By Courtney Bachar
A long-time Oshawa resident has been recognized for his contributions to the community.
Doug Thomson, who will turn 80 in December, was recently recognized as the 2021 recipient of the Senior of the Year Award.
Oshawa City Council endorsed the nomination from Oshawa Public Libraries at its April 26 meeting.
“I was a little surprised to say the least,” says Thomson, adding he’s very proud to have been nominated.
Thomson moved to Oshawa in 1975 and has been an active member of the community ever since. He says he really started to get involved when he retired about nine years ago. One of these initiatives has been street calming issues in north Oshawa.
“I’ve been trying to work with council to get a calming influence for the residents that live in these areas and still, at the same time, make sure it’s not a congested area,” he says.
He’s also passionate about the Oshawa airport and is involved in committees to deal with the noise and volume of traffic at the airport.
Thomson has been involved with various other committees over the years, such as a community safety group in which Regional and City Councillor Tit-Dante Marimpietri nominated him as a ward 2 representative.
Thomson also has a number of appointments under his belt, including being appointed by council to the Oshawa Airport Business Plan Working Group.
He’s currently in his third year as chair of the Oshawa Public Library committee, and is a trustee at Ontario Library Services, which represents the Oshawa Public Library committee.
“I’ve been interested in community and municipal issues that affect us all,” says Thomson, noting one of his pet peeves is that the population as whole doesn’t pay enough attention to municipal government and what transpires there.
“They don’t realize how much of their life is affected by decisions made at city hall,” he says.
Marimpietri thanked Thomson on behalf of council for his contribution and his longstanding involvement in the community.
“When you consider his efforts, whether it was the airport, the library, or neighbourhood planning and community matters, which predate even my time on council, you would definitely know someone that does things with class and integrity and from the heart,” he says.
“We want to thank him for his continued and relentless energy and contribution, as well as his wife, Elizabeth, for sharing him with us,” Marimpietri continues. “I just can’t say enough about Mr. Thomson, not only as a friend, but especially as a professional.”
Council voted unanimously to endorse the recommendation.
