Aylmer, Ontario

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Country	Canada
Town of Aylmer
Motto: Proud heritage, bright future.
Aylmer's location in relation to Ontario.
Province	Ontario
County	Elgin
Government
- Mayor	Robert Habkirk
Area
- Town	6.22 km² (2.4 sq mi)
- Urban	6.23 km² (2.4 sq mi)
Population (2006) From StatsCan
- Town	7,069
- Density	1,135.7/km² (2,941.4/sq mi)
- Urban	7,163
	Population decreased 1.2% from 2001 to 2006
Time zone	EST (UTC-5)
- Summer (DST)	EDT (UTC-4)
Postal code	N5H 3B4
Area code(s)	519, 226
Website: Aylmer Official Site

This article is about Aylmer, Ontario. For the Gatineau neighbourhood of the same name see Aylmer, Gatineau, Quebec.

Aylmer, Ontario (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 Robert Habkirk.

1 History
2 Aylmer today
3 Media
4 Mennonite and Amish communities
5 Tobacco industry
6 External links
7 References

[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.

[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.

In 2004, a brand new arena, the East Elgin Community Complex, was completed to house the many enthusiastic hockey leagues in town. The Old Town Hall which houses the library, also has a beautifully restored theatre which houses occasional plays. For history buffs, the Aylmer Museum houses an interesting 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] 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] 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 that 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. Aylmer continues to become more culturally diverse over time, as more immigrants culturally enrich Canada each year.

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 in close proximity 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.

In 2001, Aylmer gained national attention after child welfare seized 7 children from their home against their will after their parents, members of the Church of God Restoration in Aylmer, were accused of child abuse. These allegations arose when at least one child was discovered to be suffering from untreated burns apparently received during an act of corporal punishment. The children were returned to their home in the same month with an agreement to not use physical punishment. This restriction was lifted later.

[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 downizing 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 after it closes, 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.