Getting Oshawa out from “under the radar”

By Joel Wittnebel/The Oshawa Express

Over the past four days, key leaders from many Ontario municipalities descended on Niagara Falls for the annual meeting of the Association of Municipalities Ontario.

The annual get-together, which also includes the group’s AGM, is a chance for nearly 1,600 mayors, councillors and delegates to meet with their counterparts in other municipalities, share ideas and, of course, air their grievances.

For Mayor John Henry, getting Oshawa noticed by provincial eyes was a priority.

“We kind of fly under the radar at the province,” Henry said, speaking from Niagara Falls in between meetings. “But we’ve got all these great things happening in the city.”

Development in Oshawa has spiked, and Henry says with the city expanding as it is, it raises new issues, particularly around transportation.

“One of the major problems related to growth is moving people and goods through our community,” Henry says

Henry, also sitting as a member of the Large Urban Mayors Caucus of Ontario (LUMCO), is afforded plenty of face time with provincial ministers to discuss these issues, but through one-on-one sessions, Henry says he’s been able to raise issues some provincial leaders were not aware of.

In a meeting with Ted McMeekin, the minister of municipal affairs and housing, Henry had the chance to talk Oshawa specifics.

“Really, it was to talk about the growth plan in Oshawa and some of the things that are happing,” he said. “He wasn’t really aware of all the things that are happening in Oshawa.”

With a city that is quickly becoming a larger and larger part of Ontario’s economy, Henry says working to get the city and Durham Region on the provincial radar is increasingly important.

“We’re a big part of the Ontario economy,” Henry says. “By working together, we’ve got a great thing going and we need to be kind of recognized.”

The AMO conference, which began Aug 16, wraps up today (Aug. 19).