Concerns with Proposed…

Concerns with Proposed Minister’s Zoning Orders (MZOs) for Midtown Oakville

The proposed MZOs for Midtown Oakville fail to meet the Ontario government’s own criteria for issuing MZOs. There is no municipal support, Town Council has not endorsed the project, and documented community opposition exists. There is no justification for overriding established provincial, regional, and municipal planning policies, including OPA 70. The proponent’s timeline shows construction effectively starting after 2030, with build-out stretching two decades beyond, indicating a lack of credible urgency. MZOs are intended as exceptional tools, not substitutes for proper planning, and the only rationale offered—“zoning certainty”—serves primarily to lock in speculative land value, shift risk from the developer to the public and freeze an outdated proposal while stripping the Town of its ability to adapt to changing needs over time.

The economic and viability case for these MZOs and this project has collapsed. The condominium market has both collapsed and shifted, with high-rise projects dominated by studios and one-bedroom units—precisely the configuration this Transit-Oriented Community (TOC) proposes—no longer being supported by the market. Oakville needs family-oriented, complete-community housing, not investor-driven micro-units. As the project will not proceed for at least five years, there is no urgency or justification for imposing these MZOs now; their only effect is to lock in inflated land values for the developer. Infrastructure Ontario (IO) should pause, shut down this TOC, withdraw the MZOs, and proceed with OPA 70—a responsible, deliverable, community-supported plan aligned with the changing market.

This TOC does not comply with Premier Ford’s Build Homes Faster agenda and will not deliver a single home before 2031, the Province’s own housing deadline, and will take 25 years to complete. OPA 70 is a better alternative and is ready for implementation. Oakville already meets and exceeds all provincial housing requirements through OPA 70 and has a proven track record for building houses. There is no necessity or urgency for imposing these MZOs now. In fact, imposing these MZOs would eliminate the superior alternative, benefiting the developer financially.

These MZOs represent a significant override of local democracy, despite Oakville’s full compliance with provincial policies and a proven track record of growth and housing development. The Town’s OPA 70 was developed transparently, with public input and Council approval. In contrast, the TOC was advanced behind closed doors under confidentiality agreements, resulting in a predetermined developer-driven plan with superficial consultation. This misuse of provincial power resembles governance failures exposed in the Greenbelt scandal, where planning regulations were overridden to benefit private interests. The Province should not repeat that mistake by moving forward with a flawed product from a seriously flawed process.

These MZOs would impose extreme and reckless density on Midtown—more than double that of any comparable development in the GTA—without the infrastructure to support it, creating chaos and overwhelming transportation and services that are already overstressed, including local roads, transit, the GO station, and the QEW. The Town’s OPA 70 already permits densities up to 6.0 FSI, which is very high by North American standards, making these proposed densities unnecessary and unacceptable. The MZOs would also eliminate affordable housing requirements, which are needed. This TOC is not about delivering housing; it is about maximizing developer land value at the expense of livability, infrastructure capacity, and the public interest.

I say NO to these MZOs!