Starting in May of this year, there will be a number of road resurfacing projects around Milton. Here is a map of the projects for Ward 3.
If you have any questions please email me mike.cluett@milton.ca
Road Resurfacing Projects in Ward 3
milton
Milton’s Future Growth Plans At Risk
I would just like to express my disappointment at the Mayor of Oakville’s comments in his recent email newsletter about working on a motion to limit the expansion of the urban boundary that will put at risk Milton’s ability to grow into a complete community.
Halton Region yesterday had a workshop that lasted several hours where Halton planners answered many questions brought forward by my colleagues around the table coming to the conclusion that the only option to move forward on is minimal expansion to the urban boundary.
For the last 10 plus years, Milton residents have worked on a vision they wanted for our town. There has been in person consultations, Milton’s Vision report and a lot of discussion on Lets Talk Milton about what we want Milton to be in the coming years.
Without expansion of the urban boundary, it puts at risk our long term economic development plans and bringing jobs for residents to live, work and learn in our community. A majority of Milton Town Council along with a majority of our Halton Region Councillors agree with the urban boundary expansion.
The sole Milton voice at Halton Region that opposes our vision that we have built is Councillor Best. He feels that all we need to do is “drive around town” and see that we have enough space for development out to 2051. This is a completely uninformed analysis based on anecdotal evidence. He ignores the numerous Region & Town of Milton’s studies and Land Needs Assessments that have come to the conclusion that no urban boundary expansion will work.
The next meeting of Halton Region council will be on February 16th where this and possibly other motions will be entertained to delay the submission for our official plan. If we don’t meet this deadline, there are chances where the province will step in and plan our growth without our plan.
This cannot happen. Its not about saving farmland as they might say…its simply about politics. Let Milton control its own growth and not have outside forces dictate to us what kind of community we should be. We already know what kind we want…a complete community.
Approval for Milton 13 Elementary School Announced Today
Happy to be in attendance this morning for the announcement for the green light Milton 13 Elementary School for the Halton District School Board. In the middle of one of the next developments in Milton, we are excited to see progress in the approval of new schools. From now until completion we are looking at at least 2 years and lots of work left to do, but this is the first step into more spaces for students as well as much needed child care spaces for our growing community.
As I mentioned today in my remarks, one of the top issues Milton is facing is schools for our young people, both elementary and secondary and the quality of their educational experience. We at the town/regional level will continue to advocate to the province for faster approvals on schools so we can begin to make a dent in the number of schools needed and reduce our dependence on portables. For example one of our high schools now has 60 portables and some students need to be bused to other areas in the region for their education. This isn’t the way it should be done.
We’re currently in the process of approving our master plans for development both at the local and regional levels and we must adapt to the Provincial Growth Plan which is saying we need to be able to accommodate 1.1 million people and 500,000 jobs, not to mentioned growth in others areas of the GTA.
That alone is a tough challenge but it won’t be possible without more schools to be built. While todays announcement is another good first step, we need to have a commitment from the Province of Ontario to accelerate approving much needed infrastructure for Milton, like schools and increased transit funding, so we can meet those growth targets and not have students left behind with a sub standard educational experience and a never ending parade of portables.
(Photos courtesy of YourTV Halton News / FM101 Milton)
More On Halton Growth Plan
Here is a copy of a response sent to resident who took the time to send me an email asking about my position on Milton and Halton’s growth strategy. There is an upcoming council workshop on February 9th, which was the original date of the vote but there were a number of councillors not sure or unclear about the direction being outlined, so this will be another opportunity for councillors to get a grasp of where we need to go.
Thanks for sending me your submission to the Halton Hills council and thank you for your submission to our council meeting as well. Despite what some might think, I do read everything that’s sent to me.
You mention in your email that examples abound NOT to expand the urban boundary and I feel that there are many examples of why it should be expanded. A lot has to do with economic development and dealing with the doubling of Halton’s population that is forecasted by the province. I’ll outline in this email some of my issues and thoughts without getting into what I feel is an incorrect and misleading narrative that Stop Sprawl Halton and some of my regional counterparts are using about paving over farmland and taking food off our tables. Its been outlined that the land included in the proposed urban boundary expansion is not food for consumption but cattle corn, soy beans etc that don’t make it to Halton or even southern Ontario’s plates. Food that does make it to our tables locally are farmed in areas that are protected by the Greenbelt etc and are NOT included in the expansion plans. But for now I’ll hit on some of my high points.
Lots of discussion is happening around the missing middle or gentle density as its now known as for development to accommodate the residential needs and if you look at many of our current master plans for future development, that’s exactly what we are trying to promote. The province directs the growth via the Provincial Growth Plan and requires all official plan submissions from municipalities to comply with that growth plan. Its not a suggestion or a what do you think request from the province…its mandated. We might not like the current government, or agree with their plan or the fact were planning out to 2051…its something that we need to do.
Our staff during this 2 year plus long process and the numerous PIC’s that have been held over that time has given a lot of people, including property owners, developers, residents and activists the opportunity to comment and provide input in this plan. Would we like more time? Yes. A unanimous request from Halton Region council (myself included) asked the province for more time given the pandemic, and other concerns and we were met with a curt no and the deadline of June 2020 stays. Those are the rules we have to abide by or else the province will step in with a made in Queens Park solution as opposed to made in Milton / Halton solution. I prefer the latter in that case.
By having NO expansion to the urban boundary leaves the municipality with less space to distribute both residential and non residential growth. I’ve said for a very long time that we need a variety of housing options to meet the needs of the market and incoming growth. Multi generational homes of 6-8 or even 10 people are becoming a reality here in Halton and specifically in Milton. I see that every day as I go visit residents, door knock and hear their concerns. There is and quite frankly always will be a market for single family dwellings and with the Halton Balanced Growth plan Milton put forward to the region, it covers all kinds of housing options from single family homes, mid to high rise apartments (rental and condo) as well as the missing middle, gentle density of the 4-6 storey development, stacked town homes etc.
Our town and region staff reports have said we do NOT have enough land in the current urban boundary which requires us to make these changes. Milton over this time as compromised and removed portions of land that we first had initially asked to be included through Milton’s Halton Balanced Growth approach.
By removing additional lands needed, combined with provincial growth targets for 2051 and beyond to accommodate the over 1.1 million people that will call Halton home, will require further intensification of lands which means more high rises all over Halton. Burlington has stated their case that they do not want high rises in the downtown core and have fought the Ontario Land Tribunal (and lost in most cases) for high rise development. With less land in Halton to spread out the growth, the missing middle development everyone is asking for, will require additional high rise intensification all over Halton, and this has been stated very clearly by our regional and town staff.
To use an analogy of Lego for building, the province is telling us how much we have to grow (and giving us the Lego pieces) Half of Halton is protected by the Greenbelt and Natural Heritage Systems and most of the farms that do provide food that comes to our table is already protected and not going to be touched. By removing more space to place these Lego pieces of growth, means more will have to be stacked on top of each other making it necessary to place these developments within current developed areas causing congestion, traffic and at the expense of park lands and community centres etc. This isn’t sustainable growth, its not planned growth, its reactionary growth and THAT is what leads to sprawl.
This doesn’t include the requirement for much needed economic development growth and job opportunities for Halton’s current and future residents. If no urban boundary expansion is approved, we in Milton will be limited as to where much needed jobs are going to go. With the university and college campuses coming to Milton there will be an increased need for job growth as business follows education. If there is nowhere for jobs to come, they will move elsewhere, further ensuring residents of Milton and Halton having to commute to get those jobs. More commuting, more cars, more congestion, more traffic and no one wants that.
Milton has spent the last 10 years working on a vision for this community, working, living, playing and learning in the same community build with walkable and sustainable developments, lessening the requirements for cars and more emphasis on public transit and active transportation. By reducing the amount of space allocated for jobs and economic development it will ENSURE that our town becomes the warehousing and logistics capital of the world, surrounded even further by truck traffic congestion and trains. That’s not what this community wants. We want jobs and a supportive economy for high tech, innovation, green growth and planetary health job that require a variety of styles and designs that will support the missing middle, gentle density growth for the future.
By having more housing styles ranging from single family homes, low and mid rise development and low to mid rise condo/rental properties ensure the options for Milton’s youth, who seem to have been forgotten here. More affordable housing options will give them the opportunity to stay in Milton instead of commute and move OUT of Milton. We want to keep innovation and job creation HERE in Milton and not in neighbouring communities. Milton has been called a bedroom community and we’re doing as much as we can to reverse that direction and make/grow/develop a complete community. That has been my goal ever since being elected to council 12 years ago.
I have talked to many of the residents in Milton and especially in my ward that I represent and they want the ability for Milton to grow, create jobs for them and their children, provide them with access to quality post secondary education and opportunities to innovate, and grow within their community.
I hope that I’ve been able to clarify my position that expansion of the urban boundary is necessary and you’ll understand why I will be supporting the position that a majority of Milton council endorsed last week at our council.
As you are hopefully aware the February 9th council meeting has been changed to a workshop for council to discuss this more and a vote on it will be at a time later to be determined.
I’m still available for a phone call if you like at a time convenient for you either this week or next.
Thanks again for your comments and concerns and I look forward to speaking with you.
Have a great day. – Mike
Milton Council Endorses Halton Growth Plan
I, along with a number of my council colleagues from Milton and Oakville received an email from a resident who was confused about what might happen should Halton Region council not move forward with a growth plan strategy that staff at many levels has said is NOT compliant with the Provincial Growth Plan.
If you have concerns about potentially allowing Queens Park to direct Milton and Halton’s future growth to 2051, please let me know and email mike.cluett@milton.ca
Mayors and Councillors of Halton Region:
After listening to Milton’s town council meeting and Oakville’s town council meeting on January 18, 2022, I was left confused on some issues and would appreciate a definitive answer.
It is my understanding that even if the majority of the regional councillors on February 9, 2022 reject this proposal, the provincial government has the authority to take the decision into their own hands. If this is true I assume that this could give them the authority to:
– approve this proposal as is regardless of the regions decision OR Could there possibly be a worse scenario where they take control over our planning of our region and they decide where and how our future development will occur to meet their provincial targets?
If this second scenario is possible, are we willing to take that risk?
Again, if my understanding of this process is correct, the province has given the region targets that must be met so whether we like it or not, Milton is going to grow! I would much rather see it grow under the Region’s and Municipalities’ control and planning than that of the Provincial government!
Here is my response:
Thanks for your email. The answer to your question is yes. The province is requiring all municipalities in Ontario during this process to submit plans that will comply with the provincial Growth Plan.
We have been told many times and despite a unanimous motion from Halton Region Council earlier last year asking for a time extension, the province which is ultimately the approving body has said the time limit will not be extended in no uncertain terms.
Do we like that we have to plan out until 2051? Not at all. We’d prefer to keep the timeframe shorter because things change with technology and innovation etc but we simply don’t have that option available to us.
Milton Council presented what we call the balanced approach where we are setting aside enough land to accommodate development as the provincial growth plan has said over 1.1 million people are set to come to Halton. We need to make sure we’re planning properly to deal with that amount of people and more importantly the jobs they will require.
What we don’t want is to have that many people here and not be able to have enough economic development and jobs to avoid the problem we have now, gridlock on roads from people travelling daily over an hour to get to work.
In Milton we are building a world class education facility and village with Laurie University and Conestoga College. Business follows education as do people. If we don’t have a wide variety of inventory of housing available along with the jobs we’re going to be adding to climate change in a negative way.
Halton Hills unanimously approved their plan along with Milton with a very strong majority of support. All the growth in this plan will be in Halton Hills and Milton with minimal expansion in Oakville and relatively none in Burlington.
Halton wants a Halton solution made. Milton and Halton Hills want a made in Halton plan and not one written by Queens Park. This will happen if we don’t comply with the growth plan. Our staff many times has said that the land we have available will NOT accommodate growth last 2031.
There are concerns about sprawl and that will happen if we try to piece in intensification in our current boundary. This means more traffic in neighbourhoods, the loss of park space and the loss of opportunities for community centres and less walkable neighbourhoods with super high towers. Sprawl happens when here is bad planning. For example Milton is planning on building more housing options to provide people with the choices they need for more affordable housing. We’re planning smart and not trying to cram the round peg through the square hole.
We need a variety of housing options like single family homes, townhouses, stacked townhouses, mid rise and high rise -condo and rental – to give people options based on the market and family sizes.
I hope all regional councillors will see the benefit of the balanced growth plan see this is a way to comply with the provincial growth plan and help Halton Hills and Milton grow the way that we want. Milton for example has worked with our citizens for well over 10 years plus on a vision for our community – a complete community.
If this plan doesn’t get approved it will out that vision at risk and just simply add to the sprawl that isn’t wanted and head us on a course of being a bedroom and unsustainable community.
Again, if this plan is sent to the province and it doesn’t comply with the provincial growth plan, it will be rejected and either sent back and costing taxpayers tens of thousands of dollars to Re do or fight legally or simply the province will say, ok here’s OUR plan with no flexibility and a loss of opportunities, jobs and the loss of us making a community that the people want.
There is a lot of rhetoric out there from some councillors and special interest groups that can and will be dispelled by the facts. I hope in our meeting on February 9th the facts will be seen and we can move forward in Halton’s growth in building sustainable communities in all four municipalities.
Please let me know if you have any questions and I’d be happy to speak with you more.
Have a great day and a wonderful weekend.
Be safe and take care.
Mike
Outdoor Skating in Milton
I had a chance to read a letter to the editor from a resident talking about how Milton needs a “real outdoor skating rink.” I happen to agree.
Here’s a link to the letter from Inside Halton – Milton Canadian Champion
Preparations are now underway – in a matter of days from what I’ve been told by our staff – where Rotary Park and Campbellville Old Park outdoor rinks will be ready to go. Of course these are no refrigerated rinks and will rely entirely on the weather being cold enough to operate.
In the past, Milton has had these rinks in operation but pre-COVID, they weren’t utilized a lot due to warmer than normal winters we have experienced. Of course, during last winter, the temperatures were cold enough, but in a previous budget council had voted to close them. During the winters of 16/17 and 17/18, the rinks were in use for a total of seven days which made the decision to discontinue the service in 2019 easier.
Due to residents calls to action last year, our staff had put together some options for council to consider back in July and the decision was made to bring back the operations of Rotary and Campbellville Old Park as staff works on some numbers for council to consider moving forward.
There are other municipalities like Brampton & Mississauga who have over the years made the investments in outdoor skating rinks that are refrigerated and built into their budgets. Milton however hasn’t considered these investments in the past and now if we are to move ahead in providing these services, will be required to make some “significant financial investments” in these rinks.
I’ll give you some examples from that staff report for you wrap your heads around.
There are a number of options for outdoor rinks.
- Run by the town & non refrigerated
- Community Volunteer Program – run by local neighbourhood groups within town parks
- Run by the town – Synthetic
- Run by the town – Refrigerated
What we are currently providing with the two rinks costs us (taxpayers) roughly $16,000 for 2021/22 and $33,000 in 2022/23 in staffing, supplies and ongoing maintenance of the rinks. These costs will increase with the introduction of more rinks in town parks.
The next option of a community volunteer program is REALLY interesting and it would allow individual neighbourhoods in approved park settings to assist in the construction and maintenance of local rinks around the community. This is one of the options our staff are developing for council review and will be brought to us later this year for discussion. Costs will be dependent obviously on how many rinks will be approved, the uptake from the community to volunteer assistance as well as risk management (ie insurance) and screening processes.
The synthetic ice option is not something we would recommend at this point and would require a substantial capital and operating investment which in essence prices us out the market, but still can remain a long term goal for operations. There are synthetic rinks in Burlington and Brampton for those interested in seeing what its like.
Finally the town run refrigerated rinks which seems to be many peoples favourites as it guarantees a longer time of operation and less dependent on weather patterns. Notice its not entirely free of weather dependency but still can be used by the public longer than non refrigerated rinks.
The initial capital costs of this rinks are roughly $2-3 million each and approximately $300-400,000 in operational costs as you have to ensure each location has a changing facility and washroom structure and staff room available in where these are located.
As I mentioned, we will be getting an update as a part of our community services master plan process as we continue to grow. One of those areas is part of our Downtown Civic Square Study which should be updated later this year.
I hope this post helps in providing you some information about the outdoor rinks, where we stand now, why we made the decisions as a council in the past and what we’re doing about it moving forward.
The other hope I have is that you understand we are following this process to ensure we’re making the best decisions possible and not spending money on band aid solutions, but working on a plan that will service residents properly as we continue to grow.
The next steps are for council to review these options when they come to us later this year and to make the decisions about the capital and operating investments that will have to be made. As I mentioned, the refrigerated rinks comes with a price tag – a cost that will have to be paid by taxpayers (i.e. property taxes) and our council will have to decide if there is enough political will to make these investments in our community. We are going to grow in size over the next 10-20-30 years and in my opinion if we are to be a “complete community” our council will have to make these investments now. Waiting for a “want to become a need” as some around our table have described it is simply shortsighted knowing full well how large we are going to be growing.
We have to realize on the vision we have for Milton. Its all good to talk about it – we need to start doing it.