Most Livable town: “Livable Oakville” official plan finalized
May 16th, 2011 Categories: Green Trends, Historical Oakville, Oakville Real Estate News, Oakville Town Planning & Development, Why Move to Oakville?
Oakville, most livable town in Canada
Some of you may be aware that the Town of Oakville has finalized a comprehensive official plan called “Livable Oakville” to help keep plans on track for Oakville to deserve the moniker of “Most Livable town in Canada”.
In a recent survey of residents (conducted by Pollara Strategic Insights), 800 residents chosen randomly were asked:
“What are the greatest challenges facing Oakville in its goal of being the most livable town in Canada?”
Top challenges identified were:
Cost of living 9%
Town expansion 8%
Public Transportation 8%
Parking 8%
While in previous years growth and development were identified as the greatest challenges facing Oakville, the good news is that Oakville is dealing with growth in a responsible and sustainable way, according to the survey.
Environmental concerns are at the forefront, when making decisions. Concern over growth has dropped substantially since 2004.
“Livable Oakville”, the Town’s adopted Official Plan, establishes a new policy framework and identifies the growth areas of Midtown (a provincial Urban Growth Centre), Uptown Core, Palermo Village, Kerr Village, Bronte Village and Downtown Oakville. I will be reporting more on each of these growth centres in future.
The new plan also introduces new policies relating to:
- The mission statement and guiding principles
- General policies
- Land use designations
- Special policy areas
- Implementation tools and interpretation
For more details about this see the Town of Oakville website
If you liked this post see also:
Oakville 2011 Citizens Survey – Oakville is tops in livability say residents
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Oakville residents: You’re all invited to a party to celebrate power plant victory
October 13th, 2010 Categories: Green Trends, Oakville Events, Oakville Town Planning & Development, South East Oakville
Oakville Harbour
As a C4CA street captain, I want to get the word out that a party, a night of music, fun and food is being planned for:
Friday, October 15, 2010 (6:30 – 9:00 p.m.)
Chisholm Education Centre Parking Lot (1484 Cornwall Road).
This event willl take place rain or shine, so we are encouraged to dress appropriately for fall weather.
To recognize the collective efforts of our amazing community, the evening will be compliments of C4CA (Coalition for Clean Air), the organization of local residents that has successfully lobbied for stopping the power plant from being built in Oakville and GTA (Greater Toronto Area).
FOOD BANK: our local food bank can always use our help as there are currently 5,000 residents relying on it.
Priority needs are canned fruit and vegetables, brown and white rice, canola oil, healthy cereal and diapers. If you bring these items to the event, they will be transported to the food bank.
Wayne and I look forwarded to seeing you all there!
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No Oakville power plant! Victory party at Julia’s in downtown Oakville!
October 8th, 2010 Categories: Downtown Oakville, Green Trends, Oakville Events, Oakville Real Estate News, Places to Eat, South East Oakville
No Oakville power plant: Mayor Rob Burton, Hilary Shantz, Karen Khoury celebrate.
The mood was JUBILANT as C4CA (Citizens for Clean Air) members and locals streamed into Julia’s last night!!
For me it was still sinking in: How AMAZING a victory this is for Oakville, and for those of us who live in South East Oakville!
The possiblity of this dangerous and environmentally hazardous 900 megawatt power plant had certainly cast an ominous cloud over the area, and impacted property values.
Folks, not only is this a victory for Oakville, but for all the GTA, as the Premier has said there will not be a plant of this kind in the GTA area.
Wayne and I chatted with Mayor Rob Burton as we walked into the party together. Astute legislation on the municipal level by Mr. Burton along with intense and unrelenting lobby efforts by C4CA made all the difference!
This one-year long fight has been like David going up against Goliath.
Having Erin Brokovich come to Oakville last week (read Toronto Star article on her visit), along with the appointment of a full-time executive director, showed that Oakville residents were redoubling their efforts, AND NOT BACKING DOWN!
No Oakville power plant! Wendy Burton (wife of Mayor) Wayne Shantz
A huge big thank you to all those who gave time and resources to this fight.
Karen Khoury, Brenda Potter-Phelan, Nancy Robertson: as busy professionals and mothers, you sacrificed a great deal of personal time. We appreciate your hard work.
Rob Burton, thanks for your excellent leadership in fighting this.
My question is : When they make a movie about this, who will play the key roles? 
