2026 Oxford County Municipal Election
Woodstock — Deputy Mayor-County Councillor
We asked. Deb Tait answered. You decide.
Answers are published as submitted.
I. Candidate & Municipal Governance
1. Candidate Introduction
Please introduce yourself to the residents of Oxford County. Briefly tell us why you are running for municipal office, what principles or values would guide you as an elected official, and what you believe is the most important issue facing the municipality you are seeking to represent. What would you do about it?
I am running for office because I want to continue serving our community and bring fiscal responsibility, common sense and accountability to the table. I believe my voting record on key issues demonstrates these principle I am concerned the direction we have been going this term with spending. As an elected official, I believe the taxpayers must always the first thing we think of when making decisions.
2. Local vs. Provincial Authority
Municipalities are increasingly affected by decisions, policies and requirements established by the provincial government. What degree of local discretion do you believe municipalities should have when provincial direction affects decisions within municipal jurisdiction? When, if ever, should a municipality challenge or oppose provincial direction? Please explain.
I am not happy with provincial policy for planning. They have taken the decision making out of the hands of local councils that affect our residents. The intense density is not compatible with a city our size. It creates a burden for existing taxpayers-stress on fire, police, health care and education.
3. Accountability & Access
Once elected, how will you maintain open communication and accountability with your constituents? What level of access should residents have to you, and what responsibility do you have to explain and defend your decisions and votes, particularly when constituents disagree with them?
I am available to the residents any time whether it be phone calls or email. It is important to be accountable to those that elect us.
4. Staff vs. Elected Council
What do you believe is the proper division of responsibility between municipal staff and elected council? What decisions should be made by staff, what decisions should be made by council, and what responsibility should elected officials retain for decisions recommended or implemented by staff?
The roles of Council and Staff are very clearly defined. Council sets policies and staff delivers on the direction of Council. Under the Municipal Act Council is not to be involved in operational matters. These roles are set out by the Province and not under the control of elected officials at the local level.
5. Candidate Social-Media History
Have you ever deleted, hidden or substantially altered past social-media posts or other publicly available online content because you believed it might affect how voters viewed you or your candidacy? If so, what did you change and why?
I have never hidden or deleted any social media for any reason.
II. Taxes, Growth & Development
6. Taxes & Services
What annual municipal property-tax increase do you consider reasonable over the next four years? If maintaining existing services would require an increase above that level, what principles would you use to determine which services or expenditures should be reduced, delayed or eliminated instead? Please explain.
Taxpayers are facing increasing costs for almost everything, gas, food, and taxes.
I have not supported three of the last four County budgets, as I firmly believe the spending at the upper tier is not sustainable.
We need to get back to the core services – roads, garbage, water and rec facilities and services at an affordable cost.
7. Population Growth & Agricultural Land
Oxford County’s current planning projections anticipate substantial population growth over the coming decades, creating increasing pressure on agricultural land. Should Oxford plan to accommodate the projected level of growth, or should the County and its municipalities seek to influence the rate and/or location of future growth? When development competes with agricultural and food-production uses, should agricultural land and food production receive priority? What principles should guide these decisions? Please explain.
The Oxford Official Plan already encourages the preservation of farmland. The Province of Ontario has also recognized the need for preserving farmland. The aggressive numbers the province have placed on cities does not mean we have to adhere to it.
III. Energy & Major Development
8. Wind & Utility-Scale Solar
What is your position on industrial wind turbine and utility-scale solar developments in Oxford County? If your municipality were asked to determine whether it should be a willing or unwilling host for a large-scale wind or solar project, how would you vote, and what factors would guide your decision? Please explain.
Although I do not think this comes under my role as an elected official in Woodstock I do not support a large scale wind or solar project.
9. Data Centres
What is your position on approving data centres in Oxford County? Under what circumstances, if any, would you support one? How should council weigh its potential economic benefits against demands on electricity, water, land and other municipal infrastructure? Please explain.
Data centers can have significant requirements for electricity, water, land and other municipal services, so that would have to be taken into any decision. I do not know enough about them to make any for or against statement on them.
IV. Property Rights, Environment & Climate
10. Property Rights & Environmental Regulation
What principles should determine the balance between private property rights and municipal environmental regulation? What limits, if any, should municipalities place on environmental restrictions affecting the use of privately owned rural land? Please explain.
I do not believe this question is applicable to my position.
11. Climate Change & CO₂
What role, if any, do you believe carbon dioxide emissions play in climate change? What responsibility, if any, should municipal government have for addressing climate-related issues, and should municipal taxpayers fund those efforts? Please explain.
The responsibility for regulating carbon emissions rests with the federal and provincial governments. I do not believe municipal taxpayers should be taxed with costly initiatives that fall outside our jurisdiction ex the hiring of a climate specialist at the county.
V. Municipal Policy & Public Institutions
12. DEI, Hiring & Public Services
When municipal government makes decisions about hiring employees or providing services, what role, if any, should a person’s race, ethnicity, sex, disability, newcomer status or other demographic characteristics play? Do you support mandatory diversity, equity and inclusion training for municipal employees, and should municipal taxpayers fund it? Please explain.
I believe in hiring based on merit, qualifications, experience and the ability to do the job. A person’s race, ethnicity, sex, disability, newcomer status or other demographic characteristics should not determine whether they are hired. We should hire the best person for the position.
I do believe all employees, including Council members, should receive appropriate workplace training.
13. International Policy Frameworks
What role, if any, should international policy frameworks such as the United Nations’ Agenda 2030 and Sustainable Development Goals play in municipal decision-making? If municipal policies are influenced by such frameworks, what responsibility does council have to ensure that those decisions remain transparent and accountable to local residents? Please explain.
This is another one which I believe I have no role as an elected official in Woodstock.
VI. Public Safety, Privacy & Emergency Powers
14. Flock Cameras & Surveillance
What is your position on the use of Flock cameras and other automated licence-plate recognition (ALPR) or camera-based surveillance systems by municipalities for public safety? What limits, if any, should apply to their use, and how should council balance public safety with residents’ privacy? Please explain.
No response provided.
15. Public-Health Emergency Powers
If another public-health emergency occurred, what restrictions, if any, should a municipality be able to impose on access to municipal buildings, facilities, programs or community activities? What role should elected council have in approving or overseeing such restrictions, and what limits should apply to municipal authority during an emergency? Please explain.
No response provided.
Questionnaire sent: September 8, 2026
Response received: September 24, 2026
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