Okay, they're both out. >> Hello and welcome to this uh meeting of the council of the town of Oakville. Um I'd like to call everybody to order and I would invite everybody to rise if you're able for the national anthem. Oh Canada, our home and native land. True patient love in all of us command. With glowing hearts we see the rise the true north strong and free from far and wide. Oh Canada, we stand on God for thee. Lord keep our land. Glorious and free. Oh Canada, we stand on God for thee. Oh Canada, we stand on the Thank you everyone. Please uh take your seats. The town of Oakville is located on treaty lands and territory of the Missosagas of the Credit First Nation. We thank the Missagas for being stewards of this traditional territory. By 1820, the Missagas began welcoming settlers from all over the British Empire. Soon, Oakville was welcoming black people fleeing the United States. Our indigenous white and black residents created a community of harmony that makes us proud. By 1857, Ontario recognized Oakville as a town. At Town Hall, we fly the flag of the Missagas with the flags of Oakville, Ontario, and Canada to acknowledge our origins. The vibrant livability we are creating for everyone attracts people from across Canada and across the globe. We feel sorrow for acts of racism and intolerance suffered across the world, including in Canada and here at home. We want our future to be equitable and inclusive for all. We believe the path of truth and reconciliation can unite us. Please keep well, stay safe, and let us on council know of any chance to be helpful to you and yours. And please let us know anytime you can help increase Oakville's harmony, prosperity, and livability. Mr. Clerk, I understand we have no regrets for this evening. Just a member who will join us in progress. Uh council, are there any declarations of conflict of interest? Mr. Clerk, there are none. Council, how do you want to deal with the minutes? If you have corrections, it's time to make them. If you are happy, it's time to move and second their council Chenna. Councelor Shia, I saw you first. Thank you. Any objection to the motion? There being none, the minutes are adopted as presented. Um, we have no public presentations, but we do have advisory committee minutes and uh the community spirit awards committee minutes of May 28th uh need to be uh approved. Councelor Omira, thank you for that. Anyone else? We need a secondary. Councelor Longo, thank you. Any objection? There being none, those minutes are approved and the winners who were announced last week and celebrated uh are to be congratulated. Um we now have uh we have a consent agenda that uh has several items that are not uh going to be consented to. They're going to be separated for various purposes. But we have uh uh a delegation uh we have a number of delegates to talk to us about 11.3 and out of courtesy for them I thought we would turn now to 11.3 and then resume our regular uh agenda after we deal with that. This is the uh uh former Oakville Trafoger High School redevelopment supplemental report that was asked for recently at council. We have uh uh four registered delegations and uh uh uh as I understand it u councelor Hazleil, is there anything you want to say about what you're intending to do or move tonight or shall we just hear the delegations? I think we should hear the delegations, but I understand that uh councelor Dudk uh and councelor Mcnes have a referral um motion for our consideration >> or or a receipt with instructions perhaps. >> Yes. Thank you. >> Okay. All right. Um Mr. Clerk, would you please call the delegations? >> Uh yes, Mr. Mayor. Anita McKe >> Mc welcome. council looks forward to your information. >> Thank you very much. Thank you for having me and welcome. So, uh I'm Anita Mackey. I'm a director on the Oakville Lakeside Residents Association. So, representing the view of those residents. Um I have Yeah, go to the next slide. So the land which uh includes the building which was the old high school uh and what is called in the master plan the uh civic square and the senior's block. It's a piece of land that is uh in desperate need of an expedited plan for the development. Um the former high school is a designated heritage building under the act and is in danger of demolition through neglect for 20 years of it being vacant. Next slide, please. It was once a beautiful and architecturally significant building built in 1909 and as I said, it's designated under the Ontario Heritage Act. And while it has suffered greatly in the last 20 years of being vacant, uh we are it is worth saving and we are told that it is structurally sound, which is good news because we weren't sure. Next slide, please. I wanted just to put up a picture of the school because it is a beautiful building. This is a picture from prior to 1950 when the there were some additions put on the side of the school. They've been taken off. This is what remains as the heritage attributes that are worth definitely worth saving. Here it is. It has its windows in and has the beautiful arch doorway which now it's got blank wood in the windows and it looks a little rough but you can see what it could be and could be brought back to be. Next slide please. So there are a few levers that impact the redevelopment of this land and that would create an outcome that has more certainty of outcome execution and retention of the value and the contribution to the surrounding community. And there are a few questions to be answered. So should the lands be transferred to transferred to the Oakville MDC? Should there be flexibility in the requirements from the master plan re any of the civic square the senior's residential block the retention or restor or restoration of the heritage building the zoning and height recommendations for the current four-story limit. What should the conditions and the process be for the development of this land if Oakville MDC is used as a master developer? and how do we deal with the chimney swifts? Next slide, please. So, involving the MDC could be a good step if the right conditions are added to ensure the outcome. We think it is critical to require the restoration of the heritage building and any transfer to the MTC must have this condition and other conditions outlined later in this presentation. The flexibility that might be uh added to attract bids for the property should be in the loosening of the requirement for a civic square, thus making more land available for development, and in the type and height of building, i.e. no longer requiring seniors housing as there's plenty of seniors housing currently being built in Oakville and that maybe wasn't the case when the master plan was first developed. Next slide, please. The current height restrictions of four stories could be loosened up to maybe six stories near the parking garage on the north side while stepping down to three or four stories near the heritage building and the Allen Street frontage. A developer will worry about the actual cost of restoring a heritage building of this age and that's has probably been a real drag on the progress of this development. Next slide please. In order to make this development more attractive, it could be structured as a two-step process. So, step one could be to sever the lands and go out with phase one without the heritage building, but include what is now the civic square lands in that build in that building request. Have the restrictions on design and height as you said up above could be up to six, but there'd be parameters on that about where that extra height could be. Then step two could be have the town or MDC use the proceeds of the sale from step one to start restoring the heritage building and design an adaptive reuse with another or a same developer example that could be purpose-built rentals with funding from the CHC. That's where a lot of the money is coming for for development right now. or a future meeting space for nonprofits or an organization like Home Sweet Hope, which provides housing for uh very well- vetted women and their children who need a leg up. Or there are just countless examples of good adaptive reuse that has been done in Ontario with heritage buildings, old schools, old churches, and they've been very successful. And then this could involve a second sale to a developer with proceeds going back to the town. And even if the town thinks that maybe we don't need space now, guaranteed we will. And I think a heritage building is is an exception to being not having too much excess capacity. I think if you build it, they will come. I I really believe the old adage. Next slide, please. So the bottom line is that we need to be creative. We need to act fairly quickly as the heritage building is deteriorating. The restoration of the building will add value, financial, community, civic, pride, historical connection. We need some flexibility to attract developers while retaining control over what is mo most important. And as I said, the adage from Field of Dreams is if you build it, they will come. Thank you. >> Thank you, Mrs. Mackey. >> Thank you. >> Oh, sorry. Councelor Dunc had her hand up. I didn't see it till the last second. Thank you. Well, to use another adage from Jerry Maguire, you had me at hello. Okay. Thank you very much for your presentation. You actually focused on exactly the ones that we're trying to incorporate in the motion that we'll table. Um, but I think one of the biggest aspects that is lacking thus far is to broaden the consultation and the input from the broader community versus just ward 3. Even though it's located in ward 3, it's something that all of the town is uh very appreciative and wants to retain. So, thank you very much. >> Agree with you. Thank you, >> Councelor Dunik. In that spirit of consultation, um would it be okay for us to put on the screen the motion that you're intending to bring? That way when people delegate if if they want to speak to it, they would have an opportunity. Maybe we even give Mrs. Mackey a chance. Can you counselor? Would you like to maybe you could read it out? >> Okay. It's not a referral. We're actually just going to receive the report. So there will be no action taken from that. That this item be received and the following be undertaken. The council directs the municipal development corporation undertake a process for the hospital lands in the former Oakville Trafoger High School OTHS site with the broader development community with consideration of the following. the preservation and adaptive reuse, the former OTHS, retaining a heritage designation, and its rich history within the social and culture of Oakville, the provision of a public gathering space immediately in front of the former OTHS building, the implementation of a safe and appropriate alternative habitat strategy for the chimney swifts consistent with applicable environmental requirements. requirements prior to any disturbance of existing roosting habitat. a broader range of housing forms, including purpose-built rental with the official plans medium density designation, recognizing the physical context and existing development within the surrounding area, and ensuring appropriate built form transitions, setbacks, and stepbacks to adjacent residential areas. Town staff in parallel explore potential opportunities to support the development inclusive of adaptive reuse and potential funding sources, including public consultation with the results brought back to council no later than Q1 2027. town staff as stewards of the former OTHS building ensure that all necessary maintenance and is completed rather in preparation for the upcoming winter season and that the building and surrounding property are cleaned up this summer and maintained as development is advanced and that any information from the confidential over 500page report that is not president uh prejudice judicial to the town's ability to dispose of the property be made available to the public and councelor McN has very kindly seconded. >> Thank you, councelor Dick. Uh at the very least, Anita, you you've got to feel like you were psychic or they were one one or the other. >> Well, that's wonderful. I think that's terrific. And I would maybe ask if they could add consideration of a two-step process and potentially severing the land so that we could deal and have a little bit more control over the um the adaptive reuse of the property and its restoration. But other than that, I'm very supportive. >> I'm sure that that'll be part of the re of the work. The the broader request >> uh includes the the minor ones. Uh Mr. Clerk, uh, could you call the next delegation? >> Jane Hawkrig. >> Miss Hawkrigg, welcome. It's good to see you. We look forward to your information. >> Thank you, Mr. Mayor and members of council. Um, delighted to see what was just put up. Uh, my name is Jane Hawkrig and I live at 65 Navy Street in Oakville. 291 Reynolds Street, which is the high school and the lands extending east Allen Street, is an address with a story. A story with a rich and compelling history, a very sad present, presence, and the potential for an exciting and innovative future. What we're talking about tonight is public land and the last piece of a puzzle whose vision was developed as part of a very broad public master plan consultation process. Despite everyone's frustration about how shamefully this public property has been allowed to deteriorate, it's still our my view that has significant community value. As such, it deserves our collective attention as opposed to just throwing up our hands because it's been so long and delegating it to a non-elected body for planning and development. At the heart of this remaining puzzle is piece is the Oakville Trafoger High School which was built between 1908 and 1909. Even back then, developers took time uh to accommodate a growing and vibrant small town, the place that we call home. Graduates include World War I and World War II veterans who sacrificed for our country. Famous people like Maria and Otto Jeleneck, Heaged Hardy, Sandra Post, Doug Henning, Larry King, and the thousands of others who are just proud to say that they are OTHS grads. The school's legacy is deeply intertwined with the growth and development of Oakville in the last century, symbolized by its Latin motto, no reward without effort. and the code of arms representing learning, hard work, and community ties. No reward without effort. How fitting to tonight's discussion. And the three words that I think are particularly relevant: learning, hard work, and community ties. I sincerely appreciate that the surrounding neighbors are done with this mess and they want to get things going. Shame on all of us for taking this so taking so long and the de ne neglect of this cherished cultural heritage building. I think this is the moment when we must be courageous and pause. We've got a last chance to get it right. It's our land, our heritage, and our history. If we don't get it right, what could be special about this site will be gone forever. And that will rest on all of our shoulders, including this council. The challenge from my perspective is three-fold. Value, heritage, and transparency. The first challenge for me is value. The May 12th staff report states that nonprofit builders were not pursued due to council's direction to maximize the value of the property. I have been unable to find any direction on what council means by value. This is not an empty publiclyowned field that was used to store the town's utility equipment and is now surplus like further north in Travagar Road. This is a publicly owned property in the heart of Old Oakville, an historical residential neighborhood that reflects the growth of our town in the 1900s. In this context, what does value mean for this specific site? For me, it's not just economics. It's an and. And the and is cultural. This site is foundational to our growth in the 1900s as a small town. If we lose the high school building and its streetscape, it's just another street. It's just another development. No story, no history, no special. Best practices associated with successful adaptive reuse of heritage buildings highlight the need for a shift from conventional real estate models driven solely by profitability to strategies that prioritize cultural value and structural adaptability without alignment as a council on how you divine value for this specific site. How can you provide direction, set boundaries, and identify viable partners to de develop this site in the way it deserves? The second challenge is heritage. The May 12 staff report confirms that the Oakville Trafalogger High School has been consistently identified as a cultural and visual anchor within the community and that the master plan deliberately positions the building within a broader uh civic pre precinct. It acknowledges that the master plan envisions the adaptive reuse of the building, a designated part 4 cultural heritage resource. Our official plan clearly states that council's objective is to conserve heritage resources through available powers and tools and that all new development and any site alteration conserve cultural heritage resources. I am very concerned that that one of the non-financial objectives as stated in the report is to work with town staff to preserve a portion of the building and certain heritage components including the facade. The implication is that facade is heritage conservation. I I'm sorry, but it's not. The national standards and guidelines for the conservation of historic places in Canada emphasizes retaining as much of the authentic material and spatial configuration of a designated building. Facadeism destroys heritage authenticity and should not be a default strategy for adaptive reuse on the assumption that it is