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Oshawa, Ontario

 
Oshawa, Ontario

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Oshawa, Ontario



 
 
For the station in the GO Transit system, see Oshawa GO Station.
Oshawa (2006 population
Canada 2006 Census

The Canada 2006 Census was a detailed enumeration of the Canada population. Census day was May 16 2006. The next census following will be the Canada 2011 Census....
 141,590, CMA, 330,594) is a city in Ontario
Ontario

Ontario is a Provinces and territories of Canada located in the Central Canada part of Canada, the largest by population and second largest, after Quebec, in total area....
, Canada
Canada

Canada is a country occupying most of northern North America, extending from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west and northward into the Arctic Ocean....
, on the Lake Ontario
Lake Ontario

Lake Ontario is one of the five Great Lakes of North America. The lake is bounded on the north by the Canadian province of Ontario and on the south by Ontario's Niagara Peninsula and by the U.S....
 shoreline, approximately 60 kilometres east of downtown Toronto
Toronto

Toronto is the List of the 100 largest municipalities in Canada by population in Canada and the Provinces and territories of Canada Provincial and territorial capitals of Canada of Ontario....
. It is commonly viewed as the eastern anchor of both the Greater Toronto Area
Greater Toronto Area

The Greater Toronto Area is the most populous metropolitan area in Canada. The GTA is a provincial planning area with a population of 5,555,912 at the 2006 Canadian Census....
 and the Golden Horseshoe
Golden Horseshoe

The Golden Horseshoe is a densely populated and Industrialisation region centred around the western end of Lake Ontario in Southern Ontario, Canada, with outer boundaries stretching south to Lake Erie and north to Georgian Bay....
. It is not, however, part of the Toronto CMA
Greater Toronto Area

The Greater Toronto Area is the most populous metropolitan area in Canada. The GTA is a provincial planning area with a population of 5,555,912 at the 2006 Canadian Census....
 but has its own metropolitan area, the fourteenth largest in Canada.






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For the station in the GO Transit system, see Oshawa GO Station.
Oshawa (2006 population
Canada 2006 Census

The Canada 2006 Census was a detailed enumeration of the Canada population. Census day was May 16 2006. The next census following will be the Canada 2011 Census....
 141,590, CMA, 330,594) is a city in Ontario
Ontario

Ontario is a Provinces and territories of Canada located in the Central Canada part of Canada, the largest by population and second largest, after Quebec, in total area....
, Canada
Canada

Canada is a country occupying most of northern North America, extending from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west and northward into the Arctic Ocean....
, on the Lake Ontario
Lake Ontario

Lake Ontario is one of the five Great Lakes of North America. The lake is bounded on the north by the Canadian province of Ontario and on the south by Ontario's Niagara Peninsula and by the U.S....
 shoreline, approximately 60 kilometres east of downtown Toronto
Toronto

Toronto is the List of the 100 largest municipalities in Canada by population in Canada and the Provinces and territories of Canada Provincial and territorial capitals of Canada of Ontario....
. It is commonly viewed as the eastern anchor of both the Greater Toronto Area
Greater Toronto Area

The Greater Toronto Area is the most populous metropolitan area in Canada. The GTA is a provincial planning area with a population of 5,555,912 at the 2006 Canadian Census....
 and the Golden Horseshoe
Golden Horseshoe

The Golden Horseshoe is a densely populated and Industrialisation region centred around the western end of Lake Ontario in Southern Ontario, Canada, with outer boundaries stretching south to Lake Erie and north to Georgian Bay....
. It is not, however, part of the Toronto CMA
Greater Toronto Area

The Greater Toronto Area is the most populous metropolitan area in Canada. The GTA is a provincial planning area with a population of 5,555,912 at the 2006 Canadian Census....
 but has its own metropolitan area, the fourteenth largest in Canada. It is the largest community in the Regional Municipality of Durham. The name Oshawa originates from the Ojibwa term aazhaway, meaning "the carring place" or just "(a)cross".

The automobile industry, specifically the Canadian division of General Motors Corporation
General Motors

General Motors Corporation , founded in 1908, is the world's second-largest automaker after Toyota, ranked by 2008 global unit sales. GM was the global sales leader for 77 consecutive calendar years from 1931 to 2008....
, known as General Motors Canada
General Motors Canada

General Motors of Canada Limited is the name of General Motors' Canadian division. The national headquarters office, their Canadian Regional Engineering Centre, and the main manufacturing plants are located in Oshawa, Ontario....
, has always been at the forefront of Oshawa's economy. Founded in 1876 as the McLaughlin Carriage Company
McLaughlin automobile

The McLaughlin automobile company began life as the McLaughlin Carriage Company, a blacksmith's shop in the village of Enniskillen, located 20 km north east of Oshawa, Ontario, Canada....
, General Motors of Canada's headquarters and major assembly plants are located in the city. The lavish home of the carriage company's founder, Parkwood Estate
Parkwood Estate

The Parkwood Estate, located in Oshawa, Ontario Canada was the home of Samuel McLaughlin and was home to the McLaughlins from 1917 until 1972. Construction began in 1916 by the Toronto architectural firm of Pearson and Darling....
, is a national historic site
National historic site

A national historic site is a designation that an area possesses national historical significance. It may confer protected area status on the site, but not necessarily....
, and a backdrop favoured by Toronto film crews.

