Council this Week: Highlights from the September 9 County Council agenda - 20260909

09/08/2026

News and Events News and Releases Council this Week

Ambulance response times and medical dispatch, school zone speed limits, conservation authority changes, and more

County Council meetings are broadcast live at www.oxfordcounty.ca/livestream. To download the full agenda or view past recordings of council meetings, visit www.oxfordcounty.ca/council.

Ambulance response times and emergency medical dispatch

Oxford County Paramedic Services brings forward its annual response time performance plan next council meeting. The report shows that Oxford’s response times remain in line with many other Ontario municipalities, and that Oxford met its response time targets for 2025. Oxford County paramedics responded to more than 23,000 emergency calls in 2025.

Ambulance response time targets for Oxford are expected to change with the launch of a new medical emergency dispatch system across the London Central Ambulance Communications Centre area on October 14. Medical Priority Dispatch System (MPDS) is an internationally recognized system that will be used to prioritize 911 emergency medical calls only, not calls for police or fire. A separate report to County Council explains required updates to the medical tiered response agreements with Oxford’s fire services as a result of this change, with fire departments responding to some medical emergencies until paramedics arrive. For more information on MPDS, visit www.oxfordcounty.ca/medical-dispatch

PS 2026-02: Medical Priority Dispatch System Implementation and Medical Tiered Response Agreements

PS 2026-03: 2027 Land Ambulance Response Time Performance Plan

Active times for school zone speed limits

Oxford County Council is being asked to approve a by-law change that will standardize operating times for reduced speed limits in school zones on County roads. The recommendation follows a staff review that found varied reduced speed limit periods and flashing beacon schedules among school zones relative to arrival times, lunch and nutrition breaks, and dismissal. With the updates, school zone flashing beacons would be activated 45 minutes before and 15 minutes after arrival bell times; 15 minutes before and 15 minutes after nutrition and lunch breaks; and 15 minutes before and 45 minutes after dismissal bell times when school is in session.

PW 2026-34: Revisions to Prescribed Times for Reduced Speeds Within Designated School Zones

Update on conservation authority changes

County Council receives an update on the Government of Ontario’s progress in amalgamating the province’s 36 conservation authorities into nine regional bodies by February 1, 2027. At present, public consultation is underway for the proposed regulatory framework that will guide board appointments for the new conservation authorities. Under the new model, the four current conservation authorities with portions of their watersheds in Oxford County (Upper Thames River Conservation Authority, Grand River Conservation Authority, Long Point Region Conservation Authority, and Catfish Creek Conservation Authority) will be reduced to two: Western Lake Erie Regional Conservation Authority and Eastern Lake Erie Regional Conservation Authority.

CP 2026-281: Regional Conservation Authorities, Consultation on Governance Regulations

Questions or comments?

Council this Week previews the Oxford County Council meeting agenda for residents, community partners and employees. Please send your questions and comments to communications@oxfordcounty.ca