Without a doubt, the recession has undeniably caused problems for Canada, with many across the nation losing their jobs and closing their businesses. What many people don’t know is that the situation is even worse in developing countries around the world.

One Oshawa native understands this, and he has spent weeks and months abroad, traveling from community to community to help establish credit unions that allow people to have access to credit. This is especially a common problem in rural areas, where towns have no banks or lending institutions of any kind. And with life being hard in these areas, locals can’t set aside money to make a trip to the city or mainland to look for loans.

Dave Sitaram is a native of Oshawa and is the current director of the Canadian Co-operative Association. He also holds the position of vice-president of Oshawa’s Autoworkers Community Credit Union.

And while he may be swamped with duties and tasks at times, he makes it a point to travel to and help desperate communities in need of support – be it financial or medical. He understands the vitality of giving locals access to credit, allowing them to set up small businesses and improve their livelihood.

Sitaram hopes that others take his lead and lend a hand to those who really need help.

Want to do or watch something new and unique before 2009 ends? If you’re around Oshawa this month, here’s a performance/concert you should definitely check out.

Make your Christmas special and dance the night away with renowned Six-time Canadian fiddle champion Six-time Mark Sullivan.

The fun performer is set to present his Old Time Country Reunion Dance on the 19th of December at 8 in the evening in Oshawa. Come over and join Sullivan for a night of endless dancing to traditional fiddling along with classic country crooning. The famous fiddler will also be joined by Tom Sawyer who’s set to take the stage on bass and vocals. Evelyn Stinson, who will be on the piano, is expected to be on the show as well.

All these and more, plus a chance to win big prizes, just for showing up!

The performance will take place the Royal Canadian Legion Branch 43. Doors open at exactly 7:30 in the evening.

Tickets are priced at $17 for adults, while students can get in for $6. You can score your tickets at these establishments:

• Sully’s Barber Shop
• Lee Music Store

Tickets will also be sold at the venue itself. So what are you waiting for? Don’t miss out on this fun and unique event, grab your tickets now!

After weeks of endless waiting, the Olympic torch finally made its way to the City of Oshawa.

Despite standing for hours in the bitter cold, the atmosphere of pride and joy warmed things up as thousands upon thousands of Oshawa residents and people from neighboring communities gathered to witness this once in a lifetime event.

Downtown Oshawa was the center of the commotion as an outdoor celebration welcomed the Vancouver 2010 Winter Olympic torch to the City.

Parking lots in Oshawa’s downtown district were packed and the streets were closed to accommodate the sea of people all coming out to take part in the festivities. And as the flame was carried by the city’s local torchbearers, people flocked to the torch-route waving flags furiously as they welcomed the Olympic symbol.

Lots of other activities were organized to coincide with the special occasion. Live bands, dancers, as well as games & prizes were just some of the things happening on that same day. Kids and their families eagerly came to the torch to pose for pictures, while others lined up for autographs from both past and future Olympians.

The 2010 Winter Olympics is set to take place in Vancouver, British Columbia. The relay still has to visit over 1000 communities before the culminating event on the 12th of February, 2010.

Thanks to a new agreement with the Durham Region, crews from the City of Oshawa were better prepared to meet the first snowstorm that hit the area. In fact, city streets were apparently plowed faster than usual, according to officials in the area.

The arrangement with Durham stipulates that the Region has to be responsible for clearing up regional roads – like in the area north of Bloor Street for example.

Back then, the City of Oshawa used to take care of clearing regional roads in Oshawa, this is according to Craig Kelly, director of the City’s public works and transportation services. Some regional areas that crews from Oshawa used to clear included the Rossland and Ritson roads.

So far, the Region of Durham has owned up to its new responsibility this winter, giving Oshawa crews more time to clear roads and sidewalks in the City. Proof of this can be seen in the now clear streets and sidewalks scattered throughout Oshawa – a big difference compared to last year’s snow-covered roads.

This year, Oshawa’s clearing crews come equipped with 28 snowplows, and 9 sidewalk plows, which is more than enough for the City’s needs.

The good news is that residents and visitors can now log-on to www.oshawa.ca, and check for snow-plowing updates and roads to avoid.

To officially recognize the city of Oshawa as a tourist destination and emerging player in the transportation sector, city officials have proposed to rename the Oshawa Municipal Airport, as a sign of the city’s progress and status.

Sources say that some officials want to change the name of the structure to Oshawa Regional Airport, with a tag line that includes the word “executive” to further tout the city as a major business-friendly area. This is just one of the many suggestions coming from politicians and other public figures alike.

However, politicians in the region have given a no-go to the plan, saying that costs like the changing of the airports signs, creating promotional materials, and other expenditures to coincide with the development come at too steep a price. And even if estimates put the costs at only $12,000, politicians think this is too high a price for the economic crisis the City, as well as the rest of the country, is experiencing.

City Councilor Louise Parkes comments that now is not the time to spend money on something that is not a necessity for the City. She does however recognize that a change in the airport’s name brings its share of benefits.

Some residents in Oshawa are complaining about a music bar that they think is situated too close to a residential area. The locals have had enough of the loud music the bar plays four nights a week – music that’s loud enough to cause their families to lose sleep at night.

