The Bronte Village Residents Association (BVRA) hosted its first Town Hall for 2020 to a standing room crowd in the Rehearsal Hall at QE Park Community & Cultural Centre on Thursday evening on January 16th.
Guest speakers included Mayor Rob Burton and Mark Simeoni, the Director of Planning for the Town of Oakville. Mayor Burton spoke to Bill 108 - More Homes, More Choices Act saying he would like to see the return of Local Planning Appeal Tribunal (LPAT) rulings which valued the strength in local planning, decisions by council and community engagement.
“I was impressed by the more than 125 engaged Oakville residents who turned out last night in spite of the cold weather. Town Staff and Council make the best decisions when the community is fully engaged in our decision-making and it was great to hear from residents and answer their questions. Community engagement is the heart and soul of Oakville and what makes us special,” stated the Mayor.
In addition to commenting on the local development applications, Mark Simeoni expressed his concern regarding the funding for development charges and soft charges which normally fall to the developer.
“These costs do not go away and poses a concern as to how they will be met.”
Simeoni also spoke to his concern about the reduced timelines which does not give the municipal planning department enough time to thoroughly vet an application especially the complex one including how reduced time will impact community engagement.
Shelley Thornborrow, President of the BVRA, focused on community engagement and echoed Mayor Burton’s concern about Bill 108. “It is clear that a higher level of engagement is necessary especially beginning with the pre-consultation process to ensure a transparent process that leads to sustainable local development.