Oakville’s town councillors have received a confidential verbal update on a provincial program that could shape the future of Midtown. But they can’t tell you about it.
The update – provided by Oakville CAO Jane Clohecy at a special closed-door meeting of council held on Monday, July 29 – concerns a potential Transit Oriented Communities (TOC) project within Oakville.
But thanks to a confidentiality agreement that the province has required the town to sign, little is publicly known about what is being considered.
That’s wrong, says a coalition of local residents’ associations who have been working together to help shape development in the area around the Oakville GO station.
"We do not understand why this meeting and the TOC initiative should operate in secrecy, hidden from public view by means of a confidentiality agreement," says a letter submitted to town council and copied to local MPPs Stephen Crawford and Effie Triantafilopoulos.
Through the TOC program, the province negotiates with developers to build housing near or at transit stations.
In a May 31 letter, the province informed the town that it was exploring a project in Oakville.
Read more here: Future of Midtown Oakville remains murky
According to Ministry of Infrastructure media spokesperson Sofia Sousa-Dias, the initiative will integrate transit and community development to "bring more housing, including affordable housing options, jobs, retail, public amenities, and entertainment within a short distance of GO stations."
She said the province is "looking at opportunities for TOC sites across many locations," and "will advise once a decision has been made."
In the vicinity of the Oakville GO station, Distrikt Developments has applied to build 11 towers in the 50-storey range.
Read more here: Latest Midtown Oakville development proposal includes 61-storey tower
While the developer’s name has been mentioned publicly by Clohecy, there’s no firm information about who the province is negotiating with.
The lack of public information and consultation worries the Joint Residents Association for Midtown, a coalition made up of four local groups:
- Oakville Lakeside Residents Association
- Joshua Creek Residents Association
- Chartwell-Maple Grove Residents Association
- Trafalgar Chartwell Residents Association
The group is calling on councillors and Oakville MPPs to push the province to allow for "full transparency and accountability on a project of this importance, size and complexity."
"It is well known that a lack of transparency and accountability creates an environment in which the participants often cut corners, write their own rules and pursue their own self interests and not the overarching objectives," says the letter to council.
"The lack of transparency also erodes and impairs stakeholder and public trust in the process, especially when some of the participants stand to make substantial financial gains."
Oakville News asked the Ministry of Infrastructure a list of detailed questions about how, when and if information would be made public, and who would have the ultimate decision-making power about what is developed.
In response, Sousa-Dias wrote in an email that the province is committed to engaging with the public through open houses and posting of proposals for comment: "Details on timing for public engagement opportunities will be provided at a later date."
Her message added that confidentiality agreements are a standard practice used to protect the ability to negotiate agreements in good faith. But she didn’t respond to our question about whether details of a finalized deal would eventually be made public.
In a short statement in advance of Monday’s meeting, Clohecy said the town recognizes public concerns with the lack of transparency in the process.
"As we’ve shared previously, this is a provincially driven mandate," she said.
“It was not requested by the town, as you are well aware of, and it is not controlled by the town. This is a process the province has introduced and is leading us through.”
Clohecy said that the province is developing a proposal and intends to consult with the public in the fall. She added that members of the public should raise concerns about the process with local MPPs.
Crawford did not respond to Oakville News' request for an interview.