structurally sound. The direction should be to conserve and restore this importantly public own publicly owned part four building for adaptive reuse and to work with partners who will share that vision. Increasingly adaptive reuse of historic buildings is being valued as it keeps the spirit of a place alive. Studies have shown that heritage conservation contributes to community identity, stability, and pride. When people can encounter historic buildings as part of their daily life, as their library, their market, their apartment building, their community center, or their office, it creates a link to the past that enriches the present. The stories embedded in the brick and beam remain part of the community's ongoing story. The ch third challenge is transparency. The June 9th staff report suggests that one of the goals of the recommendation is to provide the Oakville MDC with more flexibility in dealing with OTHS and the civic square and to change their role from broker to managing the disposition process. To me, delegating planning and development authority to an unelected body on such an important site is inappropriate without clear direction from council. And I fail to understand why information regarding the heritage assessment, the building assessment, and provincial requirements regarding the accommodation of the chimney swifts is confidential. Why not have all the facts on the table for everyone, including the public and interested parties to see? I think we need to go slow over the coming months in order to go fast in 2027 under a newly elected council. In closing, 291 Reynolds Street and the lands extending east to Allen is a story with a rich and compelling history. As we move forward to complete this puzzle, and develop this remaining part of the site, let's embrace the school's motto, no reward without effort. An investment now can enable a future site that we can all be proud of. And I believe that with effort, it can be done at pace. At this time, I am not in support of the staff recommendation to transfer the property to the Oakville MDC based on the principles that they set out on their report. I would urge this council to do more in establishing the principles and direction for development of this site, including zoning, housing options, civic space, and the conservation and restoration of the designated part 4 school building for adaptive reuse. Thank you. Thank you, Miss Hawking, Councelor Dunick, and Councelor Hazard. They all have questions for you. >> Thank you through your your worship. Thank you very, very much, Jane, for coming out. It's understandable why you and Francine Landry were chosen to co-chair our 150th anniversary celebrations, and I do recall us speaking at length at that time about the importance of conserving and preserving this site given our town's history. So, thank you for the stewardship you brought forward. >> Thanks, Kathy. >> Council has a deal. >> I don't have much to add other than to say thank you for staying up late or the early morning. It was outstanding and thank you for always bringing the heart. >> Thank you, Jim. >> Thank you, Miss Hawker. Mr. Clerk, the next delegation, >> Hugh Murray. >> Mr. Murray, welcome. Council looks forward to your presentation. Um, good evening, Mr. Mayor and members of council. Um, my name is Hugh Murray and I'm presenting tonight on behalf of the Trafaloger Chartwell Residents Association. I think it's important to acknowledge that this delegation delegation had its roots in a meeting on this subject that was organized by councilors Hlet and Giddings last Wednesday. at the community center. We realized there there were two very sharply contrasting viewpoints on the subject of the disposition of the uh of the school. The schools in our neighborhood and it seemed that our duty was to come here and represent both of those viewpoints. The presentation was built from the town report and it suggestions. Uh it was it was a suggestion four options and option number four which was the restoration of heritage elements. Um, and it was also built on the notes we took at Wednesday's meeting, as well as several representations we have since received by email from from our members on on both sides of this issue. Next slide, please. The 199 1909 Oakville Trafalar High School is a designated heritage structure. That designation reflects a formal community decision, one made by a previous council that this building's place in Oakville's history is worth protecting. For many of our longest serving members, that building is not just a structure. It is a landmark tied to the memory of the town as it was. So, our association does support option four, the partial heritage retention as the recommended path forward. Hoping that council considers the issues we are about to raise uh and we're about to outline. But before we speak to the differences, let us be clear about what unifies all of us and everyone at that meeting because the common ground is significant. The status quo of 34 years of neglect is is unacceptable and unconscionable. Any path forward should come with accountability and the site needs attention now regardless of the any long-term decisions that are made uh by the council. Next slide, please. But option four involves a complex P3 process. land transfer to Oakville MDC, a public search for a development partner, and then negotiations in which that partner must satisfy multiple layered requirements, heritage retention, seniors housing, a civic square, pedestrian connections, and height and density limits. Some of our neighbors worry, costs uh rise, developer interest narrows, timelines slip, and the the neighborhood continues to live beside an eyesore while negotiations drag on. There is also the matter of chimney swift habitat in the building, which adds provincial regulatory complexity that could further delay construction. We raise this view because council should know it exists and because it reflects a real frustration that deserves acknowledgement and not dismissal. Next slide, please. Whether you share the heritage perspective or the pragmatist perspective, our association would respectfully ask council to consider three things. First clarifying what the heritage elements mean before the land transfer in consultation with Heritage Oakville. We'd suggest the front facade visible from the street as one obvious starting point. Second, treating the civic square and pedestrian connections as firm commitments, not aspirational goals. And we'd welcome council exploring whether the civic square could be designed to frame and draw attention to the facade. So the two ideas would reinforce each other. Third, a sense of timeline with an opportunity to revisit the matter together if a development agreement isn't reached within a reasonable period. We'd suggest something like 24 months. Again, clarifying what heritage elements means is is important uh because we feel at the moment it's it's it's it hasn't been well defined. Next slide, please. A development partner will not break ground tomorrow and the process will likely take years. We would be grateful if council could consider funding in the next budget cycle two modest measures, basic grounds maintenance and fencing and targeted structural stabilization. Enough to help prevent further visible deterioration, but well short of the full rehabilitation estimates. Our neighbors have lived beside this site for over 30 years and w would welcome any improvement council can make now in the short term. Next slide please. We came here tonight representing a community community that doesn't fully agree with itself and we think that's worth saying out loud. This is a hard decision with real tradeoffs and reasonable people see it differently. What we share is a is a a belief that Oakville can and should do better by this site and by the neighborhood around it than it has for the past three decades. We hope council will weigh these considerations in that spirit. A fully written summary of the conflicting opinions u that we registered that the meeting has been distributed to uh to you, Mr. Mayor, and all of the council members. And uh that's the end of my presentation. Thank you very much. Thank you, Hugh. Um Kathy Dunik has something for you. She's right over here through through your your worship right over here. Okay. >> Just thank you very much for coming out and thank you for articulating some of the issues that we have identified, namely the lack of information for the public in regards to the heritage attributes. And as Jane had mentioned in her presentation, a full disclosure of the reports that we've got to educate the public as to those very keen attributes and the site itself. Um, I also appreciate the sensitivity you used in terms of some people being in close proximity have a different view than maybe some of the rest of the community who do not. And while I applaud both councelor Hlett Theo and counselor Giddings for hosting the event recently, the broader community has not had an opportunity to participate and comment. So I appreciate your willingness to afford that to unfold. Thank you very much. >> Thank you, Hugh. Mr. Clerk, the next delegation, >> Terry Murphy. >> Welcome, Miss Murphy. council looks forward to your information. >> Thank you and good evening. My great aunt attended Oakville High School the year it opened, beginning a four generation long connection, but even Oakvilleians who are not alumni see OT as a source of community pride. The building is testament to the town's exceptional contribution to the development of education in Oakville, Ontario, and indeed Canada. A facade figuratively associated with false appearances is insufficient. Oakville's pioneers did everything they could to teach their children at home and train them in a family trade, but they knew a good school could help their children become more successful contributing members to society. So they built our first school in 1828 and hired Dr. William Taci as their first teacher who would go on to educate future leaders with names like Tupper, Blake, Mowat, Osler, and Galt. After the 1837 rebellions, Canada's leaders wanted to avoid further violence. For Lord Durham, who came to investigate what would lead to a better, more peaceful society, education was key. He said, "Much of the province has neither roads, post offices, mills, schools, or churches. The people may raise enough for their own subsistence, but they cannot prevent their children from growing up ignorant and occupying a far lower position than they themselves fill. Or the lands originally appropriated for the support of schools, the most valuable of the land, sorry, the la the most valuable portion has been diverted. So even in the most thickly people districts, there are but few schools and those of a very inferior character. Based on his advice, 1841 brought the Common School Act, the foundation for Ontario's free school system. It was Oakville's own Reverend Robert Murray who served as assistant superintendent of education and played a major role. Soon after, the brick two-story central school opened with 190 students just north of the original schoolhouse. It's good to remember that like most buildings in preconfederation Oakville, the first school was not demolished, but reused to house the town's new fire engine. New legislation soon allowed Oakville to levy taxes so high school, then called Grammar School, would no longer be just for the elite. Oakville's leadership influenced Canada's development of free public education. According to Hazel Matthews, council took immediate action to secure it and in 1854 approved an extension to Central School. By 1870, all grades were free and council approved another $4,000 extension. This grand building built by local contractors Jels and Molds and furnished by the renowned Jake Hay was the county's first 1 to13 school. The founding of St. Mary's in 1860 was another chapter. In 1861, 19,000 people lived in Hamilton with only three schools. Only only 44,000 over 44,000 in Toronto with only seven. At Oakville with 1,400 people had one. Um, sorry, I jumped. Through tax dollars and donations, Oakville built the first separate school in all of Halton, Duffren, and Peele counties, one of the first in the province, and played a role in the development of section 93 of the BNA act. St. Mary's earned historic importance again when bill 141 required construction in French and a cosmie opened in that same building the second franophhone school in Halton in 1909. Most of affluent but they saw Oakville High as central to a good future for their children. Known for its high academic standards and graduating alumni who have become famed business, sports, arts, and public service leaders. The school became a community center where youth played sports and where the assembly hall provided space for community musical and dramatic events. As an executive member of a community arts group, we are always looking for more indoor places to perform aside from Oakville's churches and the center. Then there is the architectural design by famed architect ah Chapman. In 1907, he designed Toronto's central reference library and college. The very next year, Chapman and McGiffen designed Oakville High. And then in 1909 and 1915 they designed the Carnegie libraries in Dundes and Berry today proudly repurposed as art galleries. Their 1913 Oldm Mill T-room is still a lucrative private destination. Chapman's others be other beautiful structures are many and various including the ROM the Sunnyside Bathing Pavilion and the Cene Princess Gate. They are as CBC's Johnny Harris would describe still standing in proud celebration of our Canadian stories. These achievements would be deserving of recognition on their own. But perhaps even more significant is how this building represents the sacrifice of Oakvilleians for what they deemed so important for over 200 for 200 years. It began by them moving the town's first cemetery. Much later, many students would sacrifice their lives in both world wars. Here, first principal WB Windham planted gardens tended by school farmers to assist the war effort. At great personal sacrifice, M. Mr. Archabald, principal during the Second War, did everything he could to keep up morale despite the sorrow of his only son being killed in action in 1941. For years, students marched from the school to Georgia Square to remember. More recently, Opal residents have made sacrifices through a long and patient wait to ensure that this heritage structure would be retained and restored, as discussed in the 2013 land study. Fire tragically destroyed many of Oakville's earliest buildings, but then the landmark Central School was demolished in 1960. The only other preconfederation building aside from St. Andrews was the Temperance Hall. And despite it being the oldest in Ontario and its service at the meeting place for everything from the first council meetings to art exhibits, fundraisers, bizaars, and even agricultural fairs, it was demolished in the mid60s with much regret following. In 1986, St. Mary's was wastefully demolished. There isn't. That was done by the church. There is no other large public building of significance to state in Oakville aside from the churches. There will not be another opportunity. The May 26th recommendation before council speaks of increasing the value of the property. The question was raised at last Wednesday's W 3 let's talk as to what the town understands as value. The report states the main goal is to maximize financial profit, but this ignores the value of this vital cultural and community resource. Through public consultation and council direction, the site has been consistently identified as a cultural and visual anchor. And the report underlines council's objective to conserve cultural heritage resources on the register and ensure all new development and any site alteration conserve these resources. Given the cultural value of this Ontario heritage building, conservation of the whole is essential. Critically, the report repeatedly affirms that despite disrepair, the structure remains structurally viable and that there is merit in rehabilitating for a variety of uses. The recommendation states that the property is surplus to town needs. But even with the building of a community center in Midtown, with the growth anticipated, many more resources will be needed. The school law improvement act of 1871 required area classrooms and a halfacre school site with a fenced playground. The couple of elementary only schools planned for Midtown will have no playground but share a public park instead. A beautiful bedding building set in a canopied neighborhood with a civic square just a short walk away would be a valuable community resource and far from surplus. Yes, it will require a creative building uh builder and yes, money must be found. While to date a joint venture partner has not materialized, very significant resources in Oakville and the surrounding area have not been optimally engaged with the general population largely unaware. Repurposing uh will cost, but so will erecting a new so would erecting a new 20,000 square foot building. The financial and green costs to demolish, remediate, and integrate even minimal heritage will be extremely high. So the differential closes significantly at last week's lex talk. Creative strategies were raised by financially prudent citizens. In addition to finding a partner, considerably more housing could be built to mitigate the loss. The size of the proposed square could be greatly reduced by keeping only the land in front and a pedestrian a smaller pedestrian walk. There could be slightly more density than originally planned through this extra land and a stepping down in height from the building to the north and east as