OSHAWA ROSEMARY - ROSEMARY'S BLOG

OSHAWA ROSEMARY

CNCL-25-45 - Controlled Substances within the City of Oshawa (All Wards)

6/21/2025

The Notice of Motion CNCL-25-45 - Controlled Substances within the City of Oshawa (All Wards), on Monday’s City Council meeting Agenda is copied in full in the attachment below. I am adding 3 points here to be clear and indicate how serious I am when I say Oshawa Council needs to step up and pass this kind of motion NOW to make our police know that strong action must be taken before Oshawa’s worsening highly visible illicit drug problem becomes UNFIXABLE.

1. There is no excuse for Council to delay, refer or take a pass on doing this, considering the Edmonton Police Service and Peterborough Police Service, have begun engaging in the arrest and seizure policy to deter flagrant drug use that harms the community.

2. Oshawa Council should to be 100% behind making it clear the law will be upheld in our community and regardless of whether the Public Prosecution Service of Canada prosecutes such offences, that the Durham Regional Police Service, as a matter of policy, exercise the power to arrest persons found committing such offences, search them incident to arrest, and seize any controlled substances in their possession.

3. I reviewed the motion with a local criminal lawyer and our MP Jamil Jivani and his staff. They were supportive of the content. I also asked Oshawa Mayor Carter and the City’s Chief Administrative Officer and City Solicitor for their review and comments. The City Solicitor noted two paragraphs in the original draft relating to the City’s Municipal Law Enforcement and Corporate Security should be deleted and I removed them.

Tracking Sheet List of Items on the Monday June 23rd Council Meeting Agenda

6/20/2025

See below the list of wide-ranging reports and motions on the Agenda for the June 23, 2025 Council Meeting.

However, although there may be varying degrees of significance concerning the decisions and votes to be made at this Monday's Council Meeting, I strongly believe what Oshawa Council unequivocally needs to pass at this time is the Notice of Motion CNCL-25-45 - Controlled Substances within the City of Oshawa (All Wards) (listed almost at the end of the Agenda)

It is a motion to make community safety in Oshawa priority ONE, by combatting the prevailing defeatism on the issue of open-air illicit drug and substances abuse in the City.

We have a collective responsibility to preserve our public spaces, parks, sidewalks, store fronts, not only for us, but for our neighbours, our children and the next generation.

It is time Oshawa Council takes a stand and lets the police know that strong action must be taken before Oshawa’s worsening highly visible illicit drug problem becomes UNFIXABLE.

It is no longer excusable to hold back, delay, refer or take a pass on making it known, that, like the Edmonton Police Service and Peterborough Police Service, who have begun to engage in the arrest and seizure policy to deter flagrant drug use that harms the community, Oshawa Council expects the law to be upheld in our City, and regardless of whether the Public Prosecution Service of Canada prosecutes such offences, that the Durham Regional Police Service, as a matter of policy, exercise the power to arrest persons found committing such offences, search them incident to arrest, and seize any controlled substances in their possession.

OSHAWA POWER Annual General Meeting held this morning. Lots of positive information!

6/20/2025

A few highlights from my notes, (however we were told the power point slide deck with detailed information should soon be published on the Oshawa Power website)

The utility company's new hybrid trucks have decreased fleet emissions by 11.5% -positive considering all the vehicle idling time during work stops;
Oshawa Power has more than 100 employees, a $270 million asset base and the 2024 DIVIDEND TO THE CITY OF OSHAWA is $1.2 M
There is renewed commitment to improving communication with customers, and Oshawa Power has leased a new space in the Oshawa Centre, now open to the public, to answer questions and be more accessible;
Oshawa Power is one of the top utility providers in the province with an overall 99.9% reliability rate, its customers can feel confidence with their grid given Oshawa customer's average annual time without power is only 19 minutes)
They provided solar roofs to Civic Centre, and now doing installation at Donovan Rec Centre and next will be the Delpark Home Centre on Harmony Rd. N.
Oshawa Power plans to expand its renewable energy programs, solar and wind turbine generation (EnerFORGE, one of Oshawa Power Group of Companies is the 1st partner for Eocycle's distributed wind technology in Canada with smaller 25 KWatt turbines
Oshawa Power renewed its COR certification with the Infrastructure Health & Safety Association, and is known for its excellent safety record with almost 1.5M hours logged without any lost time injury!

