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47474| O akville B eaver | T hursday,S eptem ber 27,2018 insidehalton.com The Beaver asked those running in the Oct. 22 mu- nicipal election what they think the most pressing is- sue in Oakville is and how they would address this is- sue if elected. Here is what those who responded had to say. Mayoral candidates Rob Burton (incumbent) The single greatest is- sue is protecting our com- munity's vision of itself as reflected in our Livable Oakville official plan be- cause if our official plan can be broken and ignored at the Glen Abbey Golf Course, it can be broken and ignored on any street, and it would be the end of our carefully devised plan to control growth and pro- tect our stable established neighbourhoods by direct- ing growth and intensifi- cation to the six growth nodes. I will continue to lead a strong and ultimately suc- cessful defence of our offi- cial plan and our decisions to refuse the development application on the Glen Abbey Golf Course in or- der protect the integrity of our official plan's ability to guide land use decisions for everyone in every partfor everyone in every partf of Oakville. For more information, visit www.robburton.org. Julia Hanna Mayor Rob Burton has lost touch with the needs and aspirations of the peo- ple of Oakville. This election is about leadership. I believe the best leaders aren't divi- sive, they are listeners who champion our hopes, our ideas. I will invite resi- dents back to the town's decision-making table and end domineering, dismis- sive treatment at town hall. I understand that many in our community strug- gle. I will end the 12-year record of tax increases. And I will improve town planning and implement smart traffic technology to reduce congestion on our roads. For more information, visit www.juliahanna.ca. John McLaughlin The "most" pressing is- sue in this 2018 election is fiscal sustainability & ac-fiscal sustainability & ac-f countability. Town Coun- cil will spend about $449 million in 2018, whereas it only spent about $197 mil- lion a year, when Burton first took office in 2006. first took office in 2006. f That's current spending of $1.23 million every day! The fiscal sustainabili- ty & accountability prob- lem can be "fixed" by elim- inating slogan-based "pro- gram" based budgets & spending, where the Town's financial state- ment mis-label millions of dollars spent on office fur- niture & music systems as "infrastructure", rather than as office furniture. Also, reduction of 10% pro- gram based "waste" spend- ing & transparency, will result in no job losses and improve service delivery, at 10% less cost. That means, no more property tax increases & debt re- duction. Follow me on Twitter @JMcLaughli- nOAK. For more information visit johnmclaughlinfor- mayor.com. WARD 1 TOWN COUNCILLOR CANDIDATES June Campbell There are many issues affecting Oakville; one that is important is tran- sit. An improved transit system would go a long way to alleviating many other issues in Oakville, like congestion, speeding and parking. Transporta- tion is more than just get- ting people from A to B, it is freedom and connection to community and liveli- hood for so many. I would like see a study of how we could add routes, reduce the fare for students (not just after 4 p.m. but all day), replace shelters and potentially amalgamate the paratran- sit systems so that the peo- ple who rely on that part of the system could navigate freely between all parts offreely between all parts off Halton. Donovan Cox Residents and local businesses owners have conveyed that controlled growth is the most press- ing issue facing Oakville. The concern is that uncon- trolled growth can create a strain on our municipali- ty's infrastructure and greenspace and therefore threaten safety and the daily functioning of the community. It is important, for ex- ample that the Wyecroft Bridge project is started and completed on time to reduce the traffic conges- tion flowing into Bronte and Lakeshore Woods. Ad- ditionally, we must contin- ue to dialogue, including from opposing sides, tofrom opposing sides, tof find solutions to parking,find solutions to parking,f towing and development concerns that have affect- ed our residents and busi- ness community. It is im- portant that new traffic crossings are installed this year to increase the safety of residents cross- ing our busy thruways. For more information visit www.donovancox.ca. John Rishworth When asked what is the most pressing issue affect- ing Oakville, I think of traffic congestion. The many people in Ward 1 I have spoken to during my door-to-door encounters are frustrated with the amount of time it takes to get to the GO train, the QEW or across town. Council has pushed through the extension of the Wyecroft Bridge - I would continue to ensure that this project moves through smoothly to maxi- mize the traffic benefits as soon as feasible. I would also work with town staff to continue to look into smart traffic signals and technology to improve the flow of traffic. We need toflow of traffic. We need tof be smart with leveraging the committed federal and provincial funding for the public transit system. For more information, visit www.johnrishworth- .ca. Beth Robertson The most pressing issue facing Oakville as a wholefacing Oakville as a wholef is meeting the target growth in population put forward by the provincialforward by the provincialf government, in terms of where the intensification goes and how to best ad- dress the resulting infra- structure needs that are a result. The town must consult and keep residents in- formed throughout theformed throughout thef process stage of potential development. There should be clear expecta- tions of what developers must provide as a condi- tion of development (ex- amples: parking for resi- dents, staff, visitors for a multistorey structure or appropriate dwelling types within a neighbour- hood infill area). Incen- tives to getcommuters to the GO stations using pub- CANDIDATES DISCUSS MAJOR OAKVILLE ISSUES AND THEIR SOLUTIONS DAVID LEA dlea@metroland.com MUNICIPAL ELECTION See CANDIDATES, page 48