The city is also home to Windfields Farm
Windfields Farm

Windfields Farm is a six square kilometre thoroughbred Stud farm founded by businessman E. P. Taylor in Oshawa, Ontario, Canada. The first stable and breeding operation of E....
, a thoroughbred horse breeding operation and birthplace of Canada's most famous racehorse, Northern Dancer
Northern Dancer

Northern Dancer was a Canada-bred Thoroughbred horse and the most successful Father of the 20th Century. The National Thoroughbred Racing Association calls him "one of the most influential sires in Thoroughbred history"....
.

Once very much a distinct community - physically, economically, and culturally - Oshawa has been increasingly subsumed into the Greater Toronto Area
Greater Toronto Area

The Greater Toronto Area is the most populous metropolitan area in Canada. The GTA is a provincial planning area with a population of 5,555,912 at the 2006 Canadian Census....
.

History

The area that would become Oshawa began as a transfer point for the fur trade
Fur trade

The fur trade is a worldwide industry dealing in the acquisition and sale of animal fur....
. Beaver and other animal pelts were trapped by local natives and traded with the Coureur des bois
Coureur des bois

A coureur des bois was an individual who engaged in the fur trade without permission from the France authorities. The coureurs des bois, mostly of French descent, operated during the late 17th century and early 18th century in eastern North America, particularly in New France....
 (voyagers). Furs were loaded onto canoes by the Mississauga Indians at the Oshawa harbour and transported to the trading posts located to the west at the mouth of the Credit River
Credit River

The Credit River is a river in southern Ontario which flows from headwaters above the Niagara Escarpment to empty into Lake Ontario at Port Credit, Ontario, Mississauga....
. Around 1760, the French constructed a trading post near the harbour location; this was abandoned after a few years, but its ruins provided shelter for the first residents of what later became Oshawa. Most notably, one of the fur traders was Moody Farewell, an early resident of the community who was to some extent responsible for its name change.

In the late 1700s a local resident, Roger Conant, started an export business shipping salmon to the United States. His success attracted further migration into the region. A large number of the founding immigrants were United Empire Loyalists
United Empire Loyalists

The name United Empire Loyalists is a honorific name which has been given after the fact to those Loyalist who resettled in British North America and other British Colonies as an act of fealty to George III of the United Kingdom after the Kingdom of Great Britain defeat in the American Revolutionary War and prior to the Treaty of Paris ....
, who left the United States to live under British rule. Later Irish and then French Canadian immigration increased as did industrialization. Oshawa and the surrounding Ontario County
Ontario County

Ontario County is the name of a county in New York, and two Historic counties of Ontario in the Canada province of Ontario as well as the former name of a county in Pennsylvania....
 were also the settling grounds of a disproportionate number of 19th century Cornish
Cornish people

The Cornish people are regarded as an ethnic group of the United Kingdom originating in Cornwall. They are often described as a Modern Celts....
 immigrants during the Cornish emigration
Cornish emigration

Cornish emigration consists of Cornwall emigrants and their descendants in other parts of Great Britain and in countries such as the United States, Canada, Australia, Mexico, New Zealand, South Africa, Brazil and Chile....
 which emptied large tracts of that part of England
England

native_name =|conventional_long_name = England|common_name = England|image_flag = Flag of England.svg|image_coat = England COA.svg|symbol_type = Royal Coat of Arms...
. As well, the surveys ordered by Governor John Graves Simcoe
John Graves Simcoe

Lieutenant-General John Graves Simcoe was the first lieutenant governor of Upper Canada from 1791-1796. He founded York, Upper Canada and was instrumental in introducing institutions such as the courts, trial by jury, English common law, fee simple land tenure, and for abolishing Slavery in Canada in Upper Canada long before it was abolish...
, and the subsequent land grants, helped populate the area. When Col. Asa Danforth laid out his York-to-Kingston road, it passed through what would later become the city.

In 1822, a "colonization road" (a north-south road to facilitate settlement) known as Simcoe Street was constructed. It more or less followed the path of an old native trail known as the Nonquon Road, and ran from the harbour to the area of Lake Scugog. This intersected the "Kingston Road" at what would become Oshawa's "Four Corners." In 1836, Edward Skae relocated his general store approximately 800 m east to the southeast corner of this intersection; as his store became a popular meeting place (probably because it also served as the Post Office), the corner and the growing settlement that surrounded it, were known as Skae's Corners. In 1842, Skae, the postmaster, applied for official post office status, but was informed the community needed a better name. Moody Farewell was requested to ask his native acquaintances what they called the area; their reply was "Oshawa," which translates to "where we must leave our canoes." Thus, the name of Oshawa, one of the primary "motor cities" of Canada, has a name meaning "where we have to get out and walk!" The name "Oshawa" was adopted and the post office named accordingly. In 1849, the requirements for incorporation were eased, and Oshawa was incorporated as a village in 1850.