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OAKVILLE POWER PLANT STOPPED!
October 7th, 2010 Categories: Green Trends, Oakville Events, Oakville Town Planning & Development
Great news for Oakville residents!
It’s official!
We will not be having a power plant built in south east Oakville.
This is amazing news for all residents and a great example of how powerful grass roots community efforts a la Erin Brokovich can be.
To read more about the announcement this afternoon from MPP Kevin Flynn, click here.
C4CA is to be commended for an amazing job and probably the most organized and effective lobby and campaign effort at the residents level ever sustained in Ontario.
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Outrage in Oakville over Power Plant
February 12th, 2010 Categories: Green Trends, Oakville Events, Oakville Town Planning & Development, South East Oakville
Locating power plant near homes and schools "pure folly"
“This is not a NIMBY issue” says local South East Oakville resident
What started as disapproval and concern has turned to OUTRAGE over proposed Transcanada power plant to be built in South East Oakville.
The Middleton Connectiut expolosion which killed five and injured 12 workers Sunday morning has local residentss group Citizens for Clean Air (C4CA) calling for an immediate moratorium.
At a residents rally a couple of weeks ago, Oakville Mayor Burton told me that if we were not able to stop the plant, the Town would work to minimize its potential fallout on the community by restrictive bylaws. But most of us who live within vicinity of the site now feel that line of thinking is no longer good enough!
Locating a plant just 400 metres from homes and schools is “pure folly”, were sentiments expressed in Oakville Beaver article.
Mayor Burton has invited Brad Duguid, Minister of Energy and Infrastructure, to take a personal tour of the site, formerly owned by Ford Motor Company, along with Oakville MPP Kevin Flynn.
Talking last night to Brenda Phelan Potter (who along with her young son Quinn were helping us at the warehouse pack the last few boxes of relief items for Haiti), “Finally people outside of SouthEast Oakville are beginning to see that this is not merely a NIMBY issue”.
Here is part of a note that Brenda emailed me this morning, which I include with permission:
“From the beginning, we have been fighting the perception outside of our local area that the opposition to this massive gas fired power plant was really just a NIMBY issue.
People have a pre-conceived notion about South East Oakville and so it was considered by many that this was just some rich folks from Oakville whining about their neighbourhod.
In fact, we are not all rich, and the fact is that this proposal could be facing any other local community in Ontario. Gas fired power plants do not belong in residential neighbourhoods. It is ridiculous to think otherwise. The Clarkson air shed is already over taxed with pollution. Our air shed is 14% more polluted than the Ontario average because of the 57 local emitters that we have currently including St. Lawrence Cement that runs their coal furnaces 24 hours/7 days a week and the traffic that passes by us every day on the QEW. Adding additional toxins to any air shed that is already over-taxed makes no sense.
Unfortunately, the tragedy in Middletown last Sunday also showed everyone that ….Accidents happen.
The Middletown plant was a much farther distance away from a residential neighbourhood than the plant proposed for Oakville and yet, 5 people died and a dozen were injured.
We have 11,000 residents within a 3KM radius and 16 schools. The Middletown Gas Fired Power Plant is 50% smaller than the proposed plant for Oakville. No one can guarantee us that a tragic accident will not happen here.
Brenda also highlighted a John Tory interview on CFRB 1010 Newstalk this week.
”The Mayor was interviewed and did a good job highlighting the issues related to safety and health.
John Tory said that in his opinion our opposition to the Oakville Generating Station does not qualify as NIMBYism because of two factors:
1-There is most definitely a health and safety factor with this plant especially after the Middletown tragedy
2-The Clarkson Air shed community has already taken on more than their fair share of burden in terms of emissions (57 other local emitters plus the QEW).”
So there! I join with Brenda, and John Tory, in saying this is not a NIMBY issue.
Why is the Premier, the Ontario Government, TransCanada and Ford willing to put our community, or any community for that matter, at risk ?
Your thoughts?
Read also:
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Mayor Burton asks Premier to reconsider power plant in South East Oakville after Connecticut explosion
February 9th, 2010 Categories: Green Trends, Oakville Real Estate News, Oakville Town Planning & Development, South East Oakville
Explosion of a natural gas-fired plant in Connecticut on Sunday left two dead and five injured.
One of the casualties is a Hamilton, Ontario native. See article from Toronto Star “U.S. power plant blast triggers fears in Oakville“.