Oshawa Fire Services 2024 Annual Report questions & responses

6/19/2025

On June 9th I asked a few questions at the Oshawa Safety & Facilities Committee meeting concerning the 23 page Oshawa Fire Services 2024 Annual Report, which was on the agenda as SF-25-33 https://pub-oshawa.escribemeetings.com/filestream.ashx...

It is a good report and likely following the City Council meeting on Monday June 23rd, it may be made available on-line in a flip book format, like the 2023 Fire Services Annual Report.

This week the Fire Chief and senior staff kindly provided the following responses to my questions (and the one at # 7 below asked by Councillor Lee):

Question 1: I was seeking further information on the number of fire incidents that were determined to be arson?
Response 1: There were 18 suspected arson fires for all property types (e.g. detached dwellings, vehicles, automobiles…) in 2024.

Question 2: Also as the statistics on page 16 are not in the most accessible format, could you provide the data in a chart similar to the one in the 2023 Oshawa Fire Services annual report.
Response 2: see chart of Oshawa Incident Response by Type copied below.

Question 3: I am interested in that actual number, and if possible, with this month of June being close to mid-2025, are the medical response incidents under or over mid-year last year?
Response 3:
2024 – Jan 1 – May 31: 1261 medical responses
2025 – Jan 1 – May 31: 877 medical responses
(breakdown provided in graph copied below)

Question 4: Do you have a breakdown of the medical incident stats related to drug overdoses, and by Ward?
Response 4: 2024 Suspected Overdose incident responses by Ward:
• Ward 1: 4
• Ward 2: 25
• Ward 3: 23
• Ward 4: 441
• Ward 5: 133
Total 626

Question 5: Is there going to be some kind of verifiable tracking to confirm the kind of expected improvements it should have and is so, what would be the data categories be?
Response 5: We currently track all call types through our records management system (RMS) please see the chart under response to question 3 as the chart outlines the data categories for medical responses.

Question 6: Are you aware if any lakeshore municipalities in Durham Region are compensated by the Region for their fire services medical responses?
Response 6: Not to our knowledge. Important note: during last year’s Regional budget deliberations, the Regional Council decided to download the cost of medical supplies for medical responses to the lower tier municipalities starting this current budget year 2025. In the past, supplies were ordered by the Region of Durham Paramedic Services (RDPS), and Regional Fire Services submitted order forms to RDPS for the required supplies.
Question 7: (asked by Councillor Lee) What is the average cost to residents of the city of Oshawa for fire services?
Response 7: The question is difficult to quantify, as individual residents are not the only, or necessarily the primary, source of tax, service, or penalty revenue to the city; instead, property owners and others who pay for services or penalties are also involved. The approximate average fire service costs based on the 2024 fire services capital and operating budgets combined are below.
2024:
• Average cost per resident: $204
• Average cost per property owner: $664

Question 8: What is MPDS system that is used by EMS/Paramedic Services?
Response to 8: MPDS system stands for Medical Priority Dispatch System. It’s the system used to handle emergency medical calls in a consistent and efficient way. When someone calls 911 with a medical emergency, the dispatcher follows a structured set of questions built into MPDS to figure out exactly what’s going on. This system helps the dispatcher quickly determine the severity of the situation. Based on the answers, it assigns a specific code, called a "determinant code," which tells us how serious the call is and what kind of help to send like basic life support or advanced life support. Overall, MPDS helps make sure every medical emergency is handled consistently and appropriately.

COMMUNITY SAFETY DAY Sat Jue 21st 11am to 3pm Firehall #5 Harmony/Coldstream

6/19/2025

I think many Oshawans will be interested in attending Oshawa's Community Safety Day!
If you have the time, I look forward to seeing you and hearing more about Oshawa resident’s safety concerns.
https://www.oshawa.ca/.../join-us-for-community-safety...

Community Safety Day — a free, family-friendly event focused on safety, preparedness, and community well-being.
Date: Saturday, June 21
Time: 11 a.m. – 3 p.m.
Location: Fire Station 5, 1550 Harmony Rd N

Bring the whole family to meet local first responders, ask questions, explore emergency vehicles, and discover how we work together to keep Oshawa safe.

