I am revising this post because City Staff cancelled all 3 meetings for this Monday.… including the evening Planning Act Public meeting which had three large projects on the. Agenda.! Most unusual especially considering for Planning Act meetings the City sends out notices to nearby property owners, which they did for all 3 projects. Now the City is sending them notices of the cancellations.

What is even more irregular is the fact that with the cancellation of the Monday Finance Committee meeting there will have been no public finance committee meetings between the last one held in April and the next expected on in November -more than half the year!
We will see if the other two standing committees scheduled for September 21st will proceed .. but clearly the last council meeting of this term looks like to will be a short one on Sept 28th. Below are the Notices originally )published Aug 20th of the Public meetings for the 3 big projects:. It will be interesting to see if/when they will be rescheduled. 

1. one new 10 storey on the corner of Simcoe & the Niagara Dr. (north intersection ) with 525 units;

2. two new one storey commercial buildings with approx. 25,899 sq.st at the Menkes Development site opposite Kedron Dells at the north east corner of Ritson & future extension of Nancy Diamond Blvd

​3. plan of subdivision Britannia Rd E of Grandview for 125 singles and 212 street townhouses (previously approved for 172 singles, 74 semis and 72 towns (so amendment required to change part of Official plan for Kedron Part II from low density to Medium)

Below is DRT's video heralding the new Harmony
Rd N southbound bus stop at Dyas Blvd south of Nancy Diamond Blvd. starting next week when DRT is rolling out its "major service updates as part of the first phase of the Driving Durham 2030 Service Strategy."...

The news update reads that for this Harmony Rd N and Nancy Diamond area "Additional bus stops will be explored once surrounding develop is completed to the point where bus stops can be built."

I am calling on my Ward 1 constituents to help get the word through to DRT that the new Oshawa communities in the area require more than this one bus stop. For example, a bus must continue on Grandview north of Conlin to Britannia Ave E. with a stop on Grandview for starters and a stop on Coppermine at Britannia!!

email or call DRT at [email protected] or
1 866-247-0055

ALSO NOTE: for 13 to 19 year old bus riders with the discounted Y10 monthly youth pass you can save more than $200 during the school year while enjoying unlimited transit travel. Enrolment is now open, with the September pass available for purchase and customers required to enroll and purchase their first pass by September 10, 2026

https://www.facebook.com/share/r/1QFT7ZADs5/

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for
video
click
here

Oshawa is facing a critical infrastructure crisis. In my Ward One, our roads remain incomplete, sidewalks are missing, and drivers and pedestrians are being put at serious risk. We regularly hear that projects are deferred and delayed because of City funding shortages.

When told there isn’t enough money in the budget to fix these hazards in and around the City's massive new housing developments I've strenuously complained, and continue to complain.

In a recent Blog post about the accident on Harmony Rd. N. at Britannia Rd E on August 17 I described how it seems to be a textbook case on how both a lower tier and upper tier municipality need to better prepare for growth!. But there is another facet to the problem.  Oshawa's willingness to walk away from tens of millions of dollars in revenue—leaving residential homeowners to pay the price.

The "Oshawa Gamble" Explained
Oshawa stands alone as the only lakeshore municipality in Durham that charges zero local development charges (DCs) on industrial construction.

Development charges are standard fees meant to ensure that "growth pays for growth." They force developers to pay upfront for the roads, pipes, and emergency services their new buildings require.

According to the City's own April 2024 Staff Report CNCL-24-34, giving developers a 100% free pass cost Oshawa taxpayers $15.5 million in lost revenue in the preceding decade. Worse still, staff calculated that continuing this exemption our city would forego an additional $20 million in future revenue over the current by-law cycle. That is a combined $35.5 million hit to our local infrastructure pocket.

The Mayor’s Narrative vs. The Regional Reality
The Mayor and four other members of Council fiercely defend this corporate handout. Following the recent Association of Municipalities of Ontario (AMO) conference just a couple weeks ago in Ottawa, Mayor Dan Carter boasted about Oshawa’s:

"...targeted development charge exemptions that have been in place for more than a decade."

The establishment argues that sacrificing this upfront cash guarantees "long-term gains" and that businesses wouldn't come here without it. But the data proves them wrong.

