Response to River Valley Sun article of April 30th 2026
As Chief Administrative Officer for the Town of Woodstock, I must express my disappointment in the timing, tone and content of the article published online today April 30th by the River Valley Sun.
Friday evening, April 24th, we received a request from the River Valley Sun for information regarding the purchase of 105 Moffatt Street. A detailed response was provided by Mayor Jones Saturday morning and we then received follow-up questions which required staff input. On Monday morning April 27 I advised River Valley Sun that we would respond on Wednesday or Thursday as we were preparing for both the final Council meeting before the election, and the Candidates Presentation evening. The publication acknowledged this timing and did not reference a deadline for an article publication.
The characterization of the acquisition of the land and building at 105 Moffatt Street as a “misstep” leaving us needing to “find nearly $800,00 in the budget” is incorrect, misleading and shows a fundamental misunderstanding of the purchase.
We currently have unusually large cash holdings in both General and Utility capital reserves, and significant police realignment funds available that are accessible for this use, totaling in excess of $3.9 million. It must be emphasized that the building is indeed paid for from our current funds and we are simply awaiting a recommendation from our auditor as to how to most appropriately apply the costs of the purchase. A municipal financing loan would have been of some advantage to spread the cost over multiple years but was not a requirement given our current reserves. Due to the Borrowing Board timing requirements, we had to proceed with the purchase and then submit a request for an exemption. This exemption was denied due to the timing of the request after the purchase, not due to the purchase itself. To be clear, this purchase did not negatively impact any delivery of service to our residents, nor will it impact our tax rates.
This building was purchased for shared usage by Utilities, Public Works, and Protective Services and is used for vehicle and equipment storage, office space for the Woodstock Volunteer Fire Department, and as a covered area to work on large outdoor items such as docks, picnic tables etc. during the winter months. As such, costs are shared across all the budget categories. It should be noted that the acquisition of this building allowed us to exit external rented storage and avoided the purchase of a replacement storage building for Utilities that had collapsed. Also, moving large expensive equipment that was previously stored outside into covered secure storage will extend it’s useful lifespan and reduce maintenance costs.
It is also concerning that the River Valley Sun sought comment from an individual that had been Chief Administrative Officer in Woodstock for less than two years and returned to Ontario six years ago and did not give the current Chief Administrative Officer an opportunity to respond to those comments.
We have worked hard to establish and maintain an open and trusting relationship with all media outlets. This, quite frankly, is unprofessional conduct and does not meet expected standards of journalism particularly during an election which should require press neutrality and a commitment to present facts without favour or bias. A news outlet that seeks to unduly influence rather than thoughtfully inform risks losing it’s credibility as a source to trust.
CAO, Allan Walker