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4- The Oakville Beaver, Friday January 18, 2008 www.oakvillebeaver.com An Oakville woman is recovering from injuries received after being struck by an Oakville Transit bus early Tuesday morning. Halton Police say the woman was walking her dog eastbound on River Glen Boulevard and was crossing Mowat Avenue when the bus hit her. The driver of the bus, who had been travelling westbound on River Glen Boulevard when he turned onto Mowat Avenue, did not realize he struck the woman and continued on his route, however, a passerby witnessed the incident and alerted emergency personnel. The woman was transported to Oakville-Trafalgar Memorial Hospital where she was treated for non-life threatening injuries. Her dog was not injured. The woman was walking across a crosswalk at the time of the incident. The Halton Regional Police Service is continuing to investigate this incident. Anyone with information related to it is asked to contact Constable Clemencia Pineda at the Oakville Uniform Division at 905-825-4777 ext. 2205. Woman struck by bus OMB decision gives green light to north Oakville's Natural Heritage System By Kim Arnott SPECIAL TO THE BEAVER Please Remain Seated... For a limited time, purchase any Heat & Glo fireplace and receive a Free remote or fan kit! The dream of a green north Oakville has been given the stamp of approval by the Ontario Municipal Board (OMB). In a decision that finalizes details of how land north of Dundas Street will be developed, the OMB has accepted the town's proposed boundaries for the Natural Heritage System (NHS) ­ a linked system of green space and wildlife corridors to be protected from development. It also described Oakville's approach of protecting interconnected systems, rather than individual environmental features, as "the best hope a municipality has to preserve not only isolated pockets of green, but also to preserve and enhance vital, living and natural systems." Although the praise was laid at the feet of the Town, Ward 3 Councillor Allan Elgar believes environmental protection in north Oakville really came about as a result of pressure from concerned residents. "We need to remember that it was the residents, especially the grassroots volunteers of Oakvillegreen Conservation Association, who first insisted on the NHS," he said. "Initially, Town planners and many members of council said it was not feasible. "In the end, the naysayers were defeated in the 2003 and 2006 municipal elections, and the NHS is going to be a reality." A settlement reached last August with over a dozen of north Oakville's largest landowners resulted in the public dedication of about 600 hectares of woodlots, streams and other natural areas to create a NHS larger than New York's Central Park or Vancouver's Stanley Park. However, the Town still needed to defend its plan at the OMB against two property owners seeking to develop on land identified for preservation. In its ruling in favour of the town's proposed boundaries, the OMB lauded Oakville for doing "an admirable job of balancing the need to provide land to accommodate mandated growth, with the equally important need to maintain a vital healthy Natural Heritage System." The board also approved the town's plan to reserve the land at the northwest corner of Dundas Street and Neyagawa Boulevard for a future public high school. With the OMB decision in hand, the town now has a completed secondary plan that will govern how the 2,300 hectares of land east of Sixteen Mile Creek in north Oakville will be developed. However, work still remains to be done on servicing and transportation issues, and significant construction isn't expected for several years, noted Jane Clohecy, the town's commissioner of planning and development. "It represents the greenest vision ever embraced for development in Oakville. It's a ringing decision and I think it's going to be inspirational for others in other communities," said Mayor Rob Burton, noting he expects to see NHS become an integral part of planning from the beginning of the process in future in Halton. The plan calls for the area, which will eventually house about 50,000 residents and 35,000 jobs, to feature denser, more pedestrian-friendly and transit-oriented development than the town has elsewhere. About 40-45 people and jobs per hectare are expected, as compared to typical residential densities of about 20 per hectare south of the QEW, and 25 per hectare north of the QEW. However, not everyone is extolling the virtues of the plan. On Thursday, the Mississauga-based Sustainable Urban Development Association (SUDA) was critical of the plan because it failed to meet minimum provincial standard for development on greenfield lands. The minimum provincial standard is 50 residents and jobs per gross hectare. "It is, in effect, suburban sprawl," stated John Stillich, general manager of SUDA, in a press release. "If this Oakville example is applied broadly across the Greater Golden Horseshoe, enormous amounts of precious agricultural and rural lands will be destroyed." SUDA contends the low density of the North Oakville plan will require other municipalities in Halton to achieve higher densities to offset the Oakville shortfall. For the Health of Our Community "MASONRY & FIREPLACE DESIGN SPECIALISTS" w w w. c o b b l e s t o n e m b e r s . c a 406 SPEERS RD., OAKVILLE ACROSS FROM RONA LANSING 905.337.2066 Carpet Cleaning Specialists Since 1952 Spot! RESIDENTIAL & COMMERCIAL WALL TO WALL FURNITURE & UPHOLSTERY AREA RUGS PERSIAN & ORIENTAL Truck Mount In-Plant Service Water Damage Restoration 25% Drop-off Discount! Thank you to the Frank Sabatino Memorial Hockey Tournament! Thanks to the organizers & the 36 teams participating in this annual Tournament, held Jan 18-20, in memory of Frank Sabatino who lost his battle to cancer in 2001. OTMH will use the proceeds donated from the Tournament in the Palliative Care area, to provide as much comfort as possible to patients and their families at this time of their lives. . Thank you for the health of our community! FREE 250 ml SPOTTING BOTTLE www.onthespotcleaning.ca 1446 WALLACE RD., OAKVILLE, ON Bronte t P: (905) 338-4642 F: (905) 257 -6758 www.oakvillehospitalfoundation.com 905-825-4256 QEW W Speers Wallace