A Rising Tide Lifts All Boats

The Durham Workforce Authority labour market data reveals that the corporations moving into Durham Region share the same profile across all five lakeshore municipalities. Massive logistics hubs, advanced manufacturing, and e-commerce giants are flooding into our region—not because of Oshawa's tax discount, but because of regional macro-trends.

A rising economic tide is lifting all boats in Durham. Our neighboring municipalities all charge full development fees, yet they are experiencing the exact same industrial boom:

• Ajax & Pickering: Charged full fees and secured massive e-commerce and clean energy logistics hubs.
• Whitby: Maintained standard fees while rapidly expanding its corporate and data center footprint.
• Clarington: Located even further east than Oshawa, Clarington charges a standard industrial fee—yet their industrial growth is breaking records.

Corporations are moving to Durham because of the Highway 407 extension, raw land availability, and our premier technical talent pipeline at Ontario Tech University and Durham College. They would have gladly paid Oshawa’s infrastructure fees, just like they did everywhere else.

Behind the 8-Ball: The Provincial Squeeze
What makes the current council's stubbornness truly regrettable is the shifting provincial landscape. The Province of Ontario is actively decreasing and capping municipal development charges.
Because past councils were stuck on maintaining corporate exemptions during the peak years of the industrial boom, Oshawa completely missed its window of opportunity to build a massive infrastructure reserve. Now, with provincial restrictions tightening, even a new council voting to eliminate the exemption will find it incredibly difficult to play catch-up. The city has been left structurally disadvantaged by its own leadership.

The Cost to Ward One
By giving a multi-million-dollar gift to highly profitable developers, City Council forced a dangerous compromise:

1. Skyrocketing Taxes: Oshawa now struggles with the highest effective residential property tax rate in the entire GTHA to cover basic city budgets.
2. Neglected Neighborhoods: Growth did not pay for growth. While big developers pocketed the savings, crucial local infrastructure projects—like the unsafe roads and missing sidewalks right here in Ward One—were left completely unfunded.
   
   

My Stance: We need to stop underselling Oshawa. It is time to end the unnecessary corporate giveaways, protect Oshawa homeowners from skyrocketing property taxes, and fight for the provincial support and local accountability needed to make our neighborhood streets safe.

Sign up ONLINE or IN-PERSON for fall SWIMMING PROGRAMS TODAY  Aug 18th!

Registration for Oshawa's Fall GENERAL RECREATION PROGRAMS AND WINTER HOLIDAY CAMPS REGISTRATION OPEN in 2 days, on Thurs. Aug 20th  at 9 a.m.

IN-PERSON registration is available at the Civic Rec Complex; Delpark Homes Centre; Donevan Rec Complex; & South Oshawa Centre.

ONLINE registration is available through activeOshawa Online see link below:​
Home - activeOshawa Online

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A multi vehicle accident that occurred on Harmony Rd. N. at Britannia Rd. E on Mon Aug 17th evening was finally cleared at 8:30 pm. This is a big-problem-intersection with a high volume of traffic, many dump trucks going up and down Harmony as well as across Britannia, with poor sight lines due to it being near the crest of a hill.

Last month the Region indicated it would be putting in turn lanes this month and will be adding temporary traffic lights. This needs to be expedited!

But it seems it will take more than 3 months as the Region posted last week there will be lane restrictions on Harmony Rd. N. between AUGUST 24th and NOVEMBER 20th, 650 metres both north and south of Britannia Ave E.

The whole area around Conlin Rd. E. and Ritson Rd N and Harmony Rd N is a hot mess with missing infrastructure and drivers and pedestrians at risk.

I’ve pressed the City and Region for 5 years to address the difficulties with opening up the area to new home occupants when so many services, street lighting, traffic lights, sidewalks, city bus stops have not been installed or completed. As well, there is limited school transportation since buses have been unable to drop off or pick up school children in whole subdivisions due to missing accessible road connections.

It seems to be a textbook case on how both a lower tier and upper tier municipality need to better prepare for growth!

