2023 - 2026 Strategic Plan

Thank you, Town staff and Council, for allowing us the opportunity to comment on the draft 2023-2026 Strategic Plan. We are submitting as the Glen Williams Community Association (GWCA) whose mission is to help protect and preserve the natural and cultural heritage features of the hamlet and build a shared sense of community while enriching the quality of life in the hamlet.

The Glen as you may know is bound by significant environmental and topographical features, with the Niagara Escarpment to the north and west and is surrounded by other natural protected areas to the north, east and west. The Credit River traverses the hamlet from the northwest to the south flowing through the hamlet and extending 90 km from the Niagara Escarpment, emptying into Lake Ontario.
Situated on the banks of the Credit River valley at the north end of Georgetown along the Niagara Escarpment it has a variety of natural amenities, including multiple open space and park areas adjacent to the Credit River including several Bruce Trail accesses. The GWCA has in fact become a Steward of one of these parks, the Shelagh Law Parkette.
Glen Williams is home to many species of birds, mammals, and fish, with the river and nearby conservation areas providing exemplary habitat for several species that have been designated as at risk, for example, barn swallows, bobolinks and hooded warbler.
It is a vibrant hamlet with character and a true sense of community with a hamlet core where residents still gather at their local town hall, churches, school and neighbourhood park for celebrations, meetings and important occasions. It is the variety of each of these natural amenities and features that define Glen Williams, its unique environment and its distinctive character, all of which needs collective care and consideration.

So, we are pleased to see the Natural Areas and Heritage pillar in the strategy. We look forward to seeing more details for the drafted objectives outlined (-Increase public access to parks, natural areas and green spaces, -Protect and enhance biodiversity, the river valley watershed, and Niagara Escarpment landforms, -Preserve built and natural heritage features of our communities.) and we look forward to working collaboratively with the Town on Glen Williams specific projects related to these objectives.

While residents indicated in your survey that climate change was rated 7th as a priority it did not make it as a pillar in the draft strategy. We understand it can be challenging to contain the number of pillars and to land on the right few. Perhaps your approach to climate change, adaptation and mitigating impacts, is to ensure required projects/programs are included underneath each of the high-level objectives. We look forward to seeing these details. The Glen as described above is extremely vulnerable to these impacts as evidenced in the past few years with the extent of clear cutting for new developments within the natural valley ridge around the Glen, multiple direct tornado hits and ice storms taking out a tremendous amount of tree canopy.

We were also pleased to see the Thriving Economy pillar in particular the objectives of attracting and retaining businesses that align with town priorities. We trust that these priorities include the sentiments in the new mission that “we are proud of our small-town feel and urban rural mix where all people feel welcomed, safe and connected”. In the Glen we continue to hear that traffic and more specifically safety of residents is a major concern. We are hearing from elderly residents that this is a key factor in their decision to move out of the Glen for quality of life.

The Town has a major problem right now given we are growing however we have a small-town infrastructure. Even if you wanted to, many parts i.e. hamlets such as the Glen can just not accommodate it. The number of trucks on our roads 24/7 is very heartbreaking to see, not to mention a very dangerous situation as they are traversing roads made for hamlets and a small town. Road safety is an objective noted under the Infrastructure and Asset Management Pillar which is good to see. We look forward to hearing more about how these objectives will be realized while mitigating further dangers to residents and the complete evisceration of our hamlet and the Town of Halton Hills as a desirable, safe place that people want to live.

We support the agricultural business viability objective and look forward to more details as to the Town’s approach here.

With respect to the Safe and Welcoming Communities Pillar and the “Enhance outreach and engagement within our communities” objective, we look forward to seeing more details here as to what the Town has in mind, and again, look forward to working collaboratively with the Town in this regard.

Finally, we appreciate the efforts to nail down an updated strategy plan. Its clear the four pillars are interlinked. What is curious is that the budget discussions have been going on this week. Town staff presented proposed projects/programs and subsequent sessions then focused on what projects/programs to cut given size of budget presented. Curious about the order of this process given the new strategy plan has not yet been approved. Typically, strategy is finalized then projects/programs created that align to one of the pillars/objectives. This order helps from deviating away from our ability to achieve the strategy/ objectives. Especially when very difficult decisions have to be made to meet the Town’s growing needs while managing tax increases.

