a Local Look Back at close of 2011

January continuing our Don't End 407 at Simcoe St. campaign, worked to help organize and promote the City of Oshawa hosting a well attended Special Hwy 407E public meeting in the Council Chambers.

February held another successful 'Columbus Chili night' with hot dogs and lots of homemade chili and soup thanks to our own Columbus Top Chefs!

March invited MP Bob Rae to a 'meet and greet' at the Columbus Community Centre where he gave us support in our effort to see the highway not end at Simcoe St.

April when MTO Minister Kathleen Wynne announced the 407E Phase One would be extended to Harmony Rd she said "It really was the community concern about the traffic dumping onto Simcoe and what the impact of that would be and so as I say I heard from the people in the Hamlet of Columbus and I heard from people who live around that interchange and they were very concerned that that was not the right place so that's why we pushed it out to Harmony so we could distribute the traffic."

May again made delegations at the Region when the RitsonWinchester intersection safety improvements got tied up in further delays. It was thanks to our community's input the Region avoided expropriation and began the preparatory work this summer/ fall for the much needed reconstruction next summer.

June organized another successful July 1st Event! with a free hot breakfast, brass band music,  2nd decorated garden tractor parade and 1st time kids bicycle parade! special guests: MP Jim Flaherty, MPP Christine Ellioott, Oshawa Mayor John Henry, Whitby Regional Councillor Lorne Coe, among others with friends and family making it a special. fun-filled community Canada Day celebration!

July filed an appeal to the OMB objecting to the Region's Official Plan Amendment as it is inappropriately redesignating the agricultural land south of the Hamlet to employment and in effect deletes our 'Hamlet' designation. Since hamlets are granted 'buffer zones' we are working to keep the 'Hamlet'.

September after several delegations, Oshawa Community Services approved $10,000 funds for Hamlet of Columbus streetscape improvements. Ideas were submitted and after costing is complete, firmer plans will be put forward in January.

October our MPP Christine Elliott held a 'meet and greet' in Columbus and many of us were able to personally thank her for all her assistance related to the Hwy 407E issue. 

November, Columbus welcomed two new babys: Grady brings added joy to Ehren and Melanie's young family, and beautiful Madeleine is a new sister to Dana and Genie's boys. 

December Anne Hellas, much loved and respected member of our Columbus community coalition Steering Committee passed away. Many of us will never forget how Anne touched our lives with her amazing strength of spirit, soft gentle voice and passion for our community!

The Region's 'planning wars' heated up just before Christmas-recall last year's Toronto Star article:http://www.thestar.com/opinion/editorials/article/783029--durham-s-planning-war 

December 6th, when the Ontario Municipal Board denied the Region's motion to consolidate the Region Official Plan Amendment 128 appeals with the Seaton appeals, all parties to ROPA 128 were invited to become parties to the Seation hearings. However, the Region now is taking the OMB to Court! It was so put out by the Board dening the consolidation it has retained an outside lawyer to have the decision overturned. The money being spent by the Region and all the land developers and their Toronto lawyers in their rush to get agricultural land redesignated to urban and employment is mind boggling! Check in the next weeks to hear how this unfolds.

Chrstimas in Columbus

Sunday Dec 18th 2-5pm Christmas in Columbus Open House Anderson B&B 120 Columbus Rd. W

All Hamlet of Columbus neighbours are invited!

Region loses Motion to Consolidate ROPA 128 with Seaton

Oshawa's diminishing rural landscape may have gotten a bit of a reprieve! Yesterday's OMB decision was about the much delayed plan for Seaton (for 70,000 people and 30,000 jobs...almost the size of Peterborough) The OMB approved Seaton advancing more rapidly and rejected Durham Region's Motion to Consolidate Seaton with Region Official Plan Amendment (ROPA) 128. This could slow the ROPA 128 land grab in Oshawa since the Region is likely now going to have a somewhat harder time justifying its over zealous land budgeting numbers!

For some time now the Columbus community coalition has been working to raise awareness about ROPA 128 and it's detrimental impact on Oshawa's countryside and the Hamlet of Columbus. With endorsement from an overwhelming majority of Hamlet of Columbus households Rosemary McConkey recently filed an appeal of ROPA 128 to the OMB. Unlike all the other 35 appellants who are pushing to have their land holdings redesignated for development, the Hamlet of Columbus resident's appeal is advocating in the public interest for better land stewardship to preserve more greenspaces, as well as protect the Hamlet of Columbus for the future!

with sadness,

ANNE HELLAS May 26, 1936 - Dec 5, 2011

Hamlet of Columbus neighbours mourn the loss of a dear friend. We have so much to thank Anne for. Her remarkable strong spirit and caring commitment to our community are going to be deeply missed. The warm ties and wonderful memories she helped create will remain part of us forever.