In a letter sent to the Premier’s office, Mayor Burton stated that the explosion clearly demonstrates that there are health and safety risks associated with locating power plants within communities, and called on the provincial government to protect the residents of Oakville from these risks. The letter concludes by asking the government to find a more appropriate site for a power plant to meet the future electricity needs of Southwest GTA.
Earlier on Monday, Mayor Burton discussed the tragedy in Connecticut.
“Our thoughts go out to the families of those were killed or injured in the explosion,” said Mayor Burton. “Council and I are united in our determination to protect the health and safety of our community. I want to see what evidence the Ontario Power Authority and the Minister of Energy relied upon for their belief that it’s safe to put power plants next to residential areas. So far, they’ve refused to recognize any danger, but that cannot continue after what has just happened in Connecticut.”
TransCanada has proposed to build a 900-megawatt natural gas-fired power plant at 1500 Royal Windsor Drive in Oakville. The proposed site is less than 400 metres from homes and schools.
“Many residents including myself plan to attend a meeting with Transcanada this Wednesday 7 p.m. at the Oakville Conference Centre.”
In March 2009, Council passed an interim control by-law to provide the town with sufficient time to do planning studies to formulate appropriate policies and zoning rules before any power plant over 10 megawatts could be located in the Town of Oakville.
Meanwhile in South East Oakville where residences and schools are in close proximity to the proposed plant, locals continue to fight and protest. More news to come….
Read also:
Outrage in Oakville over power plant
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How Well Do You Know Your Ontario Birds?
March 10th, 2008 Categories: Food for Soul and Spirit, Green Trends, Oakville Real Estate News
This is a beautiful gallery of Ontario birds, as captured by my friend Ashley Hockenberry, an avid amateur photographer. I appreciate the chance to share them with you.
Try to guess the name of each bird before placing the cursor over the image to find the name. How many do you know?
FOR A BIRD’S EYE VIEW ON LOCAL REAL ESTATE CONDITIONS, CALL HILARY AT 905–599–3311! NOW’S THE TIME TO LIST FOR THE SPRING MARKET.
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Downsize your home, but upsize your amenities
March 8th, 2008 Categories: Fifty-five plus, Green Trends, Oakville Real Estate News
The kids have flown the coop, and now you’re looking to build a smaller nest. But downsizing doesn’t have to mean downgrading. Instead, add more comfort, convenience and luxury with less square footage. After all, life is too short to not love your surroundings.
The Great-er Outdoors
For mature adults who are tired of the rigors and high cost of constant lawn upkeep, no-mow lawns are a time-, water-, fuel- and money-saving alternative. These lawns are a mix of several slow-growing fescue grasses that form a dense, tough turf. They are extremely low maintenance, needing no fertilizer nor watering, and typically only require mowing once per year.
For colder climates where snow removal is important, driveway heating systems are an ideal amenity. Most feature automatic smart sensors that turn on when it begins to snow, providing snow removal, whether you’re home or not.
Ordinary Extraordinary
Mature adults are finding ways to turn ordinary rooms into extraordinarily indulgent experiences. Shower customization with rainshowers, sidesprays and handheld showers are today’s hottest bathroom trend – creating a private spa escape. But mature adults also need to keep it safe by adding shower seats and grab bars. Home Care by Moen offers safe and stylish options with their mesh shower chair and its SecureMount grab bar installation system. The beautifully designed grab bars are available in a variety of styles and finishes — looking like decorative pieces, rather than safety devices – while a unique anchor system makes them easy to install.
Interior Ingenuity
With many mature adults using their retirement as a time to jet set around the globe, get a second home, or visit children and grandchildren, a convenient, accessible space for luggage is a must. According to CNNMoney.com trend spotter Les Christie, luggage rooms, which store luggage and travel goods between trips, are one of the top home amenity trends. Luggage rooms save homeowners the hassles of cramming suitcases in closets or using inconvenient attic storage space.
Another popular amenity is the customized exercise room. Many older adults are using their spare time (and spare rooms) to get in top shape with customized weight training, cardio machines and even indoor lap pools, which provide a rigorous resistance workout without placing stress on joints and muscles.
Regardless of the size of your home, whether you build new or buy used, filling your empty nest with hot amenities will help to make your golden years as good as gold.
