Notes from the regular Council meeting, which was held on Wednesday, May 6, 2026.
Staff Reports
Public Works Monthly Report for April
The report, prepared by Jim Borton, Director of Public Works, provided the following update in regards to the activities of the Public Works Department.
Capital Infrastructure:
- Princeton Phase 4: The project is coming along with the recent nice weather. Cassidy Construction has returned and is working on completing the missing sidewalk pieces, driveways, topsoil and sod. The Township, the contractor and KSmart have completed a walk through to identify any issues that need to be addressed before the contractor is finished.
- Princeton Phase 5: This will be the final phase of the project and it includes raising manholes, completing curb work, a final surface layer of asphalt and the installation of a pedestrian crosswalk on Main Street at Elgin Street.
According to Borton, the tender document for the final phase is being prepared and will be issued this May. - Bridge 24: Township engineers are working on compiling the last of the Environmental Assessment (EA) reports so that the EA study can be filed with the Ministry of Environment. The tender will be completed and posted for bidding soon, and construction will be scheduled to start in July.
- Bridge 23: The contractor is on site and has started work. The project is expected to take six to eight weeks to complete.
Preconstructions signs were put up to give the public notice in advance. Township staff also provided Snyder’s Family Farm with advance notice.
Oxford Road Association:
Three Township staff members participated in the recent Oxford, Elgin, Middlesex and Haldimand-Norfolk Road Association’s annual Safety Truck Roadeo on April 23.
Tyson Scoyne was the top driver for Oxford, earning the chance to compete in the Association of Ontario Road Supervisors (AORS) provincial Roadeo in September. Shawn Crozier also finished in third place.
Other:
Borton’s report states as the weather has warmed up, staff has been busy filling potholes, replacing signs and sign posts, removing body wood from ditches and assessing damage to sod and grass boulevards.
Public Works has also been:
- Reviewing and approving road permits that would allow Xplorenet to use the Township right of way to run fibreoptic cable in the Township.
- Working with MESH, the Public Works service coordinator, Community Services and the Drainage Superintendent to create an on-line check list for equipment inspections and patrols.
- Looking into park inspections and some activities at the Plattsville Arena.
- Working with Geotab for staff to use the vehicle inspection and Hours of Service app.
- Continuing to meet with landowners at outdoor sites to discuss ditch or road issues.
- Reviewing upcoming 2026 projects and working on work schedules.
Councillor Bruce Banbury later pointed out that installation of Xplorenet seems to have slowed down.
Mayor Mark Peterson agreed, saying that he too hasn’t seen any crews out.
“There was such a big push to get it done by 2025 but then the Province stepped in and changed it to 2027,” he said. “I’m wondering now, if all of a sudden, things are going to be done at a slow crawl. I haven’t seen any of the crews like we did last year.”
The report was then received as information.
Surface Treatment Tender
The report, prepared by Borton, asked that Council accept a tender for the resurfacing of Township roads.
Both Washington Road and Blandford Road are scheduled to be resurfaced in 2026 as part of the required seven-year maintenance cycle.
The work will include a FibreMat treatment on Washing Road, from Oxford Road 8 to Oxford-Waterloo Road, and Blandford Road from Township Road 3 to Oxford Road 29.
The Township will also be converting Township Road 12, from Blenheim Road to Trussler Road, from gravel to hard surface,
According to the report, all Oxford municipalities and Wilmot Township were invited to take part in the 2026 surface treatment tender. By working as a collaborative group, they were able to increase the volume of work in the tender, resulting in more favourable costs for those participating municipalities.
The tender garnered nine plan takers, with two companies submitting qualified bids.
Between Miller Paving Ltd. and Walker Construction Ltd. the latter submitted the lowest overall bid.
The work for all three projects will cost around $619,834. Given that the Township’s budget was $615,745, the work will cost $4,089 over budget.
“There was approximately a $4,000 shortfall that was outside of the anticipated budget amount, but given the total value of the project, I think staff were generally pleased with the result,” said Township CAO Josh Brick. “We’ll continue to do this joint tender work when possible, with neighbouring municipalities.”
During the meeting, Councillor Darryl Barnes said that he was recently traveling along Township Road 12 and was a little concerned.
“There’s so many soft spots in the road, they might have to dig some of that out and replace some of the road,” he said. “They might have to push it to another year.”
It was agreed that they would pass that information along.
Mayor Peterson later said he was shocked at the difference in cost between the two bids, but that it was good to see multi-tendering happening between the municipalities.
“I think it’s going to save us some money in the long run,” he said.
The report was then received for information, and Council voted to award Walker Construction Ltd. with the contract.
Community Services Department monthly report for April
Trevor Baer, Blandford-Blenheim’s Director of Community Services, provided the following update in regards to the activities of the Township’s Community Services Department.
