Council: Woodstock seeks grants for new EV chargers

Woodstock council has directed staff to apply for a new provincial grant for additional electric-vehicle charging stations in the city.

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After investigating possible sites for these charges, staff are recommending six locations – the municipal public parking lots on Brock, Peel and Reeve streets, the Cowan Sportsplex lot, the Reeves Community Complex lot and the Southside Aquatic Center lot.

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Because of the requirements of this program, each location will need a separate grant application, staff noted.

The new EV charging stations at the municipal parking lots would have level-two ports with an output of 7.2 kilowatts due to the limitations of the existing hydro infrastructure in those neighborhoods. The other three stations would have level 3 ports with an output of 62.5 kilowatts.

City staff will also continue to explore other funding opportunities for additional stations, the report stated while investigating options for third-party operation and ownership so the city wouldn’t be responsible for ongoing operation and maintenance.

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Community improvement plan

As part of planned updates to Woodstock’s community improvement plan, council is considering providing financial incentives to support the construction of new housing, as well as the recruitment of new doctors.

Intended as a tool to support redevelopment, the current plan focuses more on strategies to foster improvements in the downtown core through grants, interest-free loans and other incentives. Expanding the scope of the community improvement plan, a staff report noted, will help bolster physician recruitment efforts and support the city’s housing pledge of 5,500 new residential units by 2031.

Earlier, council had identified in its housing pledge the critical importance of access to services and amenities, including health care, as necessary components to build the community.

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Additionally, the city will consider offering new grant and incentive programs to support the development of a range of housing options across Woodstock, including affordable and rental housing. Some examples cited in the report included brownfield programs, grant-back programs related to municipal fees or taxes, and exemptions for parkland fees for affordable housing developments.

Since updates to the community improvement plan must follow a process outlined in Ontario’s planning act, all proposed changes must be presented at a future public meeting before returning to council for approval.

Acting mayor

First-term councilor Kate Leatherbarrow will be Woodstock’s acting mayor for 2024.

A requirement of the Municipal Code, acting mayors must be elected by councils to serve in pace of the mayor if they are unable or unwilling to fulfill their duties.

Elected for a one-year term, Leatherbarrow succeeds Coun. Connie Lauder, who served as acting mayor in 2023.

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