According to Dan Zdanowski, he and his neighbors don’t actually want to kick the bar out of the neighborhood; they just want the owners to tone things down and understand that the district it’s in is a residential type.

The problem right now, is that the residents don’t exactly know who to turn to for help.
Noise complaints are apparently supposed to be directed at the City bylaw department, but those who have called said they were asked to call the police after working hours.
When calling the police, residents are then directed to call the City.

Pam Williams, a resident of the neighborhood for 15 years, says she and her friends in the area don’t know who to turn for help. She observes that many of her neighbors have given up hope and feel abandoned.

The good news is that Jerry Conlin, Oshawa’s director of municipal law enforcement and licensing, has promised to take action against Corral, the name of the popular nightspot in the Durham region.

Looks like Oshawa locals can start to breathe a sigh of relief now.

One of Oshawa’s biggest problems today is its shortage of family physicians. The bad news is that things are not expected to get better any time soon.

Yes, it’s a bit of a gloomy start for 2010.

According to Dr. Adrian Pettyan, who co-heads the physician recruitment committee of Oshawa, the city is 24.5 short of family physicians.

The problem isn’t a lackluster job by the recruitment committee—in fact, they’ve done quite well this year—but rather the high number of doctors that closed offices, moved to other cities, and retired. These factors all resulted in a shortage that struck that caught the city off-guard.

Adding spice to the brew are some 19 doctors in the area that are expected to retire next year. Furthermore, these doctors have a large roster of patients, so it might take more than 19 physicians to replace them.

To fix this shortage will take a lot of energy, and even more cash.

To cope with this problem, the committee has asked the City government to cover $122,000 of a $142,000 operating budget for 2010 – according to Dr. Pettyan, this is a conservative number for the task at hand, as recruiting doctors has become very competitive.

Dr. Pettyan says that the problem will continue to plague Oshawa, unless City officials lend a helping hand.

While Christmas may be a time best spent with family and loved ones, hundreds of homeless youths in the Durham region are left alone during this season – without any home or family to go to.

Executive director of Oshawa’s Refuge Outreach Centre Clarence Keenan notes that the holiday season can be particularly tough on these individuals, as most of them still hold on to feelings of abuse and rejection – something brought up more frequently and strongly during Christmas.

Each year, the Refuge Centre holds a Christmas Party, complete with holiday turkey, karaoke, games, and other activities to draw in those in need of company during the holidays. Youths who join in on the fun get to receive backpacks stuffed with toiletries, food treats, warm clothes, and gift cards.

This year, the community has pitched in to make the backpack program even more special.

A mini concert featuring local talents was held just recently in Oshawa on December 11, with all proceeds to be used on the purchase of backpacks and other necessities for the Refuge youth. The concert was organized by Kyle Dutka, a budding local musician who wanted to do what he can to help the program.

You too can help these youths have a memorable Christmas this year. Log-on to www.refugeoutreach.com and find out how.

In what seems to be a major setback for dog lovers in Oshawa, city councilors have opposed the plan to open a second off-leash dog park in the region’s Kedron Park.

According to them, they’re not against the idea of opening more dog parks in the city, but they are however hesitant to convert Kedron Park into one.

This move was in response to a signature campaign aimed at designating Kedron Park as the second off-leash dog park in the city, led by local dog owner John Sproule. The campaign has so far amassed 60 signatures (mostly from fellow dog owners) on a petition.

Sproule said that due to the complaints of people illegally letting their dogs off the leash in certain areas, it only made sense for the city to designate more parks or park areas as exclusive to dog owners and their off-leash dogs.

Sproule claims to have the backing of his neighborhood, which sees the conversion of Kedron as a solution to the problems of dog owners in the area – seeing as the spot is becoming a sort of informal gathering area for responsible dog owners.

There are however, some locals who are opposed to the plan. One resident notes that off-leash dogs might pose as a threat to those in Kedron Park, as the area is very close to playgrounds and sports fields – places where children spend a lot of time in.

Oshawa city councilors share the same sentiment, adding that Kedron is simply too small to be used as an off-leash dog park.

Some odd news — A 62-year-old woman from Oshawa was recently given a ticket for reckless driving, after her vehicle got stuck after attempting to drive through a bridge at the Harmony Creek Golf Course.

The odd accident happened at around 4 in the afternoon last Firday at the the Bloor Street East golf course where the woman apparently told authorities that she had lost control of her car.

According to Sergeant Nancy van Rooy of the Durham Regional Police Force, the woman (whose name is unknown for privacy purposes) thought the trail heading to the golf course was a dirt road, coming to a stop on the bridge situated between two of the courses holes.

Harmony Creek’s personnel soon found her wrecked car and immediately phoned the paramedics and police, who arrived promptly at the scene.
Fortunately, the woman received no significant injuries, escaping only minor scratches and bruises.

Damage repair on the old lady’s vehicle was reported to cost at more than $5,000, with costs for repair on the bridge and course still waiting to be assessed.
It is still unknown if the woman was under the influence of and substance.
Some people just have it rough when they get lost. Luckily, nobody got hurt this time.