well. More land for development might be possible if the square replaced the Allen Street open space. Worth considering given neighbors comments about its poor maintenance with vegetation and benches that apparently foster problems. Also, a development geared to seniors. A carryover from when the hospital-owned land was promised for continuing health related services is not is no longer mandatory. Mixed juice for all ages seems to be what people want. Other creative ideas including keeping the chimney swifts as an enclosed attraction on site rather like the bee colonies at Oakful Place and formerly the ROM. Option three is the best choice. Interim stabilization could provide short-term relief at the relatively minimal cost of mowing the front lawn and making minor cosmetic repairs to the facade during an allout community engaged search for a funding partnership and a creative developer with the incentive of more land. having attended countless meetings over the whole Midtown process. I am deeply appreci appreciative to council um for your hard work and commitment to a Livable Oakville and a renewed commitment to heritage. Please do not miss this opportunity to do something really spectacular and innovative that respects our community and its history and saves this unparalleled heritage resource. Thank you and good night. >> Thank you, Miss Murphy. uh you have uh if you just linger a moment, councelor Giddings >> and catch your breath as well. >> Thank you so much for coming out and for joining councelor Janet and I last Wednesday. Uh you brought history and heritage to life >> history teachers >> and and you do that so well on so many areas of the town. I especially thank you for this one and for bringing up points that Dan Chelov raised so well and was uh not able to be with us this evening. So for that, thank you very much. >> Thank you. Thank you. >> Thank you, Jerry. All right, council. Um I'll confine at the table. Um, we have a mover and seconder of a motion we have uh uh exhibited and uh councelor Dudk uh you first. I have an indication that there's others who may want to speak. Councelor Dick, >> thank you worship. Um it's pretty well self-sufficient in terms of the uh submissions thus far and the motion. I would also move the confidential report at the applicable time and I believe councelor Mcnes will second that rather than going in camera as uh we have endeavored to have as much of that available for the public to be able to uh review consider and be educated. I do want to thank um my colleagues councelor Hlett Theo and councelor Giddings for all their efforts in this regard. A very tough position to be put in in that uh as the gentleman from Trafargo Chartwell cited it's sort of um some people are of one mind and some people are of another and to adequately represent your constituents you've done a stellar job in that regard. So, thank you very much. And to all of those who have come out, who continue to come out to advocate for this important site. Thank you so much, >> Councelor McNise. Thank you uh through your worship. Uh not much else to add to the delegations and uh my council colleague here, but certainly it's not just a ward issue. This is a town issue. And once that building's gone, it's gone forever. It's got such a legacy in our town. So, um, being the heritage representative, myself and, uh, councelor Longo, this is something that is is of of great importance, uh, to the town as a whole. So, I'm happy to second this. >> Thank you, Councelor Mcnes. Uh, Councelor Elgger. >> Uh, Mayor Burton, you have a recorded vote. Thank you. >> Thank you, Councelor Elgar. Of course we can. Councelor Hazatill. >> Thank you. Through you, Mayor Burton. Um uh I want to thank the delegates, but I also want to thank our community that came out. It was a last minute request to show up at a Let's Talk with about 5 days or less notice. Um, and you turned out and I think we had some meaningful discussion and as appropriately uh explained in one of the delegations, we all learned about appreciating the diverse views that exist in our in our community and the need for other people to become more informed about uh the heritage designation and what is the potential. I did hear some things that were positive uh at the meeting. Uh there was a lot that supported protecting the open space in front of the school. Uh there were those that respected the context of the surrounding neighborhood and whatever we develop. There was general agreement that land should not be restricted to a single demographic and that the mix of housing opportunities should be explored within the density framework already contemplated. But of course there was no consensus on what the future of the school should be. And for some residents, it was pretty straightforward. Get on with it. And for others, heritage matters deeply. Um, and as councelor Dudik said, it's hard to try to understand both sides. And yet, that's our obligation. I've had the joy in the last few days of digging deeper into the history of old OT. I made my visit at 8:30 in the morning on Friday to get my reading material from George Chisum at the Oakville Historical Society. And I'm grateful for him giving me the yearbooks and several books to read over the weekend. O old is not just a former high school. It was a community hub. It educated generations of Oakville residents and occupies a special place. When council designated the building under the Ontario Heritage Act, previous councils recognized that its significance and accepted a responsibility to protect it. For many residents, Old OT is also a place of remembrance. The school's history is connected to generations of Oakville families whose sons gave up their lives and left school early in some instances, including uh our former mayor, Harry Barrett, I understand, to serve in the World War. Some never came home. Remembrance is not something we observe only on November the 11th. It is reflected in how we care for the places and stories that connect us to those who came before us. And for many residents, the history is one of the reasons adaptive reuse deserves serious reconsideration. Value cannot just be how much the land is worth. It must be the value we place on community, heritage, and connection, as it was strongly conveyed by some of tonight's delegation. It's also about stewardship. As a municipality, we ask owners of designated heritages properties to care for and maintain them. I think residents can reasonably expect the town to demonstrate that same commitment when we are the owner. A resident recently reminded me that council's role as oversight and the challenge in our prior process is that was difficult because at times we did not have all of that information. But I will say I'm very grateful that the staff quickly turned around gathering a consolidated report of 500 plus pages um to share with us on the history uh and the heritage designation on the structure on the chimney swifts on the different assessments that have been done over time and good work was done but we failed to get it across the finish line. What I take from the information is now is that it's not that adaptive reuse is impossible, but it will be a challenge and we must align resources and facts to make that final decision. And so I support what's being proposed tonight. It is a commitment to finding out and learning and exploring. Is there an opportunity within the development community? How can we make this possible? Can we preserve and adaptively reuse a designated heritage build building while delivering the housing? Can we respect the neighborhood while creating a viable project? Can we identify funding opportunities related to heritage conservation, sustainability, housing uh for adaptive reuse? Can we create an intergenerational community that strengthens this part of Oakville? Those are questions worth asking before we make irreversible decisions. Thank you to my council colleagues for putting this motion forward tonight. I'm prepared to support a process that gathers greater public input, tests the market's interest, encourages the market's interest, identifies potential funding opportunities, and really reaches out and does the hard work which was part of the motto at of old OT. Finally, while this work is underway, I believe we owe something to the neighbors who've lived beside this property, and it has to be more than a whip or snip. The grounds should be maintained. The building needs to be protected from further deterioration, and regardless of the outcome, that's just simple good stewardship. So, I'm hopeful that we can agree on tonight's motion and that after 11 years of town ownership, we can do what's right by this building, these lands, and see what was a wonderful master plan come to life. >> Thank you, councelor. Any other speakers? Um, very well. Uh, Mr. Clerk, would you uh call a vote? >> Uh, councelor Omeira, >> yes. Councelor Mcnes, >> yes. Councelor Dudk, >> yes. >> Councelor Chisum, >> yes. >> Councelor Howitfield, >> yes. >> Councelor Giddings, >> yes. >> Councelor Elgar, >> yes. >> Councelor Longo, >> yes. >> Mayor Burton, >> yes. >> Councelor Grant, >> yes. >> Councelor Adams, >> yes. >> Councelor Lucenna, >> yes. >> Councelor Nanda, >> yes. >> Councelor Shei, >> yes. >> Carried. >> That carries unanimously. Thank you everybody. Uh, now I want to put that over there. And now I'm advised that uh so we're now turning to the section nine of the agenda and the uh the consent agenda. I'm advised that 9.1 needs to be separated and that 9.4 yes 9.4 4 needs to be separated and I will out of optimism ask for a motion for 9.2 and 9.3. Councelor Grant and Councelor McNiss. Thank you. Any objection? There being none, 9.2 and 9.3 are consented. Councelor Grant, you have the floor for 9.1. The Sunningdale Public School tennis courts. Just very briefly, um I think I've not had a conversation with the parks department in the last 10 years where I've said, "So what about Sunningdale? What are we going to do about Sunningale to get the tennis courts up to standard for the community?" And so I'm just very pleased that this worked so well after years and years of our persistence. And I'd like to thank Chris Mark and his team for uh getting us to a point where we've now got more and more of the parkland in College Park back in the hands of the community where we can at least take better care and better stewardship of the lands. Thank you. >> Thank you, Councelor Grant. It won't happen until somebody moves and seconds it. Councelor Grant uh moves it. Councelor Adams seconds it. Is there any objection? There being none, that's carried. And uh before we turn to 9.4, 4 the clerk uh uh bids mentioned when I said the balance that also includes 9.5 just to be clear. So then uh 9.4 counselor mcnes I believe this is your mission. Uh if I'm wrong arm wrestle over there >> thank you um your worship I believe we do have some delegation. Would you like me to put forward the referral motion first or >> I think >> I think it's a favor to delegations to know what they're talking about and if and if you're deviating from what's you know if you've improved on the public uh report let the public know. >> Okay. And is there um is there a delegation or sorry is there presentation from staff on this one or is it just the staff I guess just the staff report. >> There's it's a consent item sir. >> Correct. Okay. Um, so, um, the clerk will put your >> on the screen. >> Perfect. >> And then you can read it >> and I, uh, did send a formatted version. I think the original was a little off, but um, >> well, when we get it up, you can tell us if you've got the one you want. >> Beautiful. >> Does this look like what you wanted? >> It does. Yeah. Uh, so this is moved uh, by myself and councelor Longo. Um, and it's that item 9.4, Four, review of the effectiveness of towing without the vehicle owner's consent bylaw 2024187 be deferred to the council meeting of July 6, 2026 and that staff be directed to report back at the July 6th meeting on options to eliminate or modify the authority of municipal law enforcement officers or MLOs's to request to business improvement areas BIA districts such that toes could only be authorized in parking lots and BAS by town MCOs or municipal compliance officers recognizing the unique role of BAS as a tourist visitor shopping dining and community destination and to provide any associated bylaw amendments for council's consideration and that the notice of the July 6th council meeting and the potential revisions be provided to affected stakeholders and part two that staff be directed to report back to council within one year on amending the towing without the vehicle owner's consent bylaw 2024187 including a a revision of compar a review of comparative municipal approaches to managing private property parking enforcement and towing and whether different towing practices are used for different areas of a municipality such as a BIA part B measures to improve deterrence and reduce reliance on towing including alternative parking management and enforcement tools for areas is experiencing institutional spillover parking, tourist destinations and BAS. C. Opportunities to improve transparency for the public, including signage requirements, property boundary identification and enforcement visibility at high volume towing locations. D. whether variations in enforcement practices, waiting periods, who can authorize toes or other bylaw provisions may be warranted to reflect differing land use contexts in Oakville, such as different practices, waiting periods, and who can authorize toes or other measures in BIA or near hospital situations. E. consumer protection measures including the role of MLEOs and authorizing toes and the use of use of officers as spotters and whether towing should be reserved for repeat offenders in certain circumstances. F performance measures, reporting mechanisms and technology solutions to better track, monitor and evaluate private parking enforcement and towing activity. And finally, G recommendations for any further amendments to the bylaw if warranted. Thank you, councelor. Um, Mr. Clerk, would you call the registered delegations? >> Kylie Wilson. >> Miss Wilson, welcome. Council looks forward to your reaction. >> Good evening, uh, mayor and members of council. It's nice to see you all again. Uh, in light of what's just being presented, I feel like my delegation is, um, does have quite a narrow scope. Um, but I will uh go into it just to provide you with a little bit of Bronty context as I do. Uh, we're representing our local Bronty Village business community this evening. Uh, and I do thank you for the opportunity to speak once again about towing and Bronty Village. Um, I approach this opportunity with a a strong sense of responsibility because the towing issue in our community does continue to have a significant impact and uh really impact the social and economic health of Bronty. and I hope my comments reflect what we continue to hear while also addressing sorry the amendment that is in front of council this evening. Uh the towing bylaw as you know intended to introduce important safeguards including signage requirements defined property boundaries, a mandatory waiting period before towing and municipal oversight. And these measures were intended to balance property owners rights with the fairness for motorists who are visiting our communities. Um, and as you know, the question before council tonight is not whether those safeguards were worthwhile, but whether we actually have enough information to conclude that the current system is achieving the balance that you intended and whether now is the appropriate time to remove the safeguards that were built into the bylaw. Uh, next slide, please. Thank you. Uh, the staff report makes clear that this program is very much still evolving. Participation continues to grow. More properties are entering the system and enforcement activity continues to increase. Staff also noted that activity is not expected to stabilize until 2028. So, several more years of elevated demand anticipated. And taken together, these indicators show a system that is still expanding rather than one that has reached a steady state. Uh, next slide, please. I recognize that the report shows a low denial rate for tow approvals and few complaints regarding MLEO conduct. Um that does suggest that the current process is functioning as intended it sorry as intended and that most requests are being handled appropriately but those figures reflect performance under the existing oversight and they don't demonstrate what the system would look like without that requirement. The key question is not whether MLEOs have acted appropriately to date, but whether there's enough evidence to conclude that the approval requirement is no longer necessary. And given continued growth in the program and the expectation that activity won't stabilize for another two years, I don't believe we're working from a mature enough data set to make that determination with confidence. Uh, next slide, please. Uh, now I'm going to bring a little Bronty perspective. Um we have seen a significant increase in enforcement activity at one local property. Uh that location now represents the second highest volume of tow approval requests in Oakville with 183 requests during the reporting period. Uh based on the information that's available to our BIA and certainly as evidenced in my inbox and with my phone ringing, the current enforcement model at this location appears to have been implemented fairly recently. Um so if the data before council likely doesn't reflect a full season and it definitely doesn't reflect um what will be our busy season in Bronty this summer and that really matters because council is being