Elgin County Completes Public Consultation on Library Relocation

What's happening with the Aylmer Library?

The Town of Aylmer wants to make the Aylmer Library bigger by building onto the Old Town Hall (OTH). They sent a "Letter of Intent" to Elgin County to say they are planning this.

Elgin County is happy about the idea—but they say Aylmer still needs to give more details before they can move forward.

What is Aylmer planning?

Aylmer wants to build a new 8,000 square foot space for the library and connect it to the Old Town Hall.

They asked the County to sign a 20-year lease, help with fundraising, and let the Town's engineers start designing the space.

What was Elgin County's response?

Before the County can accept Aylmer’s letter as a true “Letter of Intent,” they need two things:

A clear amount of space that will be used for the library.
A timeline for when construction will begin.

The County expects construction might start in 2028, with completion around 2030—after the current lease ends in 2027. So, they suggest temporarily moving the library to the East Elgin Community Complex in the meantime.

The County also noted:

Aylmer should lead fundraising since they own the building, but the County can assist.
They’re willing to help with interior design, as they’ve done before.
No need for a 20-year lease promise now—leases already last long-term.
No funding is committed yet; loan requests must follow County policy.

What were the results of the survey?

224 people filled out the public survey.

53% supported the move to EECC.
47% were against it.

Elgin County Survey Results - Do you support moving the library to the complex?

Elgin County Survey Results - If you visited the Aylmer Library within the last year, how did you get there?

Because the public was fairly split—but with many younger families and regular users supporting the move—County staff are recommending:

Ask the EECC Board to officially agree to host the Aylmer Library there starting January 1, 2028.
Work out details with the EECC, like:
- Renovations needed for the space
- A lease agreement

What happens next?

The County of Elgin will officially send this information to the Town of Aylmer, the Township of Malahide, and the East Elgin Community Complex Board of Management.

The Town of Aylmer has asked GEI Consultants, the Town's current engineers, to prepare a design for the building. Once this is done, the Town can provide more details to Elgin County including a timeline for the project and approximate cost.

The Town of Aylmer, the Township of Malahide, and the East Elgin Community Complex Board of Management will discuss the County of Elgin's findings at future meetings.