On July 13, 2022, Regional Council received a report on Halton’s key achievements from its 2019–2022 Strategic Business Plan and the Region’s response to COVID-19.
“Our Strategic Business Plan is a reflection of the priorities that matter to our community and has guided our work for this term of Council,” said Halton Regional Chair Gary Carr. “While faced with the unprecedented COVID-19 emergency, Halton Region and the community have achieved so much together. We were able to make progress on many planned priorities, maintain our essential programs and services and keep tax rate increases at or below inflation. We also took collective action to respond to COVID-19 and coordinate the delivery of the vaccination program in Halton.”
Objectives set out in the 2019–2022 Strategic Business Plan were identified across five themes. Some of Halton Region’s key achievements from the last four years include:
Planning and Growth Management: Grew by an additional 15,000 housing units and established a framework to accommodate Provincial growth targets that minimizes urban boundary expansion through the adoption of Regional Official Plan Amendment (ROPA) 48 and 49.
Transportation and Infrastructure: Invested more than $900 million in transportation infrastructure and almost $1 billion water and wastewater infrastructure since 2019.
Community Well Being: Created new assisted housing opportunities, invested approximately $13M through the Halton Region Community Investment Fund, modified and expanded the emergency shelter program and launched the Ontario Seniors Dental Care Program to support low income seniors.
Environmental Sustainability and Climate Change: Declared a climate emergency, achieved a decrease in corporate greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions and a reduction in heating consumption per square foot.
Effective Government: Achieved highest credit rating (AAA) each year from independent credit agencies and kept tax rate increases at or below the rate of inflation.
Halton Region also had significant responsibilities in the response to COVID-19 throughout 2020–2022, in addition to planned priorities for the term of Council. Over 50 thousand cases and 176 institutional outbreaks were managed and the needs of vulnerable residents and those most impacted financially and socially by the pandemic were supported. Through the coordinated delivery of the COVID-19 vaccination program, more than 1.35 million doses have been administered and 89 per cent of residents aged five and up have at least two doses.
For a comprehensive summary of key achievements, please visit halton.ca.
The Regional Municipality of Halton serves more than 595,000 residents in the City of Burlington, the Town of Halton Hills, the Town of Milton, and the Town of Oakville. Halton Region is committed to meeting the needs of its residents through the delivery of cost-effective, quality programs and services, including water and wastewater; Regional roads and planning; paramedic services; waste management; public health; social assistance; children’s and seniors’ services; housing services; heritage programs; emergency management and economic development. For more information, call 311 or visit Halton Region’s website at halton.ca.