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www.oakvillebeaver.com The Oakville Beaver, Friday November 14, 2008 - 5 Sustainable Halton plan will miss provincial deadline Region says Official Plan will be six months late By Melanie Hennessey METROLAND WEST MEDIA GROUP If you have a news tip or story idea, call the Oakville Beaver at 845-3824 49 Eastern Av. Acton Hwy 401 to Hwy 25 North 519 - 853 -1031 SALE Leather, Shearling, Fashion Accessories, Home Decor & All Fine Leather Furniture Mon. - Sun. 10am - 6pm Fri. 10am - 9pm www.hidehouse.ca everything is on sale Halton Region is letting the Province know it won't have its Sustainable Halton plan ready on time. At its meeting Wednesday, the planning and public works committee supported a motion that essentially tells the Province while the Region has made substantial progress in its Sustainable Halton process, it won't be able to meet the June 16, 2009 deadline prescribed by the Places to Grow Act. The motion indicates that the work will be done instead by December 16, 2009. The Sustainable Halton plan is being created to steer the growth called for in the Province's Places to Grow plan while preserving and protecting things like greenspace and farmland. It'll also help develop the Region's next Official Plan. A variety of factors have led to the need for a timeline extension, Halton Commissioner of Legislative and Planning Services Mark Meneray told the Beaver. "The (Sustainable Halton) work plan was rather ambitious to begin with," he said. "Also, we're the region that's impacted the most by Places to Grow." Meneray noted that as a result of consultations the Region has held with residents, the local municipalities and private sector through the Sustainable Halton process, the need to also undertake further studies has become apparent, such as a fiscal impact study. So what could the Province do about the Region not being able to meet the deadline? "They could amend our Official Plan for us, but that's pretty unlikely," said Meneray. If the Province ultimately says that Halton has to have everything done by June 16, he said the Region would conform. "But the concern is that council would feel rushed," he said. "Our position is that we would rather do it right than do it on time." Oakville Councillor Tom Adams, Milton Councillor Colin Best, Burlington Councillor John Taylor and Halton Hills Mayor Rick Bonnette all voiced their support for the timeline extension. "It's better to go slow and right than fast and wrong," said Bonnette. Over the next couple months, Region staff intends to work with the local municipalities and public agencies to address concerns that've been raised about the Sustainable Halton growth concepts. Five concepts were created to show how approximately 2,400 hectares of `greenfields,' or undeveloped land, in Milton and Halton Hills could accommodate around 100,000 people and the needed community infrastructure between 2021 and 2031. The concepts also outline where future employment lands could go on about 600 hectares divided between Milton and Halton Hills, mainly along Hwy. 401. Halton CAO Pat Moyle said the relationship Halton has with the local municipalities is much more important than meeting an "arbitrary deadline" set by the Province. "The most important thing is to ensure we're engaging local municipalities in this process," he said. The motion regarding the timeline change will go before regional council Wednesday. Early next year, staff plans to bring a report back to council with two to three recommended growth options and a detailed timetable for moving forward and completing the Sustainable Halton process. of-Town Servi & Outce ort p Air OAKVILLE UNITED TAXI Enjoy the Santa Claus Parade and Holiday Festivities! EXPERIENCED DRIVERS YOU CAN DEPEND ON · · · · · Airport Flat Rates Out-of-Town Service Regular In-Town Service 10% Discount On Parcel Service GPS Computerized Dispatch · · · · · Wheelchair Accessible Vehicles Corporate Accounts Welcome Airport Customer Wake-Up Service 10% Senior Discount - In Town More Than 60 Taxis In Our Fleet 24 hour · 7 days a week 905.338.0044 PLEASE SUPPORT YOUR LOCAL BUSINESS If you are interested in joining our team, please call 905-338-1762