Parks and outdoor facilities:
- Staff have finished the spring start-up of activities including turning water services on at park locations and general park clean-ups. Staff have also opened tennis courts and installed pickleball nets in both Plattsville and Drumbo.
- Drumbo soccer fields, as well as all baseball diamonds, have been prepared for the season, and baseball leagues have already started using them.
- Regular grass cutting operations have also been taking place across all municipal properties.
Cemeteries:
Staff have been addressing any winter debris, top-dressing areas where needed, and applying grass seed across all cemeteries.
Facilities and capital projects:
Staff have been planning and scheduling for the park washroom upgrade project, and Baer said they’re expecting to begin the project in July.
Arena operations:
The ice has been removed from Plattsville arena, and Plattsville * District Minor Ball has already begun using the space for pre-season practice.
Additionally, the adult drop-in roller skating program started on April 23, and is now running on Thursdays from 10 a.m. to noon.
EASE Grant Intake Report
The report, prepared by Baer, was seeking Council’s authorization for staff to submit an application to the Enhancing Access to Spaces for Everyone (EASE) grant program.
The funding, if granted, would be used for the Township “Barrier-Free Pathways to Park Amenities for All” project in Drumbo Park and Plattsville Park.
This is a grant that allows townships and non-profits to apply for up to $60,000 worth of funding. We would like Council’s permission to apply for this, so we can allocate the money towards putting in accessible, barrier-free pathways to amenities in our parks, along with some benches and a ramp that goes into the Plattsville pavilion,” said Baer. “Our parks have a lot of amenities for accessibility now; we have some picnic tables, we’re getting the washrooms redone, and our playgrounds have surfacing and some accessible features as well. With everything coming together, we’d like to connect everything together with these accessible, barrier-free pathways.”
Council received the report as information and authorized staff to apply for the EASE grant.
Ice Allocation Policy Draft
Sarah Matheson, Director of Corporate Services and Township Clerk, presented a new Ice Allocation Policy to Council for approval and implementation.
She explained that the policy is designed to create a clear consistent and equitable framework for assigning, and overseeing ice time at the Plattsville Arena.
“The goal is to optimize use of the facility, encourage community involvement in ice sports and recreational activities, provide fair access to both peak and off-peak ice slots, and ensure that allocation decisions reflect the Township’s strategic priorities,” she said.
Currently, the Township operates the Plattsville Memorial Community Arena between mid-September and late March, early April. The facility is available seven days a week, with ice time from 6 a.m to 1 a.m.
According to her and Baer’s report, prime time ice is defined as Monday through Friday, 5 to 10 p.m., and Saturday and Sunday, 8 a.m. to 10 p.m.
“Currently, 61.32 per cent of prime-time ice is allocated to local minor sport groups, 29.25 per cent is allocated to adult groups (local and non-local), and 9.43 per cent is allocated to non-local youth girls teams (from Wilmot),” the report states.
Currently, the Township practices ice allocation on a yearly basis, and this Council implemented policy is meant to formalize and standardize the allocation process.
“Following the 2025/2026 season allocation process, staff received constructive feedback from user groups hoping to improve communication, transparency, and organization of the process,” read the report. “Implementing a formal council-approved policy may effectively address emerging equity concerns while meeting the current and future needs of Township residents.”
Matheson told Council that staff drafted an initial policy and later invited user groups with recurring and consistent ice time for the input.
“As a result, staff received requests for clear justification of allocation priorities, particularly the ranking of discounted minor groups; the draft policy addresses this by formally prioritizing groups under allocation priorities. Concerns were also raised about ensuring adequate ice time for development programs, particularly the needs of competitive minor sports programs. Staff feel this draft policy is flexible enough to allocate additional ice time for development programming, once based program needs are met and given the prioritization of the groups,” she said. “Feedback also highlighted the importance of balancing equitable access to prime time ice for discounted users with the arena’s financial sustainability, while recognizing our long standing contribution from our adult user groups. Draft policy addresses this by including a historical precedent clause. Feedback was received regarding the prioritization of Township-based members over non-residents, rather than relying solely on registration numbers. Staff explored implementing a minimum local residency requirement, but determined that it could negatively impact minor groups due to recent changes allowing broader participation across centres.
She went on to say that if Council adopted the policy, staff would begin implementing the policy for the 2026/2027 arena season.
“Following the scheduling process, which would begin in June, allocation would be issued by mid-July, leaving time for a review period and appeal process where required,” continued Matheson. “The appeal process may, in some cases, escalate to Council if staff and user groups cannot come to a mutually agreeable allocation. Financial consideration of this policy would be that if any changes to the allocation from previous years, it may impact revenues for the arena, particularly if discounted groups are allocated more ice time at the expense of other groups.
After a brief question-and-answer period, Council received the report as information and voted to adopt the new Ice Allocation Policy.
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.