We trust that each Town department was using the draft strategy plan (four pillars and their objectives) as the touchstone for to what to put forward in the budget. It was not evident that this process was used when listening in on the live budget sessions this week. Neither was it evident that these four pillars/objectives were being used as a filter in which to put amendment decisions through. Hoping there was true alignment with both.

Under safe and welcoming communities you have specifically mentioned sports and recreation - why is the library not mentioned when it is perhaps the most critical for maintaining a free safe and welcoming space for everyone regardless of socioeconomic status. I also think that protection against climate change and ensuring we have clean air to breath should be specifically mentioned under natural areas. Thank you for this opportunity to give feedback.

I would like to know why climate change is not included in the mission, vision, or value statements in the strategic plan. The previous council recognized the need to formally address the climate crisis. The survey results clearly shows support in two places for climate change. On the strategic priorities-priority matrix, climate change and the environment is ranked the same as agriculture, transportation, and youth. And, on the services satisfaction slide, residents were asked about how the town is doing in preparing for climate change. So, it seems very odd that the words climate, climate change, or sustainability are not visible in the values or mission or vision statements. Given that we are moving on from the climate crisis to climate collapse it seems necessary to do so. Neighbouring towns of Oakville and Burlington have climate and environment and sustainability embedded in their plans. I think it is short sighted of Halton Hills not to include this as part of your plan.
Susan Cox
Limehouse resident and taxpayer
L0P1H0

On behalf of the Halton Hills Public Library, I, Betsy Cosper, Board Chair, want to congratulate the Town of Halton Hills on releasing this new Strategic Plan for 2023-2026. Strategic planning is a lengthy process with extensive consultation, and you’ve presented a plan that will guide us through the future growth projected for Halton Hills.
As you roll out these new strategic objectives, I hope that you will continue to view our public library as an asset that improves municipal services and enhances the quality of life for residents. There are several areas where the library can support the Town’s objectives:

1. Thriving Economy – Businesses are attracted to thriving communities with desirable amenities and vibrant cultural programs. Our public library partners with Invest Halton Hills, the local BIAs, Cultural Services, and many more to help the Town retain local businesses and promote economic success.

2. Natural Areas and Heritage – Families are encouraged to visit local parks when the library offers family activities in your neighbourhoods, whether it’s pop-up programming for children or StoryWalks at Terra Cotta Conservation Area. Library staff also partner with the Climate Change & Asset Management department and community organizations to provide opportunities for environmental education through lectures, hands-on workshops, and tours of the green features in our library branches.

3. Infrastructure and Asset Management – Residents will demand increased access to services as our community grows. A partnership between the Gellert Community Centre and our public library ensures that Georgetown South residents have increased access to services through the Library Lockers.

4. Safe and Welcoming Communities – This is where our public library contributes most to the Town’s vision and mission. Public libraries are for everyone, and our library is a community hub that is positioned to support residents with programs for all ages, relevant services, and extensive community partnerships, including:

a. Collections: The library carefully selects materials for the public to borrow with the intent that everyone in the community, no matter their background, can find something that reflects their interests, and their information needs. Careful selection of library collections demonstrates to residents that their library, and consequently their community, understands them and is glad they are a part of Halton Hills.
b. Youth Services: Our public library is well-positioned to support this top 5 service priority. Not only do staff provide outreach activities for the Youth Centres, but both the Acton and Georgetown Branches have dedicated Teen Lounges. The Teen Advisory Council also provides leadership and volunteer opportunities, allowing youth to plan programs for their peers and give back to the community through Seed Library packaging.
c. Cultural Programming: The John Elliott Theatre is an asset to the community, and the library is a key program partner that organizes theatre programs for residents of all ages. There are family-friendly performers, film nights, and guest lecturers brought in on evenings and weekends to enrich residents’ lives and increase the vitality of Downtown Georgetown.
d. Newcomer Services: Population growth will continue to increase the size and diversity of our community. The library partners with the Town to offer Welcome to Halton Hills Kits, runs a local service directory available in multiple languages, and offers space to regional service providers so they can meet people locally in Halton Hills.
e. Early literacy: Our youngest residents learn essential literacy and socialization skills at the library. This ensures they are well-prepared for school and interacting with our broader community. Additionally, new parents cultivate support networks and friendships that later support promotion of municipal services for older children, such as recreation programs and summer camps.
f. Senior Services: We have an aging population, and the library is a vital partner for serving this demographic. Our public library offers technology help both at the library and at the Hillsview Active Living Centres, ensuring our oldest residents can access services in this increasingly digital world.

