News & Updates

For years, Halton Region produced an annual State of Housing report covering the whole region. Following provincial legislation (Bill 23 and Bill 185), planning responsibilities have shifted more heavily to local municipalities like Oakville. As a result, Oakville is now taking on a larger role in reporting directly to residents on our local housing picture — which is exactly what this report does.

Provincial Housing Target: Oakville has been assigned a target of 33,000 new housing units by 2031. As of August 2026, only 8,535 units have been tracked toward that goal — averaging about 2,384 units per year, well below the roughly 3,300/year pace needed to hit the target. Staff note that market conditions, not municipal approvals, are the main constraint, with the preconstruction apartment market described as largely stalled.

Affordability: Both ownership and rental housing remain a significant challenge. Average purchase prices continue to outpace what a typical household can afford. Oakville ranks among the highest in the province — 2nd highest for one-bedroom rental units and 3rd highest for bachelor units among 414 Ontario municipalities tracked.

Development Pipeline: At year-end 2025, Oakville had 45,443 housing units under review, 3,560 draft-approved, and 13,831 approved but not yet under construction. In 2025 alone, 2,104 units broke ground and 3,543 were completed — approvals are running well ahead of what is actually being built.

My Position: Housing growth in Oakville must be smart growth — matched, step for step, with the schools, community services, parks, and infrastructure our community needs to actually support it. I support increasing housing supply, including more affordable and rental options. But I will not support approvals that outpace capacity. Growth that ignores infrastructure is not progress — it is a debt we pass on to the families who move here.