Aylmer Express Ltd. | Aylmer, Ontario

Over 100 at Eastwood public meeting

More than 100 residents of the Eastwood subdivision area, which runs along Centennial Avenue in Central Elgin, attended a public meeting at St. Thomas Memorial Arena Thursday night, most opposing either bearing the cost of new sanitary sewers or their installation altogether. Central Elgin Mayor Bill Walters and municipal staff answered questions from the audience in advance of a council vote next week on whether to go ahead with the $6-million project, with affected households in Eastwood facing at least an $8,000 cost for the sewer. Physical Services Director Lloyd Perrin fielded most of the questions at the two-hour meeting, most of which were about possible grants for the project and whether certain parts of the sewer system were really necessary. More on the meeting in the May 22 print edition.
Public hearing on Eastwood sewers

Central Elgin councillors voted unanimously on Monday, May 13, to hold a special public hearing at St. Thomas Memorial Arena Thursday, May 16, at 7 p.m. on proposed sanitary sewers on Centennial Avenue in the Eastwood subdivision area. Many homeowners in the subdivision, which is east of St. Thomas, south of Highway 3, are upset over having to bear part of the cost of installation of the sewers. Central Elgin contends that ageing septic systems for each house in the subdivision threaten to pollute the area, if they're not already doing so. More on the meeting in the May 15 print edition.
Secretary, teacher, student saluted

Head Secretary Diane Allen, a 35-year veteran of East Elgin Secondary School's administration office, received an "Award of Distinction" from Thames Valley District School Board during a ceremony in London, Thursday, May 9. Other local recipients, out of 20 across the board, were Nicole Rimniyak Shewan, a teacher at Sparta Public School, and Jared Baribeau, a high-school student and a three-year member of a competitive robotics team. More on the award winners in the May 15 print edition.
Herb Kebbel recovering after hit by bicycle

Aylmer funeral home director Herb Kebbel, who sustained a major concussion and fracturing around one eye in a hit-and-run collision with a bicyclist on a London sidewalk Monday, April 29, is now recovering. But he's still suffering from the after-effects, including bad headaches, he said Tuesday, May 7. "All of a sudden he just nails me. I must have been airborne, because I landed on my head." More in the May 8 print edition.
Sudden death unexplained but not suspicious

A sudden death in a downtown stairwell investigated by Aylmer Police Thursday, May 2, is still unexplained, but no longer considered suspicious, Chief Andre Reymer said. A man, 35, was found dead at the bottom of his apartment stairwell on the south side of Talbot Street West, just west of John Street, Thursday at 12 noon. A post-mortem examination conducted at London's University Hospital on Friday found no trauma or bruising of any kind of the body, ruling out an attack or a fall down the stairs. The investigation continues under the auspices of a coroner, while samples are tested at a medical laboratory to try to find a cause for the death. More in the May 8 print edition.
Fatality north of Harrietsville

An unidentified man is dead after an object flew off of a truck and struck the windshield of the van he was driving north of Harrietsville on Elgin Road at about 2:30 p.m. on April 25. Middlesex County Ontario Provincial Police reported the van was travelling northbound on Elgin Road just south of Gladstone Drive when an object, what appears to be a large piece of corrugated steel, flew off a southbound truck and went through the windshield of the van. The van then left the road and landed in a field on the west side of the road. The driver of the van was rushed to a London hospital by ambulance where he died of his injuries. Elgin Road between Gladstone Drive and Harrietsville Drive was expected to be closed for most of the rest of the day. More in the May 1 print edition.
Complex RFP closes April 30

The request for proposals (RFP) deadline for an independent, third-party review of the operations of East Elgin Community Complex closes April 30. At the April 16 Complex Advisory Committee meeting, citizen member and Aylmer resident Penny Tolmie asked why the committee had not been provided a copy of the full RFP. Malahide Chief Administrative Officer Michelle Casavecchia said the RFP was issued on behalf of Aylmer and Malahide councils, not the committee. The RFP document wasn't "confidential" though, and committee members could be provided a copy of the document. Aylmer Mayor Jack Couckuyt requested that the full RFP document be sent via email to all committee members. The proposals received will be opened on May 3 and then reviewed by the CAOs of both municipalities. They will submit a report to both councils with a recommendation to award the contract. The operational review is to be completed and submitted by the successful company by Aug. 30. The complete RFP document can be viewed here.
Layoffs for Catholic teachers

