Kurt Sutherland

2026 Oxford County Municipal Election
Woodstock — City Council

We asked. Kurt Sutherland 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?

My name is Kurt Sutherland, and I am proud to run for Woodstock City Council. Born and raised right here in Woodstock, I am deeply invested in our community’s future. Professionally, I work as a Quality Assurance & Fleet Specialist for Execulink Telecom, our local ISP. On the home front, I’m blessed with a wonderful blended family of five children and eight grandchildren—all of whom live locally right here in Oxford County.

Woodstock faces several critical challenges, including rising property taxes, overall affordability, childcare availability, and homelessness. Addressing these requires proactive collaboration across Municipal, Provincial, and Federal levels to secure the funding and support our city deserves.

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.

We should collaborate and work alongside provincial direction. However, if provincial mandates shift financial burdens onto our municipality that rightfully belong under provincial funding, we must push back. At the end of the day, it is our local taxpayers’ dollars funding these initiatives either way.

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 committed to being fully accessible and accountable—returning phone calls, answering emails, and being consistently present at Council meetings. As your representative, my direction should be driven by what the residents of Woodstock want, not my personal agenda.

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?

We are an elected Council chosen to represent the public. We should collaborate closely with municipal staff, who are hired for their professional expertise, while openly debating and deciding policy matters in the best interest of Woodstock.

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?

None.

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.

While a 0% tax increase is the ideal goal, we must be realistic about our two-tier tax structure. This system divides municipal responsibilities between Oxford County (upper-tier) and the City of Woodstock (lower-tier), meaning our taxpayers are supporting county-wide services as well. To manage budgets effectively, I would focus on identifying efficiencies and deferring non-essential costs.

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.

We should prioritize building up rather than out. I am a strong advocate for protecting our agricultural land—because farmers feed cities, and houses do not.

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.

This question is largely overtaken by events. We are already moving forward with major energy infrastructure, such as the local BESS (Battery Energy Storage System) project designed to store up to 500 megawatt-hours of power—enough to supply 20,000 homes.

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.

We need data centres to support modern infrastructure. As long as they operate responsibly, pay for the resources they use, and contribute fairly to our local tax base, they can be a great asset for municipal revenue.

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.

We need to balance shared community resources while ensuring local landowners are directly involved in any decisions that affect their property.

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.

No comment.

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.

Hiring should be inclusive, merit-based, and focused on finding the best qualified candidate to serve our community.

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.

I believe addressing poverty and local inequality should always be a priority. Regarding broader international frameworks, no comment.

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.

Public safety is our main goal. Automated license plate readers and similar technology can be useful tools for law enforcement, provided they are managed with strict accountability and respect for privacy.

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.

Public safety remains paramount during emergencies, and clear oversight is essential. As city councillors, our powers are limited, and during broad public health crises, we should work within established Provincial and Federal frameworks.

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Questionnaire sent: September 9, 2026
Response received: September 24, 2026

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