Airport Business Plan nearing completion

By Joel Wittnebel/The Oshawa Express

It’s been a long time in the works, but Oshawa’s new Airport Business Plan is nearing its final stages. However, for some members of the business community, the final plan can’t come soon enough.

“The city is operating an important economic asset without a plan,” says Bob Malcolmson, CEO and general manage of the Greater Oshawa Chamber of Commerce. “The businesses are waiting for a response.”

Oshawa’s original plan for the airport was put in place for 2008 to 2012. As early as February 2013, plans for a new plan were in the works.

Since that time, the finalizing of the plan has been pushed back several times.

In a letter addressed to city council, the chamber of commerce detailed the delays it’s faced in their search for answers.

In November of 2013, the chamber was first informed the plan would be ready in the second quarter of 2014. At that time, the delay was attributed to negotiations over summer flight schools, the letter states.

In May 2014, the chamber once again requested an update and were informed the plan would be going forward to a joint meeting of finance and development services committees before council took their summer break.

In September 2014, with still no plan in place, the chamber requested yet another update and, “asked what was happening and why the long delay and were informed the plan would go to one of the two September 2014 council meetings or (council) may call a special meeting to deal with it.”

The plan was once again pushed to Febraruary or March of this year, and once again, with no response, the chamber requested an update.

Cindy Symon-Milroy, the director of economic development services, explained to The Oshawa Express that the plan is in the process of being finalized now.

“We’re on track. We want to get it to council before they break for the summer,” she said.

Symons-Milroy laid out a tentative timeline with the draft plan coming to a public meeting of the development services on May 25 at 6:30 p.m. Following this, the plan would go to the development services regular meeting on June 15 and finally to council at their regular meeting on June 29.

Much of the delay can be attributed to the depth of background done on behalf of the committee working on the plan, Symons-Milroy explained.

“We did a lot of background work in order to put that into the plan and these things take time,” she said.

With changing times coming at the Oshawa Airport, and with the potential increase in business following the closing of the Buttonville Airport, Malcolmson says finalizing this plan should be a priority, not only to assist the businesses, but the potential workers as well.

“Anything that will create employment is a priority,” he says.

“No business is going to come unless they can say ‘let me see your plan,’” he added.