Water meter open house was an educational experience

All Woodstock homes require an upgrade in water meters, beginning in 2027

By MARK SCHADENBERG

Technology is advancing quickly, but when a product also becomes obsolete due to wear-and-tear, it’s time to be replaced.

The County of Oxford administration building’s front foyer on Tuesday hosted a Water Meter Information Night – a great opportunity for me to learn why the water meters in Woodstock homes are needed to be upgraded beginning in 2027 and to pick up more details on the water and waste water systems in general in Oxford. There were 4 info tables / stations featuring background details on all Oxford water systems, and then 2 more tables with a focus on water meters.

Even though the event was hosted by Oxford, it was Woodstock water department rep Tom Fuller who passed along some terrific history on water meters because before 2008 there was a flat rate billing for water consumption. Beginning in 2008, water meters were installed in all Woodstock residential houses, including multi-family buildings. A full metering system for water usage billing began in 2011.

Now, 15 years later the equipment has changed, but so has the technology for home owners gaining an ability to monitor their own consumption – to conserve water and to possibly find leaks in their system such as on-going running toilet.

With cell phones and ‘Apps’ dominating the consumers choice and desire to control quantities and make predictions (Apps are popular for weather, garbage day, etc), the new water meters will have the capability to create live data for a customer just as your cell phone might update you weekly on the time you have spent with your device. The new App device will also send you an alert if an anomaly is detected in your household trends which could be something like forgetting to turn off your backyard sprinkler. This idea could become very important if you’re on vacation in the winter.

Keep in mind, the more water you consume, the higher your bill. While I enjoyed math in high school 40+ years ago, to comprehend the hump-back billing format system is complex as you’re billed low for low cubic meter of consumption, more (per cubic meter) for medium usage to encourage water reduction, and then for the highest capacity users a lower rate per cubic meter as the quantity user is most certainly industry.

In Woodstock, therefore, all 17,000 data collecting meters will be replaced over the next few years.

As for the actual meters – 13,000 -- due to age, accuracy fail, and lime buildup have reached end-of-life and need to be upgraded and replaced with new devices. 

Overall, the County water system covers more than 31,000 clients.

An interesting tidbit I learned is that multi-family or multi-tenant buildings only have one feed into the building, so the exact breakdown on water usage per residential unit can not be calculated, which in the case of a hydro comparison is different than in a 6-plex, for example, having 6 hydro meters and likely also 6 panel boxes.

I’ve always said water is a “precious resource” and it most certainly is. There are many reasons to monitor your utilization of H2O.

Brandon Murphy (Pictured: An outstanding Junior C defenceman in 1990s for Woodstock Navy Vets), who is the County’s supervisor of water and waste water, reminded me that Oxford is lucky to have the (so-called) Sweaburg Swamp and it’s 8 wells which supply water to both treatment / distribution systems in Woodstock at Southside Park and on Bower Hill Road. Woodstock has water towers at Cowan Sportsplex to assist storage on north side of Pittock and a tower to serve Toyota also, plus other pumping stations scattered around the City.

There does still exist water department (enforcement) pickup trucks who monitor household lawn watering practices to make sure the even-day even-house 6-9 6-9 procedure is maintained.  The current water meters also tabulate your usage for billing purposes with ERTH Solutions simply driving around the neighbourhoods with a cellular tabulator called LDE/M (or low density metered)

Another important factor in the County / City relationship is that the County owns the waste water treatment plant on Admiral Street, which also is utilized by Innerkip and Embro for water purifying and then returning the water (effluent free, of course) to the Thames River water course west of Tecumseh Street.

For full infrastructure street replacement, often upgrades in pipe sizes are required, such as the Nesbitt and Vanier current construction – which I’m told – is receiving an up-size to 8-inch pipes from 6-inch supply under the roads.

Naturally, the County has an extremely strict asset management plan on all its water systems around the County. Oxford’s senior manager of water and waste water Don Ford was also at Tuesday’s open house.

Ford, Murphy and Fuller all confirmed to me that the actual installation project will be work hired by a third-party contractor – similar to the idea that Emterra picks up Woodstock recycling for the province.

The city and county water staff will coordinate any necessary water shutoffs along the way to households. Ford added that street geography will be the game plan to complete the process of visiting each home / property.

