A JOURNEY BACK TO OCTOBER 1994 -A LOOK AT SOME OF THE HEADLINES FROM 30 YEARS AGO-

A JOURNEY BACK TO OCTOBER 1994 -A LOOK AT SOME OF THE HEADLINES FROM 30 YEARS AGO- By Dean Hickey This week’s column will take readers on a 30-year passage back through time as we examine some of the local stories that were making headlines in Oshawa’s daily newspaper. A protest at city hall by retail merchants, a report promoting the installation of sculptures on downtown buildings, and a few of the many trials and tribulations among Oshawa’s elected officials will round out our journey. ARMSTRONG QUITS OVER HOSPITAL BATTLE… The Oshawa Times reported on October 4, 1994 that veteran regional councillor Mike Armstrong had decided to get out of politics. In an emotional speech, the Ward 7 Regional councillor said he accomplished many of his goals, but said he was fed up with an ongoing battle in his ward over Oshawa General Hospital’s $106-million expansion proposal. Armstrong was at odds with a neighbours’ group that wanted to stop a massive parking garage and cancer treatment centre going up in Alexandra Park. He was quoted at the time as saying, “It plays on your mind and plays on your body and this has been playing on my mind for 10 months now.” He went on to admit the issue had a “devastating” impact on him and his family and was a catalyst for his decision not to run in the upcoming municipal election. While not ruling out a return to elected office, he told The Times, “Never say never. My advice for everybody is to get away from politics for a while. It allows you to come back with some fresh ideas.” The 44-year old lawyer was the only incumbent who chose not to seek re-election that year, and he has not been a member of Oshawa council since. JUST ANOTHER PIPE DREAM…An editorial in the October 18, 1994 edition of The Oshawa Times took a look at a consultant’s proposal to spruce up the downtown core by way of façade improvements and video advertising. The editorial included the following comments: “A good idea and a bad idea. That is the way one could best describe the latest proposal to spruce up Oshawa’s downtown core. A team of consultants from the consulting firm of Marshall Macklin Monaghan presented a plan for the re-beautification of the city core at a Downtown Action Committee meeting last week. The plan called for spruced up buildings with sculptures on top of the buildings, video advertising screens, sculptured gates and a uniform colour throughout the area. The sculptured gates would be erected on King, Simcoe, Bond and Centre Streets to usher shoppers into the downtown core. The sculptures would serve as icons giving Oshawa a unique identity. But the first warning bell that the project was a pipe dream came when the planners were unable to attach a price tag to the proposal. It was estimated to upgrade each building would cost $12,000 to $23,000. Everyone would agree a downtown re-beautification is needed, but this plan will not get off the ground. Under the proposed plan, the funding for this project would come from the property owners, with half of it eligible for financing through a long-term low interest loan. The latest idea of sprucing up the downtown core is not a new idea and is only one of many proposals which have been batted around for years. But asking the merchants to pick up the tab on a frivolous project would only push them further into red ink." COUNCIL GIVES IN TO MERCHANTS’ DEMANDS FOR DOWNTOWN ACTION… The Oshawa Times reported on October 25, 1994 that over 100 angry protesters marched on city hall to demand politicians fix up Oshawa’s ailing downtown core. In an unusual move, council voted to make redevelopment and revitalizing the downtown the number one priority in the upcoming council term from 1995 to 1997. Business owners were generally pleased. “Hopefully this is start for the downtown” said Angelo Sacco, a longtime area businessman and owner of Art Technique and Hairstyling. The protest was organized by a group of downtown business and property owners who said they wanted city hall to cut their taxes, reduce parking costs, eliminate on-way streets, and control crime. As it happens, I was a participant in the march to city hall and I rose to speak in the chamber. I will never forget councillor Irv Harrell drawing jeers from the crowd when he suggested the products shoppers want are not being provided. He told those gathered that they should provide better products to ensure the demand would follow. ONGOING LEGAL BATTLE CONTINUES BETWEEN MAYOR AND COUNCILLOR… The Oshawa Times reported on October 28, 1994 that an on-going legal battle between Mayor Nancy Diamond and councillor Brian Nicholson was far from over. Earlier that year, Diamond had filed a lawsuit against Nicholson over a letter-to-the editor the Ward 1 councillor wrote to the Oshawa Times. The two were bitter political rivals. The letter implied the Mayor had ulterior motives in her involvement in the filling of a vacant Public Utilities Commission seat. The claim that was filed in a Whitby court asked Nicholson for $200,000 plus costs, however Mayor Diamond suggested the whole thing could be settled for $2.00 and an apology. Councillor Nicholson, in his refusal to apologize, said, “We told her we would make a clarification that there were no criminal wrongdoings, but I want to make it clear that I have never agreed to apologize.” The Mayor would eventually abandon her lawsuit against councillor Nicholson, and the two would remain adversaries over the many years that followed. Nancy Diamond passed away in February 2017. An interesting look back, and perhaps the most poignant aspect of these stories is the slow deterioration of the city’s downtown, as retailers, professionals, and financial institutions would continue to abandon the area over the decades to come. Investments by Ontario Tech University have seen the preservation of the Regent Theatre and the construction and restoration of certain properties within the city’s core, however the introduction of a social service agency at the Simcoe St United Church would ultimately put the nail in the coffin as downtown streets would become filled with drug users and people sleeping on sidewalks and in alleyways. It is a problem that shows no signs of abating anytime soon.