So many stories in the City of Woodstock
By Mark Schadenberg
Story time.
I’m extremely proud of my 8 years (2 terms) now on Woodstock City
Council and that tenure can certainly not be wrapped up in one word:
Experience. I would suggest I earned the resume to be a city council member
well before 2018 as can be observed quickly in my background / list of accomplishments.
I think it’s a safe guess for anyone reading this that even though
Woodstock’s population has eclipsed 50,000 in the past 4 years – the role of
being on city council is first and foremost about community service, and
lending your local knowledge, concise understanding and skills in countless areas
to make this city a great place, but with strong guard rails on spending. I can
let you know, each-and-every topic of debate is multi-pronged and overlaps many
other concerns and priorities. It truly is a tangled web that must be fully
comprehended in its complexity.
The elected city council-only position has a remuneration of less than
$40,000 per year with very little in the way of benefits (dental, eye
appointments, etc). In actuality, the only true additional compensation I
receive is for monthly mileage to attend UTRCA board meetings in London as true
participation requires face-to-face board room discussion as opposed to a Zoom
connection.
My Other Hat
This submission today, therefore, is actually more about my part-time
work as a cab driver for Kendall. Meeting the citizens of Woodstock in all
walks of life has contributed greatly to my empathy and connections to all residing
in The Friendly City at this time. Cab-time conversations range from the
transit system to parks, the Downtown streetscape project to homelessness (unhoused), population
growth and taxation to rinks and pools, and everything else under the sun.
The fares also include patients / clients of the 461 Dundas methadone clinic, or
the Oxford County Community Health Centre (OCCHC) on Metcalf, CMHA, Wellkin, Indwell,
Ingamo and DASO, Operation Sharing / The Inn, the hospital, and doctors’
offices. Each and everyone has a different story – life experiences, and usually wit and humour also, and sometimes chatter about the Blue Jays or Leafs.
Also, a few taxi riders have their fares covered by Ontario Works or
perhaps ODSP (Ontario Disability Support Program) or WDDS.
Three quick tales. About three months ago, I brought a woman in her 80s to
Walmart. She utilizes a walker for mobility, so upon arrival I exited the car
to retrieve her walker from the back hatch. While I was doing this, the
customer stole my money pouch which resembles a pencil case. At this point, I
had about $120 collected. (More than 50% of payments are either debit or credit
card nowadays, plus charges also include no actual cash) When she entered the store, I switched my tablet to ‘available’
but quickly noticed my money had vanished. I entered the store, found her, and
she said that she thought my money holder was hers, but she did give it back.
It’s sad to see that a senior feels it necessary to resort to stealing to buy
daily needs, but today’s cost of living is certainly difficult even though she
resides in a geared-to-income building.
I would add that driving a cab is certainly in-part community service
(and it is), but that I wouldn’t be employed in this role if I did not require
the dollars / salary, and didn’t enjoy people. Many of the Kendall crew of drivers
are very courteous and kind to the clientele.
As a taxi driver, the long days, which sometimes can be more than 10
hours, do include moments of quiet down time between calls, so those opportunities
are ideal for phone calls, reading agendas, texting or emailing, or simply
standing on a curb and enjoying fresh air.
Recently, I’ve had the almost-sad task of delivering 2 older women to
The Inn who are unhoused. I would be extremely surprised if either has an
addiction, but life circumstances have led these friends to not have accommodations.
They’re on a waiting list, but physical limitations translates into only being
able to consider main-floor apartments. As said, everyone at The Inn has different backgrounds.
As a city council member, and with concern for the future plans of the
former YMCA and its renovations over the next 16+ months, I chatted with
Operation Sharing executive director Tim Dukes about these 2 particular residents
of The Inn. Again, every story is different. The Inn is for the unhoused and
there are many reasons why these 2 in particular (or dozens of others) are utilizing their services. I truly hope the caring employees of The Inn will have a place to
work when the Y opens as a 24/7 shelter. (I have previously posted that the
county paid too much for the Y, should not have sole-source the architect,
should have consulted neighbours before closing the deal, should be more
prepared on the topic of security and services to be offered to residents such
as storage of belongings, and the county also did not consult sufficiently with
local first responders and Woodstock council).
Among the many stories are why encampments have become the destination
for many as there are empty beds every night at The Inn.
The connections between employment with Kendall and fully understanding
the community with all its facets, is a link in the overall chain of my
hands-on knowledge about Woodstock and Oxford. On Oct. 26, Vote Mark Schadenberg for City & County Council.
https://www.woodstockhospital.ca/oxford-hart-hub-initiative/
https://www.ontario.ca/page/ontario-disability-support-program
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