asked to consider reducing oversight while the highest volume sites may still be in the early stages of operating within the system. So, at the same time, we continue to hear concerns from residents and visitors about the substantial costs associated with towing, often several hundred once all fees are included. And regardless of the circumstances that led to the tow, these experiences shape public perceptions of Bronty and Oakville overall. And they really influence how they feel about visiting, whether it's a welcome community, and whether they want to spend their time and money here. While these impacts are not reflected in the report statistics, they remain an important part of understanding its broader impacts. The report does identify more than 600 approved toes during the review period. And while each of these toes might have been operationally justified, they do represent a member of the public that's needed to interact within the system of this bylaw. So tonight, I I don't think council has enough complete information at this stage to understand the full impact of a program that's still in a growth phase. And given that continued growth and expectation will not stabilize for another two years, uh maintaining the current approval requirement of this oversight really does remain a prudent approach. So, for that reason, I respectfully ask council to maintain the approval process or refer this matter back to staff um to re to re relook at that bylaw. And with that, I thank you for your time and consideration and I welcome any questions. Thank you. >> Thank you very much, Miss Wilson. Councelor Giddings has uh something for you. Councelor Giddings. >> Thank you, Mr. Mayor. Through you, thanks for joining us this evening. You talk about uh the model that is problematic. Is the model the problem or is it people parking illegally the problem? >> A great question. I I have to say um I feel like we've done a great education piece in Bronty. It's been a over a decadesl long issue. Um we've improved signage. We've improved as much as communication sorry as much communication as we have. And the experience of people parking in private lots is in fact quite rare, but when you do park in this one particular lot, it you're going to be towed. Um the property lines aren't necessarily clear. Um I think we can all recognize that sometimes that um private parking signage is something we don't even see as we're visiting a community and mistakes are certainly made. uh in the event that people are parking in a private lot and quite intentionally walking off, we do feel like the $65 penalty issued by the town of Oakville is a reasonable enforcement measure. I'm certainly not going to make that mistake a second time. And I I would arrive at my windshield and think, well, I'll never do that again. Um but the idea that you've now received a ticket, within a half hour period, your car is gone. The number we we're seeing over and over is $367. Um it's a trip across town to a dark lot. Um and really of course makes this situation um very challenging for people. Um imagine if you've got a car seat in your car and now you have a baby that you have to somehow get to a lot. People with accessib sorry accessibility passes in their windows that have to figure out how to get to Spheres Road. Um, so we do feel obviously mistakes are made if people are parking intentionally. Um, we do feel like that ticket is reasonable and that hopefully with the u motion being brought forward by councelor mcnes there can be um specific legislation for bas that allows a visitor to have a wonderful experience in these communities and has a reasonable consequence if they do park in a park lot. Thank you. Sorry that was very longwinded. >> Thank you for the details. So you don't believe The signs are problematic. There are enough signs. They're big enough. They're colorful enough. Whatever it takes for them to be noticed. It's not the signs. It's somebody just looking for a quick place to park. >> I I do feel that way. I mean, we're seeing right now, like I said, I'm my estimation of when I'm was starting to see see emails about towing. Uh it was beginning of April. So, we're looking from April to I believe June 15th when this report came through, that's 183 toes. And over the course of that many months, that's actually not a lot of people parking illegally, but that's a lot. That's a big consequence and a big um ex cost people are paying to come and visit Bronty. >> Thanks for joining us. >> Thanks, >> Councelor Mcnes. Thank you uh through your worship. Um so just to clarify, there used to be more sites that would tow in Bronty. Um I guess up until the original bylaw in 2024. Is that correct? That's right. We uh really saw two primary lots issuing uh doing the towing >> and then I guess a third prior to that uh you're right. That is that feels like a distant memory, but you're right. There was a third. That was before my time. >> So, it's down down to one. The other two seem to be managing their parking fine. As far as you're aware, >> they seem to be managing it fine. That's right. And you mentioned, you know, one lot that particular particularly seems to have some lot line issues or some confusion around it that has been ongoing for a decade or so. >> I don't I give um I give people grace when they do park in this lot and make that mistake uh because it is a property that has businesses along Lake Shore and along Marine Drive. Um it's a big lot and again there's not uh there's there's commercial properties all around this space. So I do believe when you're walking across the street to visit a business, you know you're walking off the lot, but for a lot of the properties that are adjacent, you wouldn't necessarily realize that there is a property line that you've crossed. >> Okay. So you feel that the aggressive enforcement on that site hurts not just the neighboring properties, but the whole BIA district that everybody pays into, has a common mission to add value to the district, invite visitors to the area. You feel that hurts the whole district? >> That's right. I feel like I'm in a unique position and I try and choose my words carefully when I'm up here because we know the funding model of a BIA. This is a property within our BIA and we obviously choose uh we we want to support all of our members. But in this case where we do have 175 businesses and one property owner is making it very challenging for us to create that welcoming vibrant environment when so many people are leaving with um with an experience that likely means they won't come back to our community. So for one uh one property to have that impact on the whole community, that's why we speak out about it today. and all of the businesses that pay into it subscribe to the mission to shop more, stay longer, enjoy the district. Is that fair to say? >> That's right. We're trying to create that welcoming environment and we certainly want to respect the rights of private property owners, but we do feel as I keep mentioning up here that there should be a reasonleness to that and that we feel uh if there's a chance that BAS could get special considerations so we're able to create that welcoming environment without the the constant threat of towing that would drastically change things for Bronty. >> Okay. And one one final question. So you're a part of the Ontario BA Association I understand. Uh, and have you heard of uh any other BAS having a challenge like this across Ontario or is this is this sort of unique to Oakville? >> This is definitely unique to Bronty. Yes. >> Okay. >> Yes. >> Thank you. >> Miss Wy Councelor Omeira has a question for you. >> Oh, >> thanks, Kylie. Um, are you aware of So, I guess our goal is to have people park in the appropriate places. Um, are you aware of anything that the property manager or the property owner has done physically to their property to try and support their businesses and and the people parking in the appropriate stuff? Has the property owner or property uh management company spent any money or done anything to their property to try and elicitate the fact that people shouldn't leave the property? Not to my knowledge, but I know that they they have abided by the the signage that's been required. >> Right. And do we know does the towel company pay for that signage or does the property owner? That might be >> I believe it's the property owner. >> Okay, perfect. Thank you very much. Thanks for coming in your delegation. >> Thank you. >> Thank you, counselor. Thank you, Miss Wy. >> Mr. Clerk, the next delegation. >> Thanks. Thanks, >> Harry Sheay. >> Mr. Sheay, welcome live and in person. We look forward to hearing from you. >> Thank you. Good evening, Mayor Burton and members of council. I mean, my um presentation is based on the staff report, but based on what I heard from um Council Mcnes, I think what you'll hear is, you know, supports it and I think that motion is solid. The BVA supported council's bylaw 2024 in uh 187 as it was the right thing to do. It protected visitors to Bronty from predatory towing. This report doesn't solve the parking problem. Rather, it allows for more towing as it removes an important safeguard for the vehicle owners. Tonight, I want to speak to the proposed bylaw amendment 202692 and the conclusions that this report draws in support of it. Next slide, please. What the staff report doesn't address is our local economy. Summer is almost here. Lake Notes, OWO, multiple festivals, yesterday's first annual 5K run, which I ran in. Um throughout the summer, these events will bring tourists to Bronty's waterfront. They're coming to hopefully spend money at Bronty's local shops, eat at the restaurants, and enjoy the lake. Now ask yourself, what is the single fastest way to ensure a family never returns to Bronty? Tow their car while they're having lunch, dinner, or shopping. Predatory towing or even the perception that a a vehicle can be removed without meaningful independent oversight is a direct threat to the direct threat to that visitor experience. Predatory towing simply says come to Bronty at your own risk. And yet this amendment proposes to remove the one step in the process that provides an independent check on that outcome. Next slide, please. Let me be specific about what the amendment actually does. Currently, before a municipal law enforcement officer can authorize a tow, they must first obtain approval from a mobile compliance officer who's an actual town employee. The MCO reviews the photographs, confirms a real violation has occurred, and then approves or denies the toe. That step exists for a reason. It puts a qualified, accountable public servant in the decision chain before someone loses their vehicle. The proposed amendment replaces that approval requirement with a simple notification. That is a significant reduction in consumer protection and it deserves far more scrutiny than this report provides. Next slide, please. Now, let's look at the data being used to justify this change. The report cites a denial rate of approximately 1.3 or only 11 of 820 tow requests were denied as evidence that the MCO oversight is unnecessary. But I would ask council to consider what that number actually tells us. Does a load denial rate mean the oversight is redundant or does it mean that the oversight is working? that the MLEOs knowing their requests will be reviewed are submitting well doumented legitimate toll requests. These are not the same conclusion and the report does not attempt to distinguish between them. The deterrent effect of a review process cannot be measured by counting the times it catches a problem. It must also account for the problems that never arose because the review process existed. When you remove the approval requirement, you remove that deterrent. The report offers no analysis of what happens next. And critically, it offers no analysis of what happens to the businesses whose customers are on the receiving end of an unre toe. Next slide, please. Let me also speak briefly to the complaint data. The report notes that only two service requests were received regarding the MLEO conduct during the entire reporting period. Staff cites this as evidence that the MLEOs are reliable. But how easy is it for a visitor from Burlington, Hamilton, or even Toronto to navigate a complaint process about the Oakville MLO? The report does not tell us. It does not tell us whether the complaint process is well publicized, whether it's accessible to people who do not know the local regulatory structure, or what the outcome of those two complaints actually was. Two complaints is not necessarily a clean bill of health. It may simply reflect that most people who get towed while visiting an area they don't live in give up, go home, than rather pursue a formal complaint. Next slide, please. So, why are we here tonight? Bylaw 2024187 was passed because Bronte had a wellocumented predatory towing problem. The towing sector responded to council's new rules, not by reforming, but by switching to vehicle booting. This was a workaround council had to address with a second bylaw in 2025. That is not the behavior of a sector that has fundamentally changed. It's a sector that con uh continues to look for ways around consumer protection. Council built this oversight structure because it was needed. Removing a key element of it after just one year in the middle of summer is premature and it's risky and the people who will bear that risk most acutely are not only the visitors who come to enjoy our waterfront but the local businesses who depend on them as well. Next slide please. Now let's consider the retail and tourism context specifically. Summer days and especially weekends in Bronty bring parking challenges unlike anywhere else in this town. Our Bronty retailers and restaurants are already working with a handicap. These Bronty businesses have no municipal parking infrastructure to point customers toward like Ker Village or downtown Oakville. Street parking is limited and goes quickly. What remains are privately owned retail lots watching every vehicle that pulls in. That is the environment our visitors are navigating when they come to enjoy our waterfront. And unfortunately, folks from Missaga, Burlington, or beyond do not know which lots belong to which stores. They don't always see or understand the signage. They park where they can find a space. They head toward a restaurant or a shop. That is a completely reasonable thing to do. Under this amendment, it would cost them hundreds of dollars and ruin their entire day. Next slide, please. And finally, I ask council uh straight our our ask of council is straightforward. Our request is not to pass uh not not to not to pass tonight bylaw 202692, rather receive a staff report for information, but defer the but to defer the amendment. And then just one additional closing thought. Our retailers and restaurants deserve to know that the town is not creating conditions that will drive their customers away. That protection is worth preserving. I thank you for your time. >> Thank you, Mr. Sheay. Councelor Mcnes has a question for you. >> Thank you, worship. Just a quick question. Thank you for your delegation, Mr. Sheay. Um, seeing you're representing the residents association and certainly know the area. Do you feel it's is it local residents that are getting towed or is it mostly visitors, tourists, people that maybe don't understand the area as well as locals? >> Uh it's the it's the latter. I mean, we have received um during this predatory uh proc towing process uh complaints. uh most of them are are not from um I mean they're not they're not members but um there are folks that that are from outside the area. I mean I personally have driven people to the pond who are from Port Credit or from Toronto. So >> and and the sentiment is that this doesn't happen in other areas and they're likely not returning to correct your your area. Yeah. Correct. >> Okay. Thank you. >> Thank you, Mr. Chair. Councelor Mcnes, we're at decision time. Councelor Omira, you've got your hand up. >> Yeah, sorry. I'll I I'll speak to um to the motion as well. Um your worship. Thank you very much. And again, I I I had mentioned in my question to um to Kylie. You know, the goal here is to have people park in the appropriate place. And this is now 10 years where towing we haven't towed our way to change the culture. It's not working. it does not work. And what it does is it creates an environment um that creates a lot of animosity towards not just Bronny or the hospital but the town of Oakville in general. Um the BAS and the the separation of the BAS is is important because there is an invitation to egress to com conduct commercial and retail business in BIA areas. Uh imagine downtown Oakville. Every store you went to you had to get out and move your car to go somewhere else because you weren't allowed to stay there. I mean that's that is what basically is happening in Bronny Village. Um there is a a a an an intuitive sort of feel to to just step over a curb and walk somewhere when you don't know that that means now it's going to cost you $400. And and as we grow in our vibrancy in this town and as we have more tourism and on Father's Day as Harry mentioned it was packed down in Bronny thousands of people on the street um and many newcomers and they don't know that this is happening. So, it is unfortunate that it was a tiny tiny small number of of individuals who are doing this. The majority of the tow industry I talked to say we wouldn't touch this business with a 10-ft pole because it's not good business. It's not what we uh it's not who we are and it's not what we do. Um but unfortunately, as long as we have actors that are willing to to do this, um we have got to continue to evolve. And I