The following text may have been generated by Optical Character Recognition, with varying degrees of accuracy. Reader beware!

The Oakville Beaver, Wednesday December 8, 2004 - A7 Continued from page A1 Debate continues tonight into forests, O'Hara noted that the journey from agricultural field to old-growth forest is one that takes about 500 or 600 years. Councillors also heard from David Donnelly, a certified plan ner and a lawyer with Environmental Defence Canada. He suggested council can adequately protect environmen tal ly-sensitive features in north Oakville by using existing plan ning tools. "Zoning is every bit as effect as securement, as long as you do it the right way," said Donnelly. He pointed to areas such as the Niagara Escarpment lands and the Rouge Valley, where property has remained in pri vate hands, but the environ ment has been protected. However, in a lengthy report presented to council last week, Town staff say there is public concern with a number of ele ments of the growth plan. "The general issue raised is the lack of balance," says the report. "There is a perception that the environmental and public facilities are just too big and too costly, and that the remaining developable lands will therefore be developed at a density, which is too high for Oakville." The vision of the town's growth into the lands between Dundas Street and Hwy. 407 has been premised on the creation of compact, pedestrian -- and transit-friendly communities designed to accommodate 55,000 people. It also emphasizes a mixeduse approach to development designed to allow people to live, work and shop in their neigh bourhoods, along with the cre ation of a natural heritage sys tem. After four hours of hearing delegations, councillors ad journed the meeting shortly after 1 1 p.m., which will resume tonight (Wednesday) at 7:30 p.m. at Town Hall. c Cheatley told councillors that the Town needs to own the land in order to manage the nat ural heritage system and ensure sustainability. On Tuesday night, however, several experts questioned that viewpoint. "Mother Nature doesn't need our systems," noted botanist Paul O'Hara. "Do people actual ly believe we could do better than Mother Nature? That we could just build a forest? That we could manage north Oakville like some kind of an English garden?" O'Hara suggested the natural heritage system, envisioned to be a series of core natural fea tures like woodlots and wetlands surrounded by fields and mead ows, and joined by protected linkages, would manage itself if left alone. And while Town staff had suggested there would be a need to maintain areas like meadows to prevent them from growing A * / v h iH s tm m W I T H P U R C H A S E O F T A B L E &- F I V E C H A I R S FREE DINING CHAIR Bras & Swimwear in sizes Bra fitting expert A-JJ warm, inviting, comfortable and so afibrdably sale priced. Just one example: purchase a (lining table with five chairs and get an extra dining room chair from the same collection FREE It's the Holiday Home Sale... S ilk & P y ja m a s F la n n e l C o tto n N ig h t g o w n s C o z y R o b e s Every great room starts w ith an adjective. W h a t's yours? T h o m a s v iU e www.lhomasviIIc.com 100 Bronte Rd., Unit #3, Oakville liz a b e th (in te r io r s 905-847-1512 www.goodnightgoodmorning.com 409 BRANT ST. · BURLINGTON 905-333-6670 1-888-846-7845 Monday to Saturday 9:30-5:30, Thursday & Friday 9:30-9:00, Sunday 12:00-5:00 w w w .elizabethinteriors.com NOTICE OF ISSUANCE OF TAXICAB LICENCES A t its regular m eeting held December 6, 2004, Council approved the W aiting List that determines the placement of applicants fo r the issuance o f taxicab plates. In accordance w ith Town o f Oakville By-law 2001-015, notice is given o f the Town's intention to issue plates to the first five names th a t appear on the W aiting List, in compliance w ith the by law. The taxicab plates w ill be issued to the follow ing persons: Nelson Rapp Al Prior Christopher Rogers Kulw arn H. M in h as Sandra Atkinson COUNCIL & STANDING COMMITTEE MEETINGS Monday, D e ce m b e r 13, 2 0 0 4 Planning & Development Council Meeting South Atrium 7:30 p.m. Tuesday, D e ce m b e r 14, 2 0 0 4 Community Services Committee Oakville Room - 7:30 p.m. Administrative Services Comm. Trafalgar Room - 7:30 p.m. Monday, D e ce m b e r 20, 2 0 0 4 Council Meeting South Atrium 7:30 p.m. w it h g if t c e r tific a te s f r o m y o u r R e c re a tio n a n d C u ltu r e D e p a r t m e n t G ift C e rtifa c a f ts N o w A v a ila b le 905.338.4250 T o w w w .o a k v ille .c a Any person wishing to object to the issuance o f these plates must file their objection w ith the Town o f Oakville, Licensing Commissioner, Box 310, 1225 Trafalgar ROad, Oakville, L6J 5A6, on or before December 18, 2004. Monday, Jan uary 10, 2 0 0 5 Planning & Development Council Meeting South Atrium ,, 7:30 p.m. w n o l O a k v i l l e 1225 Trafalgar Road, PO Box 310, Oakville, ON L6J 5A6 905-845-6601 www.oakville.ca