2022 Annual Report Areas of Focus

Opposing urban expansion into prime farmland

The land use decisions we make now are irreversible, affecting future generations of Oakville residents. That’s why our Town Council strongly opposed Halton Region’s plans to expand future growth into 5,200 acres of prime agricultural land in Halton. Instead, Oakville Council called for greater intensification within existing urban areas to accommodate future growth, protecting the character of existing neighbourhoods. 

Although the province ultimately rejected requests to freeze Halton Region’s urban boundary for several years, we will continue to advocate for responsible and strategic growth. That means encouraging transit-supportive, compact mixed-use development in alignment with our Urban Structure; maintaining the character of our stable residential areas and protecting rural and agricultural lands; preserving environmental areas and reducing greenhouse gas emissions.

Responding to affordable housing legislation

Oakville supports every effort to improve access to affordable housing. However, the provincial More Homes for Everyone Act (Bill 109) that passed in 2022 could potentially affect the revenue we receive from planning application fees by at least $2.9 million annually, placing an additional burden on taxpayers. 

Meanwhile, the More Homes Built Faster Act (Bill 23) — which received Royal Assent in November — will reduce the revenue we collect from developers to fund new parks, roads and recreational amenities. The new laws require the town to be adaptive, and the province has provided assurance of support to municipalities to address funding shortfall.  

Showcasing what makes Oakville a great place to do business 

Attracting new investment is essential to recovering from the pandemic, creating new jobs and sustaining the long-term health of our local economy. To support those efforts, the Town of Oakville launched a new Community Profile (pdf) in February 2022. The award-winning publication highlights how the town’s livability, strong job market and continued investment from industry leaders make it the perfect place to work and do business. 

Meanwhile, the town’s 2022 Economic Development Annual Report showcases how those efforts — plus some of the lowest taxes and development charges of 17 surrounding municipalities — have paid off with new jobs, new companies relocating here and the growth of established Oakville businesses.

Extending the town’s popular patio program

Town staff approved 88 permits for patios in 2022, as part of the Commercial Recovery Initiative launched two years ago to help local businesses impacted by the pandemic and extended to the end of 2022. The program allowed businesses to install temporary patios, bistros and merchandising sites in a variety of locations — including sidewalks, on-street parking spaces, Towne Square and more — and waived the permit and licensing fees. 

Making downtown smarter and easier to navigate

In 2022, we implemented new smart technologies and services to enhance the downtown experience. 

These included:

• Offering a free Wi-Fi network, from Navy to Allan streets along Lakeshore Road East
• Adding new digital information kiosks to help visitors learn what is happening in the area
• Installing two digital signs showing real-time parking availability (a map with real-time parking information is also available online)
• Making it free to park in downtown municipal lots between 6 p.m. and 2 a.m. 
• Making it easy to purchase overnight passes (good until 6 a.m.) through HonkMobile or our website

Creating a central culture hub 

In September 2022, Council directed staff to begin planning for new cultural facilities. These will include a new downtown library, gallery and performing arts centres, as well as large open space areas such as a Navy Street Plaza and Riverfront Park. Meanwhile, spreading these attractions throughout the downtown area will help manage the staging of construction and minimize disruptions to residents and businesses as much as possible. 

Charting a path forward for Midtown Oakville 

In May 2022, the town proposed an Official Plan Amendment to transform Midtown Oakville into a vibrant community where thousands of people can live and work in the coming decades. As Oakville’s primary growth area, Midtown is located near the Oakville GO Station and bounded by the QEW/Highway 403, Chartwell Road, Cornwall Road and Sixteen Mile Creek. 

The plan builds off of the Vision Council originally approved in 1999 and intends to create a desirable urban environment where people can live, work and play in a walkable, mixed-use neighbourhood that is well connected to the rest of Oakville. Under the guidance of Council’s Committee of the Whole, the policies for Midtown will be finalized in 2023.