London District Catholic School Board announced Tuesday, April 23, that it had issued potential layoff notices to 142 teachers, in addition to 28 made redundant in September 2012. Education Director Wilma de Rond said the board hoped that retirements and leaves would leave openings for some of those teachers to return to work next September. More in the April 24 print edition.
More crystal meth seized

Aylmer Police for the second time in two weeks have seized crystal meth (a form of methamphetamine), and have charged an Aylmer woman, 34, with possession for the purposes of trafficking. Police were called to a home where the woman, 34, had passed out, possibly from a drug overdose. She was treated at hospital and returned to Aylmer the same day to surrender to police. More in the April 24 print edition.
Fire guts house in Port Burwell

A fire gutted an unoccupied house at the intersection of William and Victoria Streets in Port Burwell the morning of April 23. Local resident Kaila Armstrong, 18, was walking by the area at about 7:30 a.m. that morning and came across the fire and later contacted the Aylmer Express. She said firefighters and other officials were still on scene at 12:30 p.m. and seemed to be investigating the cause of the blaze. More in the April 24 print edition.
Man hurt in silo incident

A Bayham man, 60, working at Willow Hawk Farm Inc. on Carson Line in northeast Bayham, was taken by ambulance to Tillsonburg District Memorial Hospital in the late morning of April 16 and later transferred to a London Health Sciences Centre with serious injuries. Bayham Fire Chief Gord Roesch said firefighters were dispatched to the scene at 11:39 a.m. When they arrived, they found a man trapped in the bottom floor of a grain elevator with his leg stuck in an auger. Firefighters from Tillsonburg and Bayham, along with Elgin and Oxford Emergency Medical Services, freed the man. Elgin County Ontario Provincial Police also attended the scene and confirmed that an "industrial/farm" accident had occurred in a "grain silo." Elgin OPP said the man was listed in serious but stable condition shortly before 4 p.m. the same day. Officials with the Ontario Ministry of Labour were on scene later that day continuing the investigation.
OPP to target distracted drivers

The Elgin County Ontario Provincial Police are participating in the province-wide distracted driving campaign April 15-22. As part of the campaign, the OPP is encouraging drivers to keep all hand-held devices out of reach and out of use while they are behind the wheel. Other distracted and inattentive driving practices the OPP are targeting include talking and texting on cellular phones, eating and drinking, personal grooming and tending to children in the backseat.
Drug charge laid

A 36-year-old Aylmer woman was charged April 10 with drug trafficking after a suspicious smelling package was discovered in a London courier warehouse. St. Thomas Police stated the package was linked back to St. Thomas through an investigation by the Drug Enforcement Unit and the Aylmer woman was identified and arrested. The Aylmer woman allegedly sent the package. A total of 265 grams of marijuana was seized from the package with a street value of $2,650. No other details were released by St. Thomas Police.
Alleged robber arrested

Aylmer Police, backed up by Ontario Provincial Police Elgin detachment officers, executed a warrant at a home in town Wednesday, April 10, at 8:20 p.m., arresting a man, 27, who allegedly robbed the Downtown Convenience Store on Talbot Street East two nights earlier. In that incident, a store clerk, 19, was pushed over a counter and money taken from the cash register. Sergeant Michael Knight of Aylmer Police said the man was being held in custody awaiting a bail hearing. The investigation continues. More in the April 17 print edition.
Flood watch issued

The Catfish Creek Conservation Authority upgraded its "flood outlook" to a "flood watch" at 1:30 p.m. on April 10. The flood outlook, the initial advisory about potential flooding, was issued at 9 a.m. on April 9. A flood watch is the second notice issued in a conservation authority's flood advisory system. Due to heavy rains, the CCCA warned there was a significant probability for flooding of low-lying areas near Catfish Creek and other watercourses in the region. Between 55 and 80 millimetres of precipitation was expected to fall during the week coupled with melting snow. High water flows could create unsafe watercourse bank conditions and other unpredictable dangers around local waterways, adjacent fields and parkland, storm drains, small streams and creeks. The flood watch remains in effect until April 13.
Residents: sewers too costly

Residents of the Eastwood subdivision, just east of St. Thomas, jammed into the Central Elgin council chamber Monday, April 8, to tell councillors they must cancel proposed costly installation of sanitary sewers in their area. If not that, they at least want the project, which would also improve storm sewer in the area around Centennial Avenue south of Highway 3, postponed until infrastructure grants became available to greatly reduce the cost to property owners of sewer installations. They just can't afford the thousands of dollars per household they'd have to pay to connect to the sewers, representatives told councillors. More in the April 10 print edition.
May intake cancelled at OPC