This collaborative event brings together Oshawa Fire Services, regional emergency responders, community partners, and City teams to deliver a fun and educational experience for all ages.
Event Highlights:

Live fire safety demonstrations
Emergency response vehicles on display• Community partner booths and giveaways
Career information and youth program highlights
Enjoy a free BBQ lunch, generously provided by Harvey’s! Limited quantity available.
Admission is free!

Residents are welcome to make cash donations in support of Camp Bucko – a camp for young burn survivors in Ontario.

Found the picture today of Patel & Khurram with the 13 bags of litter we collected May 9th

6/19/2025

Of course I meant to post this last month right after we finished, but missed where I'd stored the picture of Patel and Khurrum and the 13 bags of garbage we picked up from the east side of Grandview St, south of Esterbrook along the top edge of the trail. We had not met before, but it sure was nice to get acquainted and hear their ideas for reducing litter. One was to permit the blue recycling BAGS to reduce plastics and cans blowing from the the current hard plastic bins.

39 Athol St. W. presentation at the Oshawa Accessibility Advisory Committee Meeting

6/18/2025

At the Oshawa Accessibility Advisory Committee (OAAC) monthly meeting last evening there was a presentation and review of the high rise project for 39 Athol Street West. by Central Clear View Developments. Total Number of Suites is 204 and 31 of them will be constructed accessible (15% of the total suites) The total number of parking spaces is 127 with 5 accessible.

Here is the link to the 21 page report on this project, which is located on the site of the former Cowan House, beside St. George's Church on Centre St. S. (across the road from Oshawa City Hall) https://pub-oshawa.escribemeetings.com/filestream.ashx...

And at the bottom of this post is the rendering showing the 4 above grade parking levels, and one below grade parking level.

It was good to hear all the developer's attention to including many accessibility feature upgrades...such as:
"Accessible features of Guest/Suite Notification System (i.e. audio, visual, Braille): There will be audio and visual systems in place from the main door and the individual suites to notify residents if they have a guest present. This will be in place for both residents and guests with hearing or vision disabilities.

Ease of access/egress: (dimensions, curb ramps, path of travel) Hallway will be 1600mm and there will be space beside doors in the path of travel as per OBC requirements.

Access to commercial areas (street access; within building access; power door operators): Level entrance to building will be provided from sidewalk with power door operators.

Power doors will be installed on the commercial unit and lobby entrance doors, and all common amenity areas.

The common area in level 1 includes residential lobbies with a lounge for residents, pet wash, and retail area. An accessible washroom is provided at level 1 for residents.

The level 2 common area is a gym with an accessible washroom being provided for residents. All level 2 common amenity areas to be equipped with PDO’s. . Accessible equipment to be considered, with accessible path of travel maintained. Colour contrasting finishes to be selected in accordance with OADS standards. Directional signage to be provided throughout following OADS standards.

The level 6 common area includes a kids play room and business center. A accessible washroom is provided at this level for residents.
The level 18 common area includes an entertainment room and party room. Two washrooms are provided for residents with one being universal. The universal washroom will be fully equipped with emergency call system and adult change table.

An outdoor amenity terrace will be accessible with barrier free access and doors equipped with PDO. Directional signage to be provided throughout following OADS standards. All outdoor amenity spaces to be provided with an accessible path (step-free access and/or threshold cover ramps to be provided). "

Ontario's Safer Municipalities Act, 2025

6/10/2025

The Ontario Safer Municipalities Act, 2025 https://www.ola.org/.../bills/parliament-44/session-1/bill-6 received Royal Assent last week and the very next day, June 6, 2025 check out the great move Peterborough Police made passing it's "Safer Public Spaces - Update on Increasing Enforcement" initiative: "Beginning June 9, 2025, Peterborough Police Officers will be directed to move to a next level... approach to community safety and open-air illicit drug use. "Officers will be directed to arrest anyone found using illicit substances in public spaces, and any illicit drugs will be seized for destruction, or submitted for analysis and evidence to support any charges laid." https://www.peterboroughpolice.com/.../further-to-media...
Durham Region Police must pass a similar plan to increase enforcement on outdoor illegal drug uses as I wrote in a post I published here June 1st, prompted by one long-time downtown Oshawa's recent email calling for critical action before Oshawa's drug and crime problem becomes unmanageable and unfixable. Note the 2023 heat map showing suspected Opioid Overdose Calls in Oshawa below:

Bill 17 "The Protect Ontario by Building Faster and Smarter Act, 2025" about to become law

6/5/2025

The 'single family home' in Ontario was essentially 'phased out' when in Nov 2022 the Province passed Bill 23, the More Homes Built Faster Act. T

he Act granted 'as of right' 3 additional residential units on any residential parcel of land with municipal water & sewer. This change to add more houses, resulting in an overhaul of neighbourhoods (previously in many areas considered and described as 'planned communities') continues with another legislation where the Third Reading vote carried on division yesterday June 3, 2025. This is Bill 17, likely soon to receive Royal Assent, and seems to be a phasing out the opportunity for members of the public to voice objections to 'minor variances' at the Committee of Adjustment.

The Province refers to it as a 'streamlining' and a framework to 'Protect Ontario' as outlined in the proposed new changes to the Planning Act Schedules 3 & 7, Bill 17, "The Protect Ontario by Building Faster and Smarter Act, 2025".

The Truth That Needs To Be Acted On to End Downtown Oshawa's Spiraling Decline

6/1/2025

One downtown Oshawa resident knows the problems extremely well from his experiences living for many years on Simcoe St. South. His recent email (copied below) describes in detail the decline he has been witnessing this spring, with a viewpoint that hits home — If critical action is not taken immediately, the situation is about to become frightening, “unmanageable and unfixable”.

In my opinion, his email is a clear call for what Oshawa leaders and citizens need to face up to: renewed action “with unrelenting pressure” this Spring to ensure a safer downtown. If in 2018 the Region of Durham could pass a by-law to restrict smoking in designated public spaces in all of its 8 municipalities, surely a way can be found to accomplish banning the public use of illegal drugs in Oshawa parks, downtown streets, empty lots and on downtown business properties.

Here is his May 29, 2025 email to me, in full:

Hello Rosemary, hope you and yours are all well. I've held back a bit from bothering you with too many updates about life on Simcoe south, hoping that by delaying, the situation would become clearer and my observations would be fair and not overly emotional.

After the shootings on John St. and the increase in violence, vandalism and crime in general, the mayor came out with strong words that this couldn't go on, that people shouldn't be afraid to step outside their door, to be able to live more normally, without feeling threats of danger.

It didn't take long to see a marked change in the monitoring and actions of the authorities. The results, although far from perfect, were at least tangible and gave us some hope that this time things might improve substantially.

But as before, that approach seems to have run its course and seems no longer to be the game plan. Not sure what the new plan is, but I see way less intervention by all authorities and it has brought back the same old issues. In spades! It looks like we've given up almost completely. On any given night now there are 30 or more drug users setting up camp on the block south of John. They’re already staking out their places by late afternoon. Most are still there at 9 or 10 the next morning, on my front steps and other private properties.

But it's even worse than that. Over the past week or two I've seen a massive influx of new individuals coming onto the scene. Trust me, they are not from Oshawa. They appear to be more threatening, dangerous, seriously drugged out and pretty much unafraid of any repercussions. Probably because there aren't any. The drug scene is rampant, without fear and wide open. the strewn garbage can't be called littering, it's much, much worse. And of course we all need to relieve ourselves. When you've got hundreds of people living on the sidewalks and no toilets, you can imagine the disgusting and uncivilized results.

It's still only May and it sickens me to think of what is yet to come. The City, the Region, the police, everyone, cannot ease up. It's obvious that
doing so leads to serious problems pretty much immediately. These people are expert at reading the situation and taking it over for their benefit. WE CAN'T LET UP. If we do, things will become unmanageable and unfixable.

I'm sure you've seen videos on YouTube of what's happening in Vancouver and many other cities. Frightening. I can't accept that happening here, given the resources and manpower and money and expertise to deal with this. Check out what the William's Lake, BC council is doing. I know it's an unpleasant part of everyone's job but that's just how it is. It must be done.

My one strong recommendation is to apply constant unrelenting pressure, make them pack up their pathetic gear several times a day and especially at night. Move. Move! Rousting works, as was most evident immediately after the mayor's press conference, but lasted only for a couple weeks. there must be some places for them to go but not on the sidewalks of Simcoe, the gateway heading into our sad downtown. this alone has probably contributed 80% to the tragedy happening to the downtown businesses. The vacancies! As 1000's of cars pass by (with doors locked) and see this, how many stop or would return for shopping or restaurant or whatever?