appreciate that staff want to review this and are working with us um to get it right because again we want people to maintain their property rights um but in the same sense you have to understand that we are in a business area and and we're all in this together and I understand that there's a lesson there that has to happen but we need to look at all the options in Ottawa what they do um in Toronto what they do in other areas what they do to try and and limit this because as as Kylie mentioned we are one of the highest tow zones per capita in this province and it's basically two properties and that is not changing the culture anytime soon. So, we have to continue to go at this until we get it right. Um, so definitely want to thank uh councelor McNiss and councelor Longo for um for for doing yman's work on this one as well. So, thank you worship. >> Thank you, councelor. Councelor Mcnes. >> Thank you, Worship. Agree with uh councelor Omera's uh comments there. Um, I mean the intention I think originally of this was not how do we make towing more efficiently or how do we do more more towing. It's how do we deal with some unique situations across the town related to parking. Um so I think the uh immediate need is in our BIA areas that uh as we heard are facing some unique challenges right away but we also have some other unique context across town and those were highlighted in part two of the uh refer back um you know around institutions there's a spillover effect and we're not the only people that deal with it sometimes around places of worship. So we need to be able to address those different contexts and certainly the charts in the report you know told uh quite a bit that um and the additional information we have that 99% of property owners are figuring out how to manage uh their property and their parking effectively. It is a small number that are just trying to tow their way out of this and they're using that as the solution and not as councelor Mara suggested you know what additional measures are they taking beyond what we're absolutely making them do and you see that in Missaga around square one they have parking ambassadors to try to help people out and not try to prey on them and tow them away for a profit so I think there's a lot to look into related to transparency especially at high volume sites most people don't realize that there's active enforcement going on. When we launched the ASC speed cameras, when the cameras were on, there was a different sign that showed up that said it's going on right now because we we don't really want to give you a ticket. We want you to comply and we especially don't really want to tow you away. We want you to comply. So, the more we can do in a preventative lens, the better. And you know, we're realizing through uh the information we've gathered in the last year, there's certainly different contexts across town and we may need a few different approaches to deal with this. And as councelor Mayor mentioned in the del and Mr. Sheay mentioned, you know, consumer protections, Ottawa's really taken approach around that and that you don't get towed and they're looking for repeat offenders for such a harsh consequence of of towing because you originally think your car has gotten stolen. That's your first thought and that's a traumatizing experience. So they'll give you a toe or they'll give you a ticket the first two times. The third time, you know, I think we'd all agree a toe is is deserving. So we need to know more about, you know, at what in which situations is that appropriate. And I think we've also discovered there's some more information we need in performance measures um around this and potentially technologies that are needed so that we can do things like that. So there's two parts of this refer back. there's an immediate need that um we think we can address in a few weeks, but there's also it's, you know, and that was the purpose of getting this one-year check-in was let's get really good information and and really understand what's going on across town. And I think we've done that and that's raised a lot more questions and and um you know uh but as councelor Mara said, you know, we we weren't the whole purpose of this was not to tow our way out of a problem. It was to address some unique parking needs and um have towing as a last resort. Um but to really address these complex parking challenges that we're facing in a few areas. Thank you. >> Thank you, Councelor McNise. Um I hope you're not suggesting that we the town are towing. The private property owners are towing. >> Private the town is a very small percentage uh of that, but this is generally private property owners. You're correct. Yes. Our bylaw exists to uh restrain private property owners as much as we can from towing. That's our purpose of our bylaw. And and I take your point that we're looking to restrain them more. But uh I just don't want people coming away from this thinking that the town is the one that's doing the towing. >> Correct. You are correct. >> Councelor Adams, >> thank you very much. First of all, I just wanted to thank uh the dis uh councelor mcnes for the discussions that we had over this. Um I I appreciate all the detail that we have got into this motion. It's it's very appropriate. I just had a question for our staff about the information that we received around the number of toes at different locations and whether that information is um information that we can be public about in terms of the addresses involved and the number of tow requests coming out of them because it was shocking to me when I saw the top locations for tow approval requests and that we've got two of them that account for the vast vast majority of the tow requests >> through your mayor Burton. Uh councelor, no we have not made those uh those records public um and they're they're going to remain private at the time but at this time but um we will uh we can release the the total numbers to the public. I think that would be really useful for the public to understand that that we have um certain number of tow requests that are coming out, but two properties are accounting for almost all of them, >> like a ridiculous number of them. And you know, one of them's across from the hospital and the other one's in Bronny. And um and so the public ought to be aware of the fact that there are these two locations that if you're going to them, you're probably going to get towed right now. So I I think it'd be fair and no problem if you were to mention that the site across from the hospital has maybe what three times as many as the property in Bronny. >> It's a ridiculous number. >> Okay. So, uh, if you're out if you're out going to the hospital, be careful where you park. Thank you, councelor Councelor Elgger. >> Um, thank you through Mayor Burton. Yeah. And I do want to emphasize uh that one parking spot. You drive up there every day, third line and upper middle, and you'll see the people parking their cars and walking across the street. The town has done a good job of ensuring the owner there has got adequate signage up and they've had to hire a person because the tenants there's no parking for anybody to go in to buy anything from the tenants because so many people are trying to save the $2025 it costs if you stay the full day at the hospital. So it is a huge issue for that for the for the owner of that plaza. I I I totally get it. Every you drive by there every day, you'll see the people. I'm sure they're new people. They may not live in Oakville, but it's a huge issue for the PLA the Plaza tenants up there. Thank you. >> Thank you for mentioning them. They're uh many of them are also residents of Oakville. >> Um well, are we ready to vote then, council? No hands. Might be vote time. Uh Mr. Clerk, I'd like a recorded vote on this. So, could you please call the vote? >> Councelor Romera. Yes. >> Councelor Mcnes. >> Yes. >> Councelor Dudic. >> Yes. >> Councelor Chisum. >> Yes. >> Councelor Hazitfield. >> Yes. >> Councelor Giddings. >> Yes. >> Councelor Algar. >> Yes. >> Councelor Longo. >> Yes. >> Mayor Burton. >> Yes. >> Councelor Grant. >> Yes. >> Councelor Adams. >> Yes. >> Councelor Lechenna. >> Yes. >> Councelor Nanda. >> Yes. >> Councelor Shei. >> Yes. >> Carries. >> Thank you everybody. That is also unanimous. So now um You've been going by my estimate an hour and a half. Uh uh I believe there's a public health requirement that I give you a break every now and then. Would you uh like to resume at 10 minutes after? >> We're in recess. >> Recording stopped. >> All right, council is uh back in session. I'll try to bring the meeting to order. Uh the uh the chair is uh going to recognize councelor Dudk for a motion on 12.1 and a seconder please somewhere councelor Chisum is there any objection Mr. Clerk there being no objection that is carried I'm recognizing councelor Chisum for 11.4 four. >> I move that motion, please. >> And I'm looking for a seconder. Councelor Lchenna. Thank you. Any objection? Councelor Omira. >> Just just a question your worship on this one. Thank you. Um I'm just uh the region went through quite a tumultuous time um with with its heritage uh um archives and what it was going to do. And there was a conversation about it would be sort of getting the the archives down to the lower tier municipalities and work with that. And I'm just wondering how the plan I didn't read how in our strategic plan we're going to be working with the region on that. We're going to be um getting resources with them. We're going to be accommodating what's coming. We're going to be any anything with that. So I'm wondering if maybe staff can speak to what the plan is coming up to work with the region as it I believe it's dis dispossessing or I forget the term of of its dispersement of its heritage stuff. >> While while staff is coming counselor let me remind you that the regional staff also reported that the vast majority the huge huge majority was all Milton material. Hi through the mayor to councelor Romera there. If I could just clarify the question one more time here. You're looking to understand the work that's happening with the region in terms of deessioning. >> Deassessioning. That's the word. Thank you very much for that one. It was something. It it is. It is. And I and I know we we heard from the Oakville Historical Society, from the Bronny Historical Society, saying there's a need for us to make sure that all of the Oakville stuff there is going to be accounted for and taken care of and resources and support and all that sort of stuff. And I just was wondering where we are on that or if that's going to factor into our strap plan. >> Absolutely. It's a consideration for sure. There's work underway. We have representation from the town. Our staff team are sitting on that project team to de uh with the region. There's nothing decided just yet. However, our interest would be in those items and artifacts that are significant to Oakville's heritage. Um, and we would be prioritizing prioritizing that. >> Okay. Yeah. Just as long as that factors into our plan because I don't want that to be an afterthought because I know a lot of our historical groups uh in Oakville are very very concerned about this and that whole process. And I said that we would do everything we could as a municipality here to make sure the Oakville stuff that we have is protected. You won't necessarily see it specifically called out in the strategic plan because there's so many unknowns at this time, but it's certainly something that the staff would continue to work through. >> Perfect. Thank you. Thank you, Mr. Mayor. >> Counselor has the deal. And then councelor Giddings, >> thank you and thank you for a very comprehensive report and an excellent uh engagement process. I had the opportunity to hop in on an early session and uh I know people were were very much engaged and wanting to share their thoughts on the museum. My question is a bit self- serving. I'll say it right up front. Um you have a strategic plan that looks out to 2030 and we have a potential uh historical building that may uh someday uh have opportunities in it. Is there a consideration that exhibitions or elements of what the museum needs to fulfill their place and continue to be that exceptional uh u steward of heritage? Uh is there an opportunity for discussion uh with them uh being involved at the old OT >> through the mayor to counselor? How does it feel? Certainly something that we could take a look at. hadn't necessarily been contemplated for the old high school at this time. Our what's called for in the strategic plan is for us to bleed the museum out into the community. Maybe that's the wrong term, but um really to expand our reach into the community um which uh was more with temporary installations. It's something we'd have to explore further in terms of whether the the um old high school would be suitable and whether or not we have staff capacity and resources to be able to support depending on the size and scale of something like that. >> But a small portion possibly a puzzle can become filled up by all those pieces. So I've planted the seed and I hope you'll consider it. Thank you. >> All right. Thank you, Councelor Chisum. >> Thank you, Worship. Um, I do have a question. I thought we we this would be a consent item and it would be approved very quickly as I know that the staff and uh the finance are all in place for the Strat plan which I'm really impressed with. And hi Carolyn and and and our museum people with respect to what they do down there. And it's a it's a it's a museum that is well established in our municipality, but it's it's hidden uh down at the end of Navy Street. And it's always difficult getting people down there. But with now with the lakefront and so forth and our foot traffic has increased and my congratulations to staff over the years we've been really moving. We got rid of the old wall and put a knee knee wall in and we did the coach house. So there's been a lot of improvements at the museum and also now on Facebook I see a lot of the exhibits are in there. Fantastic. Now uh with respect to the collection uh is there anything stored? >> Did you have >> is anything reason for putting that after this >> your worship? I can hear you. That's okay. Um, with respect to the collection, um, not decommissioned or de accession, is do we have storage at QEPCC still with all our collection >> through through the mayor council chism? We do have climate controlled um, storage space at QEPCC that's specifically for museum artifacts. Um, I have heard from the team too that we do an incredible job at keeping our collection accessible and um, uh, out for the public to see so that there's a lot more engagement. We try not to hide as much as we can, but there is certainly storage at uh, at QEP. >> Yeah, I must say over the years we've reimproved our exhibits to the community instead of having it hermetically sealed and hidden away for many years. It's good to get out and get fresh air and oxygen in in our exhibits. Thank you very much. >> Thank you, Councelor Chisum. Councelor Adams, >> thanks very much. On the same item, I wondered if you would be able to um define or explain a little bit better how uh the history of North Oakville will be told uh through the museum. >> Excellent. I think that's something that has been uh missing from a lot of the the work that's done in the past and it's something that given the growth of North Oakville is desperately needed >> through the mayor to councelor Adams. I'm hoping that you will see that reflected in the plan. Um part of what's been identified is the opportunities to tell new and different stories as well. Um and to expand into the north part of Oakville. Um some of the locations do a 60-mile has a dedicated exhibition space as well, but that's certainly something that um we're hoping to expand on telling the story of the town as a whole. >> Thank you very much for that. And next, Councelor Nanda. >> Thank you, Mayor Burton. Um thank you and thank you for the strap plan. Just to kind of piggyback on what councelor Adams was saying, um I do appreciate the piece, the cultural piece. Um, and it was great to see that because that will represent more of the north as we know. Um, so one of the things I saw is you had the cultural anchor in 2030. Are are you look are you working with any cultural groups specifically to get anything into into the museum earlier than 2030? I'm going to bring Carly Anderson, our senior manager of cultural services forward to to speak to that question. >> So, thanks for the question. Um, so we engage with over 50 community partners and organizations which are listed in the plan um who all really form an integral part of the museum and the exhibitions um and our goal is to really transform it into a cultural anchor by the conclusion of this strategic plan. So, um, what we mean by that is the work that we're going to be doing in the in the near term is to help foster belonging, identity, learning, and community connection. And for residents, this means a museum that not only preserves Oakville's heritage, and but actively engages people through its exhibitions, programs, events, partnerships, and storytelling that reflect Oakville's evolving history and diverse experiences. So, it's kind of that the conclusion of this plan will see it really become a cultural anchor. So, it's kind of our the trajectory we'll be on. >> So, that that's great to hear. And I have been to the museum. um just taking my kids when they were younger, but also going on a class trip. So, it's been great to see that. So, also in the cultural part, I thought it would be great to maybe work with school boards and see, you know, how they have those cultural pieces within the school and that education