The newly established village became an industrial centre, and implement works, tanneries, asheries and wagon factories opened (and often closed shortly after, as economic "panics" occurred regularly). In 1876, Colonel Robert Samuel McLaughlin
Samuel McLaughlin

Colonel Robert Samuel McLaughlin, Order of Canada, Canadian Efficiency Decoration, Canadian Forces Decoration was an important Canada businessman, philanthropist and founder, in 1907, of the McLaughlin automobile, one of the first major automobile manufacturers in Canada....
 moved his carriage works to Oshawa from Enniskillen to take advantage of its harbour as well as the availability of a rail link not too far away. He constructed a two-story building, which was soon added to. This building was heavily remodeled in 1929, receiving a new facade and being extended to the south using land where the city's gaol had once stood. The village became a town in 1879, in what was then called Whitby Township. Around 1890, the carriage works relocated from its Simcoe Street address to an unused furniture factory a couple of blocks to the northeast, and this remained its site until the building burnt in 1899. Offered assistance by the town, McLaughlin elected to stay in Oshawa, building a new factory across Mary Street from the old site. Rail service had been provided in 1890 by the Oshawa Railway; this was originally set up as a streetcar line, but c. 1910 constructed a second "freight line" was built slightly to the east of Simcoe Street. This electric line provided both streetcar and freight service, connected central Oshawa with the Grand Trunk (now Canadian National) Railway, as well as the long-defunct Canadian Northern (which ran throuth the very north of Oshawa) and the Canadian Pacific, built in 1912-13. The Oshawa Railway was acquired by the Grand Trunk operation around 1910, and streetcar service was replaced by buses in 1940. After GM moved its main plants to south Oshawa in 1951, freight traffic fell and most of the tracks were removed in 1963, although a line to the older remaining "north" plant via Ritson Road remained until 2000.

The start of the car industry

In 1908 the McLaughlin Carriage Company began to manufacture Buick
Buick

Buick is a marque of automobile sold in the United States, Canada, China, Taiwan, Qatar, Kuwait, and Israel by General Motors Corporation. Since the demise of Oldsmobile in 2004, it is GM's only North America-based entry-level luxury brand....
 automobiles under the McLaughlin-Buick name. This resulted from talks between Col. R. S. McLaughlin and "Billy" Durant (the entrepreneur who had created General Motors in the U.S. around the same time). In 1915 the firm acquired the manufacturing rights to the Chevrolet
Chevrolet

Chevrolet is a brand of automobile, produced by General Motors . It is the top selling GM marque, with "Chevrolet" or "Chevy" being at times synonymous with GM....
 brand. Within three years his firm and the Chevrolet Motor Car Company of Canada merged, creating General Motors of Canada. Col. R. S. McLaughlin became the head of this new operation, and his factory expanded rapidly, eventually covering several blocks. The popularity of the automobile in the nineteen-twenties generated rapid expansion of Oshawa, which grew in population from 4,000 to 16,000 during this decade as well as in land area. In 1924, Oshawa annexed the area to its south, including both the harbour and the community of Cedardale. This growth allowed Oshawa to seek incorporation as a city, which took place March 8, 1924.

With the wealth he gained in his business venture, in 1916 Robert McLaughlin built one of the most stately homes in Canada, "Parkwood." The 55-room residence was built using inexpensive labour, and designed by Toronto architect John M. Lyle. McLaughlin lived in the house for 55 years with his wife and 5 children. The house replaced an older mansion, which was about thirty years old when it was demolished; the grounds of the earlier home had been operated as Prospect Park, and this land was acquired by the town and became its first municipal park, Alexandra Park. Parkwood today is open to the public as a national historic site (for a paid admission) and tours are offered as well.

The Oshawa Strike, 1937

On April 8, 1937, disputes between 4000 assembly line workers and General Motors management led to the Oshawa Strike, a salient event in the history of Canadian trade unionism. As the weight of the Great Depression
Great Depression

File:International depression.pngThe Great Depression was a worldwide economic Recession starting in most places in 1929 and ending at different times in the 1930s or early 1940s for different countries....
 slowly began to lift, demand for automobiles again began to grow. The workers sought higher wages, an eight hour workday, better working conditions and recognition of their union, the United Auto Workers
United Auto Workers

The International Union, United Automobile, Aerospace and Agricultural Implement Workers of America, better known as the United Auto Workers , is a trade union which represents workers in the United States, Canada, and Puerto Rico....
 (Local 222). The then-Liberal government of Mitchell Hepburn
Mitchell Hepburn

Mitchell Frederick Hepburn was List of Ontario premiers, Canada, from 1934 to 1942. He was the youngest Premier in Ontario history, appointed at age 37....
, which had, ironically, been elected on a platform of being the working man's friend, sided with the corporation and even brought in armed university students to break up any union agitation. Fortunately, these much-derided "Hepburn's Hussars" and "Sons of Mitches" were never needed as the union refused to be drawn into any violent act. The union and workers had the backing of the local population, other unions and the Cooperative Commonwealth Federation, and on April 23, two weeks after the strike started, the company gave in to most of the workers' demands, although -- pointedly -- it did not recognize the union.

