Township of Blandford-Blenheim Council had the opportunity to review all it accomplished over the last four years during its regular meeting on Wednesday, November 4, 2026.
Township CAO Josh Brick presented the report, saying he wanted to showcase all the things Council had accomplished over the last term.
“In municipal government, we’re often focused on what’s immediately in front of us. The next Council meeting, next budget, the next capital project or whatever challenge happens to arise that week,” he said. “And when you’re looking at things week to week and month to month, it can sometimes be difficult to appreciate just how much progress has actually been made. When we look back over the last four years collectively, there’s a great deal that Council and staff have to be proud of, and as such, we’re pleased to present the 2022 to 2026 term and review the capstone report.”
Brick went on to say it had been a productive four years, with Council making meaningful investments in infrastructure, municipal facilities, programs and services.
“What’s particularly important is that these investments have been made while maintaining a strong commitment to affordability. Blandford-Blenheim continues to compare very favourably with neighbouring municipalities in Oxford County, and when you’re considering property taxation with the provision of excellent program and service delivery, we’re in a very good position,” he said. “I think that speaks to Council’s commitment to balancing the needs of a growing municipality with the importance of being responsible stewards of taxpayer dollars. None of these accomplishments happened in isolation. They reflect the direction provided by Council, the dedication of our staff, and the contributions of our community partners. Overall, I think it’s been a very successful term, and it’s worth taking a few minutes to recognize that.”
Brick then stated he asked all of the Township’s department heads to prepare an overview of their respective department.
In his own review, Brick pointed out that some significant achievements included adopting the Township’s 2025 to 2028 Strategic Plan, saying it was the first comprehensive plan in more than a decade. Blandford-Blenheim also became the first certified Living Wage Employer in Oxford County.
He added that the Township Council had placed a greater emphasis on long-term planning and ensured its organizational decisions align with the needs of the growing community, including:
- Completing an Administrative Services Review and strengthening internal capacity through cross-training, workforce planning, succession planning and reduced reliance on external contractors
- Realigning Community Services within the newly established Corporate Services Department, improving coordination across legislative services, communications, by-law enforcement and community services.
Next, Ray Belanger, the Township’s Chief Building Officer highlighted the following:
- The implementation of the new 2024 building code, which included 1,730 amendments and a brand new section for large farm buildings
- Implementing the new permit software, Cloudpermit
- Moving away from some contract staffing and utilizing staff members instead
- Implementing a new Addition Residential Unit (ARU) by-law, noting 20 families have taken advantage of it
- Working on three ongoing subdivisions
- Five new subdivisions and one condo project working through registration approvals
Sarah Matheson, the Township’s Director of Corporate Services/Clerk spoke about the achievement made in her own department with Council’s help, including:
- Increasing public outreach and modernizing municipal services, including redesigning the corporate website
- Conducting an accessible election through internet and telephone voting
- Working with community services and corporate services to implement and updating the facility booking, ice allocation, municipal alcohol and flag protocol policies
- Establishing a conference training and education policy for Council members
- Adopting a multi-year accessibility plan and corporate communications plan
- Setting by-law fines and updating the animal care and control, and cemetery by-laws
Trevor Baer, the Township’s Manager of Community Services, discussed his department’s achievements including:
- Installing 1,000 feet of paved pathway in Princeton Park, 57 trees in Township parks, 20 new park benches, 12 accessible picnic tables and 6 permanent memorial picnic tables, 80 energy-efficient LED light across four baseball diamonds, and completing three accessible playground projects
- Upgrading equipment to Plattsville Arena including a new condenser tower, dehumidifier and ice-resurfacing equipment
- Free community programs, service club contributions, memorial donors and support for local parks, halls and cemeteries.
Baer also highlighted that “We’ve seen about $1.5 million dollars worth of projects completed, and between grants and community donations, we got $1.07 million dollars worth of grants for those projects. “That’s about 67 per cent that came from community donations and grants, and 34 per cent came from taxation for these projects.”
