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5 | O akville B eaver | T hursday,F ebruary 24,2022 insidehalton.com For a Free consultation call oakville: 905.842.2022 ToronTo: 416.644.3999 Denied Disabled Benefits? I canhelp. My teamof experienced lawyers can help youwith: • Disability Claims Short-TermTermT DisaDisabilibilityty,ty,ty long-Tlong-Termlong-Termlong-T DisaDisabilibilityty,ty,ty CPPCPP • Car accidents • Slip and Falls •Wrongful Dismissal Injured? I don't get paid unless I getYoumoneY. oFFiCeS in oakville and ToronTonTonTo eMail: sspadafora@slspc.ca Disability and EmploymEnt law Disability Founded in 1991 Peter Watson MBA, CFP®, R.F.P., CIM®, FCSI Jennifer Watson MBA, CFP®, CIM® Accepting new clients. Please visit www.watsoninvestments.com to book a free consultation. Offering safe virtual meetings and e-signatures for new client onboarding. "Our clients enjoy talking about their retirement dreams and we enjoy helping them get there." Peter & Jennifer info@watsoninvestments.com (905) 842 -2100 It may be the most atten- tion an Official Plan amendment has ever re- ceived in Halton. Over 50 residents -- from youth to farmers to en-from youth to farmers to en-f vironmental activists -- turned out to Halton re- gional council's Feb. 16 meeting to voice their sup- port for changing course on the preferred growth con- cept to instead direct future development away from farmland.farmland.f And in the end, the ma- jority of council shared the same sentiment, voting 15-9 in favour of a motion from Oakville Mayor Rob Burton and Burlington Mayor Mar- ianne Meed Ward. The resolution directs staff to prepare an Official Plan (OP) amendment that advances a modified pre- ferred growth concept inferred growth concept inf two phases: • Up to 2041: direct popu- lation and employment growth to the existing ap- proved urban boundary. • 2041 to 2051: Provide a clear framework for when and how growth should be distributed, based on the principles of minimizing land consumption, and making the most efficient use of land and infrastruc- ture. An amendment to the motion from Halton Hills Coun. Jane Fogal and Mil- ton Coun. Colin Best -- which also passed 15-9 -- in- dicates the specific distri- bution of the post-2041 growth will be defined in a further OP amendmentfurther OP amendmentf prepared prior to or in con- junction with the next stat- utory five-year review. "The phased approach provides needed time to evaluate the uncertainties about future housing and employment needs for the period 2041 to 2051," said Burton. Meed Ward added coun- cil can't commit to saving farmland to 2051 as the OP isfarmland to 2051 as the OP isf reviewed every five years. "This (motion) allows us to save it on our watch; save it for today and live to fight again, which we will have to do," she said. "The pressure is not going to go away to ex- pand into our farmland." She noted it isn't enough to simply save farmland. "We have to save farm- ing," she said. "We have to do better in supporting our farmers and truly getting afarmers and truly getting af local food source right here in Halton." In recent months, the original preferred growth concept put forth by staff -- which calls for over 5,000 acres of land in Milton and Halton Hills to be designat- ed for new housing and jobs -- has become a source of great debate, with residents and councillors on both sides of the issue. Those around the re- gional council table who support staff's concept spoke out during the meet- ing and voiced their opposi- tion to Burton's motion, placing a particular empha- sis on the need for addition- al employment lands in Mil- ton and Halton Hills. Milton councillors Mike Cluett and Zeeshan Hamid both indicated their munic- ipality will require more employment land to be shovel-ready by 2031, con- tending that a lack of new businesses and resulting development charges will lead to large residential tax increases. "We should have a right to have a strong say in how we're going to grow, and not be told what to do by the other municipalities," said Cluett, urging his col- leagues around the table to vote against the motion. While most councillors who shared similar senti- ments were from north Hal- ton, some Burlington coun- cillors also expressed their opposition to Burton's reso- lution, including Coun. Li- sa Kearns. "I can't imagine how Bur- lington and Oakville can go about pushing for some- thing that the local councils aren't asking for," she said. Those who voted against the motion and amendment were: Halton Hills Mayor Rick Bonnette, Milton May- or Gord Krantz, Halton Hills Coun. Clark Somer- ville, Milton councillors Rick Malboeuf, Cluett and Hamid, and Burlington councillors Paul Sharman, Kelvin Galbraith and Kearns. Staff has now been di- rected to schedule a public meeting and open house on the revised growth concept no later than April 30. The matter will be voted on again by regional coun- cil at a future meeting, prior to the July 1 deadline estab- lished by the provincial government. For further details visitFor further details visitF halton.ca/ropr. HALTON STEERING AWAY FROM PROPOSED FUTURE FARMLAND GROWTH The mayors across Halton have differing views on how the region should grow. Metroland file photos MELANIE HENNESSEY mhennessey@ metroland.com COUNCIL SCAN THIS CODE for residents' thoughts on Halton growth plan.