8- The Oakville Beaver, Wednesday June 7, 2006 Lest we forget Provincial backing needed Continued from page 1 KEVIN HILL / SPECIAL TO THE BEAVER AN HONOUR: Second Lieutenant Nicole Nikolevski gives a salute along with fellow members of the 540 Golden-Hawks on Sunday at the D-day service held at the Bronte Cenotaph. Inc. (NOMI). NOMI members own property north of Dundas Street and east of Sixteen Mile Creek. The Town has been negotiating with the Province over the NOSP last month the Ontario Realty Corporation (ORC), which owns a large chunk of north Oakville, was added as a party to the challenge. Toronto lawyer Catherine Lyons, who is representing the Town in the NOSP OMB challenge, regularly updates council -- behind closed doors as is allowed when property issues and legal strategy are involved -- and was there again last week. The OMB has directed the parties to pare issues. Mulvale indicated yesterday a settlement may be in the offing after she delivered a state of the town address to the Oakville Chamber of Commerce at the Holiday Inn-Centre. The mayor was asked about the tremendous pressure on Oakville's limited employment lands from developers seeking residential development. Chamber executive director John Sawyer asked how the Town can protect the lands to prevent Oakville becoming predominantly a residential community, which is detrimental to the tax base -- industrial/commercial land pay hefty property taxes, but don't use softer services often used by homeowners and the absence of their taxes would lead to greater property taxes for homeowners. "We have to find a way to quickly resolve the north Oakville issue," said Mulvale. The mayor also stated the Town is looking to the Province to pave the way Mayor Ann Mulvale for industrial/commercial development of land in the area of Ninth Line to allow for building of a Winston Park West. The Town is also looking for the provincial government to come up with a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) over the mid-town core -- which follows the GO route through town -- and is the site of major future intensification in Oakville as deemed necessary by the Province, as outlined in Places to Grow. "With the Province's co-operation and a negotiated settlement on north Oakville that's within the framework of the Inter Agency Review (IAR), we are ready to move," said the mayor. Mulvale noted much table land in northwest Oakville, which the Town had earmarked as employment land in north Oakville's development, ended up being protected by the Province when it announced it would protect some of the nearly 1,200 acres owned by the ORC north of Dundas, west of Sixteen Mile Creek. That left the Town short on employ- ment land in its NOSP and as the Town reworked the employment/residential mix in the NOSP, developers headed to the OMB saying it was taking too long. By appealing to the OMB with their own secondary plan for north Oakville, NOMI effectively took decision-making power out of the hands of the Town and put it into the hands of the OMB. Short of a settlement, the Town must now go before the OMB not to defend its own plan, but argue against NOMI's plan. Through a lengthy and very public process, the NOSP was deemed to need additional study and work. Green space and the amount of it in the plan, whether it be the Town's planned Natural Heritage System or the provincial announcement to save some ORC land complicated the formulation of the NOSP. The NOSP, as it had been formulated, couldn't accommodate the number of residences or jobs that the Province of Ontario is requiring. Both the NOSP and NOMI plans call for higher density and transit-friendly development -- a planning style dubbed New Urbanism. At the heart of disputes, however, is amount and location of green space. The town envisions a Natural Heritage System while developers favour less green space and less dense housing. Mulvale said any potential agreement should be within the framework of the IAR -- a joint vision of the future of north Oakville as seen through the eyes of the Province, Region and Town, as well as the Ministry of Natural Resources and Conservation Halton, and which includes a mapped out Natural Heritage System. Bountrogianni to visit with Chamber Dr. Marie Bountrogianni, Ontario Minister of Intergovernmental Affairs will address the Oakville Chamber of Commerce Monday at a breakfast meeting sponsored by First Canadian Title. Bountrogianni will discuss the fiscal deficit and its affect on Ontario's business. "The Oakville Chamber of Commerce has enjoyed a very effective working relationship with MPP Kevin Flynn. We are very pleased that in his new role as the Parlimentary Assistant responsible for Democratic Renewal he would arrange to have the minister share her thoughts and perspective on this important economic issue with our members," said chamber president Mary Cardamone. The minister's address is set for June 12, at the Oakville Conference Centre, 2525 Wyecroft Rd. Breakfast will be at 7:30 a.m., Boutrogianni will speak at 8 a.m. A question and answer period will follow her remarks. Both chamber members and non-members are welcome. Tickets for the breakfast are available by contacting 905-845-6613, ext. 28 or blayne@oakvillechamber.com. IMMEDIATE INSTALLATION AVAILABLE & Mortgages * Loans * Line of Credit "We Specialize in Hard to Place Mortgages" * 1st, 2nd & 3rd Mortgages * Residential & Commercial * We buy, Sell & Arrange all Types of Mortgages * Debt Consolidation * NO Up Front Fees * Power of Sale Refinancing * Up to 100% Financing O.A.C. 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