Tillsonburg Town Council gave the go-ahead for several community-shaping items at its June 15 meeting, including support for the upcoming National Indigenous Peoples Day celebration and approvals for two local development projects.
Council approved the fees tied to the Tillsonburg and District Historical Society’s annual National Indigenous Peoples Day event, set for June 21, 2026, at 4 p.m. at the Tillsonburg Soccer Club pavilion on Attawandaron Way. The site sits on the largest known pre-contact Iroquoian village in southern Ontario, a sprawling 8-hectare settlement that once held about 15 longhouse structures. The celebration comes as the town continues to recognize its deep Indigenous roots, including a formal land acknowledgment adopted by council for use at official events and meetings.
On the development front, council cleared Community Improvement Plan incentives for properties at 92 Broadway and 121 Concession Street East, the old Peavey Mart location. The former big-box store, bought by Chilliwack, B.C.-based Kermar Holdings Inc., is being reworked into a 25,000-square-foot retail plaza with up to nine units. The town’s Community Improvement Plan offers grants and rebates meant to spark upgrades in the central area and employment lands, and the Peavey Mart redevelopment will lean on those tools to help fill the space with new shops and services.
The meeting wasn’t just about bricks and mortar. Councillors adopted a new policy on how town staff and elected officials may use artificial intelligence, joining a growing number of municipalities setting ground rules for the technology. Neighbouring Norfolk County already requires responsible and transparent AI use with human oversight and fact-checking, and Tillsonburg’s policy moves in a similar direction.
They also signed off on a policy governing the lighting of the Rotary Clock Tower and flags at town-owned properties. The clock tower is regularly lit for local moments: blue for front-line workers, red and green during the Christmas season, and red in November to remember veterans.
