Francophone school, tiny homes, URVH concerns, and more
French language school
After hearing numerous negative reactions from constituents regarding a proposed French school in the area, Woodstock Town Council members voted unanimously against the plan. They all agree they wanted to know where the data is that supports the need for a Francophone school in the region, given that so few here come from predominantly French-speaking homes.
Councillor Julie Calhoun-Williams explained that there had been significant confusion about the plan, noting that it was not a French immersion school being built, but rather a school for children from French-speaking homes.
“Anybody who has grown up in this town, who still lives in this town, knows that you can probably count on two hands, at the very most, how many French-speaking only families we would have here,” said Councillor Calhoun-Williams. “I don’t know who is going to this school, and I certainly don’t know who is going to work at the school.”
Both Councillor Christa McCartney and Councillor Norm Brown noted the difficulty of finding enough French-speaking staff to support the school. The two said the facility would need not only French-speaking teachers but also French staff for cafeterias, janitorial work, and a separate French busing system. Many Councillors echoed their concerns, citing the need to further support existing schools rather than build a school that would serve so few.
“I haven’t heard a positive thing about this yet,” said Councillor Brown. “A lot of people thought it was a joke, at first. The number of students at this school would be tiny. There would be no sports teams. We’ve got schools now that have portables. We lost our librarians. It seems like a complete waste of money.”
Mayor Trina Jones agreed wholeheartedly with the councillors. During the Dec. 16 meeting, she said she had reached out to the youth council, a group of 13- to 24-year-olds representing all three current schools. She believes their feedback will be invaluable, as they will be directly affected by these plans. She’s also asked Planet Youth to provide her with helpful data on the matter.
During her time working with Planet Youth, Mayor Jones noted the challenges of bringing together students from the two separate K-8 schools. She is concerned that adding another school would only further the divide.
All councillors agreed to send a letter to the Minister once Planet Youth and the youth council had time to add their voices to the conversation.
Upper River Valley Hospital concerns
The board of directors of the Western Valley Regional Service Commission, comprising mayors and councillors from the district, is concerned about the state of healthcare and recently issued a statement regarding surgical control at the Upper River Valley Hospital (URVH).
In the news release, the commission requested a meeting with the Premier, the Minister of Health, and the CEO of Horizon Health Network. They want to see improvements as soon as possible.
“We need to understand what the long-term plan is in our region for healthcare.” Said Mayor Trina Jones during December’s Town Council meeting, “We’re moving forward to build our region with the assumption that we have a strong healthcare system to support it.”
She shared that having a strong healthcare system has implications far beyond the hospital doors. Without it, economic development, recruitment and retention could be negatively impacted throughout the area. She expressed her frustrations, making it clear that the council understands how dissatisfied their community is with the current state of healthcare.
All councillors present agreed with the Mayor’s concerns, noting the need for more family doctors to support the community and that the current model is harming morale among some hospital staff as well.
“When it comes right down to it, the Premier has got to stand up and show some leadership,” declared Councillor Jeff Bradbury. “The time for meetings is done. We need leadership.”
Councillor Julie Calhoun-Williams agreed with her fellow councillors and added that they’ve “got to smarten up, take control away from the people who are messing it up and put it back in the hands of the people who should have it.”
The mayor explained that while healthcare is ultimately in the hands of the Province and not the municipalities, they will continue to advocate on the matter, citing the issues as far too important to ignore.
“This is going to cost people’s lives,” said Councillor Will Belyea. “People are going to die.”
Road conditions – where to complain
If you have concerns about potholes, snowplowing, or any other road-related issues and live in Ward 4, contact the Town of Woodstock. All other wards remain within the province’s jurisdiction. If you live in Wards 1, 2, 3, or 5, you can contact the Department of Transportation and Infrastructure to let them know. The council asks that you CC your ward representative on emails so they can track complaints in your area.
The town hopes to take over more roads within its municipality in the future.
