ouroshawa2015highlightsandgoodnewsyearofsport

our oshawa year of sport

2015

highlights & good news

www.oshawa.ca

Welcome 2015 will be remembered as the year that we showcased Oshawa to the world.

The City of Oshawa achieved more than a dozen high-profile rankings – a record! To name a few, we were ranked a Top City of the Future and a Smart21 Community, while downtown Oshawa was named a top neighbourhood for investment.

In 2015, we came together to celebrate the Year of Sport. Oshawa hosted several national and international sporting events, including events for the TORONTO 2015 Pan Am Games, the Grand Slam curling nationals, Canadian Collegiate softball championships at Durham College and Rogers Hometown Hockey. The spotlight also shone on our homegrown athletes and sports teams.

Our partners, businesses and entrepreneurs also made headlines for their respective achievements.

City of Oshawa Council, 2014-2018 Standing, from left: Doug Sanders, City Councillor; John Neal, Regional and City Councillor; Dan Carter, Regional and City Councillor; Nester Pidwerbecki, Regional and City Councillor; Rick Kerr, City Councillor; John Shields, City Councillor; and, (sitting, from left) Bob Chapman, Regional and City Councillor; Amy McQuaid-England, Regional and City Councillor; John Henry, Mayor; Nancy Diamond, Regional and City Councillor; and John Aker, Regional and City Councillor.

Among the City's many other highlights were new corporate and online community engagement websites, as well as the approval of the Oshawa Strategic Plan and Financial Strategy that will guide us through to 2019.

The stage is set for Oshawa's continued success!

City of Oshawa Corporate Leadership Team Standing, from left: Ron Diskey, Commissioner, Community Services; Stephanie Sinnott, Executive Director, Finance Services/Treasurer; Beverly Hendry, Commissioner, Corporate Services; Jag Sharma, City Manager; and, (sitting from left) Paul Ralph, Commissioner, Development Services; and David Potts, City Solicitor.

What’s Inside Trophy Case

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Year of Sport

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Start-Up City

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Bright Ideas

Oshawa: awardwinning city!

5 6-7

Value for Dollar

Downtown Happenings Culture Counts

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activeOshawa

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Greening Oshawa

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In 2015, the City of Oshawa was named as one of the international Smart21 Communities by the Intelligent Community Forum.

This prestigious designation was one of many accomplishments in 2015.

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Community Highlights

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Planning for the Future

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Our Oshawa Our Oshawa, produced by the City of Oshawa, is a yearin-review snapshot of the city and community highlights.

The publication is available in print and e-newsletter formats. For more information and to share community milestones with us, visit: www.connectoshawa.ca.

If this information is required in an accessible format, please contact Service Oshawa: Phone: 905-436-3311 | Email: service@oshawa.ca

Oshawa's stars (on the cover)

Clockwise from bottom: Justine Pike, catcher, Durham College women’s softball team (photo: Al Fournier) Ben Donnelly, speed skater (photo: Stephen Maunder) Oshawa Generals (photo: Goodall Media Inc.) Emma Cullen, figure skater (photo: Metroland Media Durham) Matt Hughes, professional runner (photo: Metroland Media Durham)

Trophy Case

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Record-Setting Growth City record at $558.7 million

Memorial Cup Champions

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Most Followed Ontario Municipality

Top 20 @OshawaCity, Redbrick Communications

Peony Festival, Top 100 Festivals & Events Ontario

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Smart21 Community of 2016

Top 100 Neighbourhoods

Oshawa Generals, Canadian Hockey League

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Real Estate Hot Spot MoneySense Magazine

Beautiful City

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Start-Up City

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City of the Future

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fDi Intelligence, Financial Times UK

Top Economic Group Site Selection Magazine

Best Place to be a Woman

Foodie & Cultural Hotspot

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Economic Developers Council of Ontario

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Downtown Oshawa, Canadian Real Estate Wealth Magazine

Canadian Federation of Independent Business

Ontario Parks Association Municipal Garden Winner Page 2

Top 21, Intelligent Community Forum

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Award-Winning Festivals

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Top Economic Developer Consult Connect

Transportation Project of the Year, $2 - $10 million

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Conlin Road Project, Ontario Public Works Association

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Top 10 City, Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives

Major Venue of the Year

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General Motors Centre, Venues Today Magazine

Year of Sport Families, businesses, volunteers and local sports groups came together in 2015 to celebrate and be a part of the national Year of Sport in Oshawa.

