Good news Oakville, we’re officially one of the best places to live in Canada (again). In The Globe and Mail’s 2026 rankings, we placed first in Ontario and second in the country among mid-sized cities, and sixth overall out of 454 communities nationwide. That’s up from tenth last year, with high marks across the board for things like health care, education, and climate.

👉 More details on the report here!

On a similar note, the Town has launched its 2026 Community Satisfaction Survey, open until February 24. You can take it online or by phone and weigh in on services, communication, and livability. After seeing these Globe and Mail results, you’d think this survey might go pretty well... but we’ll let you be the judge of that.

OpenTable has just released its Top 100 Romantic Restaurants in Canada for 2026, based on hundreds of thousands of diner reviews, and one Oakville restaurant made the cut:

Cucci Ristorante, described by some as a warm and discreet place to enjoy dinner, was chosen as what is now the title of most romantic spot in town. With Valentines Day around the corner, this could be your sign to book a table with your special someone. (if there are any spots left)

A new art school has opened its doors in north Oakville. Art One Academy, located near George Savage Road, offers art classes for kids aged 4 to 15, with a focus on building skills while still letting creativity shine.

The school takes a step-by-step approach to teaching art, combining technique with fun, hands-on projects. With locations already in Richmond Hill and Markham, this is Art One’s first Oakville spot, and classes are already up and running.

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🤖 Halton Police Using AI Operators Reduce 911 Wait Times

For a period in the early 1800s, Oakville’s waterfront carried most of the town’s activity. The mouth of Sixteen Mile Creek was crowded with timber, tools, and people moving between shore and ship. This was where work happened.

Many people don’t know this, but ships were built here.

Timber came down the creek from nearby forests and farms, shaped by hand along the shoreline, and assembled into working vessels. When a ship was finished, it was launched directly into the lake beside it. These were practical boats, built to move cargo across Lake Ontario.

The vessels most often built in Oakville were schooners. Picture a low, narrow sailing ship with tall masts and long sails, quick on the water and small enough to slip into tight harbours. They were common on Lake Ontario because they carried heavy loads without needing large crews.

By the 1830s, ships built at Sixteen Mile Creek were showing up regularly in lake traffic. Oakville soon became known around the Great Lakes for building quality ships and schooners.

Around town, people talked about ships coming from the “Oakville shop.” It wasn’t a formal shipyard, just a local way of describing vessels built here that were known to hold together, carry full loads, and come back season after season.

That kind of reliability mattered. Lake trade depended on timing, and a delayed or damaged ship could undo months of work.

Moving goods overland was slow and unpredictable in the early years of settlement. Roads were often muddy, unfinished, or blocked altogether. Water was the fastest option available.

Sixteen Mile Creek gave inland farms a direct route to the lake. The harbour itself needed constant attention, but ships continued to use it because it connected steady inland supply with lake trade.

With shipbuilding and loading concentrated along the water, early Oakville grew outward from the shoreline. Inns, shops, and workspaces clustered near the harbour because that’s where people needed to be.

Before streets and neighbourhoods took shape, Oakville moved to the pace of its harbour.

Historical source: Oakville and the Sixteen, Hazel C. Mathews.

Wednesday, February 4
☀️ Mostly sunny
High: −6°C | Low: −13°C

Thursday, February 5
☁️ Cloudy (snow late)
High: −4°C | Low: −12°C

Friday, February 6
🌨️ Snow/ flurries
High: −2°C | Low: −1°C