Leveraging the collections, programs, partnerships, and outreach initiatives offered by the library will enhance community engagement and support municipal priorities.
The new Strategic Plan outlines a sound plan for municipal growth, and I look forward to hearing about how our public library can continue to improve municipal services and enhance the overall quality of life for residents.

Sincerely,

Betsy Cosper
Halton Hills Public Library Board Chair

I am very disappointed in the limited nature of the strategic plan. There is no assessment criteria to allow anyone to measure how well the town has performed against the priorities and objectives. These priorities are limited in scope and could have been written 25 years ago. There is little in them to reflect the current climate crisis, housing affordability, infrastructure needs, etc.
Specific details need to be added if these priorities and objectives are to be more than nice words on paper. When you compare Oakville’s Strategic Plan with that of Halton Hills, the Halton Hills plan is very weak. The words climate change, sustainability, effective, and accountability are just a few of the words that are missing from this document.
I agree with previous comments on skewed comments demographically. I think the data collection was poorly planned and implemented. 25 minute detailed phone surveys with multiple choice answers with multiple options are too detailed to give a true picture. As well, I am very concerned over the survey interpretation that combines the somewhat satisfied data with the very satisfied numbers. As one of the survey respondents, I can tell you that I did not mean very satisfied when I answered somewhat satisfied. You are providing misleading data by doing this and hiding the fact that the town has work to do in many areas to increase satisfaction among the taxpayers. I can also say that as part of the follow up focus group I am not convinced that all comments made were captured by the recorder. I started to add my comments in the chat so they would not be excluded or taken out of context.
Your vision statement is not future focused as it should be. It talks about the urban rural mix where all people are welcomed, safe, and connected. It needs to also add where all voices are heard and used to guide the direction of the town. There is no point in feeling welcomed, safe, and connected if the town staff and councillors ignore the wishes of the residents on key issues around new developments, new proposals, etc.
The mission statement about fostering a higher quality of life begs the question higher than what? Why are you saying higher and not just high? A good example of a mission statement is from Windsor. “The City of Windsor, with the involvement of its citizens, will deliver effective and responsive municipal services, and will mobilize innovative community partnerships”. Notice the word effective. Including the word efficient in the HH mission statement sounds nice but if what you do is not effective what is the point?
I am also concerned with the list of values you have included. Some are unclear. For example, when you say you act in the best interests of the town, who exactly is that? The staff? The residents and taxpayers? The developers and businesses?

Effective stewardship wording seems to imply only town staff are doing this, when HH residents have some amazing skills you should be drawing on. And if only relying on staff does this mean fewer consultants working on town projects. What standard are these consultants held to?
Given the amount of money Deloitte charged for this I think you should have done better.
These are my thoughts as a 40-year resident and taxpayer.
Susan Cox
Limehouse L0P 1H0

In 'The Compassionate Imagination: How the Arts are Central to a Functioning Democracy', Max Wyman writes 'The cultural sector now needs the support of enlightened political and bureaucratic leadership that recognizes that the common civic good includes fostering and funding cultural activity... In a compassionate society, the provision of access to arts and culture is neither an imposition of taste nor an act of charity.  It is an investment in the health of the community and the nation, like roads and schools and hospitals.'