This large volume of passing traffic has been programmed over the years to avoid going downtown, only to pass through because of ab and sub normal and even depraved things they see. And they tell everyone they know. And then go on social media. so you can put benches, planters, pretty lights, banners, fancy bike racks and bike lanes no one uses and build parkettes downtown, that's good, but until Simcoe South is cleared up NOW, of this dysfunctional group, I don't see any hope for our downtown's future. As Simcoe south goes so goes the downtown. Not rocket science. Also, if the drug scene keeps being ignored, kiss the downtown goodbye.

Community Clean Up Fri. May 9th! Join in @ 3:30 pm by Grandview & Esterbrook bus stop

5/8/2025

If you are free tomorrow, Friday May 9 at 3:30 pm please join me and neighbours for a community litter clean up at Grandview and Esterbrook.
Bags and gloves are supplied by the City.

This Saturday Feb15th is National Flag Day of Canada, see below for some kids activities!

2/12/2025

Feb 15, 1965, Canada’s red & white maple leaf flag was raised for the very 1st time on Parliament Hill. The next year, Feb 15. 1996, National Flag of Canada Day was declared.
This Saturday, Feb 15th, 2025 celebrate 60 years of our Canadian flag. See website here for an Activity Kit — Ages 5 to 12 with links to story of our country's flag history, a scavenger hunt https://www.canada.ca/.../national-flag-canada-day.html and a link to a youth crossword puzzle https://www.canada.ca/.../FlagDay-CrossWord-5-12-eng.pdf
Also note below where you can pick up a Free Canadian Flag from our MP Jamil Jivani

1st Committee meetings of 2025 include Report on Status of E-scooter Pilot Program

1/12/2025

My summary list of agenda items on tomorrow's 1st Standing Committee meetings of 2025 is below-

To be sure, there are a number of items that some Oshawan's will find of interest.

But the ONE REPORT that involves strong public opinion is ED-25-14 concerning the SHARED E-SCOOTER PROGRAM.

Several have written council members with their point of view and concerns.

In the past 24 hours I received 11 emails sent to [email protected]. Of these, 8 request the program be terminated and 3 agree with the proposed continuance and staff recommendation to continue the program for another 5 years.

Please note that to ensure your input is actually reported with Committee and Council meeting minutes, please email [email protected] in addition to just [email protected]

(note the Clerk will remove your email address and personal data for confidentiality under the municipal privacy rules before including your email on the agenda.)

Here is the link to the 24 page E-scooter Report ED-25-14 E-mobility Pilot Program
Some pertinent data contained in the Report

trips ranged from less than 1 km to about 5 km, the average E-mobility trip length was 2.0 km and the average trip duration was 12.2 minutes in 2023. Similarly, the average E-mobility trip length was 1.9 km, the average trip duration was 11.4 minutes in 2024.
Durham Regional Police Service reported 6 collisions involving an E mobility device in 2023. Two were identified to involve a motor vehicle, one of which included a fatality.
There were 21 collisions reported to vendors in 2023 and 19 collisions reported in 2024.
The City generated $70,627.20 in 2023, & $51,024.20 up to end of Q3 2024, (Q4 figures not yet available). Fees collected 2023/2024 allowed for service cost recovery such as a subscription to a data monitoring platform...

See Link to the 1:30 p.m. Monday Jan 13, 2025 Economic and Development Committee Agenda with 15 items here: Economic and Development Services Committee and Planning Act Meeting - January 13, 2025

See Link to the 9:30 a.m. Monday Jan 13, 2025 Corporate and Finance Committee Agenda with 4 items here: Corporate and Finance Services Committee Meeting - January 13, 2025

One page summary of Agendas for Dec 9, 2024 a.m. & p.m. Oshawa Committee Meetings

12/8/2024

FYI below is my summary of the Agendas for TOMORROW'S Dec 9th Oshawa Community & Operations Committee morning meeting and Safety & Facilities Committee afternoon meeting.

My comments:
Imo, the parking utilization study should consider the number of downtown business vacancies before the consultant makes its final assessment, as it seems to be indicating in Section 4.4.6, that the current and 10 year forecast parking space utilization of the City’s parking system needs will meet the projected demand to 2034.

