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Mayor delivers Economic Update for the Members of the Chamber

Economic Update | Tania Haldar
Economic Update | Tania Haldar

On Tuesday, April 3, 2018, Oakville Mayor Rob Burton addressed 320 business leaders at his yearly economic update. Mayor Burton has to thread a fine line when he is addressing groups who have various interests. The message is consistent, however, the concerns are unique.

Naturally, Chamber Members were particularly interested in what affects them most, which is the health of Oakville’s business environment.

The overview from the Mayor painted a very positive picture. Better infrastructure to improve the movement of goods is a top priority for local businesses.

“More than 30 kilometres on 70 of our roads through the town’s annual Road Resurfacing Program will be improved", stated Mayor Burton. "The Town is also starting multi-year work to add capacity to major town and regional roads on Kerr Street above the QEW, and on Cornwall, North Service, Speers, Dundas and Trafalgar roads.”

The mayor also stressed that the Liveable Oakville Plan draws and keeps businesses in Oakville. Well-planned growth, strong schools, beautiful green spaces all play an important role in Oakville’s Economic success. With out these, Oakville would not be as competitive or as attractive to new and existing businesses. He sited Amazon short-listing Oakville as a potential location for it’s new headquarters. He also mentioned several major corporations who have moved into Oakville.

Mayor Burton was particularly pleased with Ontario’s decision to limit the authority of Ontario Municipal Board. As of April 3, 2018, the OMB will no longer be able to over rule provincially approved official plans such as Liveable Oakville. However, this decision is not retro-active, so for the Save Glen Abbey group the OMB process will continue. It is believed that a final decision regarding the fate of Glen Abbey Golf Club will be reached by 2019.

The talk also included a question and answer session:

Question 1: Greatest threats to Oakville success

Answer: President Donald Trump

Question 2: How will the town foster innovations?

Answer: The creation of an innovation hub that will be located in the Old Post Office. It will not only focus on technology but will also include the arts.

Question 3: During the reconstruction of Lakeshore Road East in Downtown Oakville, what will the town do to protect businesses?

Answer: The town will not provide direct financial supports for businesses in Downtown Oakville. It has studied and will implement mitigation programs that were successful.

The mayor’s Economic Update speech can be found on Oakville.ca.

“State of the Town” Address by Oakville’s Mayor to Local Business Community for 2017


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