The Town is doing excellent work to further opportunities for artists and creatives, and to leverage the economic benefits of a vibrant cultural economy.  So it's regrettable that the Strategic Plan overlooks the role that arts and culture play in improving the quality of life for Halton Hills' residents. Culture connects us as a people, promotes tolerance and inclusion, and celebrates the values of creativity and innovation. Please recognize that it is an important component in what makes a community welcoming and safe.  

There is one major problem that Georgetown in particular is going to suffer from and I am sure the rest of Halton Hills too. The issue the lack of Planning, Urban Planning and Transportation Study.

Each area of new houses should have shops and a school to serve the people who will live in the new areas. Think of the emissions from every house in the new development having 2 cars and travelling short distances for the food, supplies plus taking the children to school.

The present schools already have too large a population so that is another area not being considered. No -one is discussing school populations as the new homes are usually taken by young families .

Plus did I say ROADS! we have 2 lane roads everywhere not enough to handle the new traffic. Infact Georgetown in particularly so poorly prepared for the housing expansion. Just as a small point, we could not park any where near the farmers market this year so we decided to use local farmers instead.

I hope my points will not be ignored.
Thanks

Sheila
Sheila Mitchell
I am writing as an individual.
416 - 756 - 3221

I briefly reviewed the results of the public surveys (online and telephone) because I am interested to see how much people's priorities for the Town may have changed since I was actively involved in the Town's Imagine Halton Hills sustainability project about 10 years ago. Many of the themes arising from people's responses remain the same: access to green spaces, safe and friendly small town feel, the need to manage growth, etc. Naturally, housing affordability/homelessness is also now more prevalent in people's minds.
Sadly, the strategic plan makes no specific mention of sustainability or climate change, although many of the plan's priorities help to address the challenge that climate change presents. I can't help but see a common thread through all of these issues:
We need any future development (and re-development!) here to result in compact, walkable, energy-and resource-efficient and resilient neighbourhoods. This one measure addresses so many themes:
1. Compact neighbourhoods will have smaller homes that will be more affordable to own and more financially viable for the Town to service
2. This kind of development prevents sprawl, preserves agricultural land and natural green spaces, and helps to combat climate change by giving people the option to reduce energy consumption in their housing and transportation choices.
Imagine Halton Hills (https://www.haltonhills.ca/en/explore-and-play/resources/Documents/1_Imagine-Halton-Hills-Sustainability-Strategy_Final.pdf) was an effort to envision what our Town will look like in 2060. I urge Councillors to consider that comprehensive vision in their review of the Strategic Plan.
Thanks for this opportunity to contribute.
Eleanor Young

I believe we should be exanding more employment lands and get a move on servicing them for creating jobs to accommodate the growth that's coming In Halton Hills. I want to see all forms of On Farm Diversified business passed as a right! I want to see tiny homes used to shelter the most vulnerable people be allowed and promoted and red tap cut to get it done. There are going to be alot of people sleeping and shivering on the streets as Halton Hills is kinda north and so far has not seen a ton of homelessness yet but the amount of people having to couch surf in the area had certainly increased and its only a matter of time till we start seeing the effects of homelessness on our streets we need to be ready! Thanks to all staff for trying to make this a wonderful place to live.

Thank you to Council and staff for undertaking a Strategic Plan to align with this term of Council. Recognizing the continuing pressure to meet existing, new and changing recreation and sport opportunities in the community for all ages, the two strategic objectives noted under the "Safe and Welcoming Communities" pillar are welcome priorities. Continuing to work with existing community organizations to maximize all available human and fiscal resources could provide earlier and improved access to facilities and programs than may be achieved if relying only on fully funded and led municipal projects. This may require some creative solutions, ongoing commitment by staff, and willingness to assume some 'managed risk' to achieve, but could contribute to bringing forward opportunities sooner than later. Thank you.

J. Reynolds

Appreciate a rise in costs of everything however this is a substantial increase for our property taxes.

We moved to Georgetown because it was affordable and a great town.

37% increase in people eating from food banks and barely scraping two coins together to provide for their family.

The City should have another look at this taxes this year.

