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KIMBERLY CATO www.trueroots.org Daily: 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. (Extended COVID Hours) 905-337-2566 Stories from local Black, Indigenous and People of Colour Business Owners mence on Aug. 3, 2021, for 20 weeks," said Shaw. "It is scheduled to proceed as a hybrid hearing, which means there will be some in- person attendance at town hall by the parties and some video conferencing, if need- ed. If the hearing proceeds as a hybrid, it will be live streamed for public viewing at town hall and available on YouTube." On Jan. 23, the Ontario Superior Court of Justice heard a motion by Glen Ab- bey Golf Course owner Clu- bLink to strike the town's re- maining court applications and refer all matters to the LPAT. The town had been seeking a declaration from the court that certain by- laws, relevant to Glen Abbey, were legal and valid. In a Feb. 10 ruling, the court decided not to hear the town applications, having determined that LPAT is "the appropriate forum with ju- risdiction and expertise to address all issues of fact and law between the parties." That LPAT hearing had been scheduled to start July 6, 2020 but was cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The superior court ruling brought an end to a series of court procedures dealing with protections the town had tried to put in place to prevent the development of the golf course. ClubLink has applied for a zoning change that will al- low it to build 3,222 residen- tial units at the site, includ- ing nine apartment build- ings between nine and 12 sto- reys. The company also wants to build 69,000 square feet of commercial/retail space and 107,000 square feet of office space at the site. ClubLink has pointed out that the valley lands, about 124 acres of the Glen Abbey property, would become per- manent, publicly-accessible green space through this plan. Town staff have argued that amount of development is not permitted or appropri- ate for the site and would amount to an unplanned growth area. Oakville coun- cil voted unanimously to re- ject ClubLink's development application for Glen Abbey Golf Course on Sept. 27, 2018 and its demolition applica- tion on Feb. 12, 2018. The local residents' group, the Save Glen Abbey Coalition, also wants to see the site preserved. "During that LPAT pro- cess, as participants we will have a chance to express some of our views as to why the golf club should not be developed," said Save Glen Abbey spokesperson Bill McKinlay. "There's lots of good rea- sons. The historic aspects of it. The fact that it's a Canadi- an icon ... the trees there are at least 44 years old, there's wildlife that makes its home there." McKinlay also noted the principle of the situation must be considered. He said the Town of Oak- ville, with input from resi- dents, created a provincially approved official plan to de- termine how the town would grow in the future and where these growth areas would be. McKinlay points out that Glen Abbey was not selected to be one of these growth ar- eas and that should not change just because the own- ers of Glen Abbey want it to. "Who has the ability to plan?" asked McKinlay. "My neighbours and I can't get together and decide to build a gas station where our houses are." Pending approval from its board, We Love Oakville, which represents nine local residents' associations, will also participate in the LPAT hearing. The group's chair, Doug- las McKirgan, said they will speak against the ClubLink proposal, noting that allow- ing it to proceed would make a mockery of the entire offi- cial planning process. "Should the development be allowed, it would set a pre- cedent for other unplanned major land use conversions in Halton and Oakville," said McKirgan. "The region and our town could lose their ability to manage orderly growth." Thus far the town's efforts to preserve Glen Abbey have been less than successful. Both the Ontario Superi- or Court of Justice and the Court of Appeal for Ontario rejected an argument by the Town of Oakville that Clu- bLink could not even file an appeal with LPAT to demol- ish the golf course because the property is designated under the Ontario Heritage Act. Both courts also struck down a conservation plan the town created that re- stricted what could be built at the golf course. The Court of Appeal, how- ever, did allow some of the bylaws related to the conser- vation plan to stand. It remains unclear what, if any, impact they will have on ClubLink's applications. Despite the court set- backs encountered by the town, McKinlay says he's op- timistic about what will hap- pen when ClubLink's devel- opment application appeal and demolition appeal are heard by the LPAT. "Ultimately, I have faith in the processes in place that the right thing will happen," he said. "You have to have faith that the good reasons for pre- serving it will prevail over a developer's wish to make more money and destroy an iconic golf course." STORY BEHIND THE STORY: The Glen Abbey Golf Course is a significant local landmark and the proposed large-scale devel- opment would have signif- icant implications for the surrounding community. Residents should be aware of how the fight over the development of this property is progressing. NEWS Continued from page 1 DEVELOPMENT NOT SUITABLE FOR SITE: TOWN STAFF