Securing $790,000 for community enhancements in Bronte

A mixed-use development going up at the corner of Lakeshore Road and East Street will be limited to 10 storeys — the maximum allowed under the town’s official Livable Oakville plan — rather than the 15 storeys originally proposed. In a settlement between the town and the developer that was approved by the Ontario Land Tribunal in July 2022, the developer will also provide $790,000 at the Building Permit stage in community benefit charges. These funds will support community infrastructure in the Bronte area, such as parkland, streetscapes and public art as determined through a future Budget process.

Reinvigorating Oakville’s former hospital site 

In 2022, the town finalized the sale of a block of Oakville’s former hospital lands to Fernbrook Homes. The developer plans to build 19 single detached dwelling lots along MacDonald Road and Allan Street and 16 townhomes across from the new community centre. It’s part of a bigger project to transform the former hospital lands into a community centre, park and seniors-oriented housing district. Fernbrook Homes has committed to ensuring all new homes complement the existing mature residential neighbourhood.

Restoring the Oakville Museum Coach House 

On May 14, 2022, the newly restored Coach House at the Oakville Museum officially opened its doors to residents and visitors. Built in 1899, the heritage landmark originally housed the horses, carriages and gardener’s cottage for Erchless Estate. Now, thanks to a two-year restoration and enhancement project, that heritage is preserved as a multi-purpose venue for cultural and community programming. The grand opening celebrations featured a horse-and-carriage photo opportunity, Edwardian-era games, live entertainment and more. 

Adding more recreational facilities in north Oakville

Construction began in 2022 for a new recreation and culture complex and outdoor amenities just north of Neyagawa Boulevard and Dundas Street. The space will feature two additional sports fields, a skateboard park, washroom facilities and more. Meanwhile, a new community centre and library opening in 2025 will connect to the existing Sixteen Mile Sports Complex, offering flexible, multi-use spaces for a variety of programs. 

Further northwest, the town purchased 110 acres of new parkland on Lower Base Line in December 2022. The town will determine future uses of the park  as part of a 2023 update to our Parks, Recreation and Library Facilities Master Plan. 

Extending Oakville Public Library outdoors

In July 2022, the Glen Abbey Library Branch unveiled its brand-new outdoor space. The 1,900-square-foot patio incorporates a shade canopy, planters and built-in seating, making it a great place to gather, read and enjoy library programs!

To develop the best programs, services and plans possible, the town relies on input from community members. In 2022, we used online surveys, virtual meetings and other engagement tools to gather crucial feedback on a number of initiatives, including: 

• the town’s Noise By-law
• Oakville’s Parking Management Strategy
• the new community centre and library coming to north Oakville, and outdoor park amenities
• the new Parks Plan 2031
• a refresh of the Community Spirit Awards
• a potential home energy retrofit program to help homeowners cut costs and reduce greenhouse gas emissions

The town also conducted a 2022 Citizen Survey to get insight from residents on a wide variety of topics.

Planning for inclusion, diversity, equity and accessibility 

Since 2021, we’ve been working closely with Canadian Centre for Diversity and Inclusion— a leading organization in diversity and inclusion in the workplace — to assess the town’s current inclusion and diversity efforts. This included gathering workplace demographics, capturing inclusion sentiments in the town’s workforce and community, and undertaking a comprehensive policy review. In August 2022, the findings were shared with Council and staff. 

Our next step is to develop a multi-year plan to support inclusion, diversity, equity and accessibility, based on the opportunities identified in our assessment. The town is building off the 2019 Oakville Universal Design Standards (OUDS) which informs our annual Accessibility Work Plan to ensure the OUDS requirements are implemented throughout our facilities. The OUDS is updated on a five-year basis.

Spotlighting a career in fire services for young women

Each year, the Oakville Fire Department — in partnership with the City of Burlington and the towns of Halton Hills and Milton — helps young women explore a future in the fire services through the Blaze Fire Academy. In 2022, the two-day event gave 24 participants a taste of everything from search-and-rescue operations to fire investigation, communications and public education. 