The Oshawa Environmental Advisory Committee annual FREE TREE GIVEAWAY registration begins today Aug 17, 2026 Note Registration is required to receive one free tree (note very limited quantities available - FIRST COME, FIRST SERVED). To register, complete the online form between Monday, August 17 and Friday, August 21. Three species are available for selection: White Pine –Sugar Maple – Burr Oak
You must be able to pick up your tree Saturday, Sept 12th morning. or identify the name of the person making the pick-up for them during the registration process. Annual OEAC tree giveaway returns this fallwww.oshawa.ca/news/posts/annual-oeac-tree-giveaway-returns-this-fall/Annual OEAC tree giveaway returns this fall   www.oshawa.ca/news/posts/annual-oeac-tree-giveaway-returns-this-fall/

Great news! The Conlin Rd E. and Grandview St. N. intersection is now more open... (in addition to the north/south sections of the roundabout which were opened a month ago) today the east route is open (see aerial photo below) — construction on the west side (between Harmony and Grandview is still closed and will take longer) but also included below is a picture I took this morning looking west and showing how the construction on that section is progressing.
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What imo is most exciting today is the fact that the Multi Use Path (MUP) is now complete to Mackie Park from Grandview and from Kurelo! So the kids in the area finally have a safe and accessible path of travel to the park which has been missing for so many years!

 some links for your information: (above)  greenbelt.ca/programs/oak-ridges-moraine-trail-strategy/

and below: www.oakridgestrail.org/

This summer the Region of Durham held a Public Information Centre at the Kedron Church, initiating a Schedule C Municipal Class Environmental Assessment for the reconstruction and widening to 4 & 5 lanes of the 1.75 kilometre section of Ritson Rd. N. from Taunton Rd E. to Conlin Rd. E.

I posted the Region's Notice of the meeting back in early June. Region staff are now preparing a report with the comments from those who attended and/or submitted comments. 

When I asked about the plan for traffic lights at the south end of the Waste Transfer Station, saying that the traffic exiting from the Waste Station north side is very problematic turning north, wanting to know how will it work with the planned concrete median on Ritson Rd.  Region staff indicated that the south end driveway will be for both access and egress as other Region staff in another department are currently working on a new design for the interior of the Waste Transfer Station.  Imo this is a good idea as the Waste Station is overdue for a revamp.

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This is something to attend tonight that is sure to be fun!  ​A 'lively' performance by the Oshawa Little Theatre and OLT Youth Group at the Ed Broadbent Waterfront Park 7pm to 8:30 p.m. Part of the TD Bank sponsored City of Oshawa Events in the Park 2026 Series!

This is the 1st Year the City of Oshawa will have ONLINE VOTING for its municipal election, happening this October 13-26! Note: there still will be in-person voting at the polling stations on the 26th if you prefer. Check to make sure you are on the 2026 Municipal Election voters list by August 12th. If you are on the eligible voters list you will receive a Voter Information Letter from the City of Oshawa prior to the voting period. The letter will include information on how to register to receive a voting code to securely cast your ballot online. See details on Oshawa Internet Voting here: https://www.oshawa.ca/city.../elections/internet-voting/...?​

The Region of Durham wrote back this week that the Harmony/Britannia intersection meets the minimum thresholds for a traffic signal based on the most recent traffic counts. (No Surprise eh?)
Their Traffic Division is planning to install an interim traffic signal once the developer(s) construct the interim north/south turn lanes on both sides of Harmony Road into Britannia Ave,
​Funding for the signal installation has been included in the Region's 2026 budget; however, the timing of construction is dependent on the developers’ schedule.
I have to include a word of thanks here to all who put pressure on City and Region Staff on this issue.... pleased to say Ward 1 is especially blessed with some awesome strong letter writers –individuals not timid and very helpful speaking up on issues that really matter!

Durham Region Police Service (DRPS)  'Project Atlantis' Leads to Over 250 Arrests & Significant Drug Seizures in Oshawa! THANK YOU DRPS for publishing these results (see below screen capture) of the work you've been doing in downtown Oshawa with Project Atlantis Part II ( which began in April and will continue to operate until the end of 2026).

NOTE: THE MEDIA ADVISORY ENDS WITH THESE STATEMENTS:
Anyone with information related to Project Atlantis is asked to contact Sgt. Firth of the Central East Division Community Resource Unit at 1-888-579-1520 ext. 1708.
Anonymous information can be sent to Durham Regional Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-TIPS (8477) or online at www.durhamregionalcrimestoppers.ca and tipsters may be eligible for a cash reward.​

SinceKudos to Cobourg Police for its ongoing efforts in relation to open air drug use, possession, and trafficking...4 days ago Cobourg Police Service conducted targeted enforcement in Cobourg's downtown area and seized a quantity of Schedule I substances. 8 adults were arrested for the possession after being observed engaging in the consumption of illicit drugs.

