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Mayor Rob Burton is promising to use his office budget, and maybe even dip into town reserves, to fund what appears to be part research project and part lobbying effort.
Alternately described as either an Affordable Housing Panel or a Housing Affordability Consultation Plan, Burton says the initiative will see his office undertake research and consult with a panel of experts knowledgeable about housing issues.
A report written by the mayor’s chief of staff, Jorge Gomez, says writers and researchers hired by the Office of the Mayor and Council will undertake literature reviews and research to identify:
- Ways to increase access to affordable and assisted housing for both rental and purchase
- Possible policies and legislation that various levels of government might use to create more affordable and assisted housing
- A method for measuring the effectiveness of proposals based on the impact they have on the quantity, affordability, and timeline to produce measurable results, as well as an analysis of who pays and/or gains from the proposal
- An advocacy plan for council and the community
The plan will also organize “public information sessions” in every ward to collect public input and inform people of the research.
In a message sent out in his newsletter, Burton was much blunter about his objective, which appears to include stirring up local opposition to possible provincial land use planning changes.
"This project I'm proposing to do with and through Council for the opportunity that provides for maximum public engagement,” he said.
"Ultimately, it's the engaged public of Oakville that succeeds in our defense of our community. And it's our great fortune that we have a public willing to be engaged when our town is threatened."
And in case you didn’t get the less than subtle hint, he even threw in reference to the “ill-placed power plant” and “saving Glen Abbey.”
Earlier this year, a Housing Affordability Task Force appointed by the province offered 55 recommendations to increase Ontario’s supply of houses and lower housing costs.
The group – which critics have noted did not include municipal expertise – set out several controversial recommendations that would eliminate much of the control that municipalities currently have over local land use planning.
The most contentious of the proposals would eliminate zoning rules that currently limit many neighbourhoods to single-family homes. The task force suggested that buildings up to four storeys and four units should be allowed on all residential building lots, subject only to provincial urban design guidelines. It would also limit the ability of municipalities to protect properties for heritage reasons.
Analysis by town and regional planning staff has warned that many of these proposals would undermine the town’s official plan.
Those changes “threaten our Liveable Oakville plan, while doing nothing to actually increase affordability of housing,” said Burton. “And in fact, all of the recommendations, to my eye, appear to do only one thing, and that's increase builder profits.”
While the province has only acted on nine of the task force's more innocuous recommendations, Burton warned that the Minister (of Municipal Affairs and Housing) has indicated a willingness to implement them all in phases over the next four years.
Burton proposes funding the Oakville research from this year’s $1.86 million budget for the Office of Mayor and Council.
While officially endorsed by town council at a special meeting on April 5, the mayor clearly controls this initiative.
In response to a request for further details on the plan from Ward 2 councillor Ray Chisholm, Burton responded: “The Office of Mayor and Council could go do this. It doesn’t technically need council’s approval.”
“I’m choosing this path as an effort to engage council up front, in advance, so that council is seen by the public to be involved and supporting opportunities to increase affordable housing,” he added.
The project aims to wrap up next winter or spring. It’s unclear what might happen with it should Burton fail to be re-elected as mayor in October.