We hosted several high-profile national and international sporting events: 99 The TORONTO 2015 Pan Am Games boxing and weightlifting at the General Motors Centre (GM Centre).

99 The biggest names in curling hurried hard during Pinty's Grand Slam of Curling at the GM Centre.

99 Canada's ultimate hockey festival, Rogers Hometown Hockey.

Meanwhile, the spotlight also shone on Oshawa athletes, sports teams and clubs.

99 The 2014-2015 Oshawa Generals hoisted the J. Ross Robertson Cup and the 2015 Memorial Cup. 99 Oshawa-based Gemini Gymnastics produced more all-round medalists at the 2015 Canadian championships than any other club nationwide. Among the medalists was Oshawa's Paulina Vedenin, who won gold in her age division.

99 Figure skater Emma Cullen captured the Eastern Ontario Senior Ladies Championship title in 2015 and qualified for the 2016 national competition.

Indeed, 2015 will be remembered as the year that Oshawa owned the podium.

Snapshots

Norma Douglas and Adam White lit the Games Cauldrons during Oshawa's TORONTO 2015 Pan Am and Parapan Am Torch Relays.

Hometown athletes dominated their respective fields: Matt Hughes won gold in Pan Am 3000m steeplechase and Ben Donnelly won gold at his first World Cup in men's team pursuit speed skating and broke the 3000m Canadian Junior record.

Durham College had a banner year: yy Women's softball won its 17th Ontario Collegiate Athletic Association (O.C.A.A.) title yy Women's volleyball won the O.C.A.A. silver medal, its first podium finish since 2005 yy Hosted the O.C.A.A. men's basketball championships and won the bronze medal yy Lindsay Panchan was the national scoring basketball champion and named a C.C.A.A. All-Canadian yy Men's golf qualified for the Canadian Collegiate Athletic Association (C.C.A.A.) National Championship UOIT showed dominance on and off the field: yy For the second year in a row, women’s soccer had 5 players named to Ontario University Athletics all-star teams yy 30+ student athletes were recognized by the university for combining academic achievement with sport performance yy Kinesiology students tested 60 young athletes vying for a spot on the Oshawa Generals

2015

highlights & good news

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Start-Up City Oshawa is the place to start up, scale up and stay and grow.

Oshawa is fast becoming known as a city that opens doors for, and is shaped by, new start-ups. Here is a look at some of the Oshawa-based start-ups that made headlines in 2015 for their innovative products:

Gaming ‘As Real As It Gets’ – With support from Durham College’s applied research team, IFTech’s high-tech, wireless multisensory suit is reshaping the next generation of immersive gaming. $25,000 Winner - 2015 Ignite Competition

Evolution of Carpooling – BlancRide's mobile app incorporates GPS and smartphone technology to modernize carpooling.

Top 3 Start-up - 2015 N100 Start-up Competition

The Future of 3D Printing – Tiko 3D (a company founded by two UOIT graduates) launched a Kickstarter campaign in spring 2015 and reached their goal within 3 hours. $3.5 million Canadian raised (Kickstarter campaign) in 1 month

Bringing Affordable Solar Power to Africa – KARIBU Solar Power designs, manufactures and distributes a solar pay-asyou-go business kit for entrepreneurs in Tanzania.

Runner Up - 2015 Bata Legacy Award for Responsible Entrepreneurship in East Africa

Start Me Up networking Start Me Up – Doing business @ the Speed of Today was held in Oshawa during Global Entrepreneurship Week in partnership with the Oshawa Public Libraries and Business Advisory Centre Durham. The reverse trade show was an interactive, speed networking event that included 10 industry experts covering a range of topics geared for today’s entrepreneur.

