Newsroom

County Council meetings are broadcast liveatwww.oxfordcounty.ca/livestream. For agenda packages and past recordings of Council meetings, visit www.oxfordcounty.ca/council. Download the full agenda for June 22 here. 
 

Master Housing Plan update

County Council receives an update on the first phase of the Master Housing Strategy next Council meeting. The recently completed Housing Needs Assessment found that:

• Housing in Oxford County is unaffordable to most households, compounded by the arrival of high-income individuals from other areas driving up prices and competition for the limited supply of local housing.
• The lack of affordable home ownership may impact the future desirability and economic competitiveness of the County.
• Oxford County needs more variety of rental housing, including rent-geared-to-income (RGI), affordable rents (at or below the average market rent), and market-rate rentals. The supply of rental units falls well short of demand, with a recommended target of 100 new affordable rental units per year to help address the current supply shortage.

The need for a comprehensive housing strategy was identified in the County’s 2022 Business Plans and Budget. The completed strategy is expected in the fall of 2022.

CS 2022-07 – Master Housing Strategy Update – Housing Needs Assessment | Presentation
 

Water and wastewater service delivery review

Acting on the recommendations of an independent joint service delivery review started in 2021, County staff will ask County Council on June 22 for approval to consolidate all of its water distribution and wastewater collection services across the County. This centralized service delivery option, one of three put forward in the joint service delivery review, will lead to improved service levels, reduced long-term risk to infrastructure, and substantial cost savings.

Oxford County is the owner of all municipal water and wastewater systems within the County and is responsible to Ministry of the Environment, Conservation and Parks for their safe, reliable and sustainable operation. The County has historically contracted the daily operation and maintenance of the water distribution and wastewater collection systems to the City of Woodstock and Town of Tillsonburg in their communities, but is now seeking to consolidate all of its water and wastewater services for better asset management planning (maintenance of and long-term investment in infrastructure); more efficient service delivery and redundancy (one level of administration for billing, quality management, customer service, meter reading, etc. across the County); consistent alignment of service levels to industry best management practices; and cost effectiveness (savings from operations, shared procurement, service bundling, etc.)

If approved by County Council, Oxford County would assume operation of its water and wastewater systems from Woodstock and Tillsonburg effective January 1, 2023.

PW 2022-32 – 2018-2020 Water Distribution and Wastewater Collection Service Delivery Review – Outcomes and Recommendations | Presentation
 

Household waste audit results

A 2021 audit of curbside waste in Oxford County shows that up to 60% of the contents of black garbage bags is organic waste, such as food, tissues and paper towels, pet waste, etc. While not all organic waste is suitable for processing, there is opportunity to use organic waste for resource recovery (repurposing into products), fertilizer and other soil amendments, or renewable gas and electricity production. The report notes that diverting organic waste from the landfill could further increase the County’s current landfill waste diversion rate, extending the life of the County’s municipal landfill and helping the County to achieve its zero waste goals. Information from the curbside waste audit will be used to help decide next steps for a County-wide food and organic waste diversion program.

PW 2022-33 – 2021 Curbside Waste Audit and Organics Resource Recovery Technology Review
 

Other reports and presentations
 

• Delegation: Local support for Ukrainian refugees – Jeff Surridge, CEO, Community Employment Services, and Karen Oldroyd, Program Manager, Settlement Services
• Delegation: Gap Food Store - Women's Employment Resource Centre, Muslim Group of Oxford, and The Community Free Table
• Public meeting and CP 2022-256: Application for Official Plan Amendment OP 22-02-6 – 2748058 Ontario Inc.
• HS 2022-03: Canada Wide Early Learning Child Care Agreement
• CS 2022-23: South Central Ontario Region Economic Development Corporation Request for Support of National Trade Corridors Fund Application
• HR 2022-05: Recruitment of Chief Administrative Officer

Questions or comments?

Council this Week highlights Council activities for the public, employees and community partners. Please send your questions and comments to communications@oxfordcounty.ca