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."
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.