Post-war Oshawa

In 1950, the city annexed a portion of East Whitby Township
East Whitby Township, Ontario

East Whitby Township is a former municipality in Durham Region, Ontario, Ontario, Canada. It is now part of the City of Oshawa, Ontario.Originally part of Whitby Township, Ontario in what was then Ontario County, Ontario, East Whitby was created from the eastern portion of the township in 1858....
 west of Park Road. Some of this area had been developed during the 1920s boom period, although it was not within the boundaries of the city proper. The opening of what later became Highway 401
Highway 401 (Ontario)

The King's Highway 401 is a highway that extends across Southern Ontario, Canada. It is the longest 400-series highways in Ontario, and one of the widest and busiest highways in the world....
, then known as Highway 2A, shortly after World War II led in part to the creation of the Regional Municipality of Durham in 1974. Oshawa was amalgamated with the remaining poritions of East Whitby Township and took on its present boundaries, which included the outlying villages of Columbus, Raglan and Kedron. Much of Oshawa's industry has closed over the years; however, it is still the headquarters of GM Canada as well as its major manufacturing site.

Oshawa's future

The opening of the Oshawa Shopping Centre (now the Oshawa Centre
Oshawa Centre

Oshawa Centre is a two story shopping mall located in the City of Oshawa, Ontario. It is the largest mall in Regional Municipality of Durham, Ontario....
) fewer than two kilometres west of the "four corners" in 1956 struck a blow to Oshawa's downtown from which it has never been able to recover. The shopping centre was built on land which had been an unproductive farm; when its owner gave up on agriculture, this released a very large area of land for the construction of a mall. This was originally built as a typical "strip plaza." with between-store access areas open to the Canadian winter; however, some 20-25 years ago it was converted into a typical modern "shopping centre." It also serves as the transfer centre for the bus routes of Durham region Transit. For most of the last thirty years, the city has tried to promote the downtown core as a viable place to live and work, with multiple failed attempts to attract new business and other projects to the city core. Local politicians and civic officials hope that the opening of the new General Motors Centre will spark renewed interest in downtown revitalization. In addition, the University of Ontario Institute of Technology
University of Ontario Institute of Technology

The University of Ontario Institute of Technology is located in Oshawa, Ontario and shares its campus with Durham College. The university was founded in 2002 and accepted its first students in 2003, making it one of Canada's newest universities....
 has relocated the Faculty of Education into downtown Oshawa, in a building originally built as a bank. The New Durham Region County Courthouse under construction will be completed in 2009. Most of Oshawa's growth has occurred on the outer regions of the city. Legislation passed by the Ontario Government in 2005 now protects greenspace to the north of the city (the Oak Ridges Moraine
Oak Ridges Moraine

The Oak Ridges Moraine is an Ecology important Geology landform in the Mixedwood Plains of south central Ontario, Canada. The moraine covers a geographic area of 1,900 square kilometres between Caledon, Ontario and Rice Lake , near Peterborough, Ontario....
), which will eventually prohibit any further expansion of the urban boundary. This will likely result in the redevelopment of Oshawa's many 'brownfield' sites, and may result in increased density. In fact, a large tract of land became available for development earlier this year (2008) when the old GM "north plant" was finally demolished.

Economy

Oshawa is headquarters to General Motors Canada
General Motors Canada

General Motors of Canada Limited is the name of General Motors' Canadian division. The national headquarters office, their Canadian Regional Engineering Centre, and the main manufacturing plants are located in Oshawa, Ontario....
, which has large-scale manufacturing and administrative operations in the city and employs many thousands both directly and indirectly. Since Windsor, Ontario
Windsor, Ontario

Windsor is the southernmost city in Canada and lies at the western end of the heavily populated Quebec City-Windsor Corridor. Windsor is located south of Detroit, Michigan, is separated from that city by the Detroit River, and has views of the Detroit skyline....
 houses Chrysler
Chrysler

Chrysler LLC is an American automobile manufacturer that has manufactured automobiles since 1925. From 1998 to 2007, Chrysler and its subsidiaries were part of the German based DaimlerChrysler ....
 Canada headquarters, the two cities have something of a friendly rivalry for the title of "Automotive Capital of Canada".

The revenue collection divisions of the Ontario Ministry of Finance occupy one of the few major office buildings in the city's downtown, which continues to struggle despite business improvement efforts. The city's older southern neighbourhoods tend to be considerably less affluent than its more suburban northern sections, which are rapidly expanding as Toronto commuters move in. The southern half of the city consists of industrial zones and compact housing designed for early 20th century industrial workers, while the northern half has a suburban feel more typical of later decades. Oshawa started to become a suburb of Toronto after World War II, as the new superhighways made a commute to Toronto feasible, and the city (Toronto) began to expand its functional "urban area" (now limited by "greenbelt" zoning). In fact, Oshawa is evolving into a "bedroom community" for the "Greater Toronto Area;" unlike many Toronto suburbs, Oshawa does not have a 19th-century architectural core!

