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www.insideHALTON.com · OAKVILLE BEAVER Wednesday, May 9, 2012 · 8 Town going to seven ward system -- but not 'til 2018 By David Lea OAKVILLE BEAVER STAFF The Town of Oakville will be moving to a seven-ward system, but not until the period leading up to the 2018 municipal election. Council voted unanimously Monday to keep the ward boundaries as is for now. Councillors said it makes sense as an extra Oakville seat is expected to be added to Halton Regional Council between 2014 and 2018. That would require the creation of a sevenward system in Oakville rendering any six-ward system councillors voted to create obsolete. "I think we need to take a long-term view of this," said Ward 1 Town and Regional Councillor Alan Johnston, who brought forward the sevenward motion. "I think we need to do it once, I think we need to do it right, I think we have to have minimal disruption for everyone concerned." In the scenario, dubbed 7B in the report, each identifiable residential community is represented in a single ward with no residential community divided internally. The proposed Ward 2-Ward 3 boundary does split the central business district across two wards. In this configuration, the proposed Ward 2 joins the Kerr Street-Dorval Drive corridor and the entire Glen Abbey community south of Upper Middle Road in a single ward. The QEW is used as a dominant boundary between north and south (in two sections) as is Upper Middle Road from the Burlington border to Sixteen Mile Creek. Sixteen Mile Creek serves as the major eastwest boundary south of Dundas Street, essentially splitting the town into two sections. The seventh ward will be north of Dundas Street between Burlington and Eighth Line. The ward boundary review was prompted by the growing inequity of population in the town's existing six wards. In a report presented to council, the consultant, Dr. Robert Williams, displays population trends for 2021 in the new plan. The wards have more equal population with Ward 1 at 31,101 residents, Ward 2 at 33,114, Ward 3 at 33,767, Ward 4 at 27,815, Ward 5 at 36,586, Ward 6 at 30,882 and Ward 7 at 28,557. Council wants each ward to include 17 per cent of Oakville's population -- plus or minus 25 per cent. Ward 5 Town and Regional Councillor Jeff Knoll said the decision was a good one because future councils could change the configuration if Oakville's population grew differently. He also judged the decision to be an economical one. "I have not heard a great outcry from my constituents that this is something they want nor have I heard anybody from across town, there are not a lot of people in this council chamber this evening and none of the meetings on this were particularly well attended," said Knoll. "What we do hear from members of the community is that they do not want us wasting money, they don't want us wasting resources and I think making a change twice is wasting a lot of resources and a lot of time when we know we, or the people who replace us, will be revisiting this." www.facebook.com/ townofoakville @townofoakville www.oakville.ca Parks, Recreation and Library Facilities Master Plan Open Houses Wednesday, May 30, 2012 ­ 2 to 4 p.m. Town Hall, Oakville Room ­ 1225 Trafalgar Road Staff Presentation: 2-3 p.m. Open Discussion: 3-4 p.m. Wednesday, May 30, 2012 ­ 7 to 9 p.m. Town Hall, Committee Rooms 1 and 2 1225 Trafalgar Road Staff Presentation: 7-8 p.m. Open Discussion: 8-9 p.m. Tuesday, June 5, 2012 ­ 7 to 9 p.m. Queen Elizabeth Park Community and Cultural Centre, Rehearsal Hall - 2302 Bridge Road Staff Presentation: 7-8 p.m. Open Discussion: 8-9 p.m. The master plan was developed to assist decision-makers, stakeholders, and residents in understanding Oakville's needs and priorities related to parks, recreation, and library facilities. It identifies the timing for facilities based on many criteria including community need, demands from growth and affordability. The master plan does not, however, determine the sites of new facilities. The original Parks, Recreation and Library Facilities Master Plan (2006) led to the development of several new facilities including Sixteen Mile Sports Complex and Queen Elizabeth Park Community and Cultural Centre, expanded the existing parks system and created new playgrounds, splash pads and sports fields. To review the draft Parks, Recreation and Libraries Facilities Master Plan, visit www.oakville.ca About the Parks, Recreation and Library Facilities Master Plan We want to hear from you! Public input sought for Oakville's Parks, Recreation and Library Facilities Master Plan As part of Vision 2057, the Town of Oakville is preparing an update to its Parks, Recreation and Library Facilities Master Plan and we want to hear from you! Learn more at one of three upcoming open houses. You can also have your say through our online feedback form at www.oakville.ca or email your comments to prlfmp@oakville.ca. Open house Switching Gears system -- getting us closer to our goal of being the most livable town in Canada. Switching Gears (the town's Transportation Master Plan update) will result in a practical, long-term action plan to guide the development of the town's transportation system to meet the needs of planned growth. This study will define existing problems/opportunities, consider and evaluate solutions, and will identify an optimum transportation system to the year 2031. To comply with the Environmental Assessment Act, the study is being conducted in accordance with the Municipal Class Environmental Assessment (EA) process. (Transportation Master Plan) Wednesday, May 16, 2012 -- 6:30­9 p.m. Town Hall, 1225 Trafalgar Road Committee rooms 1 and 2 Open house -- 6:30­7 p.m. & 8:30­9 p.m. Project presentation -- 7­7:40 p.m. Open discussion -- 7:40­8:30 p.m. At this second public open house, an evaluation of the alternative solutions will be presented. You will have an opportunity to have your say on how we change and improve our transportation Following the open house, the next step in the process will be to finalize the preferred transportation strategy taking into account comments that will be received from stakeholders and the public. A final report on the study findings will be presented to Town Council later this summer. If you have any questions related to this study or wish to be added to our mailing list for updates on Switching Gears, please contact: Switching Gears Core Team, Town of Oakville, 1225 Trafalgar Road, Oakville ON L6H 0H3. tmp@oakville.ca. 905-815-6060. For up-to-date information visit www.oakville.ca This notice first issued on May 2, 2012. Special Planning and Development Meeting Monday, May 14, 2012 -- 7 p.m. Town Hall, Council Chamber Town of Oakville Council is holding a special meeting to discuss the proposed Radiocommunications Facilities Protocol. If approved, this new protocol will replace the October 2011 Interim Protocol. Council will review a report that sets out the rationale for the revisions in the protocol. The following proposed changes are recommended by town staff: including residential, to 20 metres from schools and daycares to ensure public consultation Radiocommunications radio licence and spectrum licence recognizes the multiple organizations within Oakville that are consulted on these installations documents to be submitted to the town report from the proponent/facility operator ­ power density calculation request Municipal Comments on urban design and public consultation in a proponent's submission requirements Should any member of the public wish to speak at this meeting, you may register with the Clerk's department by noon, May 14, 2012, by calling 905-815-6015 or emailing townclerk@oakville.ca. Written submissions can be sent to the attention of the Town Clerks, 1225 Trafalgar Road, Oakville, L6H 0H3 or emailed to townclerk@oakville.ca Alternatively, the Chair will invite anyone wishing to speak in the audience to come forward at the appropriate time during the meeting. Delegations are allowed to speak for a maximum of ten minutes. Delegations appearing before Council at this meeting, who have previously appeared on the same subject matter, shall be limited to providing only new information. Additional evenings have been set aside in the event a large number of delegations register to speak. For further information contact: Joe Nethery, 905-845-6601, ext. 3428, joenethery@oakville.ca or visit www.oakville.ca