Community Profile

Pledge Status

Complete

Pledge Date

Friday, March 17, 2023

Program Year

2023

Achievement

Leadership Circle

2023

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Action Item Report

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Town of Oakville

Town of Oakville, ON

Rob Burton

Mayor

Pledge Summary

Oakville, Ontario is a growing community located in the west-end of the Greater Toronto Area (GTA). The town’s livability, strong job market, and continued investment from industry leaders have earned Oakville a reputation as one of Canada’s top 20 best locations for investment. With a growing population of 215, 700, Oakville is adamant on preserving its existing green spaces, heritage designations, parks and trails with much focus on Gold/Silver LEED certified facilities and an electric bus fleet with emphasis on increasing ridership. It's trails, parks, waterfront, green spaces, community facilities, and clean air in Oakville contribute greatly to this town's success. It has more trees, bicycle lanes, and green space per capita than Edmonton, Vancouver, or Victoria. As noted by the World Council on City Data, Oakville is at the forefront of improving air quality, and this is further evidenced by Oakville's own Health Protection Air Quality Bylaw. Oakville remains committed to saving the monarch butterfly and other pollinators. By signing the Mayor's Monarch Pledge, it looks forward to engaging residents in building more pollinator habitat throughout the city.

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Community Spotlight

Action Items Committed for 2023

Communications and Convening

  • Launch or maintain a public communication effort to encourage residents to plant monarch gardens at their homes or in their neighborhoods. (If you have community members who speak a language other than English, we encourage you to also communicate in that language; Champion Pledges must communicate in that language.)
  • Engage with community garden groups and urge them to plant native milkweeds and nectar-producing plants.
  • Issue a proclamation to raise awareness about the decline of the monarch butterfly and the species’ need for habitat. This proclamation must incorporate a focus on monarch conservation.

Program and Demonstration Gardens

  • Host or support a native seed or plant sale, giveaway or swap.
  • Plant or maintain a monarch and pollinator-friendly demonstration garden at City Hall or another prominent or culturally significant community location.
  • Earn or maintain recognition for being a wildlife-friendly city by participating in other wildlife and habitat conservation efforts (i.e., National Wildlife Federation’s Community Wildlife Habitat program).
  • Add or maintain native milkweed and nectar-producing plants in gardens in the community.
  • Launch, expand, or continue an invasive species removal program that will support the re-establishment of native habitat for monarch butterflies and other pollinators.
  • Display educational signage at monarch gardens and pollinator habitat.

Systems Change

  • Reduce or eliminate the use of herbicides, pesticides, or other chemicals that are harmful to monarchs and pollinators and urban wildlife.
  • Change weed or mowing ordinances to allow for native prairie and plant habitats.
  • Launch, expand, or continue an effort to change municipal planting ordinances and practices to include more native milkweed and native nectar producing plants at city properties.