Oakville Council pushes against urban boundary expansion in Halton Region

At last night’s meeting, Oakville Council Members unanimously endorsed the criticisms in a staff report that raised concerns about expanding into prime agricultural land in Halton Region for future development. The town is instead supporting further intensification within existing urban areas available and designated for development.

The Region of Halton’s draft Preferred Growth Concept (PGC) is proposing a total settlement area boundary expansion of 2,120 hectares onto agricultural land in Milton and Halton Hills. Oakville Council is opposed to this and is supporting a greater emphasis on intensification within the existing urban areas across Halton Region.

The town’s staff report highlights that growth directed to strategic growth areas and higher order transit corridors will encourage transit-supportive, compact mixed use development, protect rural and agricultural lands, reduce greenhouse gas emissions and meet climate challenges.

At the January 18, 2022 Planning and Development Council meeting, Council heard from more than 14 delegations and received more than 100 written submissions from residents who were not in favour of the Region’s draft PGC.

As part of last night’s meeting, Town Council directed staff to submit the Town Council’s motion to Halton Region as part of the Regional Official Plan Review and forward the motion and the staff report to the City of Burlington, the Town of Halton Hills, the Town of Milton, Credit Valley Conservation, Grand River Conservation Authority and Conservation Halton.

For more information, please review Town Council’s motion and the staff report.

“The town has been working collaboratively with our municipal partners and the community to plan for a sustainable Halton. Growth is coming and we have to prepare, but not at the cost of sacrificing prime agricultural lands when other options exist. I call on our colleagues at the Region to respect the need to work on the flaws in the land needs assessment and to save the farmland. The land use decisions we make now are irreversible and will affect our future generations.”

- Mayor Rob Burton