Engaging our community in Truth and Reconciliation

The town offered a variety of ways for Oakville residents to mark the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation in 2022. These included:

• Participating in a virtual woodland paint class 
• Watching Indigenous films on the grounds of Oakville Museum
• Walking along the Moccasin Trails to explore the history of the lands 
• Learning how to make traditional hairpipe bracelets 
• Visiting Tannery Park to explore the First Nations history wall and Moccasin Identifier, which highlight significant cultural historic sites and the ancestral presence of First Nations, Métis and Indigenous communities
• In conjunction with the Debwewin project, town staff also installed 22 Land Treaty signs on town property in recognition of Treaty 14 and Treaty 22.  

Unveiling Oakville’s first orange crosswalk 

In June 2022, the town and the Mississaugas of the Credit First Nation unveiled Oakville’s first orange crosswalk. Located downtown at Thomas and Church streets, it honours the children who never returned home from residential schools across Canada. The intersection also features a permanent interpretive sign providing information to help the public reflect on generational impact, trauma and oppression endured by Indigenous peoples in Canada, as well as to learn more about the treaty lands that Oakville exists on. Meanwhile, a utility cabinet on the corner has been covered in a Moccasin Identifier Project design of four moccasins representing the four Indigenous linguistic groups in Ontario.

Celebrating Pride

The rainbow flag was flown at Town Hall throughout the month of June in recognition of Pride Month and Oakville’s 2SLGBTQIA+ community. Residents were encouraged to walk along one of Oakville’s rainbow crosswalks,  and participate in Oakville Public Library’s Community Conversations Series, story reading activities to provide a supportive and inclusive environment focused on fun. 

Continuing the discussion of Indigenous culture and community 

Planting our Seeds launched in 2021 as an eight-week virtual program celebrating Indigenous culture and community. In 2022, the Town of Oakville proudly partnered with Grandmother’s Voice to offer Planting our Seeds 2.0: Resurgence of the Indigenous Voice. Throughout November, the free series featured weekly Zoom discussions on historical and contemporary issues, led by local Indigenous leaders. In December, an in-person session was held at the orange crosswalk in downtown Oakville.

Delivering the lowest tax increase in Halton

Oakville Council unanimously approved the 2022 operating and capital budgets (pdf), which include a 1.5 per cent tax increase — the lowest increase in Halton. The approved budget saw residential property taxes increase by $10.80 per $100,000 of assessment, meaning that the owner of a home assessed at $800,000 would pay an additional $86.40 per year. 

Increasing town revenues through a new partnership with Enbridge 

Oakville Enterprises Corporation (OEC) is a group of 15 energy and infrastructure companies — including Oakville Hydro — that serve clients across Canada and beyond. It’s also an important revenue stream for the town, which is OEC’s majority shareholder. Now, that revenue is poised to grow substantially, thanks to a deal that saw Enbridge join OEC as a minority shareholder in 2022. Having a large utility partner like Enbridge will allow OEC to expand and diversify its businesses and provide access to significant capital for municipal infrastructure. 

Funding growth in Oakville

As Oakville grows, more land and infrastructure are needed, which cost the town money to provide. To recover these costs and minimize the impact on taxpayers, Council approved updates to three important by-laws in 2022: 

• Development Charges, collected from property developers to help pay for infrastructure like roads, libraries and fire stations
• Community Benefits Charges, a new charge collected from high-density developments that will help fund municipal parking, public art and cultural entertainment spaces
• Parkland Dedication, requiring developers to transfer parkland or cash in lieu of parkland to the town

According to our 2022 Citizen Survey (pdf), satisfaction with the town remains high: 

• 93 per cent of Oakville residents expressed overall satisfaction with town programs and services
• 85 per cent expressed overall satisfaction with their customer service experience
• 80 per cent reported feeling positive about their local government
• Despite pandemic-related challenges, nearly 78 per cent of respondents said they were satisfied with how the town adapted to the public health emergency

In October 2022, more than 41,000 Oakville voters cast their vote to elect the Mayor; Regional and Town Councillors; the Halton Regional Chair; and trustees for the local school boards. To ensure a fair, transparent and inclusive election, the town: 

• Held seven voter engagement events during the summer, including a mock voting exercise for children 
• Recruited nearly 500 members of the public and 130 town staff as election workers
• Ran a fair and smooth election at 60 voting locations including long-term care facilities 
• Successfully piloted a new drive-thru voting location at the Oakville Trafalgar Community Centre

Offering more permit applications online

As part of Oakville’s Digital Strategy, the town made it easier and faster for developers, contractors, businesses and residents to do business with the town. In 2022, we moved three more permit applications online — development engineering permits, sign permits and noise exemption permits — allowing people to submit forms, make payments and track the status of their applications with a few clicks. In 2023, we expect to transition all planning and development-related applications to an entirely online process.  