“The city will be completed in sections and the plan for installation will be part of the suppliers bid submission along with the schedule for staff review and approval,” says Ford.

“Current water storage (capacity) in the city is approximately 32,745 m³ of water storage and it is provided within the Bower Hill and Southside Park reservoirs and the Northwest (Cowan Sportsplex) and East (TMMC) water towers,” Ford explained.

The most recent Oxford Water and Waster Water Master Plan was penned and approved by County Council in 2024. Since plans and forecasts are extremely paramount, that report calculated Woodstock’s population to be 67,295 by 2046.

MARK SCHADENBERG

On October 26, vote for Mark Schadenberg as I have done my homework, and I'm ready to work for you in the duo role of City and County Council member for the next 4 years.

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My campaign for City & County Council has started

After 8 years with a City-only seat, I've decided now is time for a larger role

The Time Is Now !

In the previous 2 City of Woodstock elections my motto has been ‘The Time Is Now’ and though my game plan and projection has changed I can still utilize that saying.

After 8 years sitting as a City-only council member in Woodstock, it’s now time to expand my horizons to the role of City and County Council as our municipality has 3 positions at the county tier – mayor, deputy mayor and county, and city and county. For the first time voters will individually elect their representatives in 3 separate polls or races. Along with the elected mayors of the seven other municipalities (Tillsonburg, Ingersoll, Southwest Oxford, Norwich, Zorra, East-Zorra Tavistock and Blandford-Blenheim), there are 10 on County Council.

I have made the decision for several reasons to focus on the duo City and County position. Leading the list of reasons is an ever-growing annual budget at the Oxford County level which grows quicker than inflation and consistently includes additional staff in most departments. Some may justify these numbers due to population growth and that ideology holds some merit, but the Oxford ledger requires a very close eye. Could it be time, for example, to conduct an efficiency study?

Another main concern on my docket is human services as the County’s plan for 808 Dundas was not analyzed properly in advance and the sticker price was too high. With about 55 beds planned, the renovations must include compliance to many guidelines, but can not be exorbitant. My preference has always been for the County to maintain a strong level of ‘asset management’ by owning , more bricks-and-mortar and maintaining all their locations properly, and relying less on subsidizing rents collected by other landlords for attainable rent levels.

As the weeks go on moving toward the Oct. 26 election, I will be writing a lot of information and ideas, as voters need to know that the candidates know what is happening in each-and-every multi-layered issue.

I have the experience and background:

+ 20 years as Realtor in Oxford County learning about municipalities, zonings, subdivisions, taxation and official plans

+ 8 years on Woodstock City Council, including 8 years on the environment advisory committee.

+ 25 years total on Woodstock recreation advisory committee, including 7 as chair.

+ 8 years on the Upper Thames River Conservation Authority board with the role of vice chair in 2025.

+ 4 years each on both the museum and accessibility boards.

+ Member of committee for Woodstock / East Zorra Tavistock boundary adjustments (No changes in much more than 8 years now, so I will write about North of Pittock Reservoir concerns and provincial population projections in another column).

+ Cancer society’s Relay For Life committee 9 years, including co-chair for 3.

+ Woodstock Sports Celebrity Dinner committee for 10 years, highlighted by 4 as master of ceremonies and 4 as chair.

+ Woodstock Sports Wall Of Fame group member every year since its inception in 1996 and induction host at every event.

+ Co-chair of Perrydome Farewell Reunion event in April of 1996 before the new twin-pad complex opened 4 months later.

Additional sports involvement, and local leadership as Woodstock Sentinel-Review sports editor (1993-98), led to my ‘surprise’ induction in Woodstock sports wall of fame in 2016.  

On Oct. 26, VOTE MARK SCHADENBERG

The Time Is Now !

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Oxford Homelessness Support Centre's public meeting

 Presentation on July 15 included a panel discussion 

Compiled by MARK SCHADENBERG

Oxford County has quite a challenge over the next 20 months or so – convert 808 Dundas Street into a 24 / 7 Oxford Homelessness Support Centre.

The County purchased the shuttered YMCA about 3 months ago and all reports say they paid $4.55 million for a property with a Realtor (Lennard Commercial Realty was listing office) asking price of about $5.6 million, with a lot size less than 2 acres, but a building overall square footage about 20,000. 