High wages paid to unionized GM employees have meant that these workers could enjoy a relatively high standard of living, although such jobs are much scarcer today than they once were. During its post-World War II
World War II

World War II, or the Second World War , was a global military conflict which involved a Participants in World War II, including all of the great powers, organised into two opposing military alliances: the Allies of World War II and the Axis powers....
 heyday, General Motors offered some of the best manufacturing jobs available in Canada and attracted thousands of workers from economically depressed areas of the country, particularly the Maritimes
Maritimes

The Maritime provinces, also called the Maritimes or the Canadian Maritimes, is a list of regions of Canada#National regions of Eastern Canada consisting of three provinces and territories of Canada: New Brunswick, Nova Scotia, and Prince Edward Island....
, Newfoundland
Newfoundland and Labrador

Newfoundland and Labrador is a Provinces and territories of Canada of Canada, on the country's Atlantic Ocean coast in northeastern North America....
, rural Quebec
Quebec

Quebec , in French language, Qu?bec , is a Provinces and territories of Canada in the Central Canada and Eastern Canada regions of Canada....
 and northern Ontario. The city was also a magnet for European immigrants in the skilled trades, and boasts substantial Polish
Poles

The Polish people, or Poles , are a West Slavs ethnic group of Central Europe, living predominantly in Poland. Poles are sometimes defined as people who share a common Polish culture and are of Polish descent....
, Ukrainian
Ukrainians

Ukrainians are an East Slavs ethnic group primarily living in Ukraine, or more broadly?citizens of Ukraine . Some 200 years ago and times prior to that, Ukrainians were usually referred to and known as Rusyny ....
, Hungarian
Hungarian people

Hungarians are an ethnic group primarily associated with Hungary. There are around 10 million Magyars in Hungary . Hungarians were the main inhabitants of the Kingdom of Hungary that existed through most of the second millennium....
, Croatian, German and Russian
Russians

The Russian people are an East Slavs ethnic group, primarily living in Russia and neighboring countries.The English language term Russians is used to refer to the citizens of Russia, regardless of their ethnicity ; in Russian language, the demonym Russian is translated as Rossiyanin ....
 ethnic communities.

Although the workforce at General Motors of Canada has shrunk in recent years (with more reductions through attrition planned), the company continues to make significant technology and capital investments at its sites in Oshawa. In fact, the possible demise of GM is being discussed among Canadian economists! While the company's once essential role in the local economy has diminished, it remains the largest local employer. Many of its operations have been spun off to contractors. In most cases, new owners at the spun-off facilities are not bound by the collective bargaining agreements of the Canadian Auto Workers
Canadian Auto Workers

The Canadian Auto Workers is one of Canada's largest and highest profile trade unions. While rooted in Ontario's large auto plants of Windsor, Ontario, Brampton, Oakville, Ontario, St....
, and wages at such operations tend to be much lower than at General Motors itself.

Oshawa has become one of the fastest growing cities in Canada, although statements to this effect are often in reference to the Census Metropolitan Area, which includes neighbouring Whitby
Whitby

Whitby is a town and civil parish in the Scarborough district of North Yorkshire on the north-east coast of England. Nowadays it is a fishing port and tourist destination....
 and Clarington. Many commuters have been enticed to Oshawa by comparatively low housing prices and the regular rail service into downtown Toronto provided by GO Transit
GO Transit

GO Transit is the interregional public transport serving the conurbation in Ontario, Canada referred to by Metrolinx as the "Greater Toronto and Hamilton Area" and extending to several communities beyond it....
 and VIA Rail. The growth of subdivisions to house Toronto commuters will likely accelerate if the long-planned Highway 407
Highway 407 (Ontario)

Highway 407, officially called the 407 Express Toll Route , is the most expensive tollway in North America, located in the Greater Toronto Area, southern Ontario, Canada....
 extension is built across the city's northern tier in the next decade. The trend suggests major social changes for Oshawa, which has long had a vigorous labour union presence and largely blue collar
Blue collar

Blue collar can refer to:*Blue-collar worker, a traditional designation of the working class*Blue-collar crime, the types of crimes typically associated with the working class...
 identity. Rising property values and the emergence of land speculation associated with suburban growth have created new dynamics for the local economy. While unchecked growth was largely accepted (even embraced) in the 1980s and 1990s, concern over urban sprawl has emerged.

In late 2004, the Greater Toronto Airports Authority announced a plan under which the Oshawa Airport
Oshawa Airport

Oshawa Airport, , is a municipal airport adjacent to the north end of the city of Oshawa, Ontario, Ontario, Canada. Oshawa Airport is one of the major general aviation airports in the Greater Toronto Area It includes two paved runways and instrument approaches....
 would be closed and its traffic diverted to a major new Toronto reliever airport to be constructed in Pickering
Pickering, Ontario

Pickering is a city located immediately east of Toronto in Durham Region, Ontario, Ontario, Canada. It is part of the Greater Toronto Area ....
. The Oshawa airport handles occasional traffic related to General Motors (emergency spare parts and executives); GM has indicated that a move of its air traffic to Pickering would not affect its operations. The airport also handles significant general aviation
General aviation

General aviation is one of two categories of civil aviation. It refers to all flights other than military aviation and scheduled air transport flights, both private aviation and commercial aviation....
, two flight training facilities, and numerous other aviation and non-aviation related companies, all of which would need to be diverted or relocated. The city has considered ambitious proposals to repurpose the airport lands, but as of January 2006, significant upgrade work is being performed on the main terminal building by the city itself, signalling that the city has no immediate plans to close the busy facility, understanding its importance to the community and local economy. Additional aviation related construction is also taking place on the airport lands.

