program’s Corner Cupboard food bank in Aylmer and the St. Thomas Elgin Food bank in St. Thomas.…
Emotions were running high on Thursday Sept. 12 at the Grand Opening of the Deer Ridge Conservation Area and Hiking Trail, on Glengariff Drive, in Talbotville. The event acknowledged a donation of 61.58 acres of forest in perpetuity to Kettle Creek Conservation Authority (KCCA) by Ted and Duggie Gill, local horse farm owners in the process of downsizing their Southwold…
Elgin Ontario Provincial Police are warning local residents to take care after an incident at Archie Coulter Conservation Area on Brouwers Line in Central Elgin that left one person with minor injuries on Wednesday, Sept. 11, about about 5:55 p.m. The injured person was walking along a trail, and was approached from behind. “Physical contact was made by another individual,”…