Province Reveals "revised" TOC, then announces intent to impose Minister's Zoning Order.
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If you care at all about Oakville, it is important to read this newsletter and take action.
This move by the Province which intends to slap a Minister's Zoning Order on Midtown will change Oakville in ways never imagined.
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Not only will it totally choke roads like Trafalgar, Cornwall, Kerr, the QEW Exits (could take up to 8 minutes to exit) and others, it will entirely change how you'll need to navigate your way around town.
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If you are a commuter, or use GO transit increased population from these buildings, crammed into such a small area, will severely constrict car and bus traffic into and out of the GO Station. The developer's own traffic studies state this fact.
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Buildings of this size and number need a huge amount of infrastructure that doesn't currently exist - BIG pipes for water/wastewater, new roads and other roads widened, etc. The development charges collected by our municipality/region won't be able to cover all the costs. Guess who gets to pick up the tab?
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Due to the fact 83% of Midtown’s employment is based on population-related factors, Midtown will fail to meet its employment goals and will not deliver local services and amenities needed to stimulate growth.
- The Result: Midtown residents will be forced to travel outside of the immediate area on a daily basis for their needs. This ongoing procession will have impacts on already established areas of Oakville that possess the services, food, schools, parks, medical supports and community recreation that Midtown residents will need.
If all of the above isn't enough to get your attention, how about the fact our provincial government is overriding our rights? Neither the Town of Oakville nor any of us have any rights to appeal this Minister's Zoning order! THAT'S NOT DEMOCRACY.
WE'VE STARTED A PETITION TO
THE AUDITOR GENERAL AND
ONTARIO OMBUDSMAN.
WE WANT THE MIDTOWN TOC
TO BE PUT UNDER INVESTIGATION
SIGN THE PETITION - MORE INFO BELOW
| | Despite months of widespread opposition and a lengthy report from Town Planning Staff stating the Town could not support its proposal ... the Government of Ontario intends to override Oakville's land use powers, impose a Minister's Zoning Order and move forward with one of the most ill-conceived land developments Oakville has ever witnessed. | |
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11 monoliths stretching 45 to 56 storeys, packed chock-a-block into a land space that starts just behind the OakLand Ford Mercury dealership and stretches west to the old Hiker's Haven location near the former Oak Queen Mall. (near Home Depot)
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Total Number of housing units: 6,881 - An overwhelming majority of are Studio & 1 bedroom - 335 to 550 sq. ft (a typical double garage ranges between 400 and 600 square feet. But 720 sq. feet is common). Only 27% will be 2-bedroom and an even lower 7% will offer 3 bedrooms.
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A Floor Space Index of 10.8 and a Density of of over 2,000 people per hectare - a level that exceeds density in both Toronto and Manhattan.
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Probable Number of People: 12,000
The Revisions?
Five buildings were increased in height; five buildings were decreased in height. Overall a the total number of units dropped by 27 down from 6,908 to 6,881.
| | So, What's the Real Story on Midtown? | |
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NOT FAIR
1. If the Province chooses to proceed with this "enforced growth" it will be forcing over-development on Midtown.
2. The Province is using strongarm tactics to override Oakville's Official Plan.
3. The power of Oakville Town Council and the citizens they represent has been usurped. Council has no power to reject the proposed TOC plan in Midtown and none of us have any rights to appeal it to the Ontario Land Tribunal.
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NO ACCOUNTABILITY
The Provincial Target of building 1.5 Million homes over a 10-Year Period has been used as the driving force behind the push to impose the 6,000+ Unit Transit Oriented Community (TOC) on Midtown Oakville.
The Reality
Infrastructure Ontario has now acknowledged the fact construction of the TOC towers could take 25 years, with no firm commitment on timelines or groundbreaking.
With absorption rates of only 2-300 units annually, it could take decades more. It is easy to see the TOC plays NO ROLE in the Provincial target.
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The size and scope of the TOC presents undeniably high risk to Midtown's future, the Town and Oakville's residents.
Consider these factors:
Economic Vulnerability - financial health and timeline for the entire Midtown area becomes tied to a single developer.
