Woodstock Web Ontario Canada

SPRING IS HERE, BOOK YOUR CLEANING!

Dutch Way Cleaning Services

Spring is on it's way, book your cleaning today!
Phone: 1-800-485-8560

Wednesday, March 10, 2010 | 08:20:26 AM EST

Woodstock Ontario Quick Links

Suggest a Woodstock Ontario Quick Link.

Election Results for Oxford County

October 14, 2008

Dave Mackenzie (C) : 52.3 Percent (23,300 Votes)
Martha Dennis (L) : 19.3 Percent (8,584 Votes)
 

Fall session of the Ontario Legislature

From Ernie Hardeman's desk.

In just over a week the fall session of the Ontario Legislature will begin. It is a good time to reflect and look at what the government needs to address. Since the election Dalton McGuinty has avoided dealing with many of the difficult issues and they are getting increasingly urgent.

One the main priorities in the upcoming session of the Legislature must be for Dalton McGuinty to finally acknowledge our economic challenges and take real action to address them. Over the last few months the plant closing and layoff announcements have continued – 800 jobs at John Deere in Welland and 500 jobs at Campbell soup in Listowel.

A few days ago the announcement was once again close to home – Toyota will be delaying the 800 jobs in the second shift at the new Woodstock plant.

No one can afford to ignore the economic reality in Ontario – especially the Premier. Our leader, John Tory, has been calling on Dalton McGuinty to host an economic summit to hear directly from business people about what the government can do to help them and save jobs. Since the McGuinty government continues to ignore what is happening around them John Tory and the PC Caucus are moving forward by holding a jobs and economy roundtable on September 18th.

Unfortunately the economy is not the only problem that McGuinty government is ignoring. As Agriculture Critic I have spent a lot of time this summer hearing from farmers about the challenges they are facing – in Oxford and across the Province. I am looking forward to bringing their concerns to the Ontario Legislature.

Some of the urgent situations are the young farmers who may lose their farms because they are excluded from government programs many of which are based on historical data; the greenhouses that have empty space because with the strong dollar they can’t compete; and the tobacco farmers who can’t afford to take the buyout if the provincial government doesn’t contribute their share.

While some commodities are at record prices the rapid increase in input costs continues to be a problem.

One of the positives in agriculture this summer has been the continuing growth of the “eat local” movement that recognizes the quality of Ontario grown food and the importance of supporting our farmers. On June 16th I introduced a private member’s bill to support Ontario agriculture by allowing farmers to post seasonal, directional signage beside highways to advertise locally grown produce for sale from the farm. On October 2, I expect this bill to move forward to second reading debate.

A few days later on Saturday October 4, I invite you to join me for a free family Pig Roast in Woodstock’s Southside Park to celebrate our farmers and the 10th annual Ontario Agriculture Week. We will, of course, be serving Oxford Pork.

Read More...

Ontario Mayors Automotive Meeting, April 25^th

From the mayor's desk.

Today, at the meeting of the Ontario Mayors For Automotive Investment Meeting (OMAI), the mayors are calling on the federal and provincial governments for their direct, sustainable, long term continued support and involvement to foster a business-friendly environment in this industry.

“To promote sufficient policies and regulations that have synergies across all levels of government”, says Mayor Michael Harding, of Woodstock and Co-Chair of the OMAI, “requires the collaboration and cooperation of all levels of government toward the harmonization of industry standards which are essential to reap the benefits of a North American marketplace and to ensure affordable prices and innovative technologies for Canadians.”

Mayor John Gray of Oshawa and Co-Chair of OMAI, further states the need for an incentive approach that is “timely, strategic, predictable for growth, expansion, and retention of automotive investment.”

The mayors of the OMAI believe these investments are key to the economic futures of their communities, the Province of Ontario, and Canada as a whole. Further, global and domestic pressures (such as fairer trade practices with offshore markets and a higher Canadian dollar) require further government intervention and leadership. Mayors and representatives of over 20 communities in the Ontario automotive industry attended the meeting.

Ontario is the leading jurisdiction for automotive production in North America, producing over 2.5 million light-duty vehicles annually. Each of the 50,000 assembly jobs provides 7 to 10 spin-off jobs (the highest ratio of any manufacturing sector).

2007 a Record Breaking Year for Woodstock!

From the mayor's desk.

To say 2007 was a record breaking year for Woodstock's economy would be an understatement. Construction continued on all of the Toyota-related investments in the community, Vuteq Canada built its second Woodstock facility, new hotels were announced and building permit values topped $317 million.
Read More...

The History of Woodstock, ON

Source: City of Woodstock

The joining of Blandford and Town Plot into the Town of Woodstock was a concerted effort by Levi Hoyt Perry. Town Plot, the fastest growing of the two villages, ran along Dundas Street from Bexley Street east to Beale Street. Five-acre lots of land had already been set aside for a County Square and Agricultural Fair, and Brighton village was well established. Blandford village extended from Huron Street to Clark Street, also along Dundas, and the two villages were separated by a swamp created by natural springs. In 1841, Perry drafted a petition proposing the joining of East and West Woodstock into one town, which was approved by... Read More