Elgin County

On March 28, 2023, Elgin County Council approved its 2023 operational and capital budget of $92.6M. For this year, residents can expect a 3.76% increase in the County portion of their municipal property taxes. This share of municipal taxes supports road and bridge maintenance on county roads, paramedic services, community planning, long-term care homes, libraries, and more. Homeowners will see a slight addition of $23.88 for every $100,000 of residential property assessment.

After two years of extensive research, analysis, and community consultation, the County of Elgin’s Draft Official Plan is now available for public review and comment.

–With the news of Elgin County Deputy Warden Duncan McPhail’s passing on March 11, 2023, Warden Ed Ketchabaw spoke admiringly about a man who worked tirelessly for the residents he served.

The County of Elgin is pleased to announce that beginning today, March 1, 2023, eligible residents living in Elgin County and the City of St. Thomas will have access to a new Community Paramedicine (CP) program. This program, funded entirely by the Province, will bring high-quality care to residents living in seniors housing and retirement homes while also offering accessible home-based care for our community’s most vulnerable population.

Each year, the Warden and County Council – with input from County residents and businesses – make decisions about County services, programs and infrastructure and approve a budget. The budget is about setting goals and building a great community – together. The public’s feedback is a crucial part of the County’s budget process.

The County of Elgin will be undertaking maintenance work on the King George VI Lift Bridge from Wednesday, February 15, 2023, through to Friday, February 17, 2023. As a result, the Lift Bridge will be closed to vehicular and pedestrian traffic for the duration of this maintenance work. The Lift Bridge will reopen to vehicular and pedestrian traffic on Saturday, February 18, 2023.

The County of Elgin and the Municipality of Central Elgin are currently seeking four (4) committee members to join the ????? ????????????? ???????? ????????? (????) to advise the councils on accessibility matters.

On December 14, 2022, Elgin County hosted a multi-agency emergency management exercise involving a fictitious cyber attack and a presentation from industry expert Dave Colvin which detailed the changing landscape of emergency management in Ontario. The event included more than 85 participants from local municipalities and other agencies and provided staff from the County of Elgin, Town of Aylmer, Municipality of Bayham, Municipality of Dutton Dunwich, Township of Southwold, Township of Malahide, and the Municipality of West Elgin with a critical opportunity to review and practice their respective Emergency Management Plans with support agencies.

Elgin County Council elected Ed Ketchabaw, Mayor of the Municipality of Bayham, as Elgin’s Warden during its inaugural meeting held December 6, 2022. Warden Ketchabaw now serves as the head of Elgin County Council for the 2023 governance year, representing the first year of Council’s four-year term.

Contractors working on the Clachan Road Bridge Rehabilitation Project on the border of West Elgin & Chatham-Kent have worked diligently over the past eight (8) months to complete this project. Due to labour and material shortages and challenges relating to the bridge’s original construction, the initial completion date has been pushed back to the first week in December.