Community Strategic Plan - City of Oshawa

Section Two: O SHAWA “T OMORROW”
Goal C:
A Caring and Responsive Community known for its community health and
safety, accessibility, community cooperation and involvement, affordability and
accountability to its citizens.
Rationale: Oshawa has traditionally had a strong sense of community with many wonderful examples of
organizations, neighbourhoods and volunteers getting involved. People value the fact that Oshawa is not so big
that it is impersonal. But the community is changing, growing and coping with new challenges. Citizens hope
that Oshawa will be a caring and responsive community in the future – a community that cares for all of its
citizens and a City that is accountable to all of its citizens.
Community safety, health, accessibility and affordability are seen as core requirements for the future of the
Oshawa community. There is a perception that Oshawa is not as safe as people would like it to be, particularly in
the downtown. In spite of some recent improvements in access to health care locally (e.g. investment in the
Cancer Centre), there continues to be a shortage of family physicians and not enough emphasis on health
promotion. Accessibility for persons with disabilities is also an area of concern. Finally, there is a need to ensure
that people can afford to grow up and live in their community throughout their lifetime. A key concern is the
provision of a range of affordable housing opportunities.
Communications, cooperation and community engagement are seen as essential to a caring and responsive
community. A key barrier to moving forward on many community issues in Oshawa is communications. People
want to see improved communication within Oshawa – about what’s going on (events and community activities),
what services are available and who’s doing what. They want to see an increased focus on the whole community
of Oshawa. There is concern that Oshawa could become more of a divided community – split between the south,
middle and the north, or between the new Oshawa and the old Oshawa. Oshawa currently benefits from the
involvement of many different community and business groups in the delivery of services. However, there is a
belief that if the community is really going to address the issues identified it must come together, forge new kinds
of partnerships, and get people and organizations more involved in their community.
Taking action and ensuring accountability are key public concerns. People value the fact that the City
sponsored the preparation of a Community Strategic Plan. At the same
time, there is frustration with the perceived lack of action by the City on
some long-standing issues. Citizens want their City to take action, be
accountable and ensure effective fiscal management.
Strategic directions to address these issues follow.
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