Home | Oshawa Economic Development

Zero

City development charges

on all city industrial development, and all forms of development in Downtown Oshawa.

Top 3

Advanced manufacturing

mid-sized clusters in North America, defined as high location quotient communities with total cluster employment under 50,000.

Four

Post-secondary institutions

Durham College, Ontario Tech University, Trent University Durham GTA, and the Queen's University Lakeridge MD Family Medicine Program.

1.2 M

Labour force within 45 minutes

including a local pipeline of talent spanning more than 30,000 post-secondary students and 140,000+ global alumni.

Feature programs and resources

Business Funding and Support Finder

Business Retention and Expansion

Site Selection Assistance

Small Business Support

Downtown Oshawa

Oshawa Economic Development Strategy

Economic data

Education and talent

Proximity to markets

Site selection assistance

City development charge exemptions

Community Improvement Plan financial incentives

Why Oshawa?

The City of Oshawa is one of the fastest growing communities in Canada, welcoming thousands of new residents, employment opportunities and dynamic companies.

Access to economic data utilizing real-time consolidated metrics
Community Improvement Plan (CIP) financial incentive programs
Education and talent from four post-secondary institutions
No city development charges on all industrial development, and all forms in Downtown Oshawa development
Proximity to markets via Oshawa's convenient G.T.A. location
Site selection assistance from Oshawa Economic Development

Why Oshawa

Work here. Grow here.

Invest in Oshawa.

Business news

DRIVE, led by the City of Oshawa, named one of OVIN’s Regional Technology Development Sites advancing next-gen mobility
The City of Oshawa is proud to announce that the Durham Region Innovation and Vehicle Ecosystem (DRIVE) has been designated as one of OVIN’s nine Regional Technology Development Sites (RTDS).

The City of Oshawa and its partners thank the Government of Ontario for their investment in DRIVE, announced today at Ontario Tech University’s Automotive Centre of Excellence. The Ontario Vehicle Innovation Network (OVIN) will invest up to $2 million in DRIVE, which has also secured over $2.4 million in matching industry investment and over $2.5 million in broader public sector supports that includes access to municipal pilot opportunities for real-world demonstration zones, mentorship, workspace and co-location services, and acceleration support. This establishes a total investment of nearly $7 million providing small- and medium-sized enterprises access to specialized equipment, advanced testing, opportunities to capital and advisory support to drive advanced automotive technologies, and smart mobility solutions forward.

Mar 03, 2026
City of Oshawa celebrates top highlights of the year
As we wrap up 2025, the City of Oshawa is proud to celebrate a year of progress, partnerships and strategic investments.

Dec 17, 2025

Signature Sites

As the largest municipality in Durham Region, the City of Oshawa offers proximity to major North American markets and a pipeline of post-secondary talent. Oshawa is an urban community exceptionally positioned to live, work, learn and invest in.

Learn more about our Signature Sites