Mayor Ann Lawlor's May 2026 Message

HALTON HILLS, ON - Monday’s Council meeting covered a lot of ground — the kind of evening that reminds you just how many different services and issues a municipality touches. It was a long agenda, but an important one, and I’m grateful to residents who joined the meeting in person or online.

Closed and Open Meetings

We began with an in-camera (closed) session. That’s the portion of a meeting reserved for specific matters which are not appropriately discussed in public, such as property purchase or sale, legal advice, personnel items, or negotiations. There are clear provincial rules about what can (and cannot) be discussed behind closed doors. Council’s guiding principle remains openness and transparency in our decision-making.

The public portion of the meeting ran for over five hours and included a wide range of subjects. We heard updates on everything from enforcing property standards (especially when there are disputes between landlords and tenants), to heritage designation, to a practical item that can make a real difference in emergencies: establishing civic addresses for farms and remote locations so first responders can get to people quickly.

Police Report

We also heard from the Police Chief and our District Superintendent on community safety and security. Halton Hills continues to be the safest town in our region, and the Region of Halton remains among the safest in Canada — good news we never take for granted. At the same time, police shared that they actively investigate serious offences, including human trafficking, intimate partner violence, and other organized criminal activity. We also heard that while auto theft continues to be a concern, the number of car thefts locally is lower than in previous years.

Looking ahead, we’re excited about the opening of a new police station serving District 1 (Milton & Halton Hills) on Steeles Avenue later this summer. This facility will help officers respond quickly and effectively across a growing area.

Delegations to Council

One part of what makes council meetings meaningful is hearing directly from residents and community leaders. This week, two residents encouraged our design and engineering teams to be mindful of the unique characteristics of our rural hamlets, particularly when planning road and infrastructure work — things like landscapes, bridges and even ditch designs.

We also heard again from members of our sports community about growing demand for year-round turf and court space. Sport association volunteers from pickleball, football, and soccer reminded us that residents are seeking all season facilities. This includes kids learning new skills, intermediate and advanced players and seniors simply staying active.

Council and town staff know that this demand exists, and I’d like to again share that our town council has approved a design for a multi-functional park which includes provision for a sport dome on the 8^th Line near the Gellert Centre.  With an estimated park cost of a few million dollars, a grant application for funding support was submitted to the province under a sport and recreation facilities program. Although we understood that our proposal was excellent, in the end, financial assistance from the province was not granted.

That said, we’ll continue looking at options and partnerships that can help us fund the costs for more local sport facilities. It was encouraging to hear that some sport groups are interested in helping with fundraising. This happened several years ago when our ice sport groups joined in a major capital campaign to build our first class arenas.  People want to play close to home, and while mindful of raising taxes, all members of council want local facilities, too.

Homelessness

At the same council meeting, we also heard insights about homelessness from Community Development Halton, our region’s social planning agency. Like many communities across Ontario, we have neighbours who are living rough. The Region of Halton leads on social services and housing supports, but the town has an important role too — from collaborating with regional and community partners, to making sure our public spaces are safe and welcoming.

Finally

Council received reports on preparedness and good governance: an overview of response if an armed attacker were to enter a public facility, and a review of procedures delegating certain authorities to our CAO during an election year. The Town’s final tax rates were published.

These council items might not be visible day-to-day, but they’re part of the work residents expect — keeping people informed, services running, and planning responsibly. As always, you’re welcome to reach out to me.  Email: mayor@haltonhills.ca.