Letter to Mayor re: March 23, Planning & Development Meeting

From: George Niblock 

Date: Thu, Mar 26, 2026 at 11:31 AM

Subject: Open Letter to Mayor Burton from We Love Oakville

To: Mayor Rob Burton

Dear Mayor Burton,

At Oakville’s Planning and Development meeting on March 23, you tabled agenda item “9.1 Confidential – TOC Update.” In camera, this became a decision-making session on a “confidential direction” from your office, culminating in a narrow 8–6 public vote, with no substantive details disclosed to residents.

You called this decision “momentous” and praised the effort to “find the right answer,” yet that answer was debated and decided entirely out of public view, without transparency or accountability.

This was not just unusual; it is deeply troubling. You emphasized the Council’s right to meet in camera, but did not disclose that a final decision would be made. The public was given no notice, no explanation, and no opportunity to engage in what you now describe as a momentous outcome.

Council had previously, and unanimously, endorsed OPA 70 as the “right answer” for Midtown. Now, by an 8–6 vote, it has adopted a different “answer”, one that the public is not allowed to see, understand, or question. Why should residents trust a direction imposed without consultation or transparency?

We therefore insist that the full details of this decision be disclosed immediately, and that Council convene a formal public hearing on its substance, rationale, and implications. Residents must have a real opportunity to scrutinize and respond before any final decisions are taken. Anything less is a failure of democratic accountability and a breach of public trust.

Your Role

This “confidential direction” was brought forward in a document from your Office.  We therefore assume you wrote and directed this “confidential direction,” and are personally responsible and accountable for its contents.

What was Queen’s Park’s involvement in shaping and writing this confidential direction?  

Has the Town’s professional planning staff reviewed or signed off on this direction?

Predetermined Outcome

We have long believed that the selected developer for the Oakville TOC was driving this process and the “fix” was in from the start.  The report from the Town planning department stated,

"Overall, the TOC proposal provides very little to no community benefit for either the Town or the Province.” 

Has Council now effectively made the final decision on a Midtown TOC that still provides very little to no community benefit for either the Town or the Province? How were the Planning Staff’s conclusions addressed in your in-camera session?

No Public Input, By Design

There was no public agenda, no disclosure of this confidential direction, no debate, and no opportunity for residents to respond before the vote. That was clearly intentional.  

Is this the final vote on this matter? Yes or No?

Consider a comparison with the normal process, whereby statutory meetings are required before final decisions are made. Consider the process at the OLT, where deliberations are held in public.  

Who is demanding and benefitting from this secretive process? It seems the province is demanding confidentiality, and the selected developer is financially benefiting.

How can you support, let alone lead, such an undemocratic and questionable process?

Further Conflicts with Town Planning 

Town planning staff have been unequivocal:

“Density beyond the Town’s draft OPA 70 allocation is not justified.”

Density has been a huge concern and focus of residents in the TOC Proposals. Did the “confidential direction” you promoted follow this advice, ignore it, or override it?

If this “confidential direction” ignores or overrides the conclusions of our professional planners, What evidence are you relying on, and why has it not been disclosed publicly and adopted by the Town’s planning department?

OPA 70 Integrity

If this direction results in a TOC that does not comply with OPA 70, then Council is effectively abandoning its own planning framework that we worked so hard to create. 

We believe strongly in the need for comprehensive planning for Midtown, as provided in OPA 70. This decision appears to abandon this principle. Why?

Public Trust

Mayor Burton, this is not just about the disclosure of confidential information, it is about public trust, transparency, and accountability to the people of Oakville.

Trust is eroding rapidly, and Monday night’s meeting accelerates this erosion.  There is a growing belief that this process has been structured from the start, to benefit a selected developer, rather than to deliver a complete, livable community for the people who actually live and will live here. People see many similarities with the Greenbelt scandal. A sense of betrayal is growing, and it is generating deep resentment.

So let’s clear up one basic issue: is this vote on the “confidential direction” the final decision on the Midtown TOC - yes or no?

If the answer is yes, then this is a fundamental breach of public trust. Residents will not accept it, and they will not forget it.

We are therefore insisting on a formal public hearing, to be held immediately when this information is made public, where the full justification, rationale, and implications of this “momentous” decision are openly presented, scrutinized, and debated. Anything less is unacceptable.

Sincerely,

George Niblock and Jim Goodfellow on behalf of We Love Oakville