Oshawa is getting a bad Wrap?

Is Oshawa getting a bad rap? By Theresa Grant Real Estate columnist You don’t have to look very far to find people dissing Oshawa for one reason or another. Granted Oshawa has a whole host of issues and problems, but not unlike any other urban city of the same size in Ontario. That being said, Oshawa has some wonderful attributes as well. I find that Oshawa is often compared to Hamilton. As far as that goes, Hamilton is in the news far more often for all the wrong reasons. It is almost guaranteed that when you turn on the television on a Sunday morning you are going to hear about some of the goings on in Hamilton the previous night. Oshawa and Hamilton are of similar size with both having had one main source of industry that each is most well known for. They are both University Cities. They are both perched alongside Lake Ontario, making for some very picturesque areas. The housing market in both cities is similar. The addictions and homeless communities in both are, again, similar. So why does Oshawa get far more bad mouthing from people than Hamilton? Why do people focus on what’s negative instead of accentuating the positive? I guess it comes back to that old saying…haters are going to hate. It’s sad though, because Oshawa has the lovely Botanical Gardens which are really quite beautiful. They also have a gorgeous lakefront, and Lakeview Park is a sight to behold in the summertime. Oshawa has some stunning architecture. One of my personal favourites is Mary St. from about Aberdeen to Beatrice. I love driving up that street in the summertime when the trees on either side of the street create canopy for you to drive under. Just beautiful. Oshawa has some wonderful entertainment venues, fabulous restaurants with more opening all the time. Many builders have planted their flags in Oshawa because it is a changing, growing community with so much to offer. Everywhere you look there are new buildings going up which speaks to future growth. Yes, without question, Oshawa has a problem with unsheltered people and open drug use. Again, not unlike many other cities. While saying that it is not unlike other cities is not an excuse, nor a solution, until such time as the powers that be find solutions for the issues, why not enjoy and focus on the beauty that Oshawa does have to offer.