Getting active and creative online

Since the introduction of new recreation and booking software in fall 2021, over 40,000 people have actively engaged with Oakville’s online services for parks, recreation, and culture. This includes registering in seasonal and drop-in programs, purchasing memberships, and booking facilities such as arenas, gymnasiums, picnic areas, and photography locations. Ensuring convenient and user-friendly self-serve options to access programs and services remains top priority. 

Leveraging smart technology for smarter planning

In 2022, the town launched a 3D GIS map of Oakville, making it easier to visualize and assess the impacts of proposed developments on the surrounding community. Technological enhancements such as this are useful for staff and for engagement opportunities with the public for future developments. In 2023, we are going to be implementing a new smart city planning tool, ArcGIS Urban. This interactive tool will help the town enhance urban planning and design, manage and measure development, as well as provide a more immersive 3D experience for staff and applicants. 

Helping more small businesses expand their online presence

Since launching in 2019, the Digital Service Squad in Oakville has assisted more than 550 local businesses through grants, webinars and one-on-one consultations. In 2022, the Town of Oakville — in partnership with the Bronte Village BIA, Downtown Oakville BIA, Kerr Village BIA and Oakville Chamber of Commerce — secured a $195,000 grant from the Digital Main Street program. This additional funding will allow the squad to continue their work until March 2024, helping more local businesses adopt online technologies.

Making meaningful progress on cutting carbon emissions

The town builds off the 2021 Greenhouse Gas Reduction & Action Plan developed for Oakville. This plan informs our annual Energy Management Work Plan to make our facilities less reliant on fossil fuels and move us closer to our goal of becoming net-zero carbon by 2050. 

According to the latest Progress Report on Reduction of Energy Use and Carbon Emissions and update on the Community Energy Strategy (pdf), the town is on track to meet and exceed our 2030 interim targets of reducing corporate energy use by 20 per cent and reduce carbon emissions by 30 per cent from 2015 baseline. We also laid the groundwork for further progress, including: 

• Releasing our Climate Action: Progress and Directions Report, which recommends initiatives to increase engagement and accountability in the town’s climate efforts
• Examining the feasibility of deep energy retrofits to the town’s facilities to meet low energy use standards and achieve net-zero carbon emissions 
• Conducting pre-feasibility studies on creating district energy systems in the Hospital District and Downtown and Kerr Village

Expanding Oakville’s EV charging network 

Residents and visitors now have more places to charge their electric vehicles. In 2022 the town added 16 new Level 2 charging stations, each capable of charging two vehicles at a time. Oakville now provides 46 municipally owned chargers,  conveniently located in commercial shopping districts, town community centres and Town Hall. This community-wide network of charging stations will enable more people to make the switch to electric vehicles, helping the town cut greenhouse gas emissions in half by 2041.

Securing new parkland in northwest Oakville 

In November 2022, the town expanded its parkland system with the $8.4 million purchase of a property on Lower Base Line in northwest Oakville. Approximately 110 acres in size, the area is mostly made up of wooded ravine lands, with the East Sixteen Mile Creek running through it. 

Launching Oakville’s new Parks Plan 2031

To guide how the town will grow our already impressive parkland system, Town Council approved the new Parks Plan 2031 in September 2022. The Plan addresses how to meet park needs in urban centres such as Midtown, Uptown, Bronte GO and Palermo. This will provide plenty of parks, trails and greenspace for residents to enjoy.  

Helping residents and coyotes safely co-exist 

Coyotes are found in almost every urban centre in North America, including Oakville. To help residents avoid negative experiences with these urban neighbours, the town has a  coyote management program, a system to report sightings and public education programs. 

In early spring 2022, the town held its annual virtual information session to provide residents with facts about urban coyotes, answer questions and offer tips on how to reduce conflicts and respond to sightings.

Controlling LDD moth infestation

LDD moths are invasive insects that can quickly devour the leaves of many trees and shrubs. Our survey of LDD egg masses in fall 2021 suggested that, unless we took action, infestations would impact 885 acres of town woodlands in 2022 and kill a significant number of trees. That’s why the town conducted an aerial spray in 33 town woodlands over the summer, using a safe and naturally occurring insecticide. We also used ground spraying to protect targeted municipal trees near woodlands that were at high risk of infestations.

In 2022, Council received the Oakville Urban Mobility and Transportation Strategy. The new strategy aligns mobility choices with land uses, prioritizes pedestrians, cyclists and transit users, and will guide how the town can create and promote walkable and cycle-friendly communities with easy access to public transit. Specifically, it aims to help the town:

• Design neighbourhoods with places to live, work, shop, play and relax — all less than 15 minutes away
• Move people more efficiently, while lowering greenhouse gas emissions
• Reduce car dependency  
• Optimize roads to efficiently move goods that support our community and economy

Today, it’s even easier to get around Oakville on foot, bike or skateboard. Construction of the Crosstown Trail from Bristol Circle to Winston Churchill Boulevard was completed in August 2022, with funding support from the Ontario Municipal Commuter Cycling Program. 

Meanwhile, a detailed design of the Crosstown Trail from Fourth Line to Bronte Road is well underway. We also began a feasibility study to review the possibility of on-road bike lanes on Lakeshore Road East between Allan Street and Winston Churchill Boulevard.

Collaborating with Metrolinx on new underpasses 

To create safer roads and reduce traffic congestion, Town of Oakville has been working with Metrolinx to build new underpasses beneath GO train tracks at Burloak Drive and Kerr Street. Due to cost implications, the  Kerr Street underpass is on hold. The Burloak Drive underpass is within the town’s original budget and set to be completed by mid-2026, approximately a year earlier than initially planned. The town continues to work with Metrolinx to advance the Kerr Street underpass project.  

Keeping our neighbourhood streets safe 

Through our Neighbourhood Traffic Safety Program, we enhanced the safety of all road users in Oakville in many ways in 2022. 

This included:

• Launching a 40 km/h pilot in the Lakeshore Woods neighbourhood 
• Collecting speed data from all three 40 km/h area pilots
• Installing 19 pedestrian crossovers and designing another 20
• Implementing Community Safety Zones at 11 new sites and assessing a further 14 potential sites
• Completing traffic calming surveys on 22 streets

Celebrating 50 years of Oakville Transit!

In 1972, Oakville Transit began with 10 buses and five routes. Today, our 136-bus fleet now serves dozens of routes, four GO train stations and two GO bus terminals and has eight bus routes that connect with public transit in Burlington and Mississauga. 

Offering free Wi-Fi on Oakville Transit — and free connections to GO Transit

We’ve made free Wi-Fi available on all conventional and specialized buses. Now, riders can use their transit time to catch up on work, enjoy online leisure time or connect with family and friends.  

Meanwhile, since March 2022, you no longer have to pay the Oakville Transit fare when you transfer to or from a GO bus or train. For example, if you take a local bus to the Bronte GO station, the fare you pay for your Oakville Transit trip will be fully credited to your PRESTO card, automatically. This means that anyone who commutes back and forth using Oakville Transit and GO Transit five days a week could save $400 annually on local transit expenses.  

Launching a new Ride On-Demand pilot 

Oakville Transit now offers a curb-to-curb shared-ride service in fully accessible transit vehicles. Launched in 2022, the pilot allows customers in south and north Oakville to request a ride from one address to another within the designated zone or to our transit hubs in the same zone. Looking ahead, we plan to expand the initiative to other parts of town and to add an app that makes it even easier to book and manage trips.