I have lived in Georgetown for almost 60 years and now reside in Ward 3. Georgetown has been a wonderful place to grow up and raise my three children. Although the town's tagline is 'small-town living at its best", we will see exponential growth over the next few years. We have to manage it wisely to maintain the town's current character, with its beautiful green spaces, rivers and prime agricultural land. Several of the strategic priorities in the 2023 - 2026 plan speak to this: support agricultural business viability, protect and enhance biodiversity, river valley watershed and Niagara Escarpment land, advance residential intensification, maintain and renew green infrastructure and resilient infrastructure to reduce impacts on the community. These are all excellent priorities. What is not mentioned explicitly is climate change mitigation and achieving net-zero GHGs by 2030. The Town declared a climate emergency in 2019. If we are to meet this goal, we need to ensure no more fossil fuel/methane gas plants in our community; mandating all new residential construction meets green energy standards, including requiring heat pumps instead of gas furnaces, use of wind and solar energy, eliminating sprawl and huge single-family homes in car-dependent subdivisions, electrifying the Town's vehicles, providing subsidies for residents to make their homes more energy-efficient, building more affordable 'missing middle housing' so young people and seniors can continue to live in our community. Just because few people submit comments on this platform does not mean that only a small percentage of the population cares about mitigating climate change. We have just come through the hottest year on record and Canada is experiencing the effects of climate heating faster than many other countries. We can either accept this reality and take concrete actions, however late in the day it is, or condemn our children, grandchildren and future generations to live with the consequences of our negligence. Thank you for the opportunity to comment.

Let's Talk Halton Hills is collecting feedback from the residents of Halton Hills on the 2023-2026 Strategic Plan from November 21 to December 7. From Nov. 21 to Nov. 27, there have only been 12 comments posted. How has the Town advertised to the residents of Halton Hills that they have the opportunity to provide feedback on this plan? Social Media Blitz? Advertisement in the online local newspaper? Is using the Let's Talk Halton Hills the best device to gather input?

I am a 37 year resident of the Town. I am an aquatic ecologist and restoration specialist. I was also a Watershed Scientist for the Ministry of Natural Resources and Forestry for many years.
I support the proposed Strategic Plan for the Town moving forward, though as we all know, the devil will be in the details. The four pillars are interlinked and there needs to be a common context to understand the implications of each planning decision to the various pillars. For example, built infrastructure is often damaged by natural events which means that having healthy natural infrastructure is critical to reducing costs to built infrastructure over the years. In addition, restoration and maintaining critical functioning of the natural infrastructure supports the need to healthy areas and green space for residents leading to better economics for the town, a healthier population and a more attractive place for people to come for work and reside. There was a subwatershed study done for the Black/Silver Creek system that runs through town and I would urge you to consider using its information to help show the linkages that need to be maintained in order for all 4 pillars to support the Town's growth and for the community, its economy and people to thrive.
One final note is that we need a rethink when we consider dealing with stormwater. We consider it a waste product to be removed by our built infrastructure when it is also a resource that we need to consider better managing in order to reduce damages and loss of our natural biodiversity and functioning of our watercourses and their valleys.
Happy to help if needed.

Jack Imhof

As a leader of Climate Reality Canada Corps, I am disappointed that all the talk, planning, committees due to Climate Emergency declaration and Council approval, we are now “slow walking” by omission of any actually concrete steps using existing technology and systems, in the Strategic Plan as presented. Treating fighting climate change as an option that may or may not be implemented, is not good enough. That kind of approach is responsible for getting us to this existential threat to our very survival. Scientific Data is NOT Fear Mongering, nor is it the politically convenient “flavour of the times”. Stop the expansion of Methane/Natural Gas Hydro generating systems. Stop Sprawl and needless highways. Use that money for affordable housing, Public Clean Energy Transportation. Get Police Forces to transition away from costly gasoline vehicles and utilize EVs, proven to be far more efficient and cheaper to maintain, as Police Forces in other countries have found out. Insist all new developments use district Hydro generation via Solar and Wind. Utilize the heat from the earth via Geothermal district heating/cooling. Other countries are doing this and no, it is not a mater of doing it the “Canadian way”. The wheel is perfect, does not need re-inventing.
A Strategic Plan needs “Meat on the Bone”, in order to accomplish what to some is inconvenient, but we all know as necessary.

