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Town finances look good: mayor continued from p.4 that seeks efficiency and focuses on end results and pointed out the town has gotten some attention with the University of Toronto's Institute on Municipal Finance and Governance where Director Dr. Enid Slack ranked Oakville number one in fiscal health, 32 per cent stronger than its nearest competitor. Mayor on property taxes He also pointed out that for eight years in a row the Town has been able to keep property tax increases at or below inflation and keep its Triple A credit rating all without cutting services to residents. "Oakville's economic outlook has never been better. We are attractive to global industrial leaders. Ford's employment numbers are at an amazing level. Council and I and our staff are also working very hard to create an environment where more small and medium sized businesses can survive and thrive," said Burton. "Council makes it a goal to attract and support four key sectors as part of our Economic Development Strategy. Those are advanced manufacturing, life sciences, digital media, and knowledge based industries. We know there are other industries, but we target these four because we believe they create a strategic foundation. "These four sectors in particular spark so much of the innovation and productivity advances that help grow a while economy." In material distributed to the audience Burton noted Oakville celebrated more than 460,000 square feet of new industrial and commercial development in 2015. That development pace is expected to continue as investments are made in new business parks. New and expanding businesses New and expanding businesses listed in 2015 included GPS fleet management company Geotab, Ford Motor Company of Canada (added 400 workers), plastic container manufacturer Monarch Plastics Ltd., logistics company Westcon-Comstor Canada, system protection and control company Virelec, nuclear and energy industry component manufacturer Laker Energy Products, security software company iView Systems, financial services company John Deere Financial, and management software company VelocityEHS. The total construction value for commercial building permits issued in 2015 reached more than $86.3 million. New industrial building permit activity totalled just under $6 million with the largest permit issued for the development of a threestorey self storage building on Cornwall Road. continued from p.8 "There are synergies in working together. There's definitely potential to be stronger," she said. While it's unclear what her new role will be in the new organization, Holmes said she's excited to be "part of something bigger." She said she believes there's more fundraising potential because of combined resources and talent. While a decision hasn't been made about what the new entity will be called, Park noted it would encompass all regions and areas it covers. "As far as locations, we're looking at what would make the best sense as far as where we should have a location. In the short term, it's not going to look any different. We're still going to have four different locations and in the future, we're certainly going to make sure we have a presence in each one of the five local communities." United Way Oakville says working together will bring synergies for building strength Park reiterated he believes this is the right move for all communities involved. "United Way Oakville is already a great organization and I truly believe that creating this new organization is a chance for us to be even greater. It really is," he said. "As we've been through the process, there are no cons associated with it. There's just so much benefit to all of our local communities if we create this bigger organization." Chris Cooke, president of United Way of Halton Hills, stated in a press release, through all the changes being put forward, what remains the same is the respect they will have for all the communities that will make up the new, larger United Way. "We will maintain a strong, local presence in each of the original communities," he said. "We understand how important local support is to our partners, donors and agencies." -- with files from Michael Gregory and Steve LeBlanc 13 | Friday, June 3, 2016 | OAKVILLE BEAVER | www.insideHALTON.com Today's School for Tomorrow's World www.GlenburnieSchool.com Glenburnie School OPEN HOUSE Wednesdays 9am Preschool - Grade 8 2035 Upper Middle Rd. East at Ford Drive,Oakville (905) 338-6236 DIRECTBUY MEMBERSHIP OFFERS SO MUCH MORE THAN JUST INCREDIBLE SAVINGS! We combine unbeatable product knowledge, design know-how and customer support, product-savvy specialists, trusted designers and shopping consultants to deliver the right styles for the right price - Guaranteed! DirectBuy is a savings club that provides members a tremendous opportunity to save on merchandise they purchase through us. We now offer the DirectBuy Savings Guarantee! What are you waiting for? MISSISSAUGA Visit mississauga.directbuy.com Call (905) 608 9244 COME IN TODAY TO LEARN ABOUT OUR NEW MEMBERSHIP OPTIONS!