The closed Bob Hayward Y in London on Hamilton Road sold for only $2 million to Indwell.

Did Oxford County pay too much for the Woodstock facility – closed since September of 2025? Oxford had an accepted offer last December. Answer: Most certainly YES. After renovations, the costs could accumulate to the $8 (+) million range.

My plan is to list a few questions that were somewhat answered or ignored at the public meeting held July 15 at South Gate Centre. Keep in mind, the process to open such a shelter is necessary . . . 1 location, open 24/7, divided into sections, and providing a location where the unhoused are able to keep their belongings in a safe locker while they leave during the day to visit with friends, shop, or attend to appointments. The current premise of needing to keep all your belongings with you as you travel between 3 locations is simply not correct and unfair to the unhoused.

Since I believe readers of this column will be on both sides of my opinion line, I will attempt to not be overly negative or positive on either viewpoint presented.

I must add that as a member of Woodstock City Council for 8 years, I know and have seen many more angles to this situation. I also do not have a horse in the race, but I do have empathy and understanding for people in a difficult situation, and must include the fact that as a part-time taxi driver for Kendall for the past 5 approximate years I have witnessed absolutely every scenario from all age brackets and demographics. For example, about 5 weeks ago a woman in her 80’s with a walker stole my money pouch while I was retrieving her walker out of the trunk.

I was also the Council member who introduced a bylaw refusing our municipality from inviting a safe injection (supervised) site to set up locally, but, and it’s a significant but, as a cab driver I have made stops at 461 Dundas and OCCHC (Oxford County Community Health centre on Metcalf) dozens upon dozen times for drug users to acquire a dose of methadone or suboxone – which are safe opiods, which users MUST utilize in a method to hopefully gradually wean themselves off of drugs.

You certainly could say that buying the Y is part of the continuum of the County’s 2025 reports called Oxford County Homelessness Response Strategy, which I will refer to here along with the public meeting slides and video (https://speakup.oxfordcounty.ca/homelessness-support). Note: The YouTube version of the public meetings includes ads.

Oxford human services director Rebecca Smith did a terrific job answering questions because the panel was missing others from the county’s ad-hoc committee such as warden Marcus Ryan and CAO Ben Addley, plus Woodstock mayor Jerry Acchione who has chaired his own task force on the unhoused for quite some time. Those 3 were in attendance, but observed only. 

The update on the Woodstock Wellness Centre or rehab Hart Hub was effective as this association will coordinate having those interested in rehabilitation to be directed to a 90-day program at 16 Graham Street, which will feature 50 beds, and will open in summer of 2027. It’s always important to remember that due to Canada’s charter of rights, it’s most certainly NOT possible to force someone into a rehabilitation program. (I had this point confirmed to me again by Woodstock deputy police chief Jamie Taylor this past weekend.)

The current Hub Hart is a smaller version at 369 Huron, while transitional county-led housing is at 82 Finkle and other locations.  At the public meeting it was noted that the 369 Huron location has already witnessed success stories with clients either returning to their family home or locating to a transitional apartment.  The panel talked about terms such as ‘dignity’ and ‘respect.’

Read the link below about the Hart Hub (The Made In Oxford pathway to care covering all aspects of recovery) as it plans to have 50 beds with 10 specifically for those in the withdrawal phase. The July 15 panel did include Jillaine Blair, manager, Outpatient Mental Health and Addictions, Woodstock Hospital as the Hart Hub is a hospital so it’s overall boss is hospital president and CAO Perry Lang -- and not county CAO Ben Addley. (Note: From 2016 – 2023 Addley was the Oxford Director/Chief of Paramedic Services, so he has a strong health and patient services resume).

The team of the Woodstock homelessness centre and Woodstock hospital will have many other agencies providing assistance besides the OCCHC, including the CMHA and more than a dozen additional care providing partners. An on-going plea to advocate the provincial health care system for funding will be paramount.

The public meeting panel on July 15 also included Anthony Dolcetti, Manager of Housing and Homelessness for the County, but it was Rebecca Smith who fielded the vast majority of questions and concerns from the crowd of about 250.

Questions / Thoughts

Here are my concerns, ponderings, my overview, my questions and my summary.

