Looking back at Oshawa’s 2023

As the year comes to a close, there is much to celebrate in the City of Oshawa. Planning is well underway for our 100+ Centennial Celebration Year in 2024, but let us not get a head of ourselves. Here is a snapshot of key highlights that shaped our city in 2023:

Investments for the Future

The City achieved another banner year for building permit values adding nearly $1.5 billion over the past two years.

With proximity to major North American markets, world-class research facilities and a pipeline of talent spanning nearly 30,000 post-secondary students, Oshawa continues to be a location of choice. Major announcements and investments in 2023 included:

the announcement of the relocation of OPG’s Corporate Headquarters;
GM Canada’s $280 million commitment for next-generation truck production;
the groundbreakings in Northwood Business Park for a new global distribution facility for Lactalis Inc. (the largest dairy products group in the world) and supply chain giant Martin Brower who are collectively bringing over 250 new jobs to Oshawa; and,
the advancement of two new GO Stations.

The City also made notable investments in 2023, with the Corporation:

introducing the first seven fully electric vehicles to its fleet;
putting into service a new Oshawa Fire Services Rapid Response Truck at Fire Hall No. 1;
opening a state-of-the-art Fire Services training facility which was put to good use by Oshawa Fire Services Class 97, the largest and diverse class of recruits to date; and,
completing several major infrastructure renewal and growth related projects.

Downtown Highlights

The vibe in Downtown Oshawa continued to evolve in 2023 with the introduction of the DTO brand that established a new look and feel in the city’s downtown core.

DTO represents the strength and vibrancy of our downtown residents and businesses who have built and continue to develop the area. Exciting firsts and changes in our urban core this past year included:

Helping celebrate the opening of 30+ businesses including the new BOND|ST Event Centre;
the inaugural Convergence Music & Art Festival, a free community street festival featuring live music, theatre, circus performers, visual artists and immersive experiences; and,
the opening of Trent University Durham GTA’s Advanced Learning Centre that brings with it more than 800 new students to our downtown core.

A Community of Choice

In 2023, Oshawa was recognized as having some of the best neighbourhoods in which to live in Durham Region, and it is easy to see why.

This year, the City:

opened the new Gold Point Wildlife Reserve, Ed Broadbent Waterfront Park featuring a Garden of Human Rights, and a second Off-Leash Area at Cordova Valley Park;
reopened five neighbourhood favourite parks;
extended our active transportation network with new paved trail extensions; and,
in addition to our annual and award-winning events including the Peony Festival and Kars on King, offered new community participation events like the Doggy Dip and Pumpkin Swim.

Council is planning for the City’s future, and this year adopted a new Part II Plan for the community of Columbus. Once built out, the community will be home to approximately 24,000, incorporating areas designated for residential, mixed, parkland and community uses and the protection of approximately 90 hectares of land to add to the City’s Natural Heritage system.

Celebrating Diversity

2023 also brought new events to City Hall that focused on celebrating the diversity of our community, including an Indigenous History Month celebration featuring a variety of Indigenous singers and dancers, as well as a Menorah Lighting Ceremony in celebration of Chanukah.

Council approved a new Land Acknowledgement that will be supported with training for City staff to enhance education and awareness to recognize the traditional territories of the land we now call Oshawa and to honour and respect the diverse group of Indigenous Peoples who continue to reside in this territory and continue to take care of the land.

Also new this year, the City added American Sign Language (A.S.L.) videos to its websites to better inform the Deaf and Hard of Hearing community of the availability of sign languages interpreters when accessing City programs and services.

Shaping the Future

The City brought connectoshawa.ca to life at the first annual Help Shape Oshawa Open House in September at the Oshawa Centre. Community members were invited to talk with City staff to learn more about a variety of City programs and services and to have their say on public consultations that were underway.

Building upon the City’s energy reduction actions and achievements, City Council approved a new Corporate Energy Management Plan that will guide our energy conservation actions over the next four years.

At its last regular Council Meeting of 2023, Council approved a new 10-year Economic Development Strategy that positions Oshawa for future economies, opportunities and overall growth.

Also in 2023, we consulted with the public to guide the development of a new Customer Service Strategy and Oshawa Strategic Plan – stay tuned for updates in 2024.

Missed out on something this year? Stay in the know on City news, public notices and events and on our centennial year celebrations by subscribing at oshawa.ca/Subscribe.

For City of Oshawa updates, visit Oshawa.ca/NewsCentre to follow us on social media, subscribe to news and alerts, and have your say on Connect Oshawa.

Quote:

“The great City of Oshawa has so much to be thankful for in 2023. Among our many accomplishments, we approved a new Economic Development Strategy, launched a new downtown brand and celebrated groundbreakings, openings and announcements with major leaders including OPG, GM Canada, Lactalis Inc. and Martin Brower. As we head into 2024, let us continue to work together as we embrace a culture of diversity, change and innovation,” said Mayor Dan Carter.