Lesley Biehn for Stratford City Council

08/25/2026

Save the date.

**Women’s voices matter. And on October 26th, our votes will matter too.**

We are excited to have **9 women running for Stratford City Council and a woman candidate for Mayor** in this year’s municipal election.

Women make up approximately **52% of Stratford’s population**. Our experiences matter. Our concerns matter. The issues that affect our families, workplaces, businesses, neighbourhoods and community matter. And our voices deserve to be part of the conversation about Stratford’s future.

Please join us for **Meet the Women Candidates**, a FREE community event hosted by **CFUW Stratford**.

This evening will be an opportunity to hear directly from the women who have stepped forward to serve, to learn what matters to them and to hear their perspectives on some of the issues that matter to our community.

Tuesday, September 29 at 7:00 p.m.
James Reaney Auditorium, Stratford Intermediate School
Everyone is welcome. Admission is FREE.

Come curious. Come ready to listen. Leave Informed.
Registration link to follow in a future post...for now, please SAVE THE DATE.

08/21/2026

I have officially registered to run for re-election to Stratford City Council.

Leading with purpose. Serving with integrity.

I would be honoured to have your vote.

08/21/2026

What a privilege to advocate for Stratford and supportive housing.

At the Association of Municipalities of Ontario (AMO) conference in Ottawa earlier this week, local municipal leaders had the opportunity to meet with provincial government representatives and ministry staff to discuss and advocate for projects and priorities that matter to our community.

One of those key priorities is the need for supportive housing.

Stratford’s delegation met with the Honourable Sylvia Jones, Deputy Premier and Minister of Health, the Honourable Vijay Thanigasalam, Associate Minister of Mental Health and Addictions, and Ontario Chief Medical Officer of Health Dr. Kieran Moore to discuss the City’s plans for 398 Erie Street. That project will create 12 supportive housing units for individuals experiencing homelessness with complex needs.

Thank you Minister Jones, Associate Minister Thanigasalam, MPP Matthew Rae and Dr. Moore for the important conversation.

08/20/2026

This is a data collecting trial. If the trial is found to have legitimately lowered speed behaviour we can consider it on residential streets. If no behaviour was changed we can assess if the cost to replace speed signs city wide makes good fiscal and safety sense.

SPEED REDUCTION PILOT PROJECT BEGINS

In an effort to make our streets safer for everyone, the City of Stratford has launched a speed reduction pilot program in the northwest part of the city.

Signs have now been installed in the area bordered by Huron Street, Mornington Street, McCarthy Road and O’Loane Avenue indicating the new 40 km/h limit.

So why the change?

Speeding on residential streets is a concern we hear frequently from residents. And studies have shown that lower speeds reduce both the likelihood and the severity of collisions.

Here’s how the year-long program will work:

Traffic studies have already been done in the pilot area to collect speed data, before the reduced speed limit was introduced. The same locations will be studied again through the pilot program to track changes in vehicle speed over time.

The results of the study will be presented to City Council in the fall of 2027 for its consideration.

We will be asking for your feedback and input at various stages of the pilot program.

For more information, please visit our Engage Stratford site at https://engagestratford.ca/speed-limit-reduction-pilot-program

08/19/2026

After asking my question about keeping elderly spouses together the response from municipal leaders across the room was overwhelmingly positive —and Minister Calandra recognized Stratford and our municipally shared long-term care home as a model for other communities.

08/19/2026

At the “Bear Pit,” I asked a question for the Minister of Long-Term Care about prioritizing keeping spouses together in homes offering a continuum of care.

Proud to advocate for Stratford and for care that keeps families together.

08/17/2026

Here in Ottawa representing Stratford—building relationships, learning from other municipal leaders, and meeting with Ontario Ministers to advocate for Stratford-specific issues.

08/17/2026

08/07/2026

Here is a brief update concerning some recent events at the encampment site. I understand people feeling concern about individuals and their belongings. This post addresses that specific concern. I recognize this is a very important issue and real people are affected daily. Both those living at the encampment and residents that live near by. I have been assured that outreach workers are there daily assessing the needs and doing everything they can to offer safe alternative accommodations. We have a long term plan to build permanent supportive housing, and in the short term the city staff offer alternative accommodation, there is the Connection Centre, the Local, House of Blessing, community meals, and in the winter months the Warming Centre. We are consistently working to get the 12 fully supportive housing units built on Erie. If you are someone that takes the time to write, please consider advocating for committed funding for the supports side of that build to our provincial mpp. We have committed $5M as a city to the build and are deep into that process, but where help is still needed is with the supports. Thank you everyone for your compassion and active participation. If you feel compelled the Connection Centre has a list of items needed and would gladly accept them.

ENCAMPMENT RESPONSE UPDATE - AUGUST 7, 2026

Recently, there were some misleading posts and comments on Facebook suggesting that the City of Stratford is clearing out the encampment near the transit terminal, and “evicting” individuals staying there.

This is completely untrue.

The encampment is not being cleared out, and nobody is being evicted.

While they’re at the site, staff are working to ensure individuals are safe, exploring alternative housing and support options, identifying hazards, and regularly offering support with the removal of damaged or unused items.

Yesterday (Thursday), City staff brought in a loader to help clean up some items at the encampment that were damaged by recent rainstorms, or no longer needed.

This was done with the co-operation, support, and the consent of individuals at the encampment.

Again, we are not clearing out the encampment, or evicting people who are staying there.

What we are doing is working with individuals, every day, to provide them with the supports they need, and to help them find safe, suitable and permanent housing, while keeping neighbourhood and community safety as a priority.

And we're trying to do that in a way that's respectful of people's privacy and dignity.

We do understand and appreciate everyone’s concern for those experiencing homelessness in our community.

Please know that we share that concern.

08/07/2026

WE’RE HIRING – RECREATION FACILITY OPERATOR ASSISTANT

Are you interested in helping to contribute to safe and welcoming recreation spaces in our community?

The City of Stratford is looking for candidates for the position of Recreation Facility Operator Assistant.

To learn more and to apply, please visit stratford.ca/employment