piece can also come down through exhibitions like you said yourself because I do recall going down there and it isn't big. It's very cute. It's very small. So obviously you won't you wouldn't be able to permanently get everything in there, but a dedicated space that allows for different exhibitions and different cultures uh to be able to come in. Um but I did also read there's staffing issues of course. Um, and so what kind of capacity can you handle? Because it looks like you do want you do want more people to to come to the museum, but based on the staff capacity, what kind of capacity can you handle in the museum? >> Yeah, so thanks for the question. So through the mayor, um, we have developed the plan with the resources that we have at hand. So, we are already, as you'll see, um already accomplishing some of the strategic objectives in the plan, and we feel confident that we'll be able to drive it forward with the resources that we have in place. Um in terms of growth and strategic direction in the future, we will bring potentially forward um additional requests for funding through the the business um case and planning process through the budget. >> Okay, great. And I think, you know, obviously trying to get more people in the north to come down there to recognize it u because not everyone knows it is a museum. So maybe signage up there or a little bit. Of course, we can put it out ourselves, too, but we'd love to have more people come down there. So, thank you. Thank you, Mayor. >> Thank you, councelor. Counselor Elgar, >> Mayor Burton 3, I just want to say thank you to the uh to the committee. I I think a lot of people don't realize what Goofield Museum does behind the scenes. I know one of the people is Chris Selman who is working on the 2027 alignment with the 200th anniversary of Oakville and one of the big things he's going to be doing is a big issue or a big exhibit on Oakville's trees especially the great white oak and a number of other trees and like I think we need that kind of thing in Oakville. It's really glad to see the he's reached out and I can tell you he's got he's going to get a bag box full of material pretty soon from me. So, thank you for what you're doing at the museum, everybody. Appreciate it. >> Thank you, councelor Elgar. Um, may I put the vote? Any objection to the motion? Mr. Clerk, there being no objection, that's adopted. All right, council, let's turn our attention now to the 2027 budget forecast. It's a timely topic and uh we have a staff presentation and I'm gonna I'm gonna ask uh the CEO because ultimately you know the budget is uh this this business is uh honchoed by the CEO. Madam CEO, do you want to uh introduce anybody or or call our attention to anything in particular? >> Uh thank you, Mayor Burton. Actually, I do want to introduce Jonathan. um Vander Hayen, I forgot your last name for a minute, Jonathan. Uh as he's going to provide the overview of the budget forecast based on the the 26 uh work that we had done uh earlier or later part of last year um and really some of the challenges that we'll have going forward into next year. So over to Jonathan. >> Jonathan, we look forward to uh your presentation. I I read this morning that uh inflation was up to 3.2% which is probably causing all kinds of headaches everywhere, not just here. >> Uh that's true, Mayor Burton. Um and thank you for having me to address council and the public this evening uh as we give you a brief update on our 2027 budget forecast. I think just a few weeks ago we were in front of you as well to finalize the 2025 year end and now here we are just a couple weeks later to talk about 2027. That's the way it works in finance sometimes. Uh my presentation this evening won't be long. However, there are a number of key items that we want to bring to your attention as we do uh dive into the budget process for this year. All right, we'll start by taking a look at the 2027 forecasted operating budget increase, including some of the key preliminary assumptions that we've included. Then I'll spend a minute or two on our 20 our 2027 to 2036 capital forecast. Then we'll look at the council strategic plan and how that's incorporated into our budget documents and our budget process. I'll run through some key budget principles and financing policies that we use here at the town just as a reminder for council and for the public. And then we'll end by taking a brief look at inflation and talking a little bit more about the budget process and timelines. They are a little bit different this year with the election. So, starting off with the 2027 forecasted increase. So, we have on screen chart one from the staff report and this is the same chart that we show you every year as part of the budget process. And I know that it has a lot of numbers on it, but it does highlight the key drivers that have an impact on the town's operating budget and ultimately impacts how much residents pay in taxes. So the process that we use each year is to start with the forecasted amounts from the previous year's budget and then update it for things that we know about and I'll walk you through a couple of those items now. So to start with, our first driver is inflationary impacts. This is where we incorporate the impacts of inflation on both our costs and on our revenues. The town's single largest expense in our operating budget is for personnel costs. And so our updated figures here include increases for negotiated and expected labor contracts. For a bit of extra detail, I can share that we also have included in this line inflationary pressures on various materials, supplies, and contracted services as well as debt charges for the transit facility expansion. The next lineup is called capital and growth. And each year we have operating impacts due to new growth as well as impacts due to capital projects that have an operating component to them. So for 2027, this is a significant driver as we have operating costs for transit expansion buses and higher transfers to the transit equipment reserve for electric buses. We have operating costs to maintain new roads, parks, trails, and subdivisions, transfers to various other equipment reserves and our building maintenance reserve for the new 16-mi community center. And we have licensing and software as a service costs and for other uh various IT initiatives. The third line down is called council strategic priorities and this refers to some of the business cases that were identified in the 2026 budget process that were uh put in there to address some of council's strat plan priorities. As not all requests could be accommodated last year, a number of these items were deferred to 2027. These business cases will all be reviewed again this year as part of the budget process to ensure the various initiatives are prioritized. The fourth line down is called annualization of items approved in prior years, which is a bit of a mouthful, but this line refers to the items that the remaining impact of items that were added in last year's budget. So, as a reminder, some of the items that we add to the budget are not fully realized in the year and the remaining impact is then pushed out into the next year. So, for example, a position may have been added to the budget that only starts partway through the year and so the next year has to pick up the remaining impact of that addition. In the 2026 budget, positions were added to both maintain the same level of service and to address some corporate objectives and this figure represents the remaining impact of those additions. The fifth line down is called Oakville Public Library and the figure listed here represents their forecasted tax impact which includes the remaining budget impacts for the opening of 16 mile. Our sixth line down is actually a negative and that indicates that it's additional revenue coming into the budget to help reduce the impact of the tax levy. Growth in our assessment never perfectly matches the timing of our increase in costs. However, we do try as much as possible to match them to avoid fluctuations in our tax levy increase. In previous years, we have had some extra growth that was not needed and therefore we saved it for when we knew there would be operating impacts, specifically the opening of 16 mile and adding more buses for transit. And this helps to soften the blow of adding all the new operating costs in one year. And finally, the last item in this first part of the chart is called our capital levy, which is set at 1.75% in this document. We've had the annual capital levy consistently for many years and it's vital to supporting our asset management plan to ensure that we have a reliable funding source for our capital program. As noted in the staff report, the capital levy has typically been about 1% uh as an increase each year since 1996. However, the 2026 budget included a $10 million reduction to the capital levy based on what the town has historically spent on storm water. And this was done as council also approved the move of storm water costs from the tax levy to a dedicated storm water fee. As there continues to be pressures on our capital program beyond storm water, a temporary increase in the capital levy from 1% to 1.75% annually for 2026 all the way to 2030 has been implemented. So next I'd like to say a couple things about assessment growth uh which is the next uh line down. So assessment growth reflects the additional properties that are added to the tax role each year which were not included in the prior year's budget. This is a regular budget driver though the amount does fluctuate depending on the information we received from EMPAC. So as you can see this item is a negative which means it reduces the overall tax impact to existing residents. And we've currently estimated at 1% but as we move through the budget process we will keep council and the public advised of any changes based on information that we received from EMPAC. And before I um leave assessment growth, I do have to say one thing. Uh the province has continued to delay the reassessment of properties. So we're still working on values from 2016. Um if the province finally does update the assessment of properties, this will not result in true assessment growth to any municipality. It just changes how the pie is divided. There's often a misconception out there that as soon as municipalities get a reassessment, there'll be tons of millions of dollars in tax revenue coming in, but that's actually not true. So, I always like to take the opportunity to dispel that myth if I can. So, after all the items that are listed here and after adding the expected increases that we have for the region and for education, the forecasted impact for this year is 4.97%. And I'd also like to point out that this does include the remaining $200,000 of savings that we were asked to find by a couple of council terms ago uh spread out over the 26 and 27 uh budgets. So, we have incorporated that extra 200,000 as staff have been working on a number of initiatives uh including reviewing areas of budget efficiency and we'll be sure to report back on those in the commissioner presentations in the fall. All right. Also included on tonight's agenda is a draft direction from the mayor that the overall increase be kept to forecast inflation which is currently 2.1% which you see in the bottom right corner as well on this uh chart. So this is chart two from the staff presentation. So should the request be for staff to come in at 2.1% overall instead of 4.97 the town's tax levy would actually be a decrease. And so compared to the previous slide that I just showed you, $17.3 million would need to be reduced from these figures along with the deferral of 2.1 million in initiatives that were deferred from last year's budget. So to accomplish this, staff will need to present to council options for changes in services or service levels the council could consider in order to achieve the target, keeping in mind the importance of balancing the tax increase with the needs that are identified in our master plans and other key strategic priorities. So now I'll move from the operating budget to the capital forecast for a moment. Uh talk about that as well. So each year the town prepares a 10-year capital forecast as part of our budget process and this provides a look ahead to the upcoming projects that we expect to undertake. This is a critical part of long range financial planning as we need to know both our objectives and our pressures so that we can make appropriate decisions for the benefit of the town. So this involves us looking at the amounts, the timing and the operating impacts of the various projects. And one key item to assist us in doing this is our asset management plan. The asset management team works closely with both the finance team and the various departments to ensure that the infrastructure renewal projects are included based on the principles laid out in our asset management plan. These infrastructure renewal projects include things like replacing roads, HVAC units, and equipment. And later this summer, the asset management team will bring forward the final phase of our asset management plan with a focus on the levels of service and financing those levels of service. This report will highlight the current state of the program, which is generally strong. However, we'll also identify the key drivers of our assets that are putting financial pressure on our capital reserve. And in a slide or two, I do have our capital reserve forecast to show you as well. Another key variable for our capital budget is related to the impacts of growth. Oakville is a growing municipality and we need to add projects, things like new community centers and fireh halls as well as road widening projects so that we can ensure that our residents are provided with the services that we provide. Including projects in the forecast is based off of our DC study which is currently underway and that is in turn driven by our master plans. So, in the past few years, council has approved the fire master plan, the parks, recreation, and library master plan, and the transportation master plan, and components of these plans will be included in our 10-year forecast. Finally, any other requests, those we call program initiatives, are evaluated and prioritized based on council's strategic plan and other corporate priorities. All of these various capital projects are also considered against the funding sources that are available to pay for them to ensure that we are using the town's financial resources appropriately. So, as I mentioned, I do have a slide outlining the town's capital reserve. So, the capital levy and the capital reserve are the primary funding sources for our infrastructure renewal and program initiative projects and they also fund the town share of our growth projects. So the blue line that you see on the chart here represents the pro the projected capital reserve balance for each year in our 10-year capital forecast. The orange bars indicate how much spending is expected in each year. And as you can see, we are currently in a strong position. And this is the result of the implementation of this new storm water fee, additional grant funding, reallocations from reserves above target levels, investment income, and town surpluses. Having said that, as you'll see further out in the forecast, that number begins to decrease and ends up dropping below the dotted red line, which it represents our target balance for our capital reserve. And again, the upcoming asset management plan will highlight some of these drivers at a meeting later this summer. I'd like I'd also like to say that during the 2026 budget, council approved the additional increases to the capital levy to maintain a positive balance in the reserve. That's the 1.75% I mentioned earlier. And so this slide highlights the importance of maintaining the capital levy as capital funding is constrained and projects do need to be prioritized accordingly. All right, switching gears slightly. I've got a slide here on council strategic plan, which I know you're very familiar with. And so this is an important factor in how we build out our budget. We actually group uh the budget book by components of the town's or the council's strategic plan and we want to make sure that we are aligned with the key areas of focus that you see here on the screen and the consideration of the objectives and action items that are included in the strategic plan. While the current uh council strategic plan wraps up this year, the priorities and frameworks still guide how we build our budget for 2027. Once the new council starts later this year, it will likely develop a new strategic plan that would then become the framework for future budgets. This next slide here outlines some of the key principles and financing policies that we follow here at the town to help us ensure financial stability. They are all listed in the staff report, so I won't spend too much time on them here, but I do want to highlight that they involve us considering the long-term impact of our projects and initiatives and considering what those impacts are on current and future budgets. And then the slide on inflation, which Mayor Burton mentioned just as I started. Um, this slide shows the current uh economic situation or a portion of the current economic situation that we're in and how it relates to our budget. As you're all aware, inflation has been on a bit of a roller coaster the past few years, and you can see that with the dashed line that is on the chart here. It spiked very high in 2022 and has been decreasing since then. And so, while we're glad that it's stabilizing, there is still some uncertainty in the core inflation numbers, as evidenced by the results that came out today, where