Market Distortion - the TOC will flood the market with a sea of investor-sized 1-bedroom units with next to no supply of the kinds and sizes of housing REAL buyers want.
Infrastructure Strain Phasing & Coordination Issues - the TOCs enormous needs sideline those of other developments.
Loss of Incremental Growth - the TOC leaves no room for smaller, more appropriate sized developments that have a better chance of success, would reflect a more suitable style and character of housing for the area and offer the kind of housing young families and first time buyers are seeking.
No Public Records - the Province has not shown or provided any information on financial terms, risk assessments of the developer partner(s), benefits or other pertinent details of the TOC. As recently as January 2025, Emil Toma, one of the listed "co-founders" of Distrikt, the chosen TOC developer partner, was part of a bankruptcy and insolvency action regarding the planned construction of a 6-storey residential building with 62 strata residential units and 13 rental apartments in the City of Toronto. Toma's company defaulted on the loan, including by failing to make scheduled interest payments and failing to repay the loan on maturity.
Inevitable property tax increases - to pay for infrastructure and TOC associated costs that aren't covered by development charges.
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Industry leaders, Watson Associates Economists, forecast a total number of housing units in Midtown as 8,900 by 2051.
At 6,880 units, the TOC represents over 75% of that total.
That means it profoundly affects Midtown's future by concentrating risk, stressing public infrastructure and creating financial insecurity. Its dominance creates a higher-stakes scenario for Midtown, moving the risk from a diversified, incremental approach to one heavily dependent on a single entity.
Furthermore, N.Barry Lyon & Associates reported - Over the next decade NBLC expects that demand for residential uses in Midtown could be in the range of 200-300 units ANNUALLY.
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"At a time when markets are soft and investors unlikely to return soon, developers seem to be seeking building heights that defy logic".
- "GO transit and local bus routes do not drive demand to the same extent as subway service or LRT service as part of a wider local transit network".
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Guaranteed Gridlock
If the TOC is allowed to develop to the level the Province is proposing, the results will be ruinous for ALL of Oakville.
TOTAL GRIDLOCK on Trafalgar Rd, the QEW Interchanges, Cornwall Road, Speers Road and the surrounding areas.
8-Minute Delays to Exit the QEW
Access to GO will get worse, not better. The developer's own reports show that cars and buses will be frozen in heavy traffic trying to enter and exit the GO Station.
The Province IS NOT providing any upgrades, new additions or other improvements to the GO Station, parking, express transit services or other assistance.
AND …
The TOC will be incapable of providing the services and community supports residents will need. That means widespread effects across a host of areas like schools, retail, parks … and increased property taxes.
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The Condo Crash
As clearly laid out in a recent Macleans article, the bubble has burst and in its wake its leaving thousands of unsellable, unliveable units.
* From January to June 2025, housing starts were down 44% in the Toronto Metro area.
* The investor market - the ONLY people who will buy the tiny condos in developments like the TOC - is no longer interested. As of this Spring, the inventory of unsold units in Toronto totalled more than 23,000. It will take 5-years to sell them in order to clear the backlog.
* Condo developers are dumping inventory at fire sale prices.
* How does the Midtown TOC measure up? Experts in Growth Analysis and Market Viability tell us the building heights being planned in the TOC "defy logic", "no market evidence that would suggest near-term absorption success for projects at this scale” AND it will take 23 Years to Fill the TOC!
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So, What's The Big Deal?
It's THIS
The Condo Market is in Freefall
High Risk
Building Heights That Defy Logic
Guaranteed Gridlock
A 23-Year Market Absorption
A Housing Product That Won't Sell
Can't Attain the Province's Housing Target
A Plan That Pushes Unsellable Units - Designed for Investors, Not Real People
AND YET…
THE PROVINCE
PLANS TO IMPOSE THIS TOC PLAN
ON MIDTOWN OAKVILLE
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It's Time to Act!
Residents Across Oakville Are
Standing Up and Speaking Out
In a Joint Submission, We Are Petitioning
the Ontario Auditor General
AND the Ontario Ombudsman
To Undertake Investigations
of the Midtown TOC
on Our Behalf
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