Aylmer, Ontario

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Aylmer
—  Town  —
Motto: Proud heritage, bright future.
Aylmer is located in Ontario
Aylmer
Coordinates: 42°46′22.81″N 80°58′58.6″W / 42.7730028°N 80.982944°W / 42.7730028; -80.982944Coordinates: 42°46′22.81″N 80°58′58.6″W / 42.7730028°N 80.982944°W / 42.7730028; -80.982944
Country  Canada
Province  Ontario
County Elgin
Government
 • Mayor Jack Couckuyt
 • Deputy Mayor Gerry Richer
 • Administrator Heather Adams
 • Federal riding Elgin—Middlesex—London
 • Prov. riding Elgin—Middlesex—London
Area[1]
 • Land 6.22 km2 (2.40 sq mi)
 • Urban 6.23 km2 (2.41 sq mi)
Population (2006)[1]
 • Town 7,069
 • Density 1,135.7/km2 (2,941/sq mi)
 • Urban 7,163
Time zone EST (UTC-5)
 • Summer (DST) EDT (UTC-4)
Postal code N5H 3B4
Area code(s) 519 and 226
Website aylmer.ca

Aylmer (2006 population 7,069; UA population 7,163) is a town in Elgin County in southern Ontario, Canada, just north of Lake Erie, on Catfish Creek. It is 20 km south of Highway 401. The mayor is Jack Couckuyt.

Aylmer is surrounded by Malahide Township.

Contents

[edit] History

The town was named after Matthew Whitworth-Aylmer, 5th Baron Aylmer, who was Governor General of British North America from 1830 to 1835. It is sometimes referred to as Aylmer West, to distinguish it from Aylmer East, Aylmer, Gatineau, Quebec. Aylmer was incorporated as a town in 1887.

A Royal Canadian Air Force Training Facility, RCAF Station Aylmer was located just north of Aylmer in Malahide Township from 1941 to 1961. This station is now home to the Ontario Police College and The Aylmer Wildlife Management Area.

[edit] Aylmer today

Former mayor (1994–2003) Robert Habkirk was again elected the mayor of Aylmer on November 13, 2006 to a four-year term. He was defeated by the former principal of East Elgin Secondary School, Jack Couckuyt, by a wide margin on October 25, 2010.

In 2004, a new arena, the East Elgin Community Complex, was completed to house the many hockey leagues in town. The Old Town Hall which houses the library, also has a restored theatre which houses occasional plays. For history buffs, the Aylmer Museum houses a collection of 19th century Victorian art pieces created from hair.

In 2007, Communities in Bloom, a nationwide beautification program, awarded Aylmer first place in Canada in the 5001-10,000 population category.

[edit] Mennonite and Amish communities

In the mid-1970s, many German-speaking Mennonites began migrating to the Aylmer area from Mexico. The Mennonites were Canadian citizens who had moved to Mexico from Manitoba and Saskatchewan during the first half of the 20th century. By the early 21st century, there was a large Mennonite population in Aylmer and the surrounding area. In addition to the Mennonite population there are sizable Dutch, German, and British descended populations in the area.

Just east of Aylmer is a sizable Old Order Amish community. This community was founded by families moving from Ohio in 1953. They were uncomfortable with a nuclear facility being constructed close to their community in Ohio. Since that time, the community has grown to encompass three "districts" the surrounding area. A number of members from this community participate in the weekly Aylmer Sales Barn and sell fruit, vegetables, eggs, and animals, such as rabbits and chickens. This particular Amish community eschews the use of automobiles, electricity, and most modern conveniences. A well-known Amish publishing house, Pathway Publishing Company, is based in this community.

[edit] Tobacco industry

The tobacco growing industry played a large part in the economic development of Aylmer. Imperial Tobacco Canada built a plant in Aylmer in the mid 1940s. At its peak, Imperial employed more than 800 full-time and seasonal workers. After declining tobacco sales in Canada, Imperial began downsizing in the 1990s. In October 2005, Imperial Tobacco announced that the Aylmer and Guelph, Ontario plants would close. The plant closed permanently in July 2007, putting the remaining 75 employees out of work. The current average wage at Imperial Tobacco in Aylmer was $45 per hour. The town council is putting a plan in place to attract automotive-related industries to its new business park or Imperial's facilities, but is widely viewed in the business community as acting too slowly and has been unwilling to finance a permanent economic development officer to promote Aylmer as an attractive municipality for manufacturing. The facility was purchased in March 2010 by a consortium of investors led by Raymond Dueck of East St Paul, Manitoba and Jack Baribeau of Dorchester, Ontario. The complex was subsequently relaunched as the Elgin Innovation Centre as an industrial centre for lease for a wide variety of uses.

[edit] Demographics

Census Population
1841 260
1871 1,400
1881 1,540
1891 2,167
1901 2,204
1911 2,102
1921 2,194
1931 2,283
1941 2,478
1951 3,483
1961 4,705
1971 4,755
1981 5,254
1991 6,244
2001 7,126
2006 7,069

Population trend:[4]

  • Population in 2006: 7069
  • Population in 2001: 7126 (or 7158 when adjusted to 2006 boundaries)
  • Population in 1996: 7018 (or 7022 when adjusted to 2001 boundaries)
  • Population in 1991: 6244

[edit] Media

Aylmer has two local radio stations: CHPD-FM on 105.9 FM (a Low German radio station), and low-power religious station VF8016 at 90.1 FM.

[edit] Notable residents

[edit] References

[edit] External links

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