inflation is sitting just over 3%. This chart also has the town's overall tax bill increase on it. That's the line you see in blue. And you'll see that generally speaking, we stay pretty close to inflation. Sometimes lagging a little bit, but we generally try to stay close to that. All right, that brings me to the 2027 budget process itself. So, the process for this year will be very similar to the ones we've done in the past under strong mayor powers. However, because of the timing of the election and some of the requirements in the municipal act in an election year, we do have a few changes in this year's um process. So, this chart, which is also appendix A in the staff report, outlines a simplistic timeline that we are planning to follow this year subject to any changes based on the conversations today. So, I'll walk you through a couple of items here quickly. Uh I just want to flag as I do items with that gold bar around them or gold border around them, I should say. Those represent public consultation which I know is something that is important to council. So June 22nd, that's today, this is the budget forecast report and serves as our external budget kickoff. Staff have already started working on the budget internally uh at the same time. And then from here, the next box actually jumps all the way past the election. So after the election, the mayor will be able to establish a 2027 budget committee. And then on November 24th and 26th, we plan to have budget committee meetings where we as staff have an opportunity to present a staff prepared budget to the budget committee and the public. The presentation on these days will include the regular budget overview as well as our commissioner presentations. From here, we move into a couple of months of consultation where budget committee members can consult with residents on the staff prepared budget. Then if you move to the second row on this chart, you'll see that there is an item with a green border around it for the week of December 7th. And that's uh something we've added a couple of years ago and it seemed to work well. This is an opportunity during this week where we as staff provide the opportunity to meet with you as council to come to town hall to chat about any budget related questions you might have. And we try to schedule these after we've released the budget book for you. We give you a lot of information between the budget book and the presentation. So, we want to make sure you have time to digest it all before you ask your questions. And as members of council, you always have the opportunity to ask any questions in a public forum as well. But we really want to give you the opportunity to dive into the details as you consider the budget book and as you engage with your residents on it. And speaking of residents, that leads me to the two meetings on January 12th and 14th. Those will be public meetings where we will have the opportunity to hear from members of the public about the budget and receive their public delegations. This is also an opportunity for you as counselors to ask any questions of staff. And as we've done in the past, we'll make one of these meetings uh during the day and one in the evening so that we can maximize the attendance uh from residents as much as possible. Moving to the next box on January 21st. This is an opportunity for staff to respond to any questions from council and then it's also an opportunity for members of the budget committee to provide recommendations to the mayor for the mayor's budget. And that leads us to January 28th where there would be a special meeting of council for the mayor to present their budget. And this would be the start of the proverbial clock under strong mayor powers. And we'd also include the town's rates and fees at this meeting as well. On February 4th, there would be a meeting of council to entertain any public delegations on the mayor's budget and then leading to February 9th where council would meet to consider the 2027 budget. And I will note that this is less than the 30 days under the legislation. However, just like last year, we'll include a motion to uh resolve that period at the same time so we can wrap up the budget process as quickly as possible. And that brings me to my final slide for tonight. This is appendex B from the staff report on today's agenda. This is a budget decision flowchart to assist council and the public in navigating the process of approving the budget based on the province's directives. It's the same information we've provided in the past number of years and should we end up in a situation where we need to navigate it, we also have the assistance of the town clerk and the town solicitor to assist us to ensure that we follow the legislation properly. So with that, Mayor Burton, that concludes the end of my presentation and I'd be happy to take any questions. >> Well, you've generated a few. Councelor Elgger. >> Uh Mayor Burton, thank you very much, Jonathan. Excellent presentation, but there's one big hole in the budgets that I keep you're somebody's missing and I can't figure it out. It has something to do with development charges. The development charges act that started in 1997. We're sitting on 2026 and you notice when we talk about budgets, we don't mention how much the residents are subsidizing the development in any everywhere. And I don't know how you ever I don't know how people get wakened up to it because it keeps getting buried and what you everything you talked about tonight it's still all buried and like do you have what's the latest how much we are behind on collecting on development charges not due to what not due to the town at all but due to the provincial legislation and and talking on the town of Oakville the the region of Halton is a whole other bag of millions of dollars but it going forward. Could we kind of throw in a how much we are throwing in on an annual basis and well it keeps getting worse like every every few years you get another bill through another act which means we cannot we cannot charge the new developer or the new development at all and the existing taxpayers are subsidizing. What what's the latest number you would have on what we are subsidizing right now just for the year 2026 >> through you mayor Burton uh my apologies councelor Elgar I did not think to have that number ready I should have known that you would ask me um but what I can promise you is that as we have in prior years we do have a reserve report that we do bring at the same time as the budget that outlines a lot of the information related to development charges what we can and cannot collect for um and what we include in the budget to account for that as well. So, we'll make sure to have that as part of our budget process this year >> because we do get something from the CIO on a on a monthly basis, I do believe. >> And you know, this the number is in the in isn't in the tens of thousands. It's in the tens of millions of dollars. >> You could you have a ballpark idea what that what that is right now? councelor the CEO has uh taken the uh microphone and perhaps she can help you. >> Thank you >> uh through you mayor Burton. Uh the number that we provide you on a monthly basis is the impact of both development charges and the parkland changes and that was at uh I think it was $60 million in in total about that. >> Thank you so much Miss Gloy. Appreciate that because people are not aware. I don't care. It comes out to us, but it's not getting anywhere. It's not getting any prime time coverage. So, thank you for that. And if we could throw that in, Jonathan, going forward as you do your presentations, I think it'd be most helpful. Thank you. I'm done. >> Thank you, councelor. Uh, councelor Adams. >> Thank you very much for the presentation and the report. Uh I wondered would you be able to provide us with an extend extended version of chart chart three that would show the data going back to say 2000 or something >> through you mayor Burton we can certainly provide that chart three you said >> that would be great you know if you and if you could provide the data underlying it that would be helpful as well um and then the second thing I was going to ask you is um within the mayoral direction there's uh one e that reads uh progress towards the revitalization of ker village and bronny village streetscapes Bronny uh waterfront, the downtown square and library, implementation of the transportation master plan, fire master plan, and other master plans. I wondered if staff would be able to provide a little bit of guidance around how they um in particularly the fire master plan uh will be handled, it's um because it's being named specifically. So things around say the staffing ratios, uh the phasing in of the district chief model, the the need for additional uh fire facility uh for coverage. Um I wonder if we could get a little bit of an understanding of how the executive leadership team will uh respond to that ask >> through you, Mayor Burton, and certainly that's something we can bring back as part of the budget process this year and outline that. >> Okay. Thank you. So I obviously that's uh you know an item that there might be some interest in uh in the audience tonight and so I think we we would benefit from uh hearing staff's uh process around how that gets responded to. I think that the process is an important piece to to understanding this through Mayor Burton. can certainly um share a little bit about the process as well as the I mean the fire master plan had a number of action items in it that we consider and so um I'm sure that commissioner Masso can add more to to that right now but we can also think about that for the budget process. So through Mayor Burton to councel Adams, we have 11 businesses. >> Sorry. >> Apologies. Through you, Mayor Burton to councelor Adams. We have 11 business cases that are coming forward from fire that will be reviewed at at executive leadership table and considered among all of the other budget uh requests and needs. Um and so we'll follow that process and evaluate them according to uh the resources that are available and prioritize accordingly. And so those those business cases would then become available to council in the new term. >> They would be part of the overall package that council would see and and like like we do in every budget year, uh if there are items that are not advanced, council could ask to pull forward some of the unfunded items or unrecommended items as part of the ultimate budget package that council looks to approve. >> Thank you. I appreciate you defining that for us. I think it's important for us all to understand how that works. >> Thank you, councelor. councelor has a deal. >> Well, first thanks to councelor Adams for asking the question I think many people wanted to ask. Um I have a just a followup from uh councelor Elgar. So on chart one every year you do an excellent job of showing us the budget drivers, but is there a line that could go in there that shows uh you know the approximate how much the 60 million impacts the actual tax rate? Um, and I get we're going to get reserves. You're going to give us all of that rich amount, but that chart is one of the more powerful charts. And seeing how the 60 million impacts the tax rate is also beneficial to that education piece that uh councelor Elgger um so faithfully reminds us of. >> Three you mayor Burton. So that's certainly something we can put in that uh reserve report council has to show what that calculation is. And just for clarity, I believe that 60 million is not an annual number. That's the total number as well. Just just for clarity on that, >> right? Well, so so >> it's still a big number. >> Yeah, it's still a big number. The region's got a big number, too. Um my other question is around those that have an interest in understanding the 1.75% uh capital levy more closely. Where would you direct them to uh to look at that uh to understand the investments that would that are currently either in progress or been deferred and therefore may occur uh going forward. So through you, Mayor Burton, I'll do my best to actually answer it now and then I'll give you a place where you can look. So um the capital levy is a huge source of funding for many of our infrastructure renewal projects. Um it is a I don't remember the number now that it changed last year. I used to have it off the top of my head as to how much we contribute each year to putting into our capital reserve to fund all of those projects. The best place to look is when you actually look at our budget documents. There's actually a chart in there that shows the funding for our capital projects. I don't know the page off the top of my head. Uh, and it shows the capital levy and the capital reserve as one of our key funding sources for all of those projects. That's the best spot to look to show that investment that we're making in our assets. So, I understand that's where you go to look and see the investment, but the actual projects that are funded direct the public to where they would look for that. >> Certainly. So, the other spot to look is we actually post all of our capital projects on our website. Uh it's it's a big document. It is actually uh there's a cover page on it that shows a list of all the projects in our 10-year forecast. And then if you they're all it's all clickable. If you click on the project you're interested in, it will also show you the funding source. So there's tons of detail about what the project is, what the scope of it is, and what it's being funded by, including the capital levy. >> Thank you for always the excellent work. >> Councelor Omeira. >> Uh thank you so much, Jonathan. And um so just to maybe butcher us off of of the couple questions my colleagues have asked, if the development um slows down to a pace that we've seen this year, um that also has implications for the collection of DCs, which would no doubt expand the gap between what we have in our 10-year list that right now is forecasted to be funded through DC's or through these things. So um when we look at a 1% assessment growth that you had indicated um what what are our contingencies um if we don't see that growth and and and then if the gap between what we collect in DC's and the projects we've got going on that require DC funings what what's our contingencies to make sure that we can still move forward with these projects if houses aren't being uh continue to not be built at the pace that we've become accustomed to over the past number of yours. >> Uh through you, Mayor Burton. There's a couple different parts to that answer, counselor. Um so on the DC side, on the contingency side, there's a couple different avenues um to keep in mind. So one is for some of our projects, it's actually the timing of the projects. So if uh development slows down, you also may not need those projects on as timely a manner. I think our parks rec master plan did a good job of tying the projects to the population that we have. So if you don't get the population, you push out the timing of the projects. That's that's one tool in our toolbox, if you will. Um there's a couple of other ones as well. One of the things with DCS, especially on road projects, is um they their timing the roads projects are so significant that you often end up collecting ahead of time to build them or you can issue debt uh and then collect them as they come in. We're in a position where we don't have too much DC debt. Um and that puts us in a spot where if that situation were to come up for a short term. We have the ability to issue debt for those projects if we had to. Currently our roads reserve um is our roads DC reserve I should say is strong. Um but those pro those funds are all earmarked for projects. I will also say that but that's another tool we have in our toolbox. Uh in response to your question on if we don't see the increase on the assessment growth side of things that generally relates to the operating side of things. um as and so that's actually paying for the you know the grass to be cut at the parks the u the roads to be um plowed in the winter those kinds of things and again if you don't have the growth in those areas you don't have the costs that go with them ideally it never matches perfectly but that's the approach we try to take >> okay so not to be doom and gloom but the two options we have are to projects if we can't afford them or to use debt to fund it then if we get in trouble >> uh through you mayor Burton so those are two of the options I mean we also prioritize our projects we take a look at what we need and when we need it. That's part of the exercise we do each year with the executive leadership team. >> Perfect. Okay. Thank you. >> Councelor Null. >> Thank you, worship. A couple questions. First of all, I just wanted to clarify what's the timing of the swearing in of the new council because I'm looking at this chart. I'm just trying to understand the dates uh as it pertains to when the council uh takes office, the next council takes office. >> November 15th. >> It's the 15th this time. Okay. Thank you. That's helpful. Uh second question is what's the assumption around the hydro dividend this year? >> Uh through you mayor Burton. So our assumption would be that it would be the same as last year uh which I think was 12.2 million um until told. Otherwise I always keep an eye on OEC's charts when they bring them to see if they've raised that number. Um but uh that's what we're going with for this year as well. >> When do we get confirmation of that? >> Um they usually um it's usually part of our process. Uh, I think if I can defer to maybe Jane or Madame CEO or the mayor actually on that because they said >> the AGM. >> Yeah, >> there you go. >> Didn't we just have that? >> That was for this year, >> right? So, it's great. Of course, for 27. Uh, third question is >> I was just going to add there is a conversation with OAC that happens through it so that we have an understanding pardon me for not only this year but few future years as well. So, we have a good dialogue with them through the budget process. >> Okay. Thank you. Um, the third question I have is we received the council received a le letter on May 28th from the uh OPFA. I know there's a few members here uh with some concerns that they raised and I I don't think we have a response yet. I just realized I I don't know if staff received a copy of this letter too but um if they haven't we can forward it if and if you have it will there be a formal response to the letter um because there's certain there's certain budget implications in this letter and concerns raised. So, I'd be curious to see what that what that looks like. >> Uh, through you, Mayor Burton. Yes, we had received a copy of it. They were gracious enough to send us over a copy. We weren't going to respond to it. We saw it as a um a response to council in terms of the things that they were looking through the budget process. So, we took it as input um that we'll consider as we go through the prioritization of projects uh through the budget process and what we present to council. So, can I take from that that you will take into consideration the the uh representations made in this letter in the budgeting process? >> Yes, and I I think that in the mayor's direction, it requires us to do that because of a lot of it involves the fire master plan and those elements. So, certainly we'll be taking them into consideration. >> Okay. Thank you very much. Thank you. >> Thank you, councelor. Uh I uh I was surprised actually uh that uh there was no applause for councelor uh Adams earlier. Uh I I took him to be attempting to respond directly to that letter. >> I think we've probably shared the applause >> and uh uh and certainly the mayor's direction attempts to do that as well. So um uh are we at decision time, council? The the motion is to receive this information. Councelor Nanda and Councelor Adams. Thank you. Any objection? It's received. Thank you everybody. Uh and that brings us to I think our last bit of business tonight and that is the uh draft mayoral direction to staff regarding the preparation of the 2027 annual budget. I uh I want to make sure that everybody understands that this is this this this item on your agenda tonight is outside of the requirements of Bill three, the the so-called Strong Mayor Act. It's been my custom ever since the province enacted that to seek council endorsement before any item that I'm required to do by way of direction and um and I hope that that's appreciated. I um I have um drafted this in consultation with uh with staff and uh I've taken into account all the things that I've heard from everyone and I have um I have three I have three remarks to u try to couch it. The the first is that uh the first and perhaps the most important is we brought in performance budgeting uh almost 20 years ago and we are still the only uh government at any level anywhere in Canada using it. And performance budgeting is the successor or the grandchild of zerobased budgeting which you we all grew up hearing about and uh uh and I've made quite a study of budgeting and I know that zerobased budgeting never worked and uh performance budgeting was invented in the early 90s uh at the city level and uh in in another country to the south of us and it has the distinction of having been able to uh work there and it has done us a lot of good here. When you saw Jonathan's chart comparing tax increases and inflation, performance budgeting is how we've achieved that. We have not fully implemented performance budgeting. Those of us who were here when we introduced it may remember from the presentations at the time that performance budgeting is supposed to have a you know an extra step that we haven't done and that is uh to to decide how much of something you really want to keep doing and in fact what things do you really want to keep doing and in the financial circumstances that we're in today. It's time to start doing that part of it, which amounts to not just the shifting the timing of things, but deciding what the priorities are of things and what you what you will do and how much of it you will do and what you will either do less of or even stop doing. And uh that's the work that we're going to have to do if we're going to pull $17 million out of the budget in order to hit uh the CPI target that we're forecasting for for next year. Now, forecasts of inflation a year away are, you know, a little bit like trying to forecast the weather in a year. Um, and I will just say that in the United States, which drives much of North American inflation, a lot of things have just been done that are likely to drive inflation higher. And if you like me read the New York financial press from time to time to get an idea of what's headed our way, you'll know that uh between the new head of the Fed and the uh and the uh war in Iran, which I myself don't believe is over, uh there's a lot of inflationary pressure uh building up in the North American economic engine of which we are, for better or for worse, a significant part. And so, uh, you know, if if our goal is to not raise taxes more than inflation, and if inflation goes up, you may wind up being able to spend a little more and cut a little less, but but that is the wiggle in the forecast that we won't know till we get there. The closer we get there, the the better a sense you'll have of it. When by the time whoever is here in the next term of council has to wrestle with this, you'll be way a lot closer to knowing what inflation's going to be in the year. Um so uh Jonathan already mentioned in response to some questions on some other matters the other key budget tools that we have which is basically timing um and recognition. So um uh and then my old favorite because I started 20 years ago pointing this out to the council of the day. I had a chart of the fee increases for the town services and like recreation and all. It showed over 20 years uh we had increased the fees. Council before me had had increased the fees a significantly less amount than inflation and had increased taxes a significant amount greater than inflation. And I asked at the time, how did you decide to to jack the taxes? I mean, many of you were not here then. I'm not talking to you or about you, but but in the past, it was easier to raise taxes than it was to raise fees, which I thought was kind of remarkable. And uh because nobody has to use the facility that you charge the fee for, but everybody has to pay the tax. Um, and the council at the time implemented a program to uh to try to adjust uh and it wasn't a perfect adjustment. And we remain committed to subsidizing a lot of our recreation fees for for worthy causes and many uh fine reasons with our taxes. And so that is the other place that you can look u uh whoever will be here. So um with that I u I I look forward to your uh questions, comments and uh suggestions and uh possible endorsement. Councelor Adams, you're next. >> Um thank you very much. I'll I'll start with giving you an endorsement recommendation to move us forward. Um the LA but the the one thing I think that you missed in your comments was um we have as a council for many many years looked at the overall tax increase which this does and that means that we need to keep an eye on what's happening over the region of Halton and and of course the police budget element of that as well uh and recognize where it may go uh and the opportunities that that presents us with looking for savings uh and reductions in the overall tax increase. And so while we are obviously looking at the town of Oakville piece of the budgeting here tonight, um that's a piece that needs to be continued to work to be worked on as well. >> Thank you for that. I'll I'll just look for a seconder since you gave us a motion. Councelor Null. Thank you. Um I will say about the region, um over the last it feels like three years and and I'm happy to be corrected if I got that wrong. We have been, I'll call it, significantly increasing our spending for police. And uh you will notice that over the last three years as we did that, we tried very hard to pull down what we were doing at the town level to make tax room as the economists say for that. I understood the other day at the regional council that we're looking at another fairly significant request for a spending increase from the Halton Regional Police Board. And uh uh if if the chair of the Halton Regional Police Board would like to confirm or or modify that, I' I'd love to hear it. >> Thank you. Um the increase that we're looking at is what was part of our projection last year. Um it's exactly the same. We went back to regional council this year and uh clarified that. So we're not looking for anything above what was predicted. We've we've projected out five years of what our expectations are. The the bottom line is that we're paying playing catch-up on our on our hiring. Um technology has increased the cost of policing and the reality is is that we've had increases in um uh criminal activity in the region. Um crime has become more complex. Investigations have become become more complex. Uh we're playing whack-a-ole with our uh bail and uh correctional system uh with uh you know very difficult circumstances. So the cost of policing is quite high. Um and uh you know we we see the next uh at least the next four years 3 to four years at minimum uh of seeing larger than inflation increases. There's no way around that unless we have a sudden societal decrease in um social disorder um etc. So I I think that uh you know we're we're doing our very best to keep those costs as low as we can. Unfortunately our suppliers are not helping us keep those costs low. like the town, we're dealing with costs around uh cloud-based or software as a service increases which are extraordinarily high uh to us. And of course, the biggest component like with the municipalities is our staffing costs. And there's a real demand and thank you for your support each year uh for that budget increase. There's a real demand to increase the number of boots on the street. Um, so that's just that's just the reality unfortunately of policing and we don't have uh we just we don't have a lot of uh um wiggle room. The one piece of really great news I will pass on to everybody on council and everybody at the region is aware of this is that we've actually um we've actually hired a very highly qualified chief financial officer um to really really uh do a deep dive on our finances and give us uh the best possible um uh advice in terms of managing those finances going forward in light of how complex they are becoming. and uh her work is already well in hand and we expect to have a quite a a comprehensive budget conversation leading up to the election for the next council to uh uh to address in the funding process in 2027. Thank you for that ray of hope. And um and I will I will I will I will say this. We have as a consolation for the increased cost the fact that Halton is still the safest uh of the Big 12 police forces and actually we're the safest large municipality in Canada. So it's not just the Big 12 that that's comparator across the country including uh because the Big 12 is is of course Ontario, this includes places like Quebec. So, you're absolutely right. Our I won't call the consolation prize. Our our prize at the end of this is the fact that we live in an extraordinarily safe community. We want to keep it that way. >> Well, the intent of my remark is to say at least it's working. >> Thank you, Councelor Romero. >> Uh, thank you, your ship. Um, so I'm, you know, when I see the number 17.3 million needs to be cut, that makes me nervous because I don't see a long lineup of people telling me we don't need this and we don't need that. We had people coming here today saying there's a heritage school that we need to invest in and protect. There's, you know, calls for more police. I'm I'm you know the these cuts have real meaning to to services that people require every day whether it's increasing the window uh um uh service to to seniors or to those who need it. So I'm I'm nervous about where that comes from. I'm nervous that gets put on the slab for for that number. I'm nervous that the inflation as you mentioned isn't where it is. Um, and when we peg that number right now to 2 point um, uh, 2.1%. That's a number we're going to be held account to accounted to as inflation rises and goes up. Um, and I think um, we we might be setting an expectation that we're going to have to deliver on and it's going to mean real service cuts to people. And I just don't get that at the door that people are sitting going, I can do without the leaf pickup. I can do without, you know, plow my roads at 10 centimeters rather than seven. I mean, I I think there are real um real concerns. We have some some people here again who who have concerns about what those cuts are going to mean for a variety of of services. So, um I'm I don't have the benefit of having all the conversations that you get to have with staff and with with uh um our budget people to to bring this number forward um to the depth and the level that that I think needs to be had at this point as we're earlier on. But, uh I just want to to go on the record to saying that's a big number. That is a massive number, 17.3, and people are going to feel this number uh in a real way. So, uh just want to put that out there and uh and express some some concerns I have about what it might take to actually get to that number. >> Thank you, Councelor. I I welcome that remark. Uh we have all kinds of people in in our town believing that we ought to be able to cut taxes, never mind freeze them. And this is a useful conversation to be had so that those voices can uh can learn. Uh anyone else? Shall I put the vote? Any objection to the direction? Well, it's close. Thank you everybody. That carries. Um you have your staff memoranda. Uh, does anyone have any new business to share with uh your colleagues of uh congratulatory or other nature? Councelor Null. Well, we're almost there, folks. We're a couple days away from a fun family community activity. The Oakville Family Ripfest starts this Friday, and we want to make sure that everybody in Oakville is aware that the Ribfest is is here. As you drive by Sheridan College, you'll see that uh the tents are starting to sprout, the equipment starting to arrive, and uh we are ready to have a wonderful weekend. The weather is looking fantastic. So, uh please uh and and that includes all the firefighters. The Ripfest is for you, too. Uh we want to make sure that everybody's aware that we're there and we're going to be raising money uh for the benefit of local Oakville charities. So, please come out, enjoy some ribs or chicken or whatever suits your fancy. enjoy our wonderful Midway uh meet some local businesses and organizations that will be there including firefighters um to uh uh to tell you about their programs and just have a great old Oakville fun time. So the Oakville Family Ribfest Sheridan College Friday through Sunday this coming weekend. >> Councelor, you could have been a barker. >> He is. >> Councelor Chisum, he's good at it. Yes. Yeah. Just my congratulations to the West River uh residents association for their annual picnic at Forester Park on Saturday. It was very successful. Uh the mayor was there, Kathy was there, I was there, and everybody was having a lot of fun. It's a real grassroots um type of activity and event. And uh everybody knows everybody. It's like a village uh a part of Oakville, but it's a village of people that know each other and they protect each other and they call each other and they're all involved. So congratulations. >> Thank you, councelor Chisum. I too I had a wonderful time. Councelor Null, >> I'm sorry. I have one more. I miss Mr. Special event today. So, I apologize and I the Barker the Barker comment was what triggered this. So, on Canada Day, of course, we have our wonderful festival that will take place in Bronty uh Village uh this Canada Day evening, but in the morning uh I will be hosting my annual pancake breakfast. So, we'll be at starting at 8 a.m. on Canada Day serving pancakes. There'll be live band with Canadian tunes, kids activities, and so much more. It'll be held at the Oak Park Neighborhood Center, 2200 Sawrass Drive. We're I think we're on our ninth or 10th year now. Uh it gets bigger every year. We've got extra batter and extra maple syrup. So, come on down. It's all free. Have a great time. It's a warm-up act for Bronty later the day. Thank you. >> Thank you. And thank you for the maple syrup. Uh Councelor, how's that deal? >> Thank you, Mayor Burton. I was uh remiss in not uh speaking uh earlier about uh Dan Chal Chelikov's uh delegation that came in through video and I just wanted to let council know that uh we would encourage you to include it in your newsletter the link um if you wanted to update them what we decided tonight. We certainly will and uh we are very grateful that he took the time to create that video and to leave us with John McCrae's uh words uh about remembrance. So, thank you for indulging me. >> Thank you, councelor. Um I wonder if it's time to consider and read the bylaws. If so, we need a mover and seconder. Councelor Shia and councelor Lechenna. Uh the uh bylaws except for bylaw 2026 092 which has been referred for more work uh are now considered read and passed. We have finished the business of the meeting. It's been terrific working with you. I can't wait till we get to do it again. Good night.