Also, I question the statement made in the report that "anticipated parking demand from new residential developments in the D.O.U.G.C. over the next decade is expected to be primarily accommodated on-site through developer-provided parking facilities". Almost without exception I believe development applications and approved applications lately include significantly fewer parking spaces than the Zoning By-law requires.

Note Report CO-24-61 specifically refers to the Union Cemetery By-law 76-2012 Imo it may be time to consider requirements for any proposed new Cemetery operations, that is, what guidelines and policy provisions could be set down for new Oshawa Cemetery applications and site locations.

Also, concerning Report SF-24-49: I am, and I know many others who also will be pleased to see Report SF-24-49 approved. This permits the City putting in place tiered and escalating penalties to ensure enforcement of the Heavy Vehicle Prohibition on certain Oshawa Roads with penalties ranging from $250 to $450!!

Winter recreation program registration is happening! Check out links below

11/20/2024

Registration for Oshawa winter swimming programs began yesterday, Tuesday Nov. 19, 2024, and for general winter recreation programs, including arts and crafts, dance, music, fitness, sports and March Break Camps opens at 9 a.m. tomorrow, Thursday, Nov. 21, 2024
Here is the link to the 'flip page' Guide" :
activeOshawa Fall 2024 Winter 2025 Guide by City of Oshawa - Issuu
ALSO here is the link to the ACCESSIBLE PDF version of the 120 page Guide: Fall 2024 Winter 2025 Oshawa Recreation Program Guide

Although the above links show all 120 pages of the courses, camps and programs,
for a quick view of some Adult courses offered see the link here Courses - activeOshawa Online

Note the City of Oshawa recently adjusted the senior age requirement, lowering the minimum senior age from 65 to 55 years old.

A 35 per cent discount on activeOshawa registered programs (some exclusions may apply)
Discounted rates on fitness memberships
Discounted admission fees on City fitness centres, leisure swimming, leisure skating and drop-in sports

Here are more details on the discount for Oshawa residents 55+ https://www.oshawa.ca/en/parks-recreation-and-culture/oshawa-residents-55-plus.aspx

for a quick at a glance registration for Kids activity courses see here : https://register.oshawa.ca/OSHAWA/public/category/browse/PRCHILD

and there are still a few openings for Family and Children swimming lessons January to March as well as the holiday day camps December 23rd, 27th and January 2nd, 3rd holiday ..for an at a glance see here https://register.oshawa.ca/OSHAWA/public/Category/Courses?CategoryGUID=00000000-0000-0000-0000-000000000000 (note this link shows what is available Nov 20 morning - not showing already filled courses)

Monday Nov 18, 2024 Oshawa Committee Meeting Agendas

11/16/2024

My summary of items on the Agendas for this Monday's Community & Operations Committee 9:30 a.m. meeting and the Safety & Facilities Committee 1:30 p.m. meeting

Oshawa's Parade of Lights Tonight 6-8 pm!

11/16/2024

Oshawa's Exciting Parade of Lights starting soon! 6:00 tonight until 8:00pm. It will be easy to find with all the bright lights, music and floats This year’s parade will run only along Bond St from just east of Mary St to Gibbons St from 6 to 8 pm!

Reminder -Tonight is Oshawa's festive and fun "Bright & Merry Market" & Tree Lighting!

11/15/2024

Reminder tonight is the City of Oshawa’s wonderful Bright & Merry Market from 5 to 9 pm with the Tree Lighting at 8 pm in Memorial Park Lots of fun events including Visits with Santa and his Elves in his Igloo 5 to 6:30 pm & 6:45 to 8:30 pm.
Memorial Park Stage Line Up

5:30 p.m. to 6 p.m. - O'Neill Choir
6 p.m. to 6:30 p.m. - Durham Shores Chorus
6:30 p.m. to 7 p.m. - Tyler Boyle
7 p.m. to 7:45 p.m. - Interactive Entertainment
8 p.m. - Tree Lighting in Memorial Park
8:15 p.m. to 8:45 p.m. - Fire Guy Show

Go ice skating on the artificial rink in Civic Square at City Hall! Catch the Oshawa Skating Club performing at 6 pm & 7:30 pm Free helmet and skate rentals are available and subject to availability.

