Burlington Launches New Pipeline to Permit Housing Committee

Feb 7

Written By

Tomorrow (Thursday, Feb. 8) will be the inaugural meeting of our new Pipeline to Permit Committee! A copy of the agenda is available online at burlington.ca. View a copy of the Pipeline to Permit Reference Booklet given to committee members.In October 2023, I introduced the concept of creating a new standing committee called the Pipeline to Permit (P2P) Housing Standing Committee regarding the development process, and doing our part to see Burlington's housing supply increased. I was very glad to see Council's unanimous support in its approval.This new committee will be a game-changer. It has not been done before by a municipality — to have a committee with all stakeholders together at the same table to help us meet our housing targets.The P2P committee will focus on tracking growth, addressing issues, and pursuing continuous improvement opportunities for the development approval process within the City of Burlington, recognizing overarching legislative planning requirements and any other relevant regulations. It will also take an informed and analytical approach to the current procedures and development approval processes that affect the way businesses, residents and developers move through the development processing system. In addition, the committee will make recommendations to Council to ensure the timely and efficient issuance of development approvals and building permits for residential and commercial customers to enable the development of complete communities.Scroll further down for more background and to meet the members of the P2P Committee.BACKGROUND:On March 21, 2023, Burlington Council unanimously accepted the Province of Ontario’s housing pledge for the city to grow by 29,000 housing units by 2031. We currently have more than 41,000 units in our development planning pipeline and have a plan to accommodate our future growth within our urban boundary and existing official plan. We will continue to see that through, working in partnership with upper levels of government, builders and our community.Burlington is designing and delivering complete communities in our city that:

are safe, inclusive, diverse and connected;
environmentally-sustainable;
have housing choice and affordability;
offer services, shops, community amenities, jobs and parks within walking distance; and
are easy to get around with multiple transportation options.

Burlington City Council also unanimously endorsed a new Pipeline to Permit (P2P) Housing Standing Committee and Terms of Reference to help the City streamline process, by identifying and addressing gaps and opportunities, and do our part in seeing more shovels in the ground for housing, including affordable and attainable housing. This committee will also help with monthly tracking and identifying funding opportunities with upper levels of government.Here are the members of the P2P CommitteeCouncil Members:Mayor Marianne Meed Ward -- Co-Chair Marianne Meed Ward has been the Mayor of Burlington since 2018. She is the second female mayor in Burlington’s history and the longest serving female mayor of the City. Prior to 2018, she was a Burlington City Councillor for eight years.Mayor Meed Ward is the Chair of the Ontario’s Big City Mayors (OBCM) caucus, and also represents Burlington as a board member of the Association of Municipalities of Ontario’s (AMO) Large Urban Caucus, allowing her to help advocate on issues of shared importance for large urban municipalities.Ward 4 Councillor & Deputy Mayor for Housing Shawna Stolte -- Co-ChairShawna Stolte is the Councillor for Ward 4 and the Deputy Mayor of Housing. She was instrumental in Burlington’s Housing Strategy that sets out the long-term vision for housing in the city. She is committed to ensuring that all residents of Burlington are welcome and able to find safe, affordable housing options within the city. Councillor Stolte has been a proud resident of Burlington for more than 30 years and is honoured to represent the residents of Ward 4 for a second term of Council.Ward 1 Councillor & Deputy Mayor for Business & Red Tape Reduction Kelvin GalbraithKelvin Galbraith is the Councillor for Ward 1 and the Deputy Mayor for Business and Red Tape Reduction. Councillor Galbraith was first elected to Burlington Council in 2018. Born and raised in the Aldershot area, he and much of his extended family, including his 6 children, live in Aldershot. His interest in politics and serving his community was triggered by his time serving on the Aldershot BIA Board and elected chair for 11 years. He remains on the BIA board as a council appointment.Ward 5 Councillor & Deputy Mayor for Strategy & Budgets Paul SharmanPaul Sharman is Councillor for Ward 5 and the Deputy Mayor for Strategy and Budgets. Councillor Sharman was first elected to Burlington Council in 2010. Prior to politics, he had a successful accounting career in management roles at Levi Strauss and Northern Telecom, including controllership positions. He ran his own consulting business from 1988 until 2004, when he assumed the role of President & CEO of the Institute of Management Accountants (IMA), one the world's largest accounting associations.Public Members:Mike Collins-WilliamsMike Collins-Williams is a Registered Professional Planner with two decades of experience in the new home building and development industry. He is currently the CEO of the West End Home Builders’ Association (WE-HBA) and is a member of the Ontario Professional Planners Institute and the Canadian Institute of Planners. Mike brings not only an Ontario perspective to planning and development issues, but also trans-Atlantic experience as he has led several Canadian developer business delegations to Europe to learn from the most innovative development sites in Reykjavik, Stockholm, Gothenburg, Amsterdam, Rotterdam, Copenhagen, Malmö, Vienna and Berlin.John DavidsonJohn Davidson is the Director of Economic Development at the Region of Halton, where he has spent the past 18 years specializing in entrepreneurship and innovation networks, employment land development and planning. He is a standing member of the Association of Ontario Land Economists, and is a past board member of Haltech Regional Innovation Centre, Greater Toronto Marketing Alliance and the Golden Horseshoe Biosciences Network.John DoyleJohn Doyle is a Founding Partner of SolutionStream Performance Improvement Group. He is also President of JMD Group Inc. and licensee of Leadership Management International. He has been an active member of the Burlington community in numerous volunteer leadership roles for close to thirty years. He is Chair of the Advisory Panel for the Compassion Society of Halton, Past Chair of the Burlington Chamber of Commerce, Past Chair of the Burlington Museums Foundation, Past President of the Canadian Explosives Distributors Association (CEDEC) and facilitator in the founding of the Ontario Mineral Industry Cluster Council (OMICC).Jim DunnJim Dunn is a professor at McMaster University where he conducts research on the effects of affordable housing and neighbourhood characteristics on health and well-being across the life course. He has been a resident of Burlington since 2004 after growing up in in the greater Hamilton area; he has also lived in Vancouver, Calgary and Cambridge, Massachusetts.Jackie IsadaJackie Isada is the Vice President of Strategic Partnerships & Community Relations for Habitat for Humanity Halton-Mississauga-Dufferin. She is a long-time resident of Burlington and brings over 24 years of experience in successful community engagement and development. Jackie was a member of Burlington's Housing Strategy Working Group.Kellie McCormackKellie McCormack is a professional planner and the Director of Planning & Regulations at Conservation Halton. She has twenty years of combined conservation authority, municipal, and provincial experience and has expertise in environmental planning and development approval processes, policy formulation, and public and stakeholder engagement.Jason SheldonJason Sheldon is a Registered Professional Planner and Executive Vice President, Land at The Remington Group. Jason was also Chair of the Building Industry and Land Development (BILD) Association for the past 3 years and now sits as Past Chair. Working in both the public and private sectors, Jason has more than 25 years of experience in delivering housing and jobs.Bianca SteerBianca is Vice President of Infrastructure Investments at Fengate Asset Management. She has worked for the last 17 years managing the financing, design and construction of critical social infrastructure such as hospitals and courthouses. Bianca is currently the chair of the Canadian Women’s Infrastructure Network Awards Committee. She is also a proud board member of Feed Halton and the Burlington Food Bank to support the goal of feeding the hungry in our community with dignity and respect. She holds a Masters of Business Administration specializing in Project Management and a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration, specializing in Finance. Bianca and her husband live in Burlington with their two sons.Elisha VankleefElisha VanKleef is a Development Manager at New Horizon Development Group with over 8 years of expertise in the real estate development industry. She has successfully led and managed diverse projects, specializing in residential and multi-use developments within the City of Hamilton, Niagara Region, and Halton Region. Prior to her current role at New Horizon, she served as the Director of Development at VanKleef Group Inc., overseeing the residential development division.RELATED LINKS:

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