Source – News Canada
HILARY CAN HELP YOU FIGURE OUT THE RIGHT HOME FOR YOU IF YOUR KIDS HAVE LEFT HOME. CALL 905–599–3311 TODAY TO LEARN WHAT YOUR OPTIONS ARE.
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GOING GREEN CAN SAVE YOU MONEY: Do You Know About New Government Rebate Programs?
March 7th, 2008 Categories: Green Trends, Home Maintenance, Oakville Real Estate News
It’s good to keep abreast of grants that are now available for homeowners going green.
I give regular updates on The Buzz about money-saving energy initiatives so stay posted!
Both the provincial and federal governments have new programs designed to encourage energy reduction. By staying up-to-date on the latest programs, you can save money.
Natural Resources Canada (NRCan) is offering a new residential energy efficiency assessment service to owners of single family homes, including detached, semi-detached and low-rise multi-unit residential buildings (MURBs) that are no more than three storeys high.
Under the ecoENERGY Retrofit program, property owners can qualify for federal grants by improving the energy efficiency of their homes and reducing their home’s impact on the environment.
Energy advisors come to your home to do assessment
NRCan-certified energy advisors conduct a detailed on-site assessment of the home’s energy use from the attic down to the basement. They provide a personalized report, including a checklist of recommended retrofits to improve the energy efficiency of your home and, in some cases, to reduce water consumption. The report also shows the grant amounts for each eligible upgrade that you can receive by carrying out these energy-saving improvements. The maximum grant you can receive for a home is $5,000.
For instance, if you replace an old natural gas furnace with the most efficient unit available (92% AFUE or annual fuel utilization efficiency gas furnace with DC variable speed motor) you could qualify for $1,350 in rebates: $500 (Federal) plus $500 (Provincial) plus $100 from Enbridge plus $250 from the Ontario Power Authority (Cool Savings Rebate). According to the Ontario Ministry of Energy, replacing an old system (63% AFUE) with a new high efficiency condensing furnace (93% AFUE) in an average 1,200 square foot, detached house will result in savings of approximately $450 per year.
Because of its high-tech design, a high-efficiency natural gas furnace squeezes the most heat out of every heating dollar. For every dollar you spend on energy, it produces 88 to 97 cents worth of heat. It could save up to 24% in energy and related energy costs and will also help insulate homeowners from increasing energy prices.
The high efficiency furnace and many of the other retrofits eligible for rebates come with a higher price tag, but environmentally conscious homeowners believe the energy cost savings – and reduced greenhouse gas emissions – are well worth it. Also, from a resale perspective, many potential homebuyers will view “greener” appliances as a desirable feature.
For more information on the ecoEnergy Retrofit Rebate program visit the following sites:
- Natural Resources Canada (Federal) Web site at www.oee.nrcan.gc.ca/residential/personal under residential housing, home improvements.
- Ontario Ministry of Energy Web site at www.energy.gov.on.ca and click on the Rebate update.
- For information on qualifying toilets from the federal and provincial perspective, go to www.veritec.ca under Reports, 11th Edition (test results start on page 16)
- For information on residential rebates from the Ontario Power Authority – Cool Savings Rebate Program, go to www.everykilowattcounts.ca.
- For information on Energy Star appliances go to www.energystar.gc.ca.
- For information on Enbridge rebates, check under Residential, Rebates Incentives and Energy tips at https://portal-plumprod.cgc.enbridge.com.
(Some of the information for this post came from OREA Edge newsletter March 2008)
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Oakville Home-Owners: Back to Yanking Out Weeds the Old Fashioned Way!
February 9th, 2008 Categories: Green Trends, Oakville Events, Why Move to Oakville?
This morning I got a call from our usual lawn service company. The gentleman on the line asked if we wanted to continue our lawn treatment package for 2008.
Ever since the Town passed the no-pesticide bylaw, effective January 1, 2008, I was wondering how lawncare companies would adapt to this change.
‘You can continue with the same price and package, but instead of spraying there wll be two lawn technicians who will arrive and manually remove your weeds with a special tool. Your grub control will continue with an approved grub-deterrant.”
When I inquired further as to whether or not manual weed digging would be the way of the future for lawncare, he indicated that some new eco-friendly weed-killers were being developed and have not yet received regulatory approval by the authorities in Canada. (We Canadians are always more cautious when it comes to adopting new drugs, new lending practices, you name it.)
Call Hilary for your real estate needs and for more information about Living in Oakville!
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