The following text may have been generated by Optical Character Recognition, with varying degrees of accuracy. Reader beware!

www.oakvillebeaver.com Everyone should have a healthy standard of living. FOOD INSECURITY {C-} In 2006, 6.3% of 12 year olds in Oakville reported at least one occasion of food insecurity. In comparison, 8.0% of 12 year olds across Halton reported at least one occasion of food insecurity. The Oakville Beaver, Wednesday October 8, 2008 - 21 CHILD POVERTY RATE {C+} In 2005, 11.1% of children (18 years and under) lived in poverty within Oakville, based on the before-tax Low Income Cut-Off (LICO); 37.7% lower than the national average and 38.3% lower than the provincial average. LONE-PARENT FAMILIES {C+} Lone-parent families are often at an income disadvantage compared to couple-based families. In 2006, there were 5,470 lone-parent families in Oakville, representing 11.6% of all families. Provincially, 15.7% of families were lone-parent families. Oakville Family Characteristics 2006 GAP BETWEEN C+ RICH AND POOR SHELTER BEDS {C-} The Salvation Army Oakville family shelter program operates 4 beds in Oakville and 10 beds in Burlington. Motels are used as an overflow service. On average, 3.5 families are served in the units and 5.5 families are served in motels every month. Sixty five percent of clients are under the age of 12. In 2006, the Salvation Army Oakville provided shelter for 84 families. POVERTY RATE {B-} In 2005, the before-tax overall poverty rate in Oakville, based on the Low Income Cut-off (LICO) of $33,251 before tax for a family of four, was 9.7%. This figure was 36.6% lower than the national average and 34.0% lower than the provincial average. Everyone should have access to affordable, comfortable, and safe housing. MONTHLY RENT {C-} Between October 2006 and October 2007, the average monthly rent for a two-bedroom apartment in Oakville increased from $1,084 to $1,103. In Toronto* the average rent decreased from $1,067 to $1,061. families 82% Lone-parent families 12% Common-law couple families 6% Female lone-parent 10% Male lone-parent 2% rate in 2007 is more than 3 times higher than it was in 2006. EMERGENCY SHELTER REQUESTS {D+} In 2008, the total number of beds available in homeless shelters in Oakville was 52. All 52 beds were emergency beds. Since 2001, emergency shelter requests in Halton have more than doubled from 643 requests to 1,402 requests per year. HOUSING C - HOUSING PAYMENTS {C} In 2006, the median monthly payments for rented homes in Oakville were $1,045, compared to $801 provincially. Median monthly payments for owned homes in Oakville were $1,466, compared to $1,046 in Ontario. RENTAL VACANCIES {C+} For stability in market prices and a reasonable amount of choice for tenants, vacancy rates in a region should be at least 3.0%. In 2007, the rental vacancy rate of two bedroom apartments in Oakville was 2.6%, lower than the average for all census areas with a population greater than 50,000 (2.7%). The rental vacancy All people and employers should work, live, and thrive in Oakville. BUSINESS TAX BASE {C-} In 2005 the non-residential property tax base in Oakville represented 14.05% of Oakville's total property tax base. In 2006, this proportion dropped to 13.62%. This dropping percentage means that residential growth has outpaced business growth, and that residential property taxes could increase to pay for services provided by the Town. 643 641 Emergency Shelter Requests in Halton 1125 1402 694 677 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 * Refers to Toronto Census Metropolitan Area as defined by Statistics Canada. WHERE WE WORK {C+} In 2006, of the 71,490 Oakville residents who had a fixed workplace job outside of the home, 63.2% worked outside of Oakville. In comparison, 40.0% of Ontarians worked outside of their own municipality. WORK B- MEDIAN FAMILY INCOME {B+} In 2006 the median family income before taxes in Oakville was $90,920. This is 65.3% higher than the provincial average ($55,000) in the same year. EMPLOYMENT GROWTH {B+} From 2001 - 2006 the number of employed residents in Oakville grew 13.4%. This employment growth is above the national rate (9.0%) and the provincial rate (7.9%) for that period. Place of Work Status 2006 Worked outside of Halton Worked in other municipality of Halton Region Worked in Oakville No fixed workplace address Worked at home 6,830 8,545 5,260 26,035 39,920 All people should have access to and support flourishing arts and culture. LIBRARY CARDHOLDERS {A} In 2007 there were 127,788 registered cardholders at Oakville Public Library. This means that there was one library card for every 1.3 people in the Town. Amongst library systems that are part of the Canadian Urban Libraries Council, Oakville ranked fifth (2006) in this category. tries. This is higher than the national rate (2.98%) and the provincial rate (3.10%). Toronto was not much higher than Oakville, at 3.90%. EXPOSURE TO THE ARTS {B+} Since 2006, the percentage of households in Oakville reporting spending on performing arts and on museums have both increased at a faster rate than the national average. ARTS B+ AND CULTURE LIBRARY VISITS {A} In 2006, Oakville Public Library ranked first in the nation for online and in-person visits per capita. In person visits to Oakville Public Libraries have decreased 8.3% between 2004 and 2007, from 1.67 million to 1.53 million. Online visits during that same time period increased 66.9% from 685,750 to 1.14 million. EMPLOYMENT IN CULTURE {B+} Cultural industries include the arts, recreation, sport, and culture. In 2006, 3.81% of employed persons in Oakville had jobs in cultural indusEveryone should have a successful start in life as a child, adult, or newcomer to Oakville. HOMELESS YOUTH {C-} Between April 2005 and March 2006 Transitions for Youth had 155 at-risk youth access their homelessness services program for full services. 198 youth requested information and referrals for homelessness. 47% of the youth seeking full services and 26% requesting information were from Oakville. LOW BIRTH WEIGHT BABIES {B-} Low birth weight babies weigh less than 2500 grams (5 pounds 8 ounces) at birth. These babies may have a more difficult time developing in infanthood and throughout childhood. In 2006, the proportion of low birth weight babies among total births in Oakville was 4.5%. A separate survey found that the national and provincial proportions of low birth weight babies in 2005 - 2006 were 6.1% and 6.3% respectively. Grade 10 Students that `Currently Have Part-Time or Full-Time Job' (2006) 44.4% 46% 41% 33.4% 40.1% Oakville Canada Oakville Canada Oakville Canada Percentage of housholds with exposure to performing arts e Percentage of housholds with exposure to museums, etc. 2006 38.9 35.6 38.3 33.5 2007 38.3 33.5 2008 40.6 41.7 37.1 34.1 36.7 36.6 YOUTH WITH JOBS {C+} In 2006, 33.4% of Oakville grade 10 students said that they currently have a part-time or full-time job, compared to 40.1% across Halton Region. GETTING C + STARTED Burlington Milton Oakville Halton Hills Halton Region