Due to today's continuing Extreme Heat Warning issued by Southwestern Public Health and localized power outages, the Township has opened additional cooling centres.

Members of the public are welcome to stop in and cool off in an air conditioned space, and charge phones and electronic devices.

Tavistock Memorial Hall

Thursday July 2 and Friday July 3, open from 7:30am to 4:30pm

Township Administration Building

Thursday July 2 and Friday July 3, open from 8:30am to 4:30pm

Innerkip Community Centre

Thursday July 2, open from 3:00pm to 7:00pm 

Looking for other ways to beat the heat? The Spray pad at the Tavistock Queen’s Park is open daily from 9:00am to 9:00pm 

Remember to stay hydrated, limit time outdoors during the hottest parts of the day, and check in on friends, family, and neighbours who may be more vulnerable to the heat.

Learn more about Extreme Heat at: https://www.swpublichealth.ca/extreme-heat

Oxford County is initiating background work and community visioning for a new Official Plan.

Why is a new Official Plan being created?

The Official Plan is a document that guides all development across all lands in Oxford County. A community’s vision helps identify local interests that an Official Plan needs to balance such as social and economic needs and the preservation and protection of natural assets, agricultural lands and natural spaces. The County’s vision and strategy help inform the detailed policies which guides local requirements for development (e.g. zoning by-laws).  The current Official Plan is over 30 years old and since then there’s been a lot of change. This is the opportunity to take a fresh look at what Oxford County’s local priorities should be.

What’s happening?

The first phase of engagement will focus on visioning – we would like to understand what is your vision for a new Official Plan? The next opportunity to participate is through one of the upcoming in-person workshops:

1. Tuesday, June 16 - 1:00 pm to 3:00 pm - Innerkip Community Centre, East Zorra-Tavistock
2. Wednesday, June 17 - 6:30 pm to 8:30 pm – Mt. Elgin Community Centre, South-West Oxford
3. Tuesday, June 23 - 1:30 pm to 3:30 pm – Altadore Hall, South Gate Centre, Woodstock
4. Thursday, June 25 - 6:30 pm to 8:30 pm - Embro Community Centre, Zorra

Interested in coming to a workshop? Please RSVP to help us make these workshops a success!

What other ways can I participate?

• Visit the new Speak Up Oxford Page with project information
• Complete the Community Visioning Survey

Stay Informed

If you would like to be notified about future engagement opportunities, have questions, or would like to submit your thoughts about the New Official Plan, please contact Community Planning staff at: OPupdate@oxfordcounty.ca or (519) 539-9800 ext. 3207

How will my feedback be used?           

The goal for collecting community feedback is to help identify broad goals that will inform policy directions, which affect detailed draft Official Plan policies for Council’s consideration.

Community visioning feedback will be reviewed and shared through a “Setting Directions” document that shows Council key themes from what we heard during visioning and learned during the broader study process.

No matter where you live in Oxford County, the 2027 Budget survey is your chance to have a say on which services should be a priority next year.

Answers and comments from the survey let us know how well municipal services are understood, how they are valued, and which ones are a priority for residents. The survey takes approximately 10 minutes to complete. It closes on August 31, 2026.

Depending where you live, you'll be asked about local area municipal services in your community (Blandford-Blenheim, East Zorra-Tavistock, Ingersoll, Norwich, South-West Oxford, Tillsonburg, Woodstock and Zorra), such as fire services, building and drainage services, parks and recreation, by-law enforcement and more.

East Zorra-Tavistock's 2027 Budget Survey

TAVISTOCK – Boil water advisory ENDED for William Street south of Wettlaufer Street 

Southwestern Public Health has rescinded (ended) the boil water advisory for William Street south of Wettlaufer Street in Tavistock.

Residents in the area can resume regular water use. After a boil water advisory has ended, Public Health advises residents to run water taps for five (5) minutes before using the water.

To sign up to receive future for boil water advisories from Oxford County by email, visit www.oxfordcounty.ca/ealerts 

More information about boil water advisories can be found on the Southwestern Public Health website. 

Each year, CN is required to manage vegetation on its right-of-way. Managing this vegetation contributes to mitigating fire risks and enhances the efficiency of inspection of track infrastructure.

The spray program is not being done for aesthetic reasons.

To ensure safe railway operations, CN will conduct its annual spray program on its rail lines in the province of Ontario. A certified professional (Davey Tree Expert Company of Canada, Ltd., 1-800-465-6367) will apply herbicides on and around the railway tracks (primarily along the 24-foot graveled area/ballast). Product requirements for setbacks in the vicinity of dwellings, aquatic environments and municipal water supplies will be met.

CN may use the following products:

CN only uses herbicides that have been approved for use in Canada and in the province within which they are applied. The program is expected to take place from April to October 2026.

All CN land is private property, accessible to CN employees and approved contractors only.

Visit www.cn.ca/vegetation for more information or to make an inquiry, contact the CN Public Inquiry Line at contact@cn.ca or 1-888-888-5909.

Join us for the Settlement Area Boundary Expansion and Secondary Plan Open House on Tuesday March 24, 2026. The public Open House will continue the conversations from the previous Open Houses while providing updates on the project and allowing members of the public to further engage with the Project Team. Interested parties are welcome to drop in at any time between 6:00pm to 8:00pm at the Township Administration Building located at 89 Loveys Street East, Hickson, Ontario.

The Township and County have been exploring how to accommodate the forecasted population and employment growth in the Township, specifically looking at Tavistock and Innerkip, the primary centres for accommodating growth. A Settlement Area Boundary is the boundary that encompasses the limits of a settlement, such as Tavistock and Innerkip, and the ongoing study has been reviewing the extent to which the currently Settlement Area Boundaries need to expand to accommodate the forecasted growth.

For lands being brought into settlement boundaries, a Secondary Plan is required to be implemented. A Secondary Plan is a land use planning tool which identifies the context, key characteristics, and distinct identity of the study area and responds with specific policies to guide future growth and development within the identified lands.