The Ontario Police College has cancelled the spring intake for training new recruits. A Ministry of Community Safety and Correctional Services spokesman said only 100 recruits were available for the May intake of the Basic Constable Training (BCT) program. He said the college has 150 instructors for the BCT program and as a result of the "unbalanced ratio," those recruits will be part of the September intake. More in the April 10 print edition.
Badder wins injunction

Badder Group, an Aylmer-based school bus company, along with F.L. Raven Ltd. of Tillsonburg have been granted an injunction from Superior Court Justice Mary Jo Nolan, stopping a request for proposals for school busing in Elgin and Middlesex counties. The companies had argued the RFP process was unfair to smaller service providers. The written decision granting the injunction was delivered at about 3:45 p.m. on April 2, 15 minutes before the RFP was to close. The court case by Badder and Raven was filed against Southwestern Ontario Student Transportation Services, the consortium responsible for student transportation throughout Thames Valley District School Board and London and District Catholic School Board. Both Badder President Neil Badder and Independent School Bus Operators Association Executive Director Karen Cameron had not seen the written decision and said they did not know what it entailed. The decision was delivered after The Aylmer Express went to press for the April 3 edition. More in the April 10 print edition.
Thefts from cars, smouldering pillow

Aylmer Police Chief Andre Reymer reported on Tuesday, April 2, that thieves had been busy in town in the early morning hours of April Fools' Day, helping themselves to valuables from unlocked vehicles. And in a bizarre incident Saturday, March 30, a pillow left smouldering on Talbot Street East downtown was extinguished by officers, who had no idea how it got there or why. More in the Aylmer Police blotter in the April 3 print edition.
Sunshine list now out

The annual 'Sunshine list' of all of the public sector salaries over $100,000 paid to Ontario politicians, bureaucrats and civil servants was released by the provincial government on March 28. The multi-page Public Sector Salary Disclosure for 2012 list includes 88,412 employees who made over $100,000 in 2012. It can be seen in full at http://www.fin.gov.on.ca/en/publications/salarydisclosure/pssd/ More in the April 3 print edition.
Elgin giving $1.6-million to Centennial

Elgin County, after a reversal from county engineering services Director Clayton Watters, has increased its planned contribution to a Central Elgin project that includes rebuilding Centennial Avenue to $1.61-million from the original planned $750,000. Central Elgin is installing sanitary and storm sewers in the Eastwood Subdivision on the east side of St. Thomas, and as part of that is rebuilding roads, including Centennial, which belongs to the county. The project is expected to cost over $20-million. More in the April 3 print edition.
High school sports coming back

Sports will be returning to East Elgin Secondary School in the next few weeks. The Thames Valley District School Board and the London District Catholic School Board have agreed to a plan that will keep Thames Valley Regional Athletics operating and allow student athletes from both boards to compete in provincial championships. There will be full but separate sports schedules for the school boards with winning teams of both competing in district finals before moving onto regional and provincial playdowns. The plan also allows for exhibition games between schools of both boards at any time throughout the season. Competition is expected to begin as soon as mid-April. More in the April 3 print edition.
Three children hurt in Vienna

Three children from Vienna, all under the age of six, were injured Monday evening after a bicycle with a child-carrier trailer collided with a minivan. Elgin County Ontario Provincial Police Constable Troy Carlson said the collision happened at about 7:15 p.m. on Chapel Street in Vienna. The three children were transported by ambulance to Tillsonburg District Memorial Hospital for initial assessment. They were then airlifted by helicopter to London Health Sciences Centre, Victoria Campus, for further treatment. Const. Carlson said the children were later released having suffered minor injuries. More in the March 27 print edition.
Residents plead to keep Dexter open

More than 25 Port Bruce residents crowded into the Elgin council chamber Tuesday, March 26, to ask county councillors to keep Dexter Line west of the hamlet open in future, rather than permanently closing it to through traffic. While a long environmental assessment of the proposed project was completed early this year, councillors withdrew any funding from their 2013 budget that would have started detailed engineered, surveying and property acquisition. Central Elgin representatives raised the possibility of permanently closing the road to through traffic instead, saving millions of dollars. More in the March 27 print edition.
Evanitski wins Bayham by-election

