Mayor DeViet opened the meeting with a reminder that the nomination period for the municipal election in October 2026 is now open. Residents can put their names forward as candidates for council and local school boards. Mayor DeViet also encouraged people to check their name and address on the voters list. More information on the election is available on the municipal website.
Presentations
- George Vereyken from Spriet Associates provided an overview of the updated engineer’s report for the Wood-Goertz Drain. The Court of Revision for the drain will meet on June 3, 2026.
- Jason O'Neill of Middlesex Federation of Agriculture provided a high-level overview of the Ontario Federation of Agriculture’s priorities for 2026.
- Michelle Courtney, President & CEO of Bluewater Recycling Association (BRA), provided an overview of the recent Blue Box transition. As of January 1, 2026, the responsibility for Ontario’s Blue Box Program shifted from municipalities to producers (the companies that supply packaging and paper products). Ms. Courtney’s presentation included a discussion on who bears the cost of collecting industrial, commercial, and institutional (ICI) recycling. This matter will come back to council for decision through a staff report at an upcoming council meeting. Ms. Courtney also discussed options for organics collection. About 40 per cent of materials in the waste stream are organics such as food waste, yard trimmings, and soiled paper. BRA continues to work on options for organics collection, including cost, collection frequency, bin type, etc.
Council Business
During the meeting, Council:
- Approved the establishment of a Joint Middlesex County 2026 Election Compliance Audit Committee.
- Received the capital budget-to-actual 2026 Q1 report.
- Received the annual repayment limit for 2026. The municipality has the capacity to borrow an amount that would result in annual debt payments not exceeding $8,976,655 for 2026 (compared to $8,739,755 in 2025). More information is available on the Municipal Debt Fact Sheet.
- Approved the use of funds from the Building and Facilities Reserve Fund to cover overages in the Ilderton Arena Renovation project, which total $338,949 to date. These overages were due in part to unforeseen structural and sanitary sewer issues discovered during demolition.
- Received a petition for drainage work on the Sifton Glendon Drain and directed staff to proceed with the drainage work.
- Awarded the construction of the Ilderton Drain No. 1 Road Crossing to Van Bree Infrastructure in the amount of $66,080 + HST, the lowest tender bid received.
- Endorsed the 2026 Drinking Water Quality Management System Operational Plan for Middlesex Centre’s drinking water systems, as required by Ontario’s Ministry of the Environment, Conservation and Parks.
- Approved a number of updates to various municipal Human Resources policies to address recent administrative and legislative changes, and in the case of the clothing allowance, to ensure alignment with job demands and reflect inflationary costs.
Next Council Meeting
Middlesex Centre Council is set for Wednesday, May 20, 2026, at 5:30 p.m., at the municipal office.
For More Information
For more details on any of these items, see the full meeting agenda or contact the Municipal Clerk. You can view the meeting on YouTube.
Meeting highlights are prepared to give residents timely updates on council decisions. The Council Meeting Minutes are the official record of the meeting.