Employment area policy updates going to Council December 8, 2025

Proposed Official Plan Amendments reflect community input and support business growth

At the Planning and Development meeting on December 8, Oakville Council will consider proposed amendments to the Town’s Official Plans that update Employment Area policies. The changes - developed following engagement with residents, the business community, landowners, and developers - respond to recent provincial direction and aim to keep Oakville competitive for business investment and job growth.

The meeting is a statutory public meeting, and members of the public are invited to attend and delegate. A staff report outlining the proposed amendments will be available online ahead of the meeting.

Employment Areas are lands designated for non-residential use such as offices, manufacturing, warehouses, and businesses that create and sustain jobs in Oakville. Protecting these lands ensures that as Oakville grows, job opportunities grow too and people can live and work in the community. Employment Areas are delineated in blue in the Livable Oakville Official Plan, Schedule A1, Urban Structure (pdf). 

On October 20, 2024, the Province of Ontario introduced a new definition for “areas of employment,” which affects some areas in Oakville currently identified only for business and employment uses. In response, the Town launched an Employment Areas Review in February 2025 to guide how provincial directions and related policies would be implemented while protecting job growth and land supply for the long term.

As part of the first phase of the review, the Town hosted rounds of engagement in June and October 2025. An Employment Areas Review Preliminary Directions report went to Planning and Development Council on November 3. Feedback from these activities helped shape the proposed Official Plan Amendments. 

More information is available on the Employment Areas Review page.