2023 Annual Report
Message from Mayor Rob Burton
Oakville, Ontario, Canada
Guided by a new strategic plan, the Town of Oakville undertook many important initiatives in 2023 to create a vibrant and livable community for all.
This annual report showcases some of the key achievements, details the town’s finances and charts a course for the year ahead.
Each year, Town of Oakville receives kudos from organizations across the country. Here are a few of the feathers we added to our community’s cap in 2023.
Once again, Oakville’s arts, culture and creativity have received top honours. For the second year in a row, the town ranked top among participating mid-sized cities, beating out communities such as Waterloo and North Vancouver. And this year, we ranked first overall!
Each year, the Granicus Digital Government Awards recognize public sector organizations across North America that have embraced transformative technologies. In 2023, The Town of Oakville’s online permitting service was honoured in the Operational Excellence category. Launched in 2022, the tool allows people to apply for a sign permit at any time rather than being limited to the town’s operating hours. It also significantly reduces the time it takes for sign permits to be reviewed and approved — in some instances to a matter of minutes.
For a third year in a row, the Town of Oakville received Lifesaving Society Ontario’s David W. Pretty Cup. The award is presented to a municipal affiliate with the largest life-saving program in a community with a population between 100,000 and 250,000. The town offers a variety of aquatic programs, including learn-to-swim programs, leadership courses and recertification, and swim-to-survive school programs.
In 2023, Oakville Trafalgar Community Centre took home the Aquatics Facility Design Award from Parks and Recreation Ontario. The Centre was celebrated for excellence in design and the innovative ways it meets community needs. The facility was built with accessibility and sustainability at the forefront, with features that include rooftop solar panels; geothermal heating; two wheelchair-accessible pools, including a warm-water therapeutic pool; and Oakville’s first gender-inclusive changeroom.
Oakville.ca underwent a major refresh in 2023, garnering plenty of kudos as a result. The new and improved site won both the Government Standard of Excellence Web Award from the Web Marketing Association and a 2023 Award of Excellence from The Communicator Awards. It was also featured as one of Kentico’s top sites of the month in March 2023.
In September 2023, Oakville landed the “Best Downtown Area Award” at the 29th annual Communities in Bloom contest (pdf), distinguishing our town amongst communities across Canada and around the world. The recognition follows the completion of the $20 million Lakeshore Road Reconstruction and Streetscape Revitalization, shining a spotlight on our town’s unique blend of heritage buildings, green spaces and vibrant downtown core.