Politics

The dominant presence of General Motors (and its autoworkers) meant that Oshawa was well-known as a bastion of unionist, left-wing support during the decades following the Second World War
World War II

World War II, or the Second World War , was a global military conflict which involved a Participants in World War II, including all of the great powers, organised into two opposing military alliances: the Allies of World War II and the Axis powers....
. The city played an important role in Canada's labour history, including the 1937 "Oshawa Strike" against General Motors and the considerable financial support provided by the city's autoworkers to the NDP and its predecessors.

However, Oshawa was part of the Ontario
Ontario (electoral district)

Ontario was a federal electoral district represented in the Canada Canadian House of Commons from 1925 to 1997. It was located in the provinces and territories of Canada of Ontario....
 (County) riding when Michael Starr
Michael Starr

Michael Starr, Queen's Privy Council for Canada was a Canada politician and the first Canadian cabinet minister of Ukrainian Canadian descent, his parents having immigrated from Ukraine, then a part of the Russian Empire....
, a high ranking Progressive Conservative
Progressive Conservative Party of Canada

The Progressive Conservative Party of Canada was a Canada political party with a centre-right stance on economic issues and a centrism stance on social issues....
 Member of Parliament
Member of Parliament

A Member of Parliament, or MP, is a representative of the voters to a parliament. In many countries the term applies specifically to members of the lower house, as upper houses often have a unique title, such as senate, and thus also have unique titles for its members, such as senators....
 (MP) and Cabinet Member in the Diefenbaker
John Diefenbaker

John George Diefenbaker, Queen's Privy Council for Canada, Order of the Companions of Honour, Queen's Counsel, Fellow of the Royal Society of Canada, Royal Society of Arts was the 13th Prime Minister of Canada, serving from June 21, 1957 to April 22, 1963....
 era served. Starr served the new Oshawa—Whitby riding for one term, before being narrowly defeated by future federal New Democratic Party
New Democratic Party

The New Democratic Party is a political party in Canada with a progressivism social democracy philosophy that contests elections at both the federal and provincial levels....
 (NDP) leader Ed Broadbent
Ed Broadbent

John Edward "Ed" Broadbent, Queen's Privy Council for Canada, Order of Canada is a Canada social democratic politician and political scientist....
 in 1968. Broadbent then represented the city in the Canadian House of Commons
Canadian House of Commons

The House of Commons is a component of the Parliament of Canada, along with the Canadian monarchy and the Senate of Canada. The House of Commons is a democracy elected body, consisting of 40th Canadian Parliament known as Members of Parliament ....
 until 1989, and in the 1980s led the NDP to its greatest electoral successes.

By the end of the 1990s, the city's changing economy and demographics led many voters to the Progressive Conservative Party of Ontario
Progressive Conservative Party of Ontario

The Progressive Conservative Party of Ontario , is a right-of-centre political party in Ontario, Canada. The party was known for many years as "Ontario's natural governing party." It has ruled the province for 80 of the years since Canadian Confederation, including an uninterrupted run from 1943 to 1985....
 and the Canadian Alliance
Canadian Alliance

The Canadian Alliance , formally the Canadian Reform Conservative Alliance , was a Canada Conservatism political party that existed from 2000 to 2003....
, a conservative party at the federal level. Conservative candidates have won recent provincial and federal elections, whereas from 1968-93 the city was a safe NDP seat in both the federal and provincial legislatures.

The city's shifting social and political dynamics were seen in the 2004 federal election - the riding of Oshawa
Oshawa (electoral district)

Oshawa is a federal and provincial electoral district in Ontario, Canada, that has been represented in the Canadian House of Commons since 1968, and in the Legislative Assembly of Ontario since 1955....
 (not coterminous with the City of Oshawa, but containing most of it) was the country's most competitive. The candidate of the new Conservative Party of Canada
Conservative Party of Canada

The Conservative Party of Canada , colloquially known as the Tories, is a major political party in Canada, formed by the merger of the Canadian Alliance and the Progressive Conservative Party of Canada....
, Dr. Colin Carrie
Colin Carrie

Colin Carrie is a Canada politician. He is a current member of the Canadian House of Commons, representing the riding of Oshawa in the province of Ontario for the Conservative Party of Canada....
, edged out his NDP rival Sid Ryan
Sid Ryan

Patrick Cyril "Sid" Ryan is a Canada labour union leader....
 by several hundred votes; it was an atypical and ideologically stark race that left the Liberals in third place.

In 2006, Whitby—Oshawa
Whitby—Oshawa

Whitby?Oshawa is a federal and provincial electoral district in Ontario, Canada, that has been represented in the Canadian House of Commons since 2004 and the Legislative Assembly of Ontario since the Ontario general election, 2007....
 also became a Conservative seat; Jim Flaherty
Jim Flaherty

James Michael "Jim" Flaherty, Queen's Privy Council for Canada, Member of Parliament is Canada's Minister of Finance ; he had formerly served as Ontario's Ministry of Finance ....
 followed Starr (after over 40 years) into the Canadian cabinet as Minister of Finance.

Local government

Oshawa's city government consists of a mayor and ten councillors. Each of the city's seven wards is represented by a Regional & City councillor, who also represent Oshawa at Durham Region council. The three remaining councillors sit on city council only, each councillor serving two wards. Ward 7, the northernmost ward, has only its Regional & City councillor. The current mayor is John Gray.

