Will Oakville be able to handle Ontario’s growth plan?

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Published April 4, 2022 at 3:41 pm

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Provincially mandated growth will make it difficult for Oakville to keep up with the supply of services and infrastructure, Town planners believe.

A special meeting called for Oakville tomorrow, will highlight the issues the Town will have to deal with to accommodate Ontario’s plan to increase population through housing intensification in existing urban areas.

In a report that will be presented at the meeting, Town planners express frustration with the process.

“Staff remain concerned about the Town’s ability to plan for, and keep pace with, community facilities and services,” the report reads. “Furthermore, it remains to be seen how the Province may support the Town with provincially funded facilities (such as new schools, hospital expansion and transit).

Oakville councillors are expected to formulate an official response at the meeting to Ontario’s growth plan.

The Oakville report points out the recent recommendations by Ontario’s Housing Affordability Task Force call for greater density and less red-tape to allow for faster and increased building of houses, condos and apartments with the goal of adding 1.5 million more homes across the province in the next 10 years.

Oakville planners fear these mandates will be pushed though without regard for local housing regulations or strategies.

“Arbitrary direction to simply increase densities undermines ability of all levels of government to plan, co-ordinate and finance the delivery of the facilities, services, infrastructure and frequent transit on which residents and employees depend,” the Oakville report reads. “Furthermore, development which strays from a municipality’s planning objectives runs the risk of diluting neighbourhood character which is often the very element that attracts residents in the first place.”

The meeting will be held virtually tomorrow beginning at 6.30 p.m. and can be viewed here.

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