Message to Durham Region Police Service...WHERE IS DRPS ON THIS? Sept 29th last year Oshawa Council approved my Notice of Motion on this very subject CNCL-25-63 concerning the open and flagrant use of controlled drugs and substances. The motion noted that open-air drug use reduces quality of life, impacts addiction recovery support areas, and attracts related crime... and that it appears that such offences occurring in Oshawa and Region of Durham parks, sidewalks, and other properties adjacent to such municipal properties are not being prosecuted.

OSHAWA COUNCIL requested the Minister of Justice and Attorney General of Canada take appropriate action to address this public concern; and, that a copy of this resolution be sent to the Attorney General of Ontario ...and Durham Regional Police Service.
That was almost one year ago. Why is DRPS not joining the other Ontario municipal police departments enforcing the use of illicit drugs in our streets and reporting on it?

Since April 2026, DRPS has been working on the second year of Project Atlantis for a co-ordinated effort to reduce public disorder and drug-related crime through the summer months, and "which represents the 5th consecutive year of focused downtown safety efforts in Oshawa": DRPS Launches Project Atlantis II and Unveils New UTV to Support Downtown Safety in Oshawa | Durham Regional Police Service 

Although the situation of many individuals heating and using illicit drugs on the downtown sidewalks and in Oshawa parks continues with little reporting of arrests, I am hopeful when Atlantis II concludes the end of this summer there will be a full report with stats and learned outcomes. 

We hear various members of the public say that any real success is futile considering the number of repeat offenders. But as anyone who quit smoking after many failed attempts knows, addictive bad habits are difficult to break and involve many attempts. And to those who say the problem is in cities everywhere, well, it may be, but that doesn't make it inevitable or permanent. It is not something to give up on just because it is so prevalent. 

AND MORE GOOD NEWS ENFOREMENT ACTION BEING TAKEN ON ILLEGAL DRUG USE IN PUBLIC — the Premier of Ontario today announced transit officers will be given new powers to ticket and arrest people for the use of illicit drugs on the transit network www.ctvnews.ca/canada/article/why-ontario-giving-its-transit-officers-new-arresting-powers-has-got-the-attention-of-other-canadian-cities/

Reminder: feedback deadline is noon this Wed. July 29th for public comments on the important reconstruction plan of Conlin Rd. E to 4 lanes, with 2 new roundabouts, one at Wilson Rd. & another at Laurelview St., and installing the missing sidewalks and multi use path connections.

This relates to the information made available at the July 15th Delpark Home Centre meeting. Thank you to all who attended! See the virtual exhibit link on the City of Oshawa's website https://www.oshawa.ca/.../conlin-rd-n-virtual-exhibit.pdf
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Copied below are 3 of the map slides & the project lead staff contact info to answer any questions. So far many are asking why the project has such a long phased timeline considering how late the City has been in providing the much needed road and pedestrian infrastructure for stakeholders!

Some good news. Intersection improvements at Harmony Rd  & Britannia are planned for early August and will include new right turn lanes on Harmony Rd N onto Britannia Ave in both directions. Drawing for this work is below.

Harmony Rd N. is a Regional road, not a City of Oshawa road. It too, like Conlin Rd. E. has some serious infrastructure deficits that need action both from Region Council and Oshawa: widening from Conlin Rd. E. to Hwy 407E,traffic lights at Britannia Rd. E., lighting. and sidewalks (on the west side) and a multi use path (on the east side) to Nancy Diamond Ave.

A BEAUTIFUL NEW CITY OF OSHAWA ASSET that is Sure to Please!
Pics from Wed July 22 2026 of new ROTARY PARK OUTDOOR POOL, SPLASH PAD & PLAYGROUND taken at the Kick-Start Opening between the 2 late afternoon well-attended free leisure swims.
The 4 lane pool officially opens Thurs July 23rd at 9:00 a.m. Excellent highly accessible features - a zero-entry pool area, a toddler pool, special corkscrew slide to enjoy with a closed flume, 20 change rooms, 4 accessible washrooms & 2 Universal large change rooms with Hoyer lift. Total pool spaces 270. The park also has a new destination playground, splash pad & new paved parking area!. See weekly swim & lesson time schedule here: Rotary Park - activeOshawa Online  
https://register.oshawa.ca/.../public/Category/ClassList.
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