Current over-night shelter at Old St. Paul’s Church has 55 beds and is literally never full. One (non-winter) night in particular that I asked an employee about had 19 residents only, yet many people were still residing outdoors. New centre is projected to have 55 beds as well, but with 24-7 care and security the residents will not have to leave to the Operation Sharing day space at College Ave Church (Wilson and Pell corner) at 8 a.m. On weekends, the day space is the CMHC office at Wellington and Peel.

The lower level at the 808 Dundas address, which features a gymnasium and former daycare rooms, will be used as the sleeping area it was noted by the panel. Main-floor rooms could be utilized for other social services related to the shelter.

An OXFORD COUNTY report page.

Will the new homelessness centre at the former Y insist on zero drug use inside the building? The panel noted that users will not be prohibited at the shelter, but there would be a strict policy that they must abstain while at the shelter.

Staff and security will be present all the time. Security – is important for all utilizing the centre, plus employees, plus the neighbourhood. The building – the public meeting attendees learned – will include video surveillance. Neighbours of this space were not allotted enough time to discuss their concerns, especially with children in the area.

Will the property be fenced so that there is controlled access? This would be among the many recipe items to be finalized in the coming months.

Separate sleeping areas will be created based on age, whether the person is a drug user, male or female, and those with children.  Some unhoused people simply need a place to sleep indoors as they have become victims of an economy / system not assisting good people with lodgings.  At 808, individuals who actively use drugs will not be turned away, but the shelter will have rules.

The search for a 24-7 homelessness shelter has been underway since 2023 and many locations were considered, according to the open house – both building brand new or renovating a current structure.’

If Oxford County had an accepted offer back in December, and the closing date was the end of May, why was there not a public component to this process earlier? You could offer with a condition on receiving public comment – not necessarily 100% public approval, but at least public awareness.  As a Woodstock City Council member, our group of seven should have received some updates (in a closed meeting) due to all the secondary issues surrounding this plan, including police services, neighbourhood concerns, and the fact that $2 million was a cheque written by Woodstock and thereby its tax-paying citizens.    

The shelter will have wrap-around services including on-site access to counselling and social workers. Often, homeless people need guidance in applying for health cards or doing their taxes. 

The shelter would include a professional kitchen. Remember – the current Operation Sharing program includes ‘The Sharing Table’ at lunch to the entire public, and dinner and breakfast services at The Inn. Other food services will likely continue like the soup bowl at the Adelaide church on Mondays and the food table at Epiphany church mid-day on Saturdays.

Only Oxford residents would be eligible for services at the shelter, but that includes anywhere in Oxford. Anyone arriving from outside the County would need to be residing here 6 months to be eligible for supports, but that is similar to the current structure. (The idea of buses arriving from another city is simply FALSE, and in fact efforts are always made to return someone to their hometown).

Who will operate the shelter? The County will be asking for ‘request for proposals’ in a competitive bidding process, which translates into the idea that the Operation Sharing team could be part of the new program or not.   I have great respect for the likes of Tim Dukes (executive director), Marilyn Schmeidl, Lisa Kerr, Jess Cheyne, Bonnie Cannell, and the current team including a well-respected board of directors like Scott McKague who is best known as a coordinator for the fundraiser Coldest Night Of the Year up to 2025, and current CNOY chair Shaun Baker.

As a member of Woodstock City Council, I was reluctant to forward the City’s $2 million Building Faster Fund dollars earned from the province for this homes shelter initially (About 3 years ago now) because no plan had been established, but now it’s safe to point out that 44.4% of the eventual $4.5 million purchase price technically comes from the City as we could have earmarked those dollars to another project reflecting toward Woodstock’s quick growth. This homelessness shelter is a necessary program, but as said many questions have arisen.

The County also received about $200,000 from Parliament in Ottawa’s Federal Safe Restart Fund to buy the 1962-built former family fitness facility.

The County quickly moved forward by hiring a single-source architect / consultant named JPM based in Goderich to begin designing a room-by-room renovation for Oxford’s homelessness centre. JPM has renovated or planned additions for schools, churches and even the Grey County Supportive Housing centre in Owen Sound. They certainly have a good track record, but was single-source hiring the best the way to go?

The County’s ‘by-name’ list currently includes about 180 names of unhoused people in Oxford. There is a formal in-take procedure and assessment as everyone know “every story is different”, including the current length of time an individual has been unhoused.

