On Monday October 26, 2015 at the Town of Oakville's Council Meeting, Mayor Rob Burton gave his 9th Annual Address on the state of Oakville reviewing the accomplishments of the past year, and future opportunities. It brought several issues into very clear focus.
Mayor Burton is the Chair of the Ontario Auto Mayors, and indicated that the concerns about the Trans Pacific Partnership (TPP) expressed by Dianne Craig, CEO of Ford Motor Company of Canada, would be strongly echoed by the town.
Recently Ms. Craig expressed her deep concern with the terms of the TPP, and plans to ask the new Liberal Government to negotiate the same protection afforded to the US auto industry, as outlined in a story by the Windsor Star on October 23, 2015. Ford Motor Company of Canada is one of Oakville’s largest employers, with thousands of employees.
Glen Abbey Golf Club development was another concern brought forward in the Mayor’s Address. On the 23rd of October Oakville’s Planning Department received notification by the lawyers of the golf course owner, ClubLink who is looking into the possibility of redeveloping the course. The proposal would see 3,000 new housings units being erected on the course. Glen Abbey is Canada’s most famous golf course, has been home to the Canadian Open 25 times, and was designed by Jack Nicholas in 1976. ClubLink purchased the course in 2005, and it is owned by Morguard Corporation a real estate development company.
Finally, Pam Damoff was congratulated by the Mayor and Councillors for the excellent work she has done as the Town Councillor for Ward 2. Ms. Damoff will be leaving council, since she is now the new Member of Parliament for the Oakville North Burlington Riding. She successfully won her riding by over 2,000 votes, receiving 46.7 percent of the vote and 71.4 percent of the electorate voted. She is a member of federal Liberal Party of Canada.
The Mayor stated that Oakville would have a by-election to fill the position of Ward 2's Town Councillor left by Pam Damoff. Pam has been a major force in the community, and as she stated through tears, "this win is bitter sweet". She looks forward to being able to help her community on a Federal level, but will miss the relationships she has built up over the years. Her community involvement included being the Chair of Oakville’s Santa Claus Parade and the Terry Fox Run, the founder of Cycle Oakville, and an organizing committee member of the Polar Bear Dip held each New Year’s Day at Coronation Park.
The complete address by Mayor Burton can be found on Oakville.ca via TownTV. The address starts at the 5:00 minute mark.
