Spring is the time of year when  Downtown Oakville streets come alive. Floral arrangements line sidewalks in oversized planters and shoppers come out to take in the beautifully crafted window displays. If you’re lucky, you may even find an open patio to grab a drink with friends on an exceptionally warm spring afternoon.

Downtown Oakville always will be an Oakville hot-spot. With access to lakefront trails, restaurants, shops, and a bustling employment centre, it may come as no surprise that the Lakeshore streetscape requires a boost to improve functionality.

If you’ve made your way to the main Lakeshore Road strip recently, you may have noticed that construction has already begun on the Lakeshore Road Reconstruction and Streetscape Project.

The project, which is to be completed in two phases over a two-year period, has closed vehicle access from Navy Street to Thomas Street.  Improvements include new street furniture, a pedestrian crossover at Navy and Church streets, a two-way conversion of Navy Street, bike corrals, free public wifi, and redesign of the town square, among other exciting initiatives.

While the outcome of this project will have major benefits for the Downtown core, the two-year construction and disruption is troubling for local businesses and the Downtown Oakville BIA. Downtown Oakville boasts many wonderful events throughout the year, many of which have become family traditions and draw in large crowds. In addition, parking and road disruptions may discourage people from visiting this vibrant part of our community.

In 2017, Town staff were given the go-ahead to work on a plan to soften the economic impact of these two major construction projects.  The Mitigation Strategy provided council with an outline of how to support the commercial business district, which may be impacted by the Lakeshore Bridge Reconstruction (complete) and the 2019-2020 Lakeshore Road Streetscape project.

In consultation between the Town of Oakville and the BIA, a lengthy list of mitigation measures have been developed to help keep the Downtown core vibrant throughout the duration of the construction period.

A Project Office has been opened and is located in the former Post Office at 193 Church Street. The office is open Monday to Friday from 8:30 a.m. to noon and by appointment in the afternoon. This location is ‘information central’ for the reconstruction of Lakeshore Road. Staff are on-hand and ready to provide information and answer any questions.

When it comes to parking, additional spots have been created, plus customers, visitors, and residents who use the Honk Mobile app will receive their first hour of parking free anytime between 9 a.m. and 6 p.m. on weekdays by using promo code DOWNTOWN. Parking on weekends is FREE.

And there are plenty of reasons you’ll want to head down there. The Downtown Oakville BIA is very excited to be introducing a brand-new pop-up park for all to enjoy throughout the summer in the heart of Downtown.  The pop-up park will be created on George Street and will include unique lounge furniture, bistro tables, greenery, rotating art installations and more!  The park will be open throughout the week, free for all to enjoy starting in June and running through to September.  Every Thursday evening, the pop-up park will be home to outdoor movies.  On Friday evenings, TD Songs of Summer Series will be on, showcasing an artist on stage in the pop-up park from June 14 – Aug 30 (excluding July 19, when you can enjoy Midnight Madness instead) – One Stage, One Sound, Every Friday night! 

The pop-up park will also host giant blocks and yoga on Saturdays and family games and activities on Sundays.  And of course, the usual themed events will be happening, including Spring Bloom May 11 – 12, Sidewalk Sale June 6 – 9, and Midnight Madness on July 19.  The pop-up park will be the perfect gathering place for the community to come together and enjoy all that Downtown has to offer throughout this exciting time of revitalization.

Technicalities and construction aside, the end result of this project is going to be impressive. And while teams are hard at work in the streets and in the stores, they require our support and patience. Don’t let this project stop you from enjoying all of the best shopping and dining experiences Downtown Oakville has to offer.

Local Links

Oakville Downtown BIA
oakvilledowntown.com/construction

Town of Oakville
oakville.ca

It’s hard to think of Oakville as anything but a bustling lakefront town, but in the mid-1800’s it was a farming community that was so small that people scheduled their day around a single whistle.

Oakville became so well known for its strawberries that it was referred to as the strawberry capital of the Canadas and because the strawberries were exported by rail and boat, they needed safe containers.

Hence the story of Oakville’s Basket Factory  began.

The factory’s origins date back to 1866 when strawberry farmers John Cross and John Chisholm began making baskets in sheds on their farms that were located around Trafalgar Road. In 1871, with the demand for strawberries and other produce growing, a new basket factory was opened at 356 Trafalgar Road, which was converted from the old Victoria Brewery, across from the Oakville GO station.

The factory was not only significant because it employed so many people but because the steam engine that powered it had a loud whistle that would signal the start of the work day and lunch hour.

George Chisholm, president of the Oakville Historical Society, said the whistle regulated the whole town as it could be heard everywhere. Indeed, it was so loud, it eventually became the town’s official fire alarm. For George, the whistle holds special significance.

“My mother told me the twelve o’clock whistle sounded while I was born,” said George. John Chisholm is his great-great-grandfather’s nephew.

“The factory was very important to the town,” said George. “It was one of the biggest factories in town and the basket factory was probably the largest employer in town for quite a while.”

While the exact number of employees isn’t known, the historical society has a list of the employees who worked there who signed up for the military during the second world war. There are 65 names on the list.

Fire destroyed the factory twice, which isn’t surprising given the baskets were made of a softwood like pine plus beech, birch or maple. Each time it was rebuilt on the Trafalgar Road site. One of the fires, in 1893, was set by former owner, Robert McKenzie Chisholm, who had just been released from the Toronto asylum.

After the 1920 fire, a new factory was rebuilt which remained open until 1984. It would later manufacture tongue depressors and popsicle sticks. The factory hasn’t been forgotten. The name of the last owner, J.M. Wallace, lives on in Wallace Park on Reynolds Street and the last remnant of the factory is parked on a lot near Trafalgar and Cornwall Road. It’s the large 15-foot flywheel that powered the operation.

Local Link

Oakville Historical Society
oakvillehistory.org