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Accelerating entrepreneurship Spark Innovation Centre’s 90-seat start-up incubator, founded in February 2015, is ideally located in downtown Oshawa at CORE21.

Spark Centre is home to a number of start-up programs, including Thrive. In 2015, Thrive helped 10 local start-ups grow and achieve faster market entry.

In 2015, Spark Centre, in partnership with the City of Oshawa, established The Loft, which is now home to more than 30 high-tech start-up entrepreneurs in Oshawa's downtown.

Together, Durham College and UOIT are offering FastStart, a partnership designed to increase entrepreneurial awareness and skills while helping students and alumni under the age of 29 create solid business plans that take their products and services to market quickly and successfully.

Oshawa, the very first! Firehouse

F i re h o u s e

U.S. restaurant chain Firehouse Subs chose Oshawa to make its international debut. Canada's first Firehouse Subs opened in Oshawa near Costco in October 2015.

Bright Ideas Oshawa is home to 20,000 full-time students and 3 post-secondary institutions.

Oshawa’s commitment to lifelong learning starts early, preparing young students from kindergarten to post-secondary education for future careers in our leading and emerging industries through access to online learning and technology-rich environments.

Durham College, Trent University Durham and University of Ontario Institute of Technology (UOIT) offer numerous academic pathways that provide students with the chance to earn a diploma or a degree in less time while staying close to home! Some of their 2015 highlights include:

Lakeridge Health: driving science and innovation

Durham College Top 50 Research Colleges in 2015 for third consecutive year (Research Infosource Inc.)

99 1,800+ students trained in 2015

450+ academic pathway opportunities with universities in Ontario, Canada and around the world welcomed 5,500+ first-year students and 500+ international students from 48 countries around the world in fall 2015

Trent University Durham welcomed 300+ new students to the Oshawa campus in fall 2015 – the largest group in its 40-year history in Durham Region launched a new Bachelor of Arts degree in Communications and Critical Thinking

99 140 Active Research Trials and 70+ Active Clinical Trials 99 85 affiliation agreements with post-secondary institutions 99 community teaching site for Queen’s University's family physician and pediatric residency programs 99 gold award – 2015 Quality Healthcare Workplace award

Award-winning workplaces!

University of Ontario Institute of Technology (UOIT) nationally recognized research in areas such as Aquatic Toxicology, Health Informatics, Wearable Technologies, Disability Prevention and Rehabilitation, and Visualization of Data ACE Climatic Wind Tunnel was featured in USA Today (May 2015) to test the weather durability of smartphones

2015

Durham College and Lakeridge Health were named once again to the list of Top Employers in the G.T.A., while the City of Oshawa received the Ontario Employer designation from the Provincial Partnership Council for the 3rd year in a row!

highlights & good news

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Value for Dollar

CA

The City of Oshawa delivers high quality services and value for your tax dollar.

DO

136 parks 113 playgrounds 9 splash pads

N A DA

School crossing guards provide 1.5 million crossings

LLAR

The City collects property taxes on behalf of the City, Region and School Boards. For every dollar you pay in taxes, approximately 41 cents goes to the Region and 19 cents to local school boards. The City keeps only 40 cents from every tax dollar collected, which is managed by a budget that consists of operating and capital costs.

Operating covers costs such as snow removal, road and existing infrastructure maintenance, and support for fire, parks, recreation and other services. The budget also includes funding for external agencies and financial support for local community groups. Capital represents investments in key strategic priorities for the City’s future and covers costs of constructing and renewing buildings, roads and parks.

58 soccer & multi-purpose fields

Take a look at the value you receive.

