A successful year for the Teaching City

By Dave Flaherty/The Oshawa Express

It’s been just over a year since Oshawa signed on to become a “teaching city.”

On June 14, 2017, the city signed a memorandum of understanding with partners UOIT, Durham College, Trent University, the University of Toronto and the Canadian Urban Institute, thus creating the TeachingCity initiative.

The program’s goals are widespread and along with research partnerships, range from developing new technologies, sharing access to facilities, resources and equipment, and “work toward the long-term positioning of Oshawa as a locally and globally recognized community of urban research and learning.”

A recently released city report provided an update of some of the accomplishments made under the initiatives thus far.

The city’s first ever Diversity and Inclusion Plan, a collaborative effort with UOIT, was approved by council last November.

Preparation for the plan included 100 staff research hours, 400 faculty research hours and consultation with 263 community members.

The plan aims to address goals of fairness, justice, and non-discrimination to ensure all residents have equal access to employment opportunities, programs, and services, and feel welcomed and involved in the community.

This past spring saw a number of benchmark developments under the TeachingCity banner.

On March 3, nearly 50 students from Durham, UOIT, and Trent participated in the first-ever TeachingCity Hackathon.

Ten teams from all three schools had the opportunity to propose a solution to a public policy challenge around the theme of improving residential housing in Oshawa.

The winning team, a group of UOIT students, captured the $1,500 grand prize following the presentation of a web-based portal, which provided unique views for renters, enabling them to find and rate potential dwellings.

In total, the students invested a combined 650 hours of research in preparation for the Hackathon.

In April, Oshawa completed its application for Infrastructure Canada’s Smart Cities Challenge, and while ultimately unsuccessful, the submission is focused on improving access to digital technology and services for residents and business owners in low-income neighbourhoods.

Nearly 500 community members shared feedback in the development of the application, as well as 50 community stakeholders.

Lastly, the initiative came together in physical form with the opening of the TeachingCity Hub in downtown Oshawa.

Located on Mary Street, the hub features a classroom suitable for more than 40 students, plus an open lab space.

The hub will also be used for partnership meetings and collaborative learning opportunities.

Students from Oshawa’s three postsecondary institutions have also been provided with numerous co-op placements and similar learning experiences over the past 12 months.

Discussions are currently ongoing between UOIT and the City of Oshawa for the creation of a Community Teaching Award.

According to a recent staff report, the award would recognize the community involvement of UOIT staff members.

It is anticipated the inaugural award will be handed out as part of UOIT’s Teaching Award ceremony in May 2019.

In addition to achievements realized under the initiative so far, the report also highlighted ongoing and upcoming projects.

In May, the city launched a two-year pilot partnership with UOIT to study the quality of Oshawa’s stormwater ponds.

This program will see local undergraduate and graduate university students learning about the importance of stormwater ponds in urban areas.

This summer, Oshawa will be one of five Canadian municipalities to participate in the Municipal Natural Assets Initiative (MNAI).

MNAI aims to provide communities with resources and tools to identify, value and account for natural assets in financial planning and asset management programs.

Students from both UOIT and Trent will study the natural assets of the Oshawa Creek.

Other future projects include a report on air quality and traffic in Oshawa’s downtown core, a study on active transportation for older adults, and the creation of a mural at the TeachingCity Hub.

There is also the potential for changes to the branding of TeachingCity to formally include the word “Oshawa.”

According to the progress update, the city is in the midst of trademarking the brand, which comes with exclusive rights for 15 years and an option to renew indefinitely and protect its use.

Oshawa Mayor John Henry tells The Oshawa Express he is very satisfied with the results so far.

“I think the TeachingCity Initiative is an exciting topic. We’re bringing young, bright minds together to solve everyday challenges,” Henry says. “The world is changing each and every day, and when you are working with students from colleges and universities, you are on the cutting edge of technology.”

Speaking on the possible official inclusion of the city’s name in branding, Henry says it is fitting, as the municipality was the driving force behind the development of the initiative and the primary funder.

“Oshawa has done some amazing things going back to the 1800s. Attaching the name of Oshawa is another sign of the success we are having, and we should be recognized as a change-enabler.”

Julie MacIsaac, director of strategic and business services for the city, is the chair of the initiative’s steering committee.

She shares Henry’s optimism for the program so far.

“I think that with it being the first year and all the organizations coming together, it can sometimes be a challenge. It actually has been very successful from the steering committee’s perspective,” MacIsaac says. “There are lots of exciting things to come. It’s been a pleasure, sometimes collaborations like this can be daunting, but there’s a lot of goodwill.”

MacIsaac says beyond serving as a useful tool for Oshawa, the TeachingCity Initiative is meant to forge stronger relationships with local youth.

“This is really about engaging students in our city. We want them to stay once they come and learn, and contribute to our society,” she notes.