Oakville Transit Oriented Community MZO’s and a Proposed Refinement

On April 9, 2026, the Province issued four Minister’s Zoning Orders (MZOs) to force a massive 11-tower development in Midtown Oakville, reaching up to 56 storeys and more than 6,800 units on just 5 hectares, despite clear and sustained community opposition. This represents extreme intensification, far exceeding the limits established under OPA 70, an already ambitious intensification plan unanimously supported by Council, Town planners and the community.

At the same time, the Provincial news release says it is working with Oakville on a “refinement” to reduce building heights to 38 storeys without reducing the number of units. While this may offer an opportunity to improve these deeply flawed MZOs, it raises significant questions. Maintaining the same unit count at lower building heights would require additional land, significantly expanding the TOC footprint. Where would this land come from? Would it involve publicly owned lands, and if so, why, and who would ultimately bear the cost of expanding the TOC footprint?

This news release raises, and leaves another unanswered question: what is the basis for a 38-storey height limit? We understand the Midtown TOC proposal was submitted to NAV Canada, and there may be aviation constraints that may cap building heights at approximately 38 storeys, yet this is not acknowledged in either the MZOs or the Province’s announcement. 

Mayor Burton and MPP Stephen Crawford both express support for the Province’s commitment to further refine the Midtown Transit-Oriented Community (TOC), framing it as a collaborative effort between the Town and the Province. MPP Crawford emphasizes a “balanced approach” and commits to ongoing work with Council and the Province to shape the development. Similarly, Mayor Burton welcomes the Province’s willingness to engage with the Town, characterizing it as a positive step toward ensuring the TOC better reflects community concerns, while signaling that advocacy on behalf of residents will continue. Those commitments are positive, but in light of these deeply flawed MZOs, they must now be matched by clear, measurable results that demonstrably address concerns raised by Town planners and residents. 

Let us be clear on this refinement process: WLO supports any genuine effort to reduce building heights and density within the TOC to an acceptable level, that is consistent with OPA 70. A reduction to 38 storeys is a step in the right direction, but density not just height, is the critical issue. How much additional land will be required? What will the resulting density be? Will it comply with OPA 70? If not, why not? How much of this additional land will be used for parkland which is desperately needed for liability?

We are particularly concerned about any possible use of public land and strongly oppose any refinement that relies on Oakville public lands simply to enable the TOC to achieve 6,800 units at a reduced height of 38 storeys.

At its core, this is not just a negotiation issue, it is a matter of governance, transparency, and accountability. These MZOs have overridden  the Town’s planning authority and community input, undermined OPA 70, and have raised serious concerns about back room decision-making, the potential misuse of public land, ignoring market realities and putting at risk the long-term future of Midtown as a livable community.

Our community deserves transparency and full disclosure on any refinements and expansion of the TOC’s footprint, at a level at least equal to the Project Justification Report prepared for the original proposal. 

We Love Oakville is therefore calling for a formal public meeting and a full, independent inquiry into the entire TOC process, including the lack of transparency, the absence of meaningful public engagement, the anticipated refinements, the in-camera Council meeting of March 23, and the rationale for issuing the four MZOs.

We close with a sincere thank you to all the residents who have shown up, spoken out, and stayed engaged; attending council meetings, participating in our rallies, sending more than 4,000 emails and texts to elected representatives, and submitting 1,450 comments to the Environmental Registry of Ontario. Your support for our campaigns and commitment to the democratic process has been extraordinary. Unfortunately, it is equally clear that Infrastructure Ontario has not listened to the input from the Town’s planners or residents. 

But, we are calling on you to once again to raise your voices and contact Mayor Burton and MPP Crawford to make your expectations clear: any expansion of the TOC footprint must comply with OPA 70, with no exceptions or backroom deals. Messers Crawford and Burton also need to support our call for a transparent, public meeting before any decisions are finalized, to ensure proper transparency and full accountability. These are consequential decisions that will shape Oakville for generations, and Council and our provincial representatives must hear directly from the public before anything is decided in final form.