Southwestern Public Health is warning local residents that air quality would continue to worsen through Thursday because of smoke from ongoing forest fires in Northeastern Ontario and Quebec drifting into the region. Environment Canada first issued an advisory for Oxford County on June 5 and Elgin County on June 6. As of 1 p.m. Wednesday, June 7, the provincial air…
“Jack,” a great horned owl, came in for a landing anticipating a meaty treat from James Cowan of the Canadian Raptor Conservancy during a presentation at EdisonFest in Vienna on Saturday, June 3. Weather for the event was breezy and partly cloudy, resulting in good attendance. More pictures on the front page of the June 7 edition of The Aylmer…
Fire chiefs in St. Thomas and Elgin County have issued an immediate ban on all open-air and recreational fires. In a statement, they said, “Open air fires are defined as any fire outside of a building and include bonfires, campfires, burn barrels, outdoor fireplaces/chimineas or any other fires set in open air. “Although there is some variation across Elgin County,…
Central Elgin residents around the edges of the proposed new Volkswagen electric-vehicle battery plant are calling for compensation for suddenly finding themselves with a “gigafactory” as a neighbour. They lined up to convey that message at a public hearing about proposed rezoning for the north side of Highway 3, between the road and a railway line to the north that…
Most of the 25 participants in a “town hall” session Friday, May 26, on a planned one-year pilot program that would merge minor hockey Rep teams from Aylmer and Belmont under a new “East Elgin” banner were supportive of the test that will start in September. The only exceptions were Gary Rabbets and Eugene Lindsay, old guard members with years…
Tensions between Central Elgin councillors and staff flared at council’s May 23 meeting. Deputy Mayor Todd Noble suggested that interim chief administrative officer Wendell Graves was out of line asking council to approve a new psychological health and wellness policy, just two weeks after a show of emotions by the deputy mayor. The deputy mayor also maintained that the policy…
Annelise Borm, left, and Adrianna Borm played keep-away with Huron Park Secondary School defenders during the Thames Valley Southeast AA girls soccer final at City Wide Sports Park in London on Tuesday, May 30. East Elgin Secondary School’s girls and boys soccer team both won Thames Valley Southeast AA championships in games that day and advanced to WOSSAA playoffs to…
Southwestern Public Health is seeking help to identify a dog that bit someone at Little Creek Park in Port Stanley on Sunday, May 7, between 11 a.m. and 1 p.m., to determine if it had been vaccinated against rabies. The dog was described as a small Dachshund with a solid brown coat and short hair. The owner had two such…
Both East Elgin Secondary School’s boys and girls soccer teams have advanced to Thames Valley Southeast AA finals to be played at Citywide Fields in London Tuesday, May 30, at 11 a.m. for girls and 1 p.m. for boys. In Southeast semifinals in London on Tuesday, May 23, EESS boys blanked Tillsonburg Glendale 4-0 and East Elgin’s girls defeated Ingersoll…
Aylmer Mayor Jack Couckuyt and Deputy Mayor Pete Barbour want to see police return to routine visits to local schools. At a town council meeting Wednesday, May 17, Deputy Mayor Barbour said Thames Valley District School Board had, since before the COVID-19 pandemic began, denied access to police to deliver safety messages and programming to children in classrooms. Faith-based schools…