Scope of OMB Appeal Submitted Nov 30th

TO: The Regional Municipality of Durham

AND TO: The Ontario Municipal Board

AND TO: all other Appellants, Parties and Participants in this matter

FROM: Rosemary McConkey

RE: OMB Case No. 101409

AND RE: Board Decision issued November 25, 2011 re: Memorandum of Oral Decision by Susan B. Campbell on October 31, 2011 and Order of the Board, Adjustments to Schedule 1, Paragraph #6,

_________________________________________________________

---

Further to the request of the Board that Appellants make best efforts by November 30, 2011 to scope their appeals by identifying to the Region the specific policies and specific portions of the schedules that the Appellant intends to challenge in Phase I of the hearing, please be advised as follows:

The Appellant, Rosemary McConkey, has been the facilitator of a community coalition in the Hamlet of Columbus since March 2009. At that time Hamlet of Columbus neighbours first became aware of the Growing Durham Plan and joined together out of shared concerns and a public interest in protecting and strengthening the Hamlet of Columbus for the future.

McConkey, with the endorsement of the majority of Hamlet of Columbus households, objects to the Region's redesignation of Columbus area lands, specifically to the land north of the future 407E extension along the Simcoe St. at the gateway to the historic Hamlet being inappropriately redesignated to Employment; and to the Region's failure to indicate or justify an apparent deletion of the Hamlet of Columbus "Hamlet" designation.

McConkey submits that ROPA 128 as it relates to the Columbus area is inconsistent with provincial planning policies, not only disregards the paradigm shift in good public policy and planning priorities of the past decade, but also is inconsistent with Goals and Directions set out by the Region in Section 1.2 & 1.3 and Environment Goals in Section 2.

McConkey objects to the Region's employment forecasts indicated in Policy 3.2.2 Policies 7.3.3 and 7.3.4 and specifically to its 1 job to 2 persons formula and relies on the Province's employment ratio to support the position that the designation of the Employment land south of the Hamlet of Columbus is rushed and unnecessary.

The land budgeting process with regard to the Columbus area lands has been negligent and arbitrary as evidenced by errors identifying the Columbus area as currently urban rather than contemplated urban in mapping November 2008; and the last minute amendment put forward by a member of Council June 3, 2009 designating back to agricultural land that had up until May, 2009 been included in the Region's plan to redesignate to urban and employment. (Schedule A, Map A4 Regional Structure)

Please note that given the 'meeting of experts' is yet to occur, McConkey requests the opportunity to identify further and other specific policies and specific portions to challenge the proponent's Official Plan Amendment related to the Columbus area.

Memorandum Issued by OMB

MEMORANDUM OF ORAL DECISION DELIVERED BY SUSAN B.

CAMPBELL ON OCT 31, 2011 AND ORDER OF THE BOARD

This matter camebefore the Board for a Pre-hearing Conference on October 31, 2011. Unfortunately,expert meetings, which it hoped would take place, have not yet taken place due toBoard scheduling concerns. The Board, therefore, amends its Order of July 20, 2011 as follows:

Adjustments toSchedule

1. Paragraph #6:

November 30, 2011: Date by which Appellants are to make best efforts to scope theirappeals by identifying to the Region and copying to the otherParties, the specific policies and specific portions of theschedules they intend to challenge Phase 1 of the hearing.

2. Paragraph #7:

January 16, 2012: Mediation – five days for mediation toaddress substantive andprocedural matters, including matters and issues arising out of expertmeetings and the joint overview of methodology andassumptions. If these days cannot be used formediation, they remainreserved for possible expert meetings.

3. Paragraph #5

A PHC has beenscheduled for January 23, 2012, to deal with matters set out inParagraph #5. Any motions by Participants for Party status will beheard at that time.

This Is the Order ofthe Board.

“Susan B. Campbell”

SUSAN B. CAMPBELL
VICE-CHAIR

Hamlet Streetscape Improvement Report

 

EXAMPLE of a marker pole with flower baskets. The Columbus streetscape improvement group is recommending the City install similar marker poles as above, with both banners and flower baskets, in front of Hamlet of Columbus community centre and church as the first stage in a multi stage streetscape enhancement project