Both Mayor Mark Peterson and Deputy Mayor Tina Young complimented Baer’s commitment to finding grants.
“The amount of work that has been done around the Township these four years is amazing,” said Young. “When we say that we put $1.5 million dollars into only our community services piece, and almost 70 per cent of that was from grants and donations, that’s amazing.”
Denise Krug, the Township’s Director of Finance/Treasurer, also presented accomplishments including:
- Completing over $25 million worth of capital projects between 2023 and 2025, and planning for an additional $8 million capital projects planned for 2026
- Creating stronger connections between budgeting, reserve contributions, infrastructure needs and strategic priorities
- Completing a 2024 background study and updating the Development Charges by-law to support growth-related infrastructure
- Advancing the Township’s asset management program through a new shared service partnership with Oxford County. The collaboration allowed the Township to strengthen its internal capacity, successfully meeting all requirements of Ontario Regulation #588/17
“Overall, this term has been about balancing today’s priorities with tomorrow’s needs through improved asset management, stronger reserve planning, strategic funding efforts and disciplined financial oversight,” said Krug. “I’d like to recognize both Council and staff for their leadership, collaboration, and commitment throughout this term. Together, they helped position the Township to address current infrastructure needs while building the financial capacity and plan framework necessary to support the future.”
Fire Chief Drew Davidson, Director of Protective Services, who also started in his role four years ago, also complimented Council’s work alongside his department over the term, including:
- Building a new fire station in Princeton
- Having the foresight to order new apparatus ahead of time, saving over $300,000 compared to ordering today
- Putting an emphasis on health and safety, and securing grants to support such initiatives
- Endorsing and adding a Deputy Chief position, creating opportunities for succession planning
- Adding digital signs to each of the Township’s fire stations
- Supporting the addition of three brand new sets of electronic tools
- Creating Camp 85
- Adding peer support for firefighters
While the late Jim Borton, who served as the Township’s Director of Public Works before his sudden passing in September, should have been the one speaking about his department’s accomplishments made alongside Council, Brick did so in his place.
Those accomplishments included:
- Making significant investments in the road network, bridges, drainage infrastructure and municipal equipment
- Working on the Princeton road reconstruction stormwater improvement project, which is nearly complete
- Advancing important bridge projects like the rehabilitation of Bridge 38, work involving CN railway crossing bridges, and planning for the future replacement of Bridge 24
- Investing in rural road network through gravel maintenance, resurfacing and hard surfacing
- Investing in the equipment fleet and centralizing it
- Working collaboratively with neighbouring Oxford County municipalities to share certain equipment
“I also want to recognize the work of our public works employees throughout this term. Much of what they do happens behind the scenes or in circumstances where people simply expect services to be delivered, whether that’s winter maintenance, road repairs, drainage work, or responding to unexpected issues,” said Brick. “We’ve also experienced some significant challenges and changes within the department, particularly with the recent passing of Jim Borton. Jim made a tremendous contribution to the Township and our public works department, and the investments and improvements made during this term are part of his legacy. I think it’s important that we recognize both his leadership and the work of the entire public works team when looking at this department report and term review.”
To wrap up, Brick ended with one final note.
“Sometimes it’s hard to recognize the progress, but when we look at it from a bird’s eye view, it makes for a really useful exercise and I hope that this document is something that that Council finds useful,” he said. “This Council has left the Township in a very strong position with improved infrastructure, enhanced services, a clear strategic direction and a continued commitment to affordability. On behalf of the administration and our staff, I want to thank the Council for its leadership, support, and commitment to the Township throughout this term.”
Kimberly De Jong’s reporting is funded by the Canadian government through its Local Journalism Initiative.The funding allows her to report rural and agricultural stories from Blandford-Blenheim and Brant County. Reach her at kimberly.dejong@brantbeacon.ca.