Cliff Evanitski is the new Deputy Mayor in Bayham after he received the highest number of votes in the March 25 by-election. The final unofficial voting results are: Lynn Acre, 467 votes; Cliff Evanitski, 732; Bob Lozon, 40; and Rainey Weisler, 126. The turn-out for the by-election was estimated at 28.6 percent, below the 2010 general Bayham election turn-out of 31.7 percent. More in the March 27 print edition.
Mennill chides Express

Malahide Mayor David Mennill is unhappy about The Aylmer Express coverage of remarks he made about the township's four firehalls at a March 7 meeting. At a meeting Thursday, March 21, he said, "The Aylmer Express states, 'Mennill says no to closing firehall stations.' That is incorrect. What I did say is, 'Before we make a decision on closing a firehall, we need to have all the facts on the table." More in the March 27 print edition.
Eastlink eliminates 17 jobs

A total of 17 Eastlink jobs have been eliminated in Aylmer. Eastlink Southwestern Ontario Regional Manager Ron Mervis confirmed the job losses, 16 of which take effect March 28. All of the employees except for one work in the Aylmer call centre which will close. The other employee being laid off is a support staff member whose job ends sometime in April. Mr. Mervis said calls that come into Eastlink from the Aylmer area will now be handled by the "state-of-the-art" call centre at Eastlink's national headquarters in Halifax. More in the March 27 print edition.
Aylmer budget public meeting April 2

The public meeting for taxpayers to provide their input on the 2013 draft Aylmer budget will be held at the Old Town Hall Theatre Tuesday, April 2 at 7 p.m. At the final Finance Committee meeting held March 18, a 2013 budget featuring a 1.03-percent levy increase was approved and sent to council for one last possible discussion and expected final approval at the regular council meeting to be held after the April 2 public meeting. More in the March 20 print edition.
Seed bags now recyclable

Malahide farmers will now be able to dispose of seed bags through the township's recycling program. Malahide councillors have in the last year resisted an effort by Fire Chief Paul Groeneveld to outlaw the burning of bags, because they felt farmers had no other way to be rid of them. But London's Materials Recovery Facility recently agreed to accept them through Malahide's household recycling program. More in the March 20 print edition.
Dexter Line grant a maybe

The environmental assessment process for relocation of Dexter Line west of Port Bruce has been finished, and Elgin County is being allowed to apply for a $2-million provincial grant toward the estimated $4.6-million cost of the project—but that doesn't mean it will actually happen. The project was put on hold earlier this year during budget deliberations. County councillors will consider that, but only if the provincial grant is approved, and an answer on that is expected by the end of May. More in the March 13 print edition.
Teen charged with sexual assault

A Malahide male, 14, was charged with sexual assault and sexual interference on March 10 by Grey County Ontario Provincial Police after officers investigated an incident in Southgate Township that was reported to have happened the day before. The alleged victim is a female child known to the male, Grey County OPP Media Relations Officer Alina Grelik said. The teen will appear in Owen Sound court on April 9.
Mayor opposes closing fire stations

Malahide Mayor David Mennill climbed up on a self-confessed political soapbox during presentation of long-service awards to township volunteer firefighters Thursday, March 7, to oppose closing any of the municipality's four fire stations just to save money. A study by the Ontario Fire Marshal's office of Malahide's fire service, requested by council with an eye to the possibility of closing at least one station, is expected to start in April. More in the March 13 print edition.
Foul play ruled out in death

The Middlesex County Ontario Provincial Police have ruled out foul play and have concluded their investigation of the discovery of an unresponsive woman who later was pronounced dead after being found on a walking trail at Lake Whittaker Conservation Area. Police have identified the dead woman as Mary Avril Madden, 37, of London. She was found on a walking trail on the north side of Lake Whittaker at about 3 p.m. on March 5 by a local resident who was walking his dog. The woman appeared to have no vital signs and was transported by ambulance to Ingersoll's Alexandria Hospital where she was pronounced dead. More in the March 13 print edition.
Woman dead after found on trail

The Middlesex County Ontario Provincial Police are investigating the discovery of an unresponsive woman who later was pronounced dead after being found on a walking trail at Lake Whittaker Conservation Area. Const. Troy Carlson said police were called to the scene at about 3 p.m. on March 5 after a local resident came across the woman laying on the trail on the north side of Lake Whittaker. The woman appeared to have no vital signs and was transported by ambulance to Ingersoll's Alexandria Hospital where she was pronounced dead. More in the March 13 print edition.
Full house for Express all-candidates forum