To contact the DTI, you can call 1-833-384-4111 or e-mail transportnb@gnb.ca
To CC your Ward councillor:
Ward 1: mmartin@WoodstockNB.ca
Ward 2: wbelyea@WoodstockNB.ca
Ward 3: jcalhoun-williams@WoodstockNB.ca
Ward 5: lleech@WoodstockNB.ca
Ironwood Homes access road
Ironwood Homes has built a new factory in Ward 2, capable of producing up to 250 homes per year. They built their facility on a road classified as a non-access road, believing that, given their size and perceived high assessed value, the road would be upgraded to full access and maintained accordingly. So far, the province disagrees with that assessment.
At the Dec. 16 council meeting, the Mayor estimated the property tax would be around $360,341, with $144,670 going to the municipality, $213,440 to the province, and $2,231 in assessment fees.
“That’s a substantial amount of money for one business to contribute to both the municipality and the province, and all of us say, you’re not our responsibility.” Said Mayor Jones.
The Mayor noted that if the facility had been built in Ward 4, where residents would have access to more services, they would be paying double the taxes. Even so, she wants to find a solution.
With potential tax reforms expected in the near future, the council decided it might be worth suggesting that Ironwood hold off on insisting that either the province or the municipality assume responsibility for servicing this road, as doing so could further increase the company’s tax bill. The Mayor noted that, after tax reform, property tax rates may reflect the level of service residents receive.
In the meantime, they intend to keep advocating for the provincial government to plow the road or to assess the feasibility of doing so themselves.
Re-zoning bylaw for tiny homes
CAO Allan Walker shared an application from Harvest House Inc., a Christian ministry, regarding the placement of tiny homes. Harvest House is looking to expand the capacity of its Men’s Step-Up program from 8 to 12 participants. They’ve proposed adding four tiny homes, with a separate building for laundry, showers, and toilets, at their location at 130 Broadway Street in Woodstock.
Walker explained that the current zoning bylaws don’t permit tiny homes in any residential area. If they wanted to permit tiny homes anywhere, they would first have to review and change the bylaws.
Mayor Trina Jones suggested they explore allowing tiny homes as a potential solution to homelessness in some areas, regardless of whether it would be appropriate on Broadway Street.
“I kind of hope that it won’t be smack dab in that busy of a residential area.” Said Councillor Julie Calhoun-Williams, “But I definitely think there’s potential for tiny homes in the municipality somewhere.”
Council agreed to reject Harvest Houses’ proposal for now, but will consider adding tiny homes to the bylaws in the future.
Branding presentation
Director of Tourism and Events Tobi Pirie delivered a branding presentation to the Town Council at its final council session of 2025. After amalgamation, the town administration felt they needed to redevelop signage across all wards to reflect the expanded municipality. Many showed visual wear, fading, and structural issues, which helped propel their plan to redo everything.
They began by developing a new municipal logo, which has been in use for a year now. The Ginger Agency was engaged to design signs that would match across all wards.
“This ensures that every sign across the municipality reflects the same modern, unified identity,” explained Pirie.
The town plans to replace three highway signs at a cost of $10,000 each, for a total of $30,000. Seven directional signs would be replaced at a cost of $2,700 each, totalling $18,900. The council needs to decide whether they want one-sided gateway signs at $800 each or double-sided at $1,600 each, for a total of $20,800. They are also planning to run 26 banners next year at $200 each, totalling $10,400.
Pirie recommended starting with replacing their directional signage, then moving on to banners, and saving highway signs for last.
Mayor Recognition Awards
Submissions are now open for the Mayor’s Citizen Recognition Awards. People are encouraged to nominate any individual, group or organization that is helping to make Woodstock a better place.
Mayor Trina Jones noted how fortunate this community is to have so many wonderful organizations, businesses, and community members.
“It’s always a tough decision for the committee,” said Jones, “there’s always lots of awesome choices to pick from.”
Submissions are open until January 23, 2026 and can be made by email to clerk@woodstocknb.ca or by calling 1-506-325-4600.
