Municipal governments play a key role in local environmental quality, building climate change resilience, protecting, and expanding green spaces, waste management and reducing global greenhouse gasses and other pollutants. Oakville must be an environmental leader. The significant and real environmental impacts facing us all are a clear catalyst for all levels of Government, business, industry and residents to set aside differences and collaborate to swiftly find ways to shift our approaches to energy use and environmental issues.

Become the Most Electric Vehicle Friendly Municipality in Ontario!

Climate change is one of the most important issues facing our world. In Ontario, transportation is the most significant contributor (32%) to greenhouse gas emissions. One of the quickest ways to bring our emissions down is with electric vehicles of all kinds. If you look around the town of Oakville, you’ll see many people are already driving electric vehicles and the Oakville Ford plant is retooling, “becoming the first automaker in the country to build full battery-electric vehicles” but the town of Oakville is falling behind.  Burlington is the GTHA’s leader in the installation of EV charging stations – a key component in encouraging electric vehicle use.

 As Mayor I am committed to reducing greenhouse gas emissions and I expect our town to be a leader and innovator in initiatives and programs that will make our air cleaner – including ensuring Oakville is a leader in building the infrastructure to encourage electric vehicle use.

Reduced Emissions from Town Vehicles

Another of the easiest ways to reduce greenhouse gas emissions is to reduce the number of minutes a vehicle is allowed to idle. Oakville has a bylaw that limits idling to 3 mins or less but town vehicles are frequently left idling in parking lots and at the side of the road.

When I’m elected mayor, I will lead by example and work with Council and Town staff to ensure town vehicles are in compliance with the bylaw as it currently stands. I will support the electrification of Oakville Transit, and I will look into the installation of auto start-stop systems in town vehicles in order to save fuel and keep our air clean.

Best in Class Climate Change & Environmental Extremes Mitigation

Flooding, extreme precipitation, high winds, more frequent tornado warnings, increasingly hot temperatures; our Oakville is not immune to extreme weather and temperatures brought on by climate change. Around the world, extreme weather events are becoming more of a norm than an exception. In Oakville a citizens group has filed a class action suit against the Town over the severe flooding they've been experiencing as a result of short sighted planning and changing weather. 

Oakville has to be proactive in changing its planning to anticipate the downstream impact of development and increasing protection against weather extremes. 

As your Mayor, I will look to invest in innovative and best in-class strategies to shelter our town from environmental extremes. I will ensure downstream flooding and climate change mitigation are integral parts of Town planning approval. 

Un-Flood Oakville

Un-Flood Ontario, part of the Great Lakes One Water Initiative, recognizes that Ontario has a serious flooding issue as a result of climate change and too many hard surfaces incapable of absorbing rainfall.  From trees, green roofs and gardens to depaving areas, the Town needs to embrace natural, green innovative solutions like those suggested by Un-Flood.

Amsterdam’s RESILO project is an innovative example of how one municipality is trying to mitigate flooding and climate change consequences through installation of “blue-green” roofs.

Environmental Transparency

Oakville residents should be provided information and data from the Town regarding our environmental plan as well as easily digested data regarding the quality of our environment.

As your Mayor, I will make sure to publish environmental data that is easily accessible for our residents, such as Oakville’s PM2.5 score. I will also update our environmental action primer every five years; climate change is a crisis and our residents deserve to know that the town is actively working on this file.

Community Gardens

A simple way for residents to have access to fresh fruits and vegetables is through the use of community gardens. Not only do they reduce the food insecurity of our community but they increase the quality of the air we breathe and provide beautification in the areas they are located.

When elected Mayor, I will work with the Town and community members to find areas where we can start community garden initiatives.

 More Trees in Oakville

Our community has a 28% tree canopy coverage, with a goal to be at 40% in the future. The majority (60%) of plantable space is located on private property, and while there are programs to help subsidise the cost of planting trees privately, very few of our residents are aware of them.

I promise you that as Mayor, I will make sure programs such as the “Oakville Backyard Tree Planting” program continue to receive funding. I will also consult with Town staff and community groups so that we can prioritize public tree planting efforts.   

 Expand On, and Enhance Our Oakville Waterfront

It remains a priority that our beautiful waterfront remains attractive, and accessible to all residents. Oakville has a strong historic maritime connection which will be maintained through support of the boating and sailing clubs and establishments that line the waterfront today.

Permanent Protection for Glen Abbey

 I am committed to protecting Glen Abbey.

The current, Glen Abbey solution is temporary.  The Province asked the developer to "pull" their application to develop Glen Abbey. Which they did. Now, there is nothing to stop that developer from resubmitting their application to develop Glen Abbey again in the future.  The only permanent solution is to get a "MZO"  (Ministerial Zoning Order) from the Provincial Government that halts any development at Glen Abbey permanently. 

As Mayor, I am committed to getting the MZO to halt development of Glen Abbey.