Over 200 spectators filled the community Centre in Straffordville for an all-candidates meeting, organized by The Aylmer Express, for the Bayham by-election for deputy mayor, Monday, March 4. Questions mainly revolved around Project Ojibwa. Others were about sewer rates, economic development and bridging the divide between the north and south ends of Bayham. More in the March 6 print edition.
Council rejects condo parking spaces

Aylmer councillors on March 4 unanimously rejected leasing up to 15 municipal parking spaces to Golden Community Builders Inc. who had requested more parking for the residents of their almost-complete Aylmer Trillium Park five-storey condominium building. Earlier in the meeting, councillors asked staff to report back on options and the cost of implementing some type of downtown parking enforcement after a presentation by MainStreet/Business Improvement Area Administrator Nicole Pressey-Wiebenga. More in the March 6 print edition.
Aylmer budget down to 1.39 increase

With a goal of a two percent or less increase going into the session, the Aylmer Finance Committee focused on cutting capital project items from its draft 2013 budget during the March 4 meeting to bring the overall forecast budget increase of 5.71 percent down to 1.39 percent. The finance committee will meet one final time on March 18 at 3:30 p.m. to finalize the 2013 draft budget before sending it to council for final approval possibly on April 2. A public meeting would be held prior to the regular council meeting that day at 7 p.m. to receive taxpayer input. More in the March 6 print edition.
Cost-cutting determination

A faction of disaffected councillors lined up at a Malahide budget committee meeting Friday, March 1, to recite a laundry list of long-term spending reductions they wanted explored over the next year. While they didn't seek further cuts to this year's budget, which calls for a 2.87 percent increase in the township's property tax levy, they made clear they'd continue to agitate for cost cutting. More in the March 6 print edition.
School sports to return?

East Elgin Secondary School Principal Brendon White said he was "cautiously optimistic" that sports and other extracurricular activities for students would return as soon as after the March Break after members of the teachers' union voted to suspend their political action on Feb. 22. Extracurricular activities had been absent from all public high schools in the province since December when teachers decided to withdraw volunteering before and after school and on weekends as a protest against the Ontario government forcing a non-local bargained contract on them through Bill 115. More in the Feb. 27 print edition.
Malahide okays Sunday firearms hunting

Malahide councillors Thursday, Feb. 21, unanimously endorsed Sunday hunting with firearms being allowed in the township. The final decision is up to Ontario Ministry of Natural Resources, but it recently okayed such a change for Central Elgin. Malahide councillors in recent years rejected Sunday hunting, but Ontario Federation of Anglers and Hunters asked the township to reconsider early this year. More in the Feb. 27 print edition.
Express to host Bayham all-candidates

The Aylmer Express will host an all-candidates meeting at the Bayham Community Centre in Straffordville Monday, March 4, starting at 7 p.m., for the coming election for deputy mayor in Bayham. Aylmer Express President John Hueston will moderate the event. Free refreshments will be served, courtesy of the Express. More in the Feb. 27 print edition.
EECC deficit trimmed to 2.72% increase

East Elgin Community Complex advisory committee members voted Wednesday, Feb. 20, to refer a 2013 budget calling for a 2.72 percent increase in its annual operating deficit, subsidized by Aylmer and Malahide taxpayers, to a public meeting to be held Tuesday, March 19, at 7 p.m. at EECC. The committee had earlier this year received a proposed budget calling for just over a five percent increase in its annual operating deficit, to $568,963, which would be split between the two municipalities. Committee members asked Complex managers to reduce that to under three percent, and Feb. 20 a proposal with a $553,063 deficit was presented. More in the Feb. 27 print edition.
Grant was a "no," now a "maybe"

Physical Services Director Lloyd Perrin told Central Elgin councillors Tuesday, Feb. 19, he believed he had persuaded provincial officials to reconsider their rejection of a municipal infrastructure grant application to help pay for servicing a large subdivision just east of St. Thomas. Earlier this year, Central Elgin entered an "expression of interest" for the Municipal Infrastructure Investment Initiative for funding from the Ontario Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs. That request was rejected, even though the proposed $22-million project, which included installation of sanitary sewers in the area to replacing ageing and failing private septic systems, met MIII prerequisites. More in the Feb. 27 print edition.