Community Profiles / Durham Region

Oshawa

City Offices
50Centre Street South
Oshawa 905-436-3311
https://www.oshawa.ca

Oshawa is a city of just over 150,000 residents on the Lake Ontario shoreline. It is about 35 miles from downtown Toronto and is typically seen as the eastern end of the Greater Toronto Area and of the Golden Horseshoe.

Oshawa has parks, walking trails, conservation areas, indoor and outdoor public swimming pools, community centers, and sports facilities. Lakeview Park stretches along the coast of Lake Ontario, complete with a sandy beach, and is the location of the Oshawa Museum. Also, the McLaughlin Bay Wildlife Reserve and Second Marsh Wildlife Area offer protected marshland areas with interpretive trails and viewing platforms. Oshawa’s parks and trail system encompasses almost 1000 acres of parks and more than 18 miles of paved trails. Oshawa has more than 130 parks, 110 playgrounds, nine splash pads, eight ice pads and three skateboard parks. The city is home to miles of hiking, biking and interpretive trails. The city’s harbor front invites residents and visitors to enjoy the scenic front trails and parklands, marshlands and wetland preserves.

Downtown Oshawa is an exciting mix of business, culture, entertainment and academics; a place where people come to work, learn, live, enjoy art and music, watch live sporting events, meet for drinks and enjoy great food. Downtown Oshawa is identified as an Urban Growth Centre in the Government of Ontario’s Places to Grow initiative. More than 5,000 people work and more than 2,400 university students’ study in the downtown core. The downtown is the center for entertainment and sporting events at the Regent Theatre and Tribute Communities Centre. There are more than 50 restaurants and cafes in the downtown along with cultural venues. Shopping and dining options are great and varied.

Oshawa’s roots are tied to the automobile industry, specifically the Canadian division of General Motors, known as General Motors Canada. Founded in 1876 as the McLaughlin Carriage Company, General Motors of Canada’s headquarters are located in the city.

Public education in Oshawa is provided by the Durham District School Board. The Durham Catholic District School Board, which has its headquarters in Oshawa, oversees public Catholic education in Durham Region. There are 10 Catholic elementary schools and two secondary schools. The Conseil scolaire Viamonde operates one French public elementary school, while the Conseil scolaire de district catholique Centre-Sud runs one publicly funded French-language Catholic elementary school. Private schools include Durham Elementary School, Immanuel Christian School, Kingsway College and College Park Elementary School.

Oshawa is an education and health sciences hub today. Oshawa is home to more than 23,000 full-time students studying at three post-secondary institutions – Durham College, Trent University Durham and University of Ontario Institute of Technology. Oshawa is a Community Teaching Site for Queen’s University School of Medicine at Lakeridge Health. The main campus of Durham College is located in the city as well.