Given the declaration of a Climate Emergency by the Town of Halton Hills in 2019, and the commitment to take actions to achieve a net-zero target by 2030, the 2023-2026 Strategic Plan seems to be the ideal starting point to address some bold climate actions, and they are not visible in this summary.
To achieve our stated target, we must actively choose the "Low Carbon (LC)" scenario, rather than the "Business As Planned (BAP)" scenario. This is outlined in more detail on this website, that is linked to the Town's site: https://cis-community.ssg.coop/haltonhills/emissions
We must specifically target a significant reduction in natural gas usage in the residential sector. I recommend that some of these items be identified in the strategic plan.

As an example, requiring all new home construction projects to include a cold climate air source heat pump, instead of a traditional central air conditioner would be one step along the path towards the Low Carbon future that we all desire.

Thank you for the opportunity to comment.

Climate is implicit in many of the Strategic Priorities, but never mentioned. Why not? "Preparing the town for climate change impacts" rated 7th out of 23 priorities among those surveyed. Our town has a goal of net-zero emissions by 2030, yet that was never mentioned. Show us how this will be achieved. Nothing matters more, for the sake of our children and future generations.

I would hope to see specific climate-related elements in the detailed plan, especially for:
1. "Support agricultural viabiilty" (stop sprawl, don't take back all the land Doug Ford is offering)
2. "Intensification where planned" - Yes, again a Stop Sprawl agenda creating vibrant, walkable neighbourhoods that don't depend on cars.
3. Natural areas - for climate adaptation and mitigation and the good of our souls
4. Resilient infrastructure - Spend now, avoid huge expenditures when climate catastrophe strikes in future
5. Green infrastructure - No fossil fuel plant! Incentives for heat pumps and other ways to save energy.

Concerns regarding the snapshot of the Strategic Priorities and Objectives
1. You are collecting input on the Strategic Priorities and Objectives using the Let's Talk platform. However your very own strategic plan survey revealed that only 12% (on line) and 2% (telephone) of the participants prefer the Let's Talk medium as a means to communicate and engage with the Town. With such low percentages, why choose this as a means to gather input?


2. The strategic plan survey revealed that satisfaction with the current strategic priorities regarding climate change and the environment was rated 6.3 (online) and 7.8 (telephone). However, the new strategic priorities do not include mention of this. Why? The town declared a Climate Change Emergency in 2019. Through adoption of this declaration, the Town Council committed to taking actions to achieve a net-zero target by 2030 that supports a healthy environment. The Town of Halton Hills can be very proud of all of the actions taken so far to achieve this goal - including the 2020-2025 Corporate Energy Plan that provides a roadmap for reducing energy consumption and green house emissions. How are these declarations reflected in the Strategic Priorities and Objectives being proposed for 2023-2026? There should be more about protecting the climate and green house emissions in the plan going forward.


3. Where can I find the details / goals for each of the four Strategic Priorities and Objectives? It is difficult to comment on these given the little information provided.

I am concerned that the 23-26 Strat Plan has been built with decidedly low input from Millennial and Gen Z members of our community, evidenced by the extremely low response rate online for the 18-24 and 25-34 demos and the lower than average responses from the same demos on the telephone survey. I would suggest that affordability and housing supply are top of mind for those of us in those age brackets and little space is provided in the priorities for advancing housing supply and ensuring affordable home ownership and rental properties are available for younger residents of Halton Hills (within the scope that a municipality has to advance those). Halton Hills is already a laggard in provincial housing targets, and this is reflected in the limited availability of new homes and rental properties in town.

Thank you Deloitte and Town Council.

The compiled Strategic Priorities & Objectives are an accurate reflection of what the majority of residents want and need.

The results of the survey are clear on what is a top priority for the majority of residents—and it is not climate related like a couple of council members or a small percentage of residents think.

The purpose of this survey was to create a big-picture, high-level plan for the Town, not detailed specific actions (that will come later based on the objectives). Your goal has been accomplished.