The best quotable quote of the night was: “Recovery is a Journey”. Homeless shelter should lead to Hart Hub, but Jilliane Blair of the Hart Hub program would be the first to admit that some willing candidates for rehab would have to be admitted more than once.

Among the partners for the new 24-7 homeless shelter would include Woodstock Police Services as overall public safety is their responsibility, plus Thames Valley Family Health, Oxford paramedics association and many others. 

The 808 Dundas 24-7 homelessness facility would have security cameras and secure-entrance doors it was noted by the panel.

The County press release noted preliminary numbers on the daily running of the homeless centre, saying: “The annual costs of operating the centre, estimated at $2.4 million per year, will be funded in part through Ontario’s Homelessness Prevention Program. Right now, the County allocates approximately $1.9 million in provincial funding each year for shelter services and homelessness support.”

Funding would continue for the roving OCCHC outreach bus to encampments and visit the unhoused as it is highlighted with its ability to supply supplies, health care needs, and a crew ready and able to nurture the idea of living in a shelter and not outside.  

Overall, the public meeting was awkward as the County staff had hired an adjudicator to skim through the questions for the panel, but in actual fact seemingly edit which questions would be posed as many asks had already been asked, and submitting questions through a QR-code was also not well received by the audience. At the end, attendees were standing to ask questions not already addressed.

In the meantime, the process of renovating and preparing the Y to become the Oxford Homelessness Support Centre continues.

Operation Sharing executive director Tim Dukes (right) receiving a cheque from Brent Thompson of Woodstock's Local UNIFOR 636 team.

I talked with Operation Sharing’s Tim Dukes by phone again today (July 22) and he gave me an update on their current services ranging from providing a food pantry (Food For Friends), hygiene products, clothes, the Coats For Kids program, and The Christmas Place. Volunteers keep the ‘Operation’ going with teams creating desserts and large-batch lunch menu items. Dukes summed up The Inn program by saying that less than 50% of its visitors have drug issues as the often untold story is about homeless seniors, youth and families. Dukes added that the key to segregating people using The Inn is to diligently make sure that people receive attention and care, and not end up in the group later requiring rehab care.  

 

https://www.woodstockhospital.ca/oxford-hart-hub-initiative/

https://speakup.oxfordcounty.ca/homelessness-support

www.speakup.oxfordcounty.ca

Email: humanservices@oxfordcounty.ca

Budget survey continues until Aug. 31.

https://www.oxfordcounty.ca/news/posts/have-your-say-on-2027-budgets-for-municipal-services/

Facebook: Operation Sharing

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Myself talking at a municipal event

Understanding always that all issues are multi-dimensional

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Explore the Oxford Official Plan survey; they seek your input

 April Nix will be a delegation at Woodstock City Council on August 13

By: MARK SCHADENBERG

The Oxford County Official Plan is exactly that.

Currently, the county crew is receiving survey results from you – the citizens – as you answer questions, ascertain the best selections in multiple choice formats in a Survey Monkey ask referred to as ‘community engagements’.

We’re in the midst of the heat of July as I type in my basement office, but I’m surmising that captain Oxford is actually April – not the month, but April Nix, who is the Manager of Planning Policy for our county. Paul Michiels is the department’s overall Director.

To back up to municipal guidelines and procedures, planning or the creation of a guidebook for future growth locally is a large County three-ring binder. When Woodstock city council approves a new subdivision, including its components like zoning, number of townhouses and detached family houses (Examples), that report would be analyzed by City Council after its arrival in our council in-box from the County Planning office, which in Woodstock is often the authoring tag team of Eric Gilbert and / or Justin Miller. Or perhaps, the subdivision could be for 5 industrial buildings between Juliana and the 401, which occurred last week on our council agenda with professional planners representing their 241-Carson and the County penning the report for lands across the street from Vuteq and Home Depot.

Each time we approve a plan with specific anomalies or requirements or proposed land uses the county’s official plan is essentially edited, but only after County Council approves the identical project at its next meeting.

The last Oxford Official Plan was finalized in 1995, but there’s been countless amendments since then certainly.

