Regular Meeting of Council Summary - March 10, 2026

Thank you to everyone who attended or tuned in at the recent Meeting of Council. It was a productive meeting, filled with meaningful discussions. If you were unable to join us, here are the minutes and below a summary of the highlights:

Community Recognition: The Mayor attended the UMNB board of director meeting in Fredericton the weekend of Feb 27^th-28^th. At the meetings there were strategic plan reviews, which will become relevant over the coming months, where information will be coming out in regards to elections and topics alike. On March 4^th, the Mayor was privileged to attend the NBCC Holi Hindi festival, celebrating the end of winter and the power of good over evil. The event involved throwing colour chalk over one another, which was a lot of fun. Despite being covered from head to toe, students informed that this event was very tame compared to the traditional celebrations that span over a couple days. Mayor was also in attendance to the Golf and Curling board of directors meeting earlier this week, where she passed along the approval of their community grant request which was approved in the last general council meeting. Many members of council attended the first session of Community Conversations: homelessness in Western New Brunswick. The outreach team, and partners were very informative and gave a good insight on the matter. Deputy Mayor Rogers noted that the Woodstock Slammers are performing well at recent games, urging the community to come together to support them at local games where possible.

Key themes:

• River watch begins March 12^th -  we are advising residents to take extra caution when around waterways in and around the Town. The Department of Environment and Local Government, after consultation with NB Power and the Town of Woodstock have made a recent adjustment to the flood watch levels that are being applied to align proportionately to the geography of the St. John River in Woodstock.
  • Watch advisory will now be implemented when the river is recorded at 41.26 metres above sea level
  • Warnings will be issued at 41.76 metres above sea level
  • Official Flood status will be applied at 42.26 metres above sea level
• Voyent Alert roll out – The Town of Woodstock, in collaboration with the Western Regional Service Commission, is launching a new emergency messaging tool called Voyent Alert! The platform, which is a free messaging service, is going to be a vital tool during flood season to send advisories to residents in a timely manner. It is strongly recommended that residents living in all wards of Woodstock download the app or register online so they can stay up to date on important safety matters, such as flooding notices.
• Status update on numerous RFP’s:
  • The Arena dehumidifier is now live on NBON,
  • Wastewater Chlorination/dichlorination issued,
  • Connell Park Perimeter fencing issued by an invited tender,
  • Industrial Park sound measurement is being finalized,
  • Traffic Analysis is being finalized,
  • The scope for the Capital Asset Plan is being finalized.
• Spring Court Sanitation upgrade -The Canadian Housing Infrastructure Fund Application received RDC approval, and the Federal application has been completed and filed. This upgrade is a prerequisite for further development in the Woodstock area and to relieve existing deficiencies.
• Water Update - The Town is collaborating with Public Health on manganese levels in the water system, which is currently reporting under the maximum level. Continuous sampling will occur to keep watch of the concentration levels, working towards reducing them to the new aesthetic levels as advised by Public Health.
•  PRAC Review - On February 25, 2026, the Planning Review and Adjustment Committee of Western NB Service Commission reviewed the conditional use application submitted to permit a supportive facility on the property located at 103 Cross Street. It was proposed that the garbage storage location shall be located on the west side of the property, and will be screened from neighboring properties and the public street.
• Solid Waste Collection - After consultation with the Regional Service Commission, District of Carleton North, Hartland and Woodstock, a coordinated contract extension is being finalized along with several proposals requesting increased garbage and recycling collection, along with several other suggestions. Once approved, new communication will be sent out across all platforms and messaging service to inform residents of the changes.
• 2026 paving RFP - Proposed paving upgrades for 2026 consists of seven sections of street totaling 1.17 km. The total preliminary estimated cost is $575,000 inclusive of HST. Of this, approximately $232,000 would be paid from the Capital Renewal fund, leaving a balance of $343,000 from General Capital.

By-law:
Proposed By-law– By-Law R-305, Building By-Law. The proposed by-law replaces the existing Building By-Law No. R-302, originally adopted in 2008 and subsequently amended, in order to align the Town’s recent change in planning and development services now being carried out by the Western NB Service Commission. The proposed by-law improves clarity, consistency, and administrative efficiency, while continuing to support public safety and responsible development within the Town of Woodstock.