There will be Busking entertainment down Centre St. to Memorial Park with lots of Food and Merchandise Vendors

Community partners joining the festivities for this year's seasonal event are the Robert McLaughlin Gallery, Oshawa Public Library, OSCC55+, and St. George's Memorial Church—their doors will be opening to provide additional entertainment for the event. Make sure you check out each of their spaces!

There will be a Free Festive Hop On/Hop Off TROLLEY (sponsored by Hamilton Oshawa Port Authority (HOPA) from 5 to 9 pm with stops at John St & Centre St.; King St. & Nassau St; King St. & Queen St.; King St. & Centre St.
Here is a link to the road closure map Bright and Merry Market Road Closures - City of Oshawa

Free Skate at Delpark Homes Centre Oshawa, Sunday Feb 17th 1pm to 2:30 pm!

11/15/2024

1pm to 2:20 pm this Sunday, Nov 17 2024 — Free Public Skate at Delpark Homes Centre, Arena 2, 1661 Harmony Rd. N. sponsored by Durham Children's Aid Society Regular leisure skating rules will apply. Learn more at http://Oshawa.ca/Skate

Nov 4 morning & afternoon Oshawa Standing Committee + evening Planning Act meetings

11/2/2024

My summary of Monday Nov 4, 2024 morning Corporate & Finance Committee Meeting Agenda below and link here: https://pub-oshawa.escribemeetings.com/Meeting.aspx...
and summary of the afternoon Economic Development Committee Meeting and evening Planning Act Meeting Agenda below and link here https://pub-oshawa.escribemeetings.com/Meeting.aspx...

with 4 development site plan applications also below, for 827 Gordon St.; 374 Farewell St.; 1251 Taunton Rd. E. and 1709 Harmony St. N. (immediately north of the Delpark Homes Centre).

The above is a rendering of the 8 detached and 2 semis planned for the Pentecostal Church property on Farewell. The consultant and church rep indicated at the Public meeting that they would look into potential opportunities of including an at-level or ramp entry for accessibility to one of two of the dwellings.

Public heard! Oshawa votes to investigate further the Downtown Heritage Murals Future

10/29/2024

In his excellent article today about Oshawa's Downtown Historic Murals Tim Kelly wrote
‘There is a love affair between residents of Oshawa and its murals:’ Oshawa council votes 10-0 to keep every downtown mural from scrap heap."

Yesterday Oshawa Council passed the following motion:
That pursuant to Report ED-24-112 dated October 2, 2024 concerning the mural art evaluation plan:

That the Mural Art Evaluation Plan by STEPS Mural Art be endorsed with the exception of the recommendations relatead to the existing murals as outlined on pages 51 to 62.
That City staff be directed to preserve "Ontario Regiment -130 years of Service" as outlined in Sections 4.4.1 and that staff report back with a plan to maintain the remaining existing murals.
That a QR code be added to each current and future mural such that on a City website would contain the historical context and information about each mural for educational purposes to enable any viewer to understand the history of Oshawa better.

Here is some more from Tim's Oshawa This Week article:
"Oshawa council went from condemning 14 of Oshawa’s 15 downtown murals to the dustbin of history in committee just three weeks ago to maintaining that history — unanimously — on Monday."

"It was a drastic three-week turnaround, especially for the four economic and development committee members who voted to scrap all but one of the murals Oct. 7 following a staff recommendation to get rid of them over the next four years and replace them at a cost of $433,000."

"In those three weeks, a huge response from residents to councillors via phone calls, emails, and on social media made clear locals did not support getting rid of the murals and it seems the message sunk in with members of council."

""Council voted to have murals assessed on a one-by-one basis to discover cost to restore or repair murals; new murals will also be installed in future as residents make clear they want consultation."

He quoted Oshawa resident Louise Parkes:
“We can have new works of art and at the same time we can also retain and restore the murals. The mural program was very different, they were part of the fabric for the summers. It was pretty heady summers when they were here. The entire downtown community interacted with the artists. The streets were electric from 1995-2001. It’s not just the static images on the murals that evoke such loyalty, it’s the history they tell; we have this memory of that period of time.”

and Oshawa resident Cathy Cummings
“I was gobsmacked (when hearing the murals would come down). I thought about what the murals had meant to me. Camp X, Bobby Orr is our culture, the Victorian Order of Nurses is rich in tradition and heritage. I believe that the murals are on the same historical significance as Camp Samac. Everyone that I have mentioned this to is at first shocked. Then comes the anger, then comes the statement of how much they love these murals. Words like heritage, tradition, timeless legacy is spoken about.”

