Regular Meeting of Council Summary - March 17, 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 is a summary of the highlights (minutes are also available):

Community Recognition

The mayor, along with select members of Council and Youth Council met with the education minister regarding the proposed francophone school. Members of the Youth Council made some very good comments and were vocal on their opinions on the topic. The mayor was impressed by their confidence in approaching the topic and joining in with conversations. The meeting clarified that a study will be conducted, with opportunity for community engagement. The Youth council presented concerns around division of students and impeding the current renovations scheduled at the Woodstock High School.

The Mayor and Clerk attended a UMNB training in Fredericton on Thursday 12^th-13th. This training opportunity provided some key techniques and strategies for municipalities to use.

The girls middle-school basketball provincials tournaments took place this past weekend, where both Woodstock schools, Townsview and Meduxnekeag, received Silver. Another great achievement for the local athletes for our area.

The Deputy Mayor wanted to remind residents that Spring has arrived and with that many potholes are appearing suddenly. Residents should be mindful of looking for them while driving, especially as they fill with water, placing extra caution as to not splash pedestrians on the sidewalks, and not to swerve into incoming traffic.

Key themes:

Financial Report – Please click here to view the report.

CAO Report – In response to a recent query by council in regards to recycling glass, CAO presented that recycling for grocery glass is available at several drop off locations around town. To review all recycling guidelines and locations, click here.

RFP Water Treatment Tender – An RFP was announced for the new chlorination/dichlorination unit, following that a tender comes back for a price equal to or less than $178,000 (including HST).

RFP on Protective Services building – a tender is being placed to obtain a committee and consult in regard to the new Protective Services design and construction, as well as to ensure that the newly renovated Protective Services building on Main Street will meet requirements for town officials to move into once the new Protective Services building is completed.

RSC -  all building permits requests now to be forwarded to the RSC, which can be found here.

Fire chief / EMO vehicle – The town has purchased a Red Ford Escape for the new Fire Chief/EMO to use for duty.

MOU’s – Several Memorandum of understandings detailing the towns role and support and the event host responsibilities were presented to council and approved.

·         Dooryard Arts Festival,

·         Hook & Paddle,

·         July 1^st Floats,

·         Woodstock Night Market,

·         Ribfest and

·         The Festival of Lights

By-law:

Second reading of 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.