Watson & Associates report

What does Oxford’s future look like – population numbers, transportation and its infra-structure, residential intensification, residential types, (possible) boundary adjustments, agriculture and other land utilizations such as aggregates, and to some degree related discussions on recreation, green space and trails, the environment and weather, recognizing heritage and history, retail business and industry, supports for our aging population, plus technology and its effects.  

Be sure to participate in the current online survey as the questions and weighing of the responses is paramount.

April Nix and her team – in my opinion – have been phenomenal in creating a wide-ranging survey. I sometimes make a comparison to say 9 + 1 = 10, but if you also ask about 8 + 2 and 7 + 3 you can trend the priorities each survey participant may have and it’s really not asking the same question three times.

“The survey development was a policy team effort,” Nix told me via an email this week. “We seem to be getting a fair number of responses to the survey so far. Last I checked we were over 250 and steadily climbing towards 300. The overlap with some questions was a bit intentional as it can help inspire more ideas for (survey participants) who don’t think about these things on a regular basis.  We were also intentionally trying to be a bit thought provoking with certain questions as we expect difference in thoughts and opinions.”

Nix continued: “Between workshop feedback in June, Council feedback that is ongoing (we are bringing a presentation to Woodstock Council in August) and other various meetings, emails etc. we are getting lots of input overall which is going to help inform next steps for the project.”

As Nix mentions, community workshops hosted last month. The full timeline is included here with lots more info at www.oxfordcounty.ca

It’s your opportunity to: Speak Up Oxford !

www.speakup.oxfordcounty.ca

I’m reluctantly going to add that if this material is not of interest to you, be sure not to run for city and / or county council this autumn.

Some studies say Oxford’s population by 2061 could be over 220,000. How do we get there from here? It’s all about planning and understanding.

Again, these forecasted numbers may not be reached until 2070 or beyond, but be sure to scour through the Watson & Associates report linked at the bottom here. It includes 264 pages of paragraphs, pie charts, bar graphs, and well-researched statistics. Watson & Associates specializes in demographic trends, but maybe more importantly economics.  

Look back a few writings in my blog at this site, but I’ve already penned an item discussing intensification in Woodstock – more houses or residential units in a limited acreage – up to 2031.

On the survey pages you can have your name added to receive on-going updates on the process such as future public meetings.

The responses will certainly be varied from the various county corners as Woodstock is already over 50,000, but what are citizens thinking in Tillsonburg or Ingersoll, or far-reaching edges of Oxford such as Verschoyle, Princeton (Immediately south of Princeton is actually Brant), Uniondale or Lakeside in north Zorra, Thamesford, Tavistock, Brownsville, Otterville, or someone residing is a white house in Washington. When I was a Realtor I followed happening in all facets of Oxford, and once sold a house in Hawtrey – a hamlet which was closer to Delhi in Norfolk County then the village of Norwich in Oxford.

Lots of ideas will be caught by April’s (Email: anix@oxfordcounty.ca) fishing net and compiled by her committee and staff into a plan, which should be a three-ring binder for the next 20 years or more at least a ‘pdf’ on my screen.

Nix summarizes the final product this was: “A report on establishing a ‘Vision’ for a new Official Plan (so establishing Goal/Purpose and Key objectives) will be taken to County Council in early 2027 by Community Planning Staff. The vision also helps inform policy directions, and development of draft policies and requirements that will be part of the various background studies and discussion papers that will also be coming next year.”

The Official Plan can be the glue or the sewing machine for many documents -- transportation master plans, previously approved amendments to property zonings, both climate and environment action plans, and the already-mentioned 264-page report by Watson & Associates.

https://www.oxfordcounty.ca/services-for-you/planning-and-development/official-plan/

https://www.oxfordcounty.ca/media/psacwals/county-of-oxford-growth-analysis-and-land-needs-review-study-final-report-3326.pdf  

Email: anix@oxfordcounty.ca or see below:

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Woodstock became a CITY in 1901

Woodstock was named a town in 1851

Woodstock officially became a 'City' in 1901. Provincial guidelines suggested in that era a minimum population of 10,000 but there were other factors in play such as receiving consideration from the Ontario government of the time in areas such as road infrastructure.

The municipal party to mark the occasion was July 1 - 2, 1901.

