Oakville Chamber of Commerce
Oakville Mayor Rob Burton was the first at bat in the Oakville Chamber of Commerce series “Oakville on Deck”, where the Chamber interviews Oakville’s elected officials. The series continues with Oakville’s two Provincial MPPs tomorrow, and our two Federal MPs, including Minister of Public Services and Procurement, the Honourable Anita Anand, on Thursday.
Tim Caddigan, past chair of the Chamber, quizzed the Mayor on the effects of the pandemic, the federal and provincial budgets, and on various Town of Oakville-related issues, notably the digital strategy and the rising cost of housing.
Mayor Burton expressed his gratitude for not being in the position of the Federal and Provincial governments in navigating the complex factors in making public health decisions in the pandemic. Wishing, of course, for more in the budget for municipalities, he nevertheless recognized that there are other more urgent priorities at both senior levels of government at the moment.
The Mayor acknowledged that this has been a very stressful year, adjusting to the restrictions and revenue losses the Town has had to absorb during the pandemic. As the closest level to the taxpayer, the Town is often the first resort for businesses and residents challenged by lockdowns, even though it is powerless. He and his Council colleagues help constituents access the services provided at other levels of government. This, along with managing the Town, has meant long working hours and fatiguing virtual meetings.
Asked how he handles the stress, Burton expressed his gratitude for his family's good health. Burton has embraced diet and exercise, emerging from the pandemic feeling healthier and fitter, which he implied has been essential to coping with the difficult circumstances faced by elected officials in these challenging times.
Mr. Caddigan asked the Mayor about the Town’s digital strategy. Mayor Burton confirmed that the pandemic has been beneficial because it accelerated the digitization of services and service access out of necessity.
Mr. Caddigan also challenged the Mayor on how Oakville would attract business, given that the cost of housing here has escalated dramatically. In response, the Mayor challenged the use of the term affordability, stating that for an economist, affordable means a buyer is willing and able to pay and that the rapid rate of house deals around the community proves that housing is indeed affordable. Mayor Burton emphasized Oakville’s attractiveness as a place to live through its planning, amenities and location. In his view, business owners often choose to live here and then locate their business here, bringing employment. The message was that the primary responsibility for the Town government in Oakville’s economic development is to keep making the community more and more “Livable”.
You can see the Mayor’s interview and the rest of Oakville on Deck on Facebook, using this link: https://oakvillechamber.com/eventitem/?id=15346
Oakville Chamber of Commerce
Facebook Live Oakville On Deck
Chamber Interviews Oakville's elected officials
