This article was first published by HaltonHillsToday, a Village Media publication.
With the provincial government winding back changes it made to urban boundaries across Ontario, including Halton’s, town council is once again letting those at Queen’s Park know where it stands on local growth.
During a special council meeting this week, the politicians passed a motion advising the Province that they continue to support “a modest expansion to the Georgetown urban area to accommodate future community area development, along with providing opportunities for the proposed redevelopment of the Georgetown Hospital.”
The resolution goes on to specify that council also still supports expanding the Premier Gateway Employment Area, which generally falls along Steeles Avenue.
In addition, an amendment to the motion from Councillor Clark Somerville, which calls on the Region to work with the Town and Province to expedite the proposed redevelopment of the Georgetown Hospital, was approved.
Staff developed maps with two options for boundary expansions to accommodate community and employment growth, with option 1 for both being endorsed by the majority of council:
The large property on Trafalgar Road recently donated by the Walker Wood family to Halton Healthcare for the future redevelopment of the Georgetown Hospital is included in the plans.
Council heard from a few developers asking to have their lands added to the plan - requests that were not fulfilled at this time.
Members of Voice of the Whitebelt (VOW) — a group of over two dozen local farmers who are in favour of growth — also addressed council.
VOW’s members work thousands of acres in the Halton Hills whitebelt — the area that doesn’t fall within the greenbelt or existing settlement areas. They continued to express their support for growth in Halton Hills and also detailed the challenges of farming in the urban shadow.
Council went on to pass a motion amendment from Somerville that asks Halton to work with the Town, farming community and others on maintaining and growing the viability of farming in the region, particularly near urban areas.
The resolution also says the Town will work with the Province, Halton Federation of Agriculture, farmers and more to develop policies that recognize and enhance the role of the farming community in maintaining natural heritage features.
Somerville said he hopes the Town can look at forming an agricultural committee for Halton Hills to address some of these issues.