The provincial proclamation had been decreed by Oliver Mowat -- an actual member of the Fathers Of Confederation who had been the Premier for 24 years. Mowat, who was born in Kingston in 1820 and was already a lawyer by 1841, passed away in 1903 -- a mere 2 years after Woodstock became a City. Mowat represent the Oxford area after Confedertion, 1872 - 1896. As Woodstock was below the 10,000 threshold -- maybe its incorporation as a City was partly due to Mowat.

It's interesting to know that Woodstock's City Hall today was essentially built in 1901, but as the post office for the community. The 500 Dundas address became City Hall in 1968.

Woodstock Museum (stock photo)

Receiving very little fanfare during our current calendar, Woodstock became a town in 1851 or 175 years ago. Early settlers were named Burtch, Luddington (both families have direct descendats today), Perry, Drew and of course VanSittart by 1834. Census numbers around the time of the arrival of the retired Admiral Henry Vansittart was only about 200. As Town Plot from the survey Sir John Graves Simcoe and a crew of adventurers had penciled in the days around 1793. 

WOODSTOCK MUSEUM NATIONAL HISTORIC SITE

The Woodstock Town Hall at 466 Dundas Street was built around 1854 -- about the same time the railway arrived. Today, that town hall is the Woodstock Museum and it houses a terrific on-going exhibit on the second floor as Woodstock's permanent history recollection collection. 

It's difficult for me to do a review of the museum and it's current Woodstock 125 exhibit, which will continue into January of 2027. As you see, I'm a member of the Woodstock Museum advisory committee as a member of city council. When donations / artifacts / contributions arrive at the museum, Adam Pollard has the task of examining each piece for its historical importance and provenance, authenticity and significance. After the research is complete, the museum advisory committee then takes the report for final decision.      

The Woodstock 125 exhibit -- in my opinion -- is a wonderful cross-section of the many eras as one could analyze pre-1901 and then post 1901. The people of Woodstock, it's industry, it's events, it's tragedies, and crossroads. Woodstock of today has a population in the vicinity of 52,000, but the museum placards and accompanying prose describe people ranging from Bernadette Smith to Erastus Burgess to Joe Boyle to Reginald Birchall. While the Benwell / Birchall trial is infamous in local history it's not lore, but true, but the murder took place on the eastern end of Oxford near Princeton in the Blenheim Swamp. 

The collage of historical notes compiled by Pollard are accompanied by pictures and contraptions of yester-year such as an old adding machine utilized at Standard Wire Fence Company (Later Standard Tube and then Copperweld and now ArcelorMittal) for payroll calculations. 

On display is a ribbon marking Woodstock's recognition for Queen Victoria's birthday on May 24, 1900. The Queen would die before her next birthday.

Also depicted is the seating plan for the Perry Street Arena, a photo of its construction pre 1914, and pictures of the construction of the Woodstock District Community Complex twin-pad arenas as it opened in 1996 (Opening ceremony memorabilia on display from Nov. 3, 1996). 

Perry Street Arena construction 1914

It was in November of 2011 when the current Woodstock Hospital opened, but what about the past as the museum has posted images from ye old health care centre on Riddell Street.

Did you know: Vance Construction built about 30 military-base buildings at the current Woodstock Fairgrounds which trained 23,000 service people.

Pollard's team includes museum assistants Samantha and Rachel.

The Woodstock Museum has always paid tribute to local industry, and the Woodstock 125 collection recognizes LaFrance, Fisher Controls, Bickle-Seagrave, Gardner-Denver, Ralston Purina and many others.

A sidebar for today's youth is that the original architect drawings of the skateboard park in Southside Park are depicted on 3 easels. 

Woodstock 125 . . . more than 125 reasons to visit the Woodstock Museum National Historic site in 2026.

The Museum Square is across the street from the Woodstock Art Gallery, so be sure visit that landmark with its historic connections to a current Florence Carlyle show. 

This submission from your local reporter is not meant to be thorough, but an overview of a well-planned and articulated Woodstock 125 museum exhibit.

NAVY VETS Hockey

The Woodstock Navy Vets have an extremely strong presence in Woodstock sports history -- a junior hockey club since the 1960s locally. The Navy Vets are in the middle of a venture to becoming a Junior B team this upcoming season and want to recognize their history with a collection of memorabilia, programs, photos, jerseys and trophies. Here's a Facebook ad explaining:

 This blog always compiled by: