Nimbyism And So Much More - The We Know Better Bubble

In contrast, there is another post this morning in the Neighbours Facebook group titled “Oakville Must Plan Its Own Future.” This is another missive from residents opposing the development of the Mid-Town Core. This is the second which drew my attention. A week or so ago, it was more of someone somewhere is doing something illegal. In others, there was no proof, just unfounded accusations.

Let us examine the recent post, “Oakville Must Plan Its Own Future.” Oakville is not an island; it must adhere to all applicable laws, regulations, and legislation. Under the Canadian Constitution, municipalities do not exist; rather, they are entities of the Provincial Government. This applies not only to Ontario but to every Province.

The first Ontario Planning Act was enacted in the early 1930s under Leslie Frost. There is an intriguing connection to Oakville. The author of this legislation that established the foundation of planning in Ontario was Lorne Cumming. His son, Ed, subsequently became an urban planner. In the late 1960s and early 1970s, Ed served as the Director of Planning for the Town of Oakville. When the County of Halton transitioned into Regional Government, Ed became the inaugural Commissioner of Planning. I was one of the earliest planners hired by Ed in 1974 and served under him until his retirement in 1978, which was an extraordinary learning experience. 

The Planning Act, established nearly a century ago, has guided the Province’s collaborative approach with municipalities throughout its evolution. Notably, the current framework of the Places to Grow Act, enacted by the Wynne Government in 2007, has garnered numerous accolades for its pioneering direction in the planning of Ontario’s cities and towns. At its core, the Act aimed to curb urban sprawl, reduce reliance on automobiles, establish functional public transit, optimize land use through intensification, and create a 1 million-acre Greenbelt surrounding the Greater Toronto Area.

In 2015, the then-Wynne Government further strengthened the Places to Grow Plan by setting growth targets for municipalities, establishing minimum density requirements, and creating density nodes around high-order transit stations such as subways and GO Transit. Additionally, the Greenbelt was expanded by another 1 million acres.

In 2015, the Federal Government introduced new immigration targets, increasing the annual intake from approximately 500,000 to the current estimated level of 2 million. Consequently, the Greater Toronto Area, constrained by Quebec’s immigration limits, must accommodate approximately 60% of this new growth.

The title of the Facebook post suggests that Oakville must plan its own growth. This raises several pertinent questions. Firstly, is Oakville unique and should its Constitutional framework and provincial legislation not apply? Alternatively, should these provisions only apply to other municipalities?

Secondly, which Oakville is being referenced? Is it the entire town or only the individuals affiliated with the group opposing the Mid-Town Core? Notably, in 1978 and again in 1985, Oakville residents expressed their opposition to further growth. Furthermore, the elected Council of the time responded with resolutions that limited annual growth to approximately 2,000 and imposed a complete moratorium in 1985.