Fire Services: 4,500+ emergency calls

12,800+ street lights 16,600+ street signs

Municipal Law Enforcement and Licensing Services: 17,000+ calls-for-service 1,500+ licences issued 2,500+ licensing inspections

1,200 kms of roads first modern

plowed/salted

roundabout

red ewalks clea

id 100 kms of s

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133,400+ calls received 16,300+ emails received 2,100+ online chats

No 1

$558.7 million

overall construction value

Looking forward 7 community centres 4 indoor pools + 2 outdoor pools 8 ice pads 100+ school crossing guards 1.5 million crossings performed

idewalks

26 kms of recreational trails 350+ downtown street planters 600+ hanging baskets 31,000+ street trees 31 kms of

on-street cycling routes/lanes

Additionally, it allows us to make better decisions related to maintenance, renewal and replacement of our current infrastructure.

Infrastructure and capital projects in 2015 included:

664 kms of s ads 584 kms of ro

106 bridges and culverts including 68 road structures and 38 pedestrian structures

Oshawa is planning for the future through our 10-year capital plan.

The focus is to ensure that we will have the infrastructure necessary for our future growth.

Animal Services: 360+ cat adoptions 70+ dog adoptions

1,400+ acres of open space including 1 dog park 44,700 homes received weekly waste collection services

completing the award-winning $10 million Conlin Road West project, including a new bridge, widening the road to 4 lanes with sidewalks and cycling lanes, realigning the Oshawa Creek and the City’s first modern roundabout beginning construction of Fire Hall #6, a $3.5 million project completing the Consolidated Operations Depot Highway 407 East related local road works replacing 4 pedestrian bridges upgrading 4 neighbourhood parks watercourse improvements along Goodman Creek and Harmony Creek

19 storm water management ponds managed

80 kilometres of preventative road work (e.g. sealing, resurfacing, reconstruction) Page 7

Downtown Happenings There are plenty of reasons why downtown Oshawa made front page news headlines in 2015.

Genosha Hotel Renovation Bowood Properties began an $8.5 million renovation to convert the historic hotel into an apartment building with ground floor commercial space.

100 Bond St. E. Atria Development broke ground to officially begin the construction of a $60-million upscale rental apartment building with ground-level stores and restaurants.

Holiday Inn Express and Oshawa Conference Centre Construction progressed throughout 2015 on the $21 million hotel and conference centre in downtown Oshawa. Set to open in 2016, the 6-storey hotel will feature an indoor pool, fitness facilities, a restaurant, conference centre and underground parking. held at CORE21 in downtown Oshawa, including COREworking Wednesdays, as well as the Lectures20 series, sponsored by the City of Oshawa and Downtown Oshawa Board of Management.

100 Canadian

Canada’s #1 Real Esate Invesment Magazine

Real Estate Wealth a: shaw hood O n ntow bour Dow 0 Neigh 0 Top 1

Top 5

Downtown Oshawa: Best Market For Capital Growth

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CORE21 75+ entrepreneurship workshops and events were

Annual Neighbourhood Guide

Top 10

November \ December 2015 $7.99

Downtown Oshawa: Highest-Yield Neighbourhood

canadianrealestatemagazine.ca

Entertainment District The General Motors Centre was front and centre as Durham Region's premier sports and entertainment facility. The venue hosted a number of top performers in 2015, including Tim Hicks, Volbeat and The Tragically Hip. Live performances such as The Irish Rovers and The Tea Party were hosted at the historic Regent Theatre, while numerous other concerts were held in the downtown core.

Inspirational speakers. The University of Ontario Institute of Technology's 2015 Distinguished Speaker Series at the Regent Theatre featured speakers Masai Ujiri of the Toronto Raptors; Bill Marshall, author and founder of the Toronto International Film Festival; the Honourable David Peterson and many others.

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Downtown Revitalization A number of new construction projects were underway in Oshawa's downtown in 2015, including a new hotel and conference centre.

Culture Counts Culture Counts in Oshawa. Our creative community flourished in 2015 with dynamic arts, culture and events, public artwork unveilings, Heritage Oshawa plaque dedications, a Cultural Summit and more! The Cultural Leadership Council was launched in March 2015 to help implement Culture Counts: Oshawa’s Arts, Culture and Heritage Plan.

5,700+ attended the 11th annual Peony Festival at the Oshawa Valley Botanical Gardens, a 64% increase from 2014

1,900 combined volunteer hours for City

2,000+ attended 15 summer Concerts in the Park events at Memorial Park

2,000+ registered for City-run arts, cultural

30+ performers, musicians and bands

40 festivals and events, including

2,500+ attended RMG Fridays, bringing

15 year attendance high for the Canadian Automotive Museum

events, Pan Am events in Oshawa and recreation/ culture programs, a 216% increase from 2014 and heritage programs

AutoFest, Doors Open, Canada Day, Fiesta Week and the Woodland Disco & Glowfest at Parkwood Estate

claimed the stage during Pan Am cultural activations; 90% of the performances were by local groups together 38 community sponsors, 25 bands and 15 exhibition tours

2015

highlights & good news

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activeOshawa Life is active in Oshawa. From our recreation facilities and programs to our trails and parks, Oshawa is active yearround. In 2015, the City and community partners launched Oshawa’s Healthy Kids Community Challenge, a province-wide initiative to promote physical activity and healthy lifestyles for children and youth.

45,000+ skaters during leisure skates at 4

8,000+ visits to the summer playground

31,000+ participants registered for City

1,400+ Grade 3 students took part in the

11,000+ drop-in sports participants at the Civic Recreation Complex Fieldhouse

50+ sporting events and tournaments hosted at City recreation centres and fields

10,600+ members at City recreation facilities

25% increase for indoor track rentals at

City arenas

recreation programs

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program at 16 locations

Swim to Survive program in Oshawa pools

the Civic Recreation Complex (fall/winter)

Greening Oshawa The City of Oshawa, local organizations and community members work together to protect, conserve and promote the environment and aim to incorporate environmental responsibility in our everyday actions. Here is a look at some of our community's 2015 greening highlights:

Reuse and Repurpose Natural Christmas trees collected by the City after the holidays were used to create artificial fish habitats in McLaughlin Bay. The fish cribs provide protection, food and shade for young fish. Additionally, the tree branches and roots help improve water quality.

Stream of Dreams A partnership between the Central Lake Ontario Conservation Authority, Sunset Heights Public School and Stream of Dreams saw more than 350 colourful fish cut from plywood and painted by students, parents and teachers. The "dream fish" were then installed on the school fence as a mural to symbolize hope for a future with healthy streams and rivers.

Growing Together The Lakefront West Park community planting event in May brought 300 volunteers together to plant 1,100 trees along Oshawa's shoreline. Volunteers took part in pollinator planting at the Legends Centre Community Garden, while the We Grow Food community initiative expanded with the installation of a new neighbourhood garden at Cordova Park.

Re-greening The restoration of Oshawa's downtown tree canopy began in 2015.

The project incorporates a number of new tree planting practices to help ensure a healthy and sustainable urban tree canopy in downtown Oshawa.

Raising Awareness Oshawa Girl Guides painted yellow fish on local storm drains to remind the community not to deposit household hazardous materials in our storm sewers.

2015

Greening Conlin Road West The Conlin Road West Project – one of the City of Oshawa’s largest infrastructure projects funded solely by the City – incorporated a number of green and sustainable best practices: 99 realigning the Oshawa Creek using best practices in watercourse restoration 99 installing environmentally friendly L.E.D. lighting – one of the City's largest L.E.D. projects 99 adding 1.5 kilometres of new cycling lanes with a buffer separation between bike and travel lanes 99 planting 1,275 trees and shrubs 99 adding planting pits in the median

Thinking globally yy The City of Oshawa joined the David Suzuki Foundation's Blue Dot movement and passed a declaration recognizing the right to a healthy environment. yy Oshawa’s 2015 Earth Hour response was 3 times greater than the provincial average.

highlights & good news

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Community Highlights Our community organizations, service clubs, residents and businesses give Oshawa its welcoming feel and help to make our city an ideal place to live, work, learn and play. Partnerships and collaborations in 2015 included: Oshawa Senior Citizens Centres (O.S.C.C.) hosted a Community Partner Open House with 17 agencies.

The Robert McLaughin Gallery (RMG) welcomed 40+ volunteer managers from across the region for its Volunteer Youth Leaders Symposium.

Oshawa Public Libraries (O.P.L.) was recognized with the Diversity Champion Award as leaders of inclusion and diversity.

The "My Oshawa" Seniors Juried Exhibition – a partnership between the RMG, O.S.C.C. and O.P.L. – showcased local artwork that touched on the artists' memories and reflections of Oshawa.

Oshawa Community Health Centre and The Youth Centre amalgamated into a single health centre.

The City of Oshawa, Oshawa Fire Services and Grandview Children’s Centre launched the THINK AHEAD fire safety program for Oshawa families of children and youth with special needs.

Local knitters created and donated 300 red scarves as part of the Aids Committee of Durham Region's inaugural Red Scarf Project for World AIDS Day. Oshawa Community Museum partnered with Trent University Durham for an archaeological excavation of Henry House gardens.

A terrifyingly great cause Since 2013, the homeowners at 477 Masson Street in Oshawa have created a Halloween Haunted House for charity. In 2015, "the Neighbourhood Creeps" raised over $800 and 8 bags of donations for the Mary Street School's breakfast club.

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Did you know?

There is a lot to see and do in Oshawa!

Our city is home to: 99 Canadian Automotive Museum 99 LivingRoom Community Art Studio 99 Ontario Regiment Museum 99 Oshawa Community Museum 99 Oshawa Little Theatre 99 Oshawa Opera 99 Ontario Philharmonic 99 Parkwood National Historic Site 99 The Robert McLaughlin Gallery

Shining the spotlight on community theatre Oshawa welcomed theatre-goers from across the province in May for the 2015 Ontario Theatre Festival.

Hosted by the Oshawa Little Theatre, the festival celebrated the best in community theatre in Ontario.

What's more, the theatre's production of the Odd Couple won several Festival awards!

Planning for the Future Oshawa has a bright future. Our continued growth as a world-class city is supported by the City's forward-thinking strategies, plans and initiatives, including: 99 Oshawa Strategic Plan: Our Focus, Our Future, 2015-2019 99 Financial Strategy, 2016-2019 99 Parks, Recreation, Library and Culture Facility Needs Assessment 99 Integrated Transportation Master Plan, Active Transportation Master Plan and Council approval to establish the Oshawa Active Transportation Advisory Committee 99 Culture Counts: Oshawa's Arts, Culture and Heritage Plan 99 Plan 20Twenty for Downtown Oshawa Collaboratively, Oshawa's educational institutions, research facilities, businesses and partners create innovative products and new opportunities for entrepreneurs and businesses, as well as further the city's economic growth. A few 2015 examples include: 99 The Oshawa Clinic (Canada's largest medical clinic) partnered with UOIT researchers to test the efficiency of the clinic's new automated process for vital signs data 99 Canadian Engineering Centre in Oshawa hired 100 software and control engineers to research and develop the connected car and green vehicle technologies 99 Oshawa PUC Energy Services (OPUC) partnered with Tabuchi, Panasonic and the New Energy and Industrial Technology Development Organization of Japan (N.E.D.O.) to bring a Solar Energy Management pilot to Oshawa – the first in Canada We are well positioned to continue to shine worldwide. Oshawa is the right place to learn, invest and grow and offers the ideal lifestyle of a connected community.

TO

International friendships Oshawa's unique partnerships are key to continuing to attract new businesses and investment to our city.

In 2015, the City and community partners welcomed: 99 a Cuban delegation, including the Ambassador of Cuba to Canada 99 senior officials from Wuxi New District of the People’s Republic of China 99 Japanese Consul General and senior N.E.D.O. representatives

407

401 VIA

GO

In the right place 2015

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