in si de ha lto n. co m O ak vi lle B ea ve r | T hu rs da y, M ay 26 ,2 02 2 | 24 www.concretetrimmings.com CONCRETE FREE ESTIMATES 905-844-5518 1-888-944-5518 uality At Its Best! Call Fernando 1-888-944-5518 www 1-888-944-5518 • DRIVEWAYS • FRENCH CURBS • PATIOS • STEPS • WALKWAYS • GARAGE FLOORS ExposEd aggrEgatE (pebble) Authorized by the CFO for the Alison Gohel Campaign The Town of Oakville has put forward a plan in- tended to help Midtown Oakville become a vibrant, people-oriented, mixed- use community in the com- ing decades. The plan sets out the goals, density targets, max- imum building heights and much more for the primary growth area. Members of the public will have the opportunity to weigh in on this plan when it is presented at the Tuesday, June 7 Planning and Development Council meeting. Town staff emphasize a decision to approve the plan is not being made June 7. Midtown Oakville is ap- proximately 103 hectares in size and is bounded by the QEW/Hwy. 403 to the north, Chartwell Road to the east, Cornwall Road to the south and Sixteen Mile Creek valley to the west. It is being planned as an urban community where people are able to live, work, and play in a walka- ble, mixed-use neighbour- hood, connected to the rest of Oakville by pedestrian, cycling, transit and street networks. The area is ultimately expected to accommodate 13,000 residents and 7,000 jobs. "Strategically located close to rail and bus con- nections, greenspaces and major highways, Midtown Oakville has an immense potential to become a vi- brant, people-focused, transit-oriented communi- ty," said Mayor Rob Bur- ton. "Midtown is home to the busiest station in the GO Transit network, outside of Union Station. Midtown will redefine urban living in the town and create a new desti- nation for living and work- ing in Oakville. Public input has and continues to be piv- otal in shaping this exciting transformation." Town staff said Mid- town will provide a self- sufficient urban living community interwoven by tall buildings, open spaces, recreational and retail amenities. They said the proposed policies emphasize the im- portance of the public realm where streetscapes and open areas, in combi- nation with publicly acces- sible private open spaces, will create a desirable, peo- ple-oriented environment. The Midtown plan will continue to be refined this year based on community and stakeholder feedback and further analyses by staff. Town staff will make a final recommendation to council regarding Mid- town's future in 2023. Since 2006, Midtown Oakville has been one of 25 urban growth centres iden- tified in the Province's Growth Plan that will house a significant portion of future population and employment growth. For more information visit https://www.oak- ville.ca/planoakville/mid- town-oakville-growth-ar- ea-review.html. PUBLIC INVITED TO WEIGH IN ON MIDTOWN PLANS NEWS An aerial view of Midtown Oakville. Town of Oakville photo Halton Regional Police Service have received $150,000 to expand their Mobile Crisis Rapid Re- sponse Teams (MCRRT). The funding, which came from the Ministry of the Solicitor General, will allow the MCRRT to grow from two teams, compos- ing of a police officer and a non-police mental health crisis worker from St. Jo- seph's Healthcare Hamil- ton, to three teams through to the end of March 2023. Halton police have had two MCRRT working dai- ly, seven days a week, in partnership with St. Jo- seph's Healthcare Hamil- ton since 2016. Police said MCRRT members are trained to defuse or de-escalate cri- sis situations, to advocate for those in crisis, and to ensure mental health as- sessments are completed where they are needed most. "This additional grant funding allows us to fur- ther invest in the program and enhance needed cov- erage, responsiveness and impact," says Roger Wil- kie, Halton police's deputy chief of district opera- tions. "Community safety and well-being is a shared re- sponsibility. Our ability and willingness to collab- orate and co-ordinate ser- vice delivery in the area of mental health is not only a game changer but a neces- sity." St. Joseph's Healthcare Hamilton Crisis Outreach and Support Team pro- gram manager Satar Wa- hidi said the expansion of the MCRRT can help im- prove response time and the quality of emergency mental health to residents of Halton. Police said the MCRRT respond to more than 1,000 complex mental health crisis-related calls in Hal- ton a year. Halton police were among 28 police services in Ontario to receive grant funding from the Ministry of the Solicitor General to increase their existing ca- pacity to respond to men- tal health crisis calls. POLICE GET $150K TO EXPAND MOBILE CRISIS RAPID RESPONSE DAVID LEA dlea@metroland.com