In May 2007, Council voted to revert to a general vote system in which council members are elected at large. The at-large system, which the City used prior to 1985, will take effect after the 2010 civic election. Council's vote was based on the results of a non-binding referendum held as part of the 2006 election; 64 per cent voted in favour of a general vote for regional councillors and 61 per cent said yes to a general vote for city councillors. Ward system supporters maintain that the referendum question was poorly-worded and that insufficient information was provided.

Education

Public education in Oshawa is provided via the Durham District School Board
Durham District School Board

The Durham District School Board is a public school board in Ontario, Canada. The DDSB serves most of the Regional Municipality of Durham, except for schools within the Clarington, Ontario, which belongs to the Kawartha Pine Ridge District School Board....
. As of late 2006, there were 32 elementary schools and six secondary schools. The Durham Catholic District School Board
Durham Catholic District School Board

The Durham Catholic District School Board is a publicly-funded Catholic school board located in Regional Municipality of Durham, east of Toronto, Ontario....
, which has its headquarters in Oshawa, oversees public Catholic education in Durham Region. There are 14 Catholic elementary schools and two secondary schools. The Conseil scolaire de district du Centre-Sud-Ouest
Conseil scolaire de district du Centre-Sud-Ouest

The Conseil scolaire de district du Centre-Sud-Ouest, also known as CSDCSO or Ontario District School Board #58, manages the Canadian French Public Schools in the central south-western region of Ontario....
 operates one French Public elementary school, while the Conseil scolaire de district catholique Centre-Sud
Conseil scolaire de district catholique Centre-Sud

Conseil scolaire de district catholique Centre-Sud is the Roman Catholic Separate school, French language school board for the South-Central region of Ontario....
 runs one publicly-funded French-language Catholic elementary school. Private schools include Durham Elementary School, Immanuel Christian School, Kingsway College
Kingsway College

Kingsway College is a high school in Oshawa, Ontario, Canada, with a Seventh-day Adventist environment which encourages personal spiritual commitment and fosters academic excellence, physical fitness, sensitive service, and growth in employment and social skills....
 and College Park Elementary School. The Durham Catholic District School Board decided to shut down several Catholic Elementary Schools in Oshawa in June 2008, due to shifting enrollment. Also, in the Durham District School Board, there are a select number of Performing Arts secondary schools the two most well known being Eastdale Collegiate and Vocational Institute and O'Neil Collegiate. Known for their annual musicals, Eastdale often raises money for various charities through performance. Eastdale.ca

The main campus of Durham College
Durham College

Durham College of Applied Arts and Technology is located in Oshawa, Ontario, Canada with satellite campuses in Pickering, Ontario, Uxbridge, Ontario, Whitby, Ontario, Port Hope, Port Perry and Beaverton, Ontario....
 is also located in the city. The university and college share a campus and some facilities, but the two institutions are independent. Given the city's industrial heritage, the university's courses emphasize technology, manufacturing and engineering themes. It is the only university in Canada to offer degree programs in Automotive Engineering and Nuclear Engineering. Trent University
Trent University

Trent University is a liberal arts and science-oriented institution located along the Otonabee River in Peterborough, Ontario, Canada. The chancellor of Trent University is Dr....
 also offers a full-time program at the campus.

Oshawa is home to the University of Ontario Institute of Technology
University of Ontario Institute of Technology

The University of Ontario Institute of Technology is located in Oshawa, Ontario and shares its campus with Durham College. The university was founded in 2002 and accepted its first students in 2003, making it one of Canada's newest universities....
, opened in 2003. In 2007, a student housing controversy
University of Ontario Institute of Technology

The University of Ontario Institute of Technology is located in Oshawa, Ontario and shares its campus with Durham College. The university was founded in 2002 and accepted its first students in 2003, making it one of Canada's newest universities....
 culminated in a bylaw restraining the areas in which students may live. A bylaw highly scrutinized by Barbara Hall
Barbara Hall

Barbara Hall is a Canada lawyer, public servant and former politician. She was the 61st mayor of Toronto, the last to run before amalgamation....
 the chief of the Ontario Human Rights Commission
Ontario Human Rights Commission

The 'Ontario Human Rights Commission' was established in the Canada provinces and territories of Canada of Ontario in 1961 to administer the Ontario Human Rights Code....
.

Health care

Oshawa's hospital is the Oshawa site of Lakeridge Health Oshawa
Lakeridge Health Oshawa

Lakeridge Health Oshawa, formerly Oshawa General Hospital, is a hospital located in Oshawa, Ontario. Founded in August 1910 as a two-story building, major additions occurred until 1970 with the addition of the surgical and maternity wings in the 1920s and numerous other sponsored wings and halls from the 1940s to 1970s....
, formerly the Oshawa General Hospital. This 437-bed facility is the major regional hospital for the area and also houses the R.S. McLaughlin Durham Regional Cancer Centre, a new expansion opened in early 2007.

Emergency services

Policing in Oshawa is provided by the Durham Regional Police
Durham Regional Police

The Durham Regional Police Service is the police service operated by the Regional Municipality of Durham, Ontario, Canada, commonly referred to as Durham Region, and located east of the City of Toronto....
 service from a station at 77 Centre St. N. in the downtown area and a South Oshawa Community Policing Centre on Cedar St. EMS/Ambulance services are also overseen by the Region of Durham. Oshawa Fire Services operate from five fire stations located throughout the city.

