Beaver THE OAKVILLE Voted Ontario's Top Newspaper Four Years in a Row - 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008 www.oakvillebeaver.com Kazdan, Solomon & D'Angelo d www.dentistoakville.com 905-842-6030 www.brantflorist.com/ob Marking 70 years as a priest PAGE 3 905.639.7001 A member of Metroland Media Group Ltd. Vol. 52 No. 55 "USING COMMUNICATION TO BUILD BETTER COMMUNITIES" THURSDAY, MAY 7, 2009 32 Pages $1.00 (plus GST) Official Plan Planning his next move moves towards `Livable' stage By David Lea OAKVILLE BEAVER STAFF QEP centre could break ground in September The Town of Oakville is moving forward with plans to renovate the QE Park Community Centre, with construction work expected to begin in September. Council approved the $23.3 million option to renovate and maintain the entire existing community centre, located at 2301 Yolanda Dr., during a late April council meeting. "I am extremely pleased with the initial conceptual approval given to the Queen Elizabeth Park Community Centre," said Ward 1 Councillor Ralph Robinson. "This project has been several years in the making, and when it reopens the Bronte community and the entire town will be able to benefit from and enjoy the The adoption of an Official Plan for a `Livable Oakville' moved one step closer to becoming a reality, Tuesday night, as town councillors voted to receive numerous reports outlining proposed changes to the makeup of the town over the next few decades. Presented during a special meeting of the Planning and Development Committee, the reports focused on plans for the redevelopment of such areas as the Midtown Core, the Uptown Core, the revitalization of Kerr and Bronte villages and much more. Long Range Planning Manager Charles McConnell, who discussed the plans at a recent open house, noted these plans are not something Town staff have thrown together overnight. The information presented in the reports are the culmination of more than 15 meetings spent crafting a mission statement and guiding principles, as well as five public information meetings and open houses, 15 public workshops, 19 meetings with the `Livable Oakville' council subcommittee, more than 20 meetings with community groups and stakeholders, meetings with seniors groups, the Oakville Youth Advisory Committee and the Environmental Strategic Plan Advisory Committee. "We're in the final throws of rolling out the individual elements for the entire program," said McConnell during the open house. The Province's `Growth Plan for the Greater Golden Horseshoe-Places to Grow' requires that by 2015, a minimum of 40 per cent of new growth in the region be located within existing developed areas (built up areas). For Oakville, the Town Council has identified several places where this kind of intensification will take place. One such area, known as the Uptown Core, stretches from Dundas Street East to Glenashton Drive and from Sixth Line to Trafalgar Road. See QEP page 19 Inside Travel ..................................................21 Health.................................................24 Sports..................................................25 Classified.............................................29 ERIC RIEHL / SPECIAL TO THE BEAVER Partial Delivery: M&m Meats, Metro Canada, Pharma Save, The Gardener, Price Chopper, Food Basics, Gino's Pizza, Sobeys, Sherin Williams, Petsmart, Best Buy Canada, Future Shop DORVAL DRIVE See Official page 10 DEEP IN THOUGHT: Grade 2 student Sebastian Thibault is a study of concentration as he ponders his next move during a match at the Halton Regional Junior Chess Tournament at River Oaks Public School on Tuesday. Burlington's Alexander School won the tournament with the host school River Oaks, finishing in second, just two points off the winning team. WYECROFT RD. SPEERS RD. BETWEEN KERR & DORVAL ETWEEN YOUR FRIEND IN THE BUSINESS! · www.lockwoodchrysler.com Celebrating 25 years in Oakville KERR ST. TRAFALGAR 175 WYECROFT RD. OAKVILLE 905.845.6653 QEW