Future Oxford sub-committees

 

Community Oxford

Chair: Rick Cox, Tillsonburg resident

Contact for more information:
Community Oxford 
info@futureoxford.ca  
519-539-9800

 

 

 

Community Oxford supports the Future Oxford Community Sustainability Plan goals that help build an accessible, knowledgeable and creative community.

Community Oxford coordinated the Oxford Community Wellbeing Survey in 2016 that looked at quality-of-life factors like educational opportunities, job satisfaction, health behaviours, community involvement, the environment, and more.

In April 2018, a comparative report, "A Profile of Wellbeing in Oxford County with Comparisons to Ontario and Canada" was released. The report offers insight into how Oxford County is positioned in relation to other regions in Ontario and Canada, with respect to community wellbeing.

Visit www.communityoxford.ca to learn more

 

Economy Oxford supports the goals of building a vibrant economy, cultivating entrepreneurship throughout Oxford, encouraging the production and consumption of locally produced food and products, and growing the sustainable economy.

In May 2018, the Oxford Workforce Development Partnership, in collaboration with Future Oxford, Community Employment Services, and the Local Economic Employment Planning Council, released a report, Working together to build a stronger workforce & grow economic prosperity in Oxford. The report offers a collaboration-focused framework to help achieve the "economy" goals of the Future Oxford Sustainability Plan, and shows that Oxford’s economic partners are making “tremendous impact” on the community’s future outlook through programs that foster collaboration, plan for the labour market, attract skilled talent to the area, and reduce barriers to employment. Download the report 

Chair 
Jeff Surridge, CEO, Oxford Community Employment Services

 

Renewable energy

Oxford’s renewable energy strategies balances our economic, community, and environmental interests. Oxford is already evolving as a hub for renewable energy innovation and we will seek further investment in this area. Ultimately, local generation by renewable also provides greater control over our local economy. Visit Smart Energy Oxford to learn more.

 

 

Contact for more information

Economy Oxford
info@futureoxford.ca
519-539-9800, ext. 3001

Chair: Bryan Smith, Chair, Oxford Coalition for Social Justice / President, OPAL Alliance

Contact for more information: 
Environment Oxford  
info@futureoxford.ca 
519-539-9800

 

Environment Oxford is focused on the Future Oxford Community Sustainability Plan actions that will place Oxford County as a world leader in environmental action. Key aims of the Plan include:

• Planting 10,000 trees a year through Reforest Oxford
• Moving away from fossil fuels and enhancing low carbon transportation, work that is being advanced by Smart Energy Oxford
• Achieving zero waste in Oxford, work that is being supported by Zero Waste Oxford
• Ensuring long-term protection of all source water

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Chair: Phil Holst, Director, Ducks Unlimited Canada / Vice Chair, Stewardship Oxford

Contact for more information: 
Reforest Oxford 
info@futureoxford.ca
519-539-9800

 

Zero Waste Oxford Committee

Zero Waste Oxford comprises a cross-section of community, business and government interest and expertise.

Chair: Bryan Smith, Chair, Oxford Coalition for Social Justice / President, OPAL Alliance

Contact for more information: 
Zero Waste Oxford 
info@futureoxford.ca
519-539-9800, ext. 3001

 

On September 9, 2015, Oxford County Council passed a motion to establish Oxford as a “zero waste” community. This means:

100% of Oxford generated and non-hazardous industrial, commercial, instituational and residential solid waste disposal needs are met by Oxford’s Waste Management Facility by 2025 while ensuring Oxford’s solid waste disposal capacity to the year 2100.

The work of achieving zero waste in Oxford is also one of the key goals of the Future Oxford Community Sustainability Plan (3.i.c.). Zero Waste Oxford is the committee that is leading the work on the targets and actions in the Plan that will allow us to achieve “zero waste.”

Role of Zero Waste Oxford

The role of the Zero Waste Oxford committee is to advocate, facilitate, support, monitor and report on Oxford’s achievement of the Zero Waste goal through the development of a plan to ensure Oxford has the disposal capacity it needs to meet all Oxford generated solid waste disposal demands through the year 2100.

The Zero Waste Oxford Plan will include strategies and actions to:

1. Eliminate solid waste exports across all sectors in Oxford;
2. Reduce Solid Waste generated across all sectors in Oxford;
3. Achieve the highest diversion rates possible (re-use and recycling) across all sectors in Oxford;
4. To process solid waste prior to final disposal at the County of Oxford’s Waste Management facility, as necessary to achieve at least a 90% reduction in final disposal volumes. Processing solid waste may include the use of appropriate technologies (E.g. resource and energy recovery) as necessary and appropriate to achieve substantive disposal volume reductions;
5. To ensure Oxford has a Solid Waste Disposal plan to provide the disposal capacity necessary to meet all Oxford generated solid waste disposal demands through the year 2100;
6. Identify and advocate for provincial waste management reform that will assist Oxford in achieving the Zero Waste goal.

 

The mission of Reducing Poverty Together is to end poverty in Oxford County and improve the quality of life for all. Download the information sheet

The Reducing Poverty Together committee assumes the work started by Zero Poverty Oxford, which was formed after County Council passed a motion on November 22, 2017 motion to eliminate poverty in Oxford. The work is being carried out by community stakeholders (agencies, clubs, individuals, etc.) and advances the aims of the Future Oxford Community Sustainability Plan and Community Oxford.

The Reducing Poverty Together Strategy for 2022-2024 focuses on four key areas.

• Access to Services/Information: A future where “individuals can easily access supports and services and build strong relationships with service providers.” This builds on access to information through well-known sources, like Ontario 211.

• Access to Housing: A future where “there is access to affordable, adequate, and suitable housing options, with critical supports; a variety of housing types are integrated within our communities.” We will support the extensive work started by the Oxford Housing Action Collaborative.

• Access to Food: A future where “everyone has access to fresh, affordable, and healthy food; locally grown food is accessible to all.” Our focus will be on local infrastructure for food service providers.

• Access to Education: A future where “everyone has equal access to productive, dependable learning environments so they can thrive; no one is at a disadvantage due to lack of accessible, available, and appropriate educational resources and ongoing support.” We will support the work of Communities Building Youth Futures Oxford.

While these priority areas address some symptoms of poverty, the Reducing Poverty Together vision looks beyond to a future that not only meets basic needs, but one that offers people the supports to thrive.

 

Reducing Poverty Together Committee:

The Reducing Poverty Together Committee is a collaborative of community stakeholders (agencies, clubs, individuals, etc.) who are working together to oversee the development and direct the implementation of the Reducing Poverty Together Strategy.

Contact for more information:

Stephanie Ellens-Clark
Chair, Reducing Poverty Together
Executive Director, Social Planning Council Oxford 
stephanie.ellens-clark@spcoxford.ca

Future Oxford: A Community Sustainability Plan presents a vision, as well as supporting tools, for meeting the community’s needs today without compromising the future. It embraces the importance of managing human (community), natural (environmental) and financial (economic) resources through 70 actions arrived at through extensive community consultation. Community perspectives have painted a picture of Oxford that emphasizes accessibility, education and creativity, as well as a growing sustainable economy and a community that is a leader in environmental action. To learn more visit www.futureoxford.ca