Media

Although a relatively large city by Canadian standards, Oshawa has few media outlets of its own due to its proximity to Toronto. The city has one AM station, CKDO
CKDO (AM)

CKDO is a Canada radio station, broadcasting at 1580 AM radio in Oshawa, Ontario. The station airs an oldies format. CKDO also has an FM radio rebroadcaster at 107.7 FM....
 (1580) which is rebroadcast on 107.7 FM, and one FM station, CKGE
CKGE-FM

CKGE-FM is a Canada radio station, broadcasting at 94.9 FM radio in Oshawa, Ontario. The station broadcasts an active rock format under the brand name 94.9 The Rock....
. Both stations are owned by Durham Radio, which also owns CJKX
CJKX-FM

CJKX is a Canada radio station. Although its official city of license is Ajax, Ontario, the station operates out of studios in Oshawa, Ontario with co-owned stations CKDO and CKGE-FM....
, licenced to the nearby community of Ajax
Ajax, Ontario

Ajax is a town located in the Golden Horseshoe of south central Ontario, Canada.Ajax is a part of the Greater Toronto Area and the Durham Regional Municipality, Ontario....
. All three stations are operated from the same studios at the Oshawa Airport.

Oshawa also has a rebroadcast transmitter of Peterborough
Peterborough, Ontario

Peterborough is a city on the Otonabee River in central-eastern Ontario, Canada, 125 kilometres northeast of Toronto. The population of the City of Peterborough was 74,898 in the 2006 census, while the census metropolitan area had a population of 116 570....
's CBC Television
CBC Television

CBC Television is a Canadian English language television network. It is owned by the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation. This channel can be also seen on some United States cable systems....
 affiliate CHEX
CHEX-TV-2

CHEX-TV-2, branded as Channel 12 Durham , is a CBC Television-affiliated television station in Oshawa, Ontario, Canada, serving the Durham Regional Municipality, Ontario....
 which airs a daily afternoon news and current affairs program specially targeted to Durham Region viewers. Although a larger city than Peterborough then and now, Oshawa was not granted a television station in the original 1950s assignments as it was geographically too close to Toronto, since the original spacings were set at 145 km (90 miles). Rogers Television
Rogers Television

Rogers TV, formerly known as Rogers Television, are community channel s owned by Rogers Communications Inc. Many of these channels share common programs....
, the local cable provider also serves the community with local television programming.

Oshawa is served by a number of community newspapers, including the Oshawa Express, an independent which publishes every Wednesday, and Oshawa This Week, published three times per week by Metroland
Metroland Media Group

Metroland Media Group is the publisher of daily and weekly community newspapers in Ontario as well as several speciality products and services....
. The long-standing daily newspaper, the Oshawa Times (also known at various times as the Oshawa Daily Times and Times-Gazette), was closed by its owner Thomson Newspapers, after a lengthy strike in 1994.

Sports


Hockey

Oshawa is home to the Oshawa Generals
Oshawa Generals

The Oshawa Generals are a junior ice hockey team in the Ontario Hockey League. They are based in Oshawa, Ontario. The team is named for General Motors, an early sponsor which has its Canadian headquarters in Oshawa....
 of the Ontario Hockey League
Ontario Hockey League

The Ontario Hockey League is one of the three Major Junior ice hockey leagues which constitute the Canadian Hockey League. The league is for players aged 15-20....
, the top level for players aged 15-20. Famous alumni
Oshawa Generals

The Oshawa Generals are a junior ice hockey team in the Ontario Hockey League. They are based in Oshawa, Ontario. The team is named for General Motors, an early sponsor which has its Canadian headquarters in Oshawa....
 of this team include Bobby Orr
Bobby Orr

Robert Gordon "Bobby" Orr, Order of Canada is a retired Canadian ice hockey defenceman and is considered to be one of the greatest hockey players of all time....
, Alex Delvecchio
Alex Delvecchio

Alexander Peter "Fats" Delvecchio, born December 4, 1931 in Fort William, Ontario, Ontario, is a former ice hockey player and member of the Hockey Hall of Fame....
, Wayne Cashman
Wayne Cashman

Wayne Cashman is a retired Canada professional ice hockey player and a former National Hockey League head coach. He is currently an assistant coach of the Boston Bruins....
, Tony Tanti
Tony Tanti

Tony Tanti is a retired professional ice hockey player. He was a Winger and played the majority of his career in the National Hockey League with the Vancouver Canucks....
, Dave Andreychuk
Dave Andreychuk

David John "Dave" Andreychuk is a former professional Ice Hockey left winger who played in the National Hockey League with the Buffalo Sabres, Toronto Maple Leafs, New Jersey Devils, Boston Bruins, Colorado Avalanche and Tampa Bay Lightning....
, Marc Savard
Marc Savard

Marc Savard is a Canada professional ice hockey centre currently playing for the Boston Bruins of the National Hockey League . He has previously played for the New York Rangers, by whom he was originally drafted in 1995 NHL Entry Draft, Calgary Flames and Atlanta Thrashers....
 and Eric Lindros
Eric Lindros

