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www.oakvillebeaver.com The Oakville Beaver, Friday September 28, 2007 - 27 Mayor says his economic indicator points to rosy future for Oakville By David Lea OAKVILLE BEAVER STAFF Oakville's economic future is looking pretty bright. This was the message conveyed by Mayor Rob Burton during the recent Mayor's Business Breakfast, which was held at the International Union of Operating Engineers Banquet Hall and Conference Centre. Among the factors pointed to by the Mayor to back up this positive economic outlook was the new Oakville Composite Leading Indicator of Economic Health, an index which looks at the value of building permits, the Oakville Stock Index and the Ontario GDP forecast to assess Oakville's economic climate. "I'm pleased to report that the indicator is 13 points higher year over year. So we're up 13 from 12 months ago," said Burton to an audience of Oakville's business leaders. "This is a positive signal for Oakville as this index is a lead- ing indicator of future economic growth." An increase in the amount of construction taking place in Oakville was also pointed to by Burton as a sign of economic strength. Over a 12-month period ending in July 2007, Burton said, $680 million worth of building permits had been issued, a 32 per cent increase over the amount of permits issued during the same period in 2006. "Everyone in the room can do that math," said Burton. "This is a strong and significant increase. In fact, over the three months since I last spoke with you, Oakville has issued over $156 million in construction permits, and of that over $72 million was in the important industrial, commercial and institutional sector. This indicates a potential for strong employment growth within Oakville over the coming year." In another indication of Oakville's economic health, Burton also noted that although the Oakville Stock Index, comprised of 15 major Oakville companies, had taken a hit with the recent drop in stock market prices, it had still risen 11 per cent year over year. "We believe this shows continued confidence in the future profitability and growth prospects for these companies in Oakville," said Burton. Ontario's GDP growth was no less encouraging with Burton noting projections for growth in Ontario for 2007 are at 1.6 per cent, with the rate expected to reach 2.8 per cent by 2008 and 3.1 per cent by 2009. "I believe you'll join me in greeting that as a positive signal not only for Ontario, but also for our town," said Burton. "Our success is closely linked to the overall success of our province." In closing, Burton also discussed some of the actions the Town Council was taking to promote expanded employment opportunities and growth in Oakville. This included a planning review of the midtown core located at the QEW and Trafalgar Road crossroads. "We expect this will provide enhanced opportunities for high-quality office-type employment that will be well matched to Oakville's highlyskilled workforce," he said. Recent settlements the town has come to with the landowners in North Oakville are expected to generate simi- lar benefits. "We're going to be opening up enormous areas of employment land along the 407 and along what we call the Trafalgar corridor. These areas will not be constrained by phasing requirements and I look forward to working with you, the members of the business community, in bringing high-quality employment opportunities to this new community," said Burton. The Regional Municipality of Halton www.halton.ca Employers Join us at our JOB FAIR Receive resumés on the spot Thursday, October 18, 2007 Burlington Convention Centre 1120 Burloak Drive, Burlington 12:00 p.m. - 5:00 p.m. · · · · Over 1,000 motivated job seekers Support from Regional staff throughout the event Free parking and refreshments Extensive promotion of your organization Dog Guides open house Saturday Lions Foundation of Canada Dog Guides will host an Open House on Saturday. The event takes place from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at its Oakville facility at 152 Wilson St. The family event is to raise funds for and create awareness of the services the Foundation provides dog guides for Canadians with medically or physically-limiting disabilities. Among other happenings at the Open House, the Foundation's trainers will showcase the skills of Dog Guides in each of the three training programs. There will also be tours of the facility, a silent auction, and information about how to volunteer at the Foundation or foster a future dog guide. Lions Foundation of Canada is a registered charity dedicated to helping Canadians in the areas of mobility, safety, and independence. The Foundation runs three dog guide programs: Canine Vision Canada, providing assistance to people who are blind or visually impaired; Hearing Ear Dogs of Canada, training Dog Guides for people who are deaf or hard of hearing; and Special Skills Dogs of Canada, providing Dog Guides to Canadians with physically or medically limiting disabilities. All dog guides are provided at no cost to the client. Let Halton Region Help You With Your Hiring Needs For further information contact Halton Region 905-825-6000, ext. 2701 or email: Bronwyn.Spotton@halton.ca 1151 Bronte Road, Oakville, Ontario L6M 3L1 Tel: 905-825-6000 · Toll Free: 1-866-4HALTON · TTY: 905-827-9833 www.halton.ca 280907 . 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