October 21, 2024 Standing Committee meeting agendas Two items of special interest imo

10/20/2024

The Agendas for the two City Standing Committee meetings tomorrow have a total of 7 items. Imo perhaps of most interest to Oshawans are:

at the morning C&O meeting, the UPDATE TO THE OSHAWA SPORT FIELD AND & OUTDOOR FACILITIES ALLOCATION POLICY Here is the link to check it out: https://pub-oshawa.escribemeetings.com/filestream.ashx... (ex: Outdoor facility seasonal opening / closing dates copied below)

and at the afternoon meeting, the new accreditation and BENEFITS Oshawa Fire Services has received with its new tandem axle, 13,600-litre water tanker shuttle allows fire service to deliver & maintain a minimum water flow rate of 1,900 litres per minute within just 5 minutes of arriving on scene

Staff recommend removing 14 of 15 downtown Oshawa heritage murals over next 5 years

10/20/2024

The Staff Report ED-24-112 "Mural Evaluation Plan" is 141 pages total (15 pages explaining the plan and 126 pages of pictures and deaccession policies and other data, is linked here: https://pub-oshawa.escribemeetings.com/filestream.ashx?DocumentId=17600

The Report was presented at the October 7, 2024 Economic & Development Services Standing Committee meeting, where 4 voted in support and 1 voted against. Now it goes to full Council to be voted on at the Monday October 28th Council meeting.

Anyone wishing to make a delegation and share their opinion in person, or virtually over the phone at the meeting, and have their email included on the agenda will need to email [email protected] before 4:00 p.m. this coming Tuesday, Oct 21st requesting that their email and delegation request be added to the meeting agenda.

Fyi, attached below is my 3 page summary of Report ED-24-112 with pictures, and some comments/questions

Ritson Rd Waste Facility is closed this week & section of Ritson Rd N closed next weekend

10/19/2024

Durham Region public notices fyi:
1) Waste Management Facility @ 1640 Ritson Rd N in Oshawa to be closed Oct 19 to 24 reopening Oct 25 -replacing scales
2) Ritson Rd. north of Conlin Rd. E. between Maine St & Britannia Ave E to be closed to install sewer Nov 2 & Nov 3.

Accessible & 'magically fun' VOLT HOCKEY recreational program is starting in Oshawa!

9/14/2024

VOLT Hockey is coming to Oshawa this fall! The specialized equipment was delivered by Variety Village to Oshawa's Children's Arena @ 155 Arena St. on Thursday Sept 12th.

"Volt hockey is a 3v3 team sport designed for people with limited upper and lower body mobility, such as those with muscular dystrophy. Combining elements of go-karting and hockey, volt hockey allows players to navigate a sturdy wiffle ball around a court using specialized wooden chairs equipped with paddles."

Pictured below are Oshawa staff facilitators for the new FREE program for ages 6+ of all abilities. Senior staff Jan, Andrea and Amy, together with other staff were training to be ready to teach the game. They say no hockey training is needed, With them were Variety Village Director Archie Allison, Oshawa resident Kathryn Porter Bremner who is receiving the Durham Accessibility Award for Oshawa this coming Tuesday, and her husband Ron.

The City’s 8-week VOLT Hockey program will run from October 3 to November 21. Learn more about the sport here https://varietyontario.ca/volthockeycanada/

Try it out for Free Thursday, September 19, and September 26, from 5 p.m. to 7 p.m. at the Children's Arena located at 155 Arena St,, It is a
♥Great chance for participants and their families to test out the electric chairs,
♥Play in 3-on-3 games, or practice shooting!
♥For ages 6+. No hockey experience required and all equipment is provided.
♥Personal support workers and assistive devices are welcome. Caregivers are required to stay on site.

Register here for the Sept 19 free training session https://register.oshawa.ca/OSHAWA/public/booking/CourseDetails/46965
Register here for the Sept 26 free training session
https://register.oshawa.ca/OSHAWA/public/booking/CourseDetails/46964
Stay tuned for registration details for the Oct 3 to Nov 21 program.