Highlights from the June 19 Council Meeting

Woodstock, ON – Thursday’s Council meeting began at 7 p.m. with several delegations, including a presentation from Grade 7/8 students at Roch Carrier French Immersion Public School, who participated in the GREEN Leaders environmental education program with Upper Thames River Conservation Authority. The students explored ways to enhance youth engagement in local green spaces and provided recommendations for improvements to Sloane Park. Council commended the students for bringing their suggestions forward and referred the presentation to the Parks Department for consideration.

Woodstock Art Gallery 4^th Floor Tender

Council awarded the tender for the Woodstock Art Gallery fourth floor renovation and approved an additional $102,000 towards the project. The new multi-purpose space will help expand arts education programming, facility rentals and community events at the Gallery. Council previously approved $235,000 for the renovations through the capital budget. The Gallery also received a $941,000 federal grant from the Green and Inclusive Community Buildings program and has raised $166,575 through fundraising.

Work is expected to begin this July and continue through April 2027. The Gallery will share updates and any impacts to visitors during construction through its website, social media and newsletter. 

School and Playground Assessment Policy

Council approved an updated School and Playground Assessment Policy. The policy gives staff more tools and flexibility to address traffic and safety issues near schools and provides stronger guidance for assessing and enhancing safety measures around playgrounds. Staff are finalizing assessments for school zones and will be returning to Council in July with recommendations for enhancements such as signage and line markings. Playground areas will be assessed once the school zones are completed.

Student Civic Awards of Excellence

Council approved the recipients of the 2026 Student Civic Awards of Excellence. The awards are presented annually to students graduating from each high school in Woodstock. Students are nominated by their schools based on excellence in academics, volunteerism, leadership, and for overcoming adversity or serving as a role mode to others. The recipients include:

• Jamina Tieu – St. Mary’s High School
• Cohen White – Huron Park Secondary School
• Evan Crouse – Woodstock Collegiate Institute
• Marie-Eliel Edikeu – École Secondaire Catholique Notre-Dame
• Gurleen Saini – College Avenue Secondary School

The winners will be invited to the July 9 Council meeting to receive their certificate and $1,000 award.

Regulation of Rideshare and Transportation Network Companies

Staff provided a report to Council on regulatory options for managing app-based Transportation Network Companies (TNCs), also known as rideshare services, operating in Woodstock. Municipal Code Chapter 643 currently regulates taxis and limousines by licensing drivers, vehicles, and brokers and setting fares to promote public safety, consumer protection and service reliability. The growth of unlicensed and unregulated rideshare companies has increased pressure on the conventional taxi industry, while presenting challenges for by-law enforcement.

Staff reviewed approaches from other Ontario municipalities and recommended a hybrid option, in which the City would set the rules and enforcement requirements and TNC companies would manage day-to-day administration and compliance. Staff also recommended partial deregulation of existing taxi-broker requirements. Council directed staff to proceed with these recommendations to amend the by-law.

Canada-Ontario Development Charge Reduction Program

Council directed staff to submit an application to the Canada-Ontario Development Charge Reduction Program (DCRP) for funding towards the North Woodstock Recreation Facility.

The Canada-Ontario Partnership to Build provides up to $8.8 billion over 10 years in new infrastructure funding to municipalities that reduce development charges. The aim of the fund is to reduce building costs and speed up the construction of new homes. To receive funding for eligible infrastructure projects, the DCRP requires residential development charge reductions of 30 to 50 per cent for a minimum of three years.

Council supported submitting an application for phase one of the North Woodstock Recreation Facility, which consists of a new arena, with a 50 per cent development charge reduction. The province is expected to approve successful applications by August of this year.

Notice of Motion — Non-Resident Fees for Recreation Facilities and Programs

Councillor Lauder put forward a notice of motion to direct staff to prepare a report outlining options to introduce higher fees for non-residents accessing City recreation facilities and programs. The motion will be discussed at an upcoming Council meeting.

For more information about the items above, or any of the other topics discussed during the council meeting, visit www.cityofwoodstock.ca/agendasandminutes. Council meetings are live streamed on the City’s YouTube channel and recordings of the meetings are also posted online following the meetings.

-30-