Talking GTA Gridlock

Next Tuesday (May 21), I hope you will consider participating in the Western GTA Summit. Born of the very successful Mississauga City Summits that began in 2007, this year’s event will include residents, elected leaders and senior administrators from Brampton, Caledon and Oakville. It promises to be a very exciting and productive day of discussion and problem solving in a solutions-driven environment.

The theme of the first Western GTA Summit deals with one of the Greater Toronto and Hamilton area’s most pressing problems; are we facing economic gridlock? Participants will consider, in a meaningful way, methods, innovative ideas and creative, practical solutions to the question, “How will we live, move and thrive in the GTA in the future?”. What will it take to address the issues of congestion, and build transit and transportation systems that move our residents quickly, affordably and seamlessly across the GTA? What will our integrated transit, road and air transportation networks look like, and more importantly, how will we pay for them?

Attendees will learn the current research and thoughts on the subject from renowned experts including Jennifer Keesmat, Toronto’s Chief Planner, Ed Sajeki, Mississauga’s Commissioner of Planning, Katherine Morton from the Canadian Urban Institute and Deep Saini, the Principal of the University of Toronto at Mississauga. Issues such as how we design our communities, what future neighbourhood and city growth might look like and what changes in zoning, density and urban design will make our communities more livable, will be discussed.

The most important aspect of this summit however, is it is open to the general public. It is a unique opportunity for you to have your say, to speak with the experts, the decision-makers and learn about the issues having the most impact on your daily life in Caledon – not only today, but in the future. It is an opportunity to have meaningful input into how your community will grow and develop. If you want to join the discussion about the future prosperity of the Western GTA or want to find answers to these questions, please attend the 2013 Western GTA Summit.

For information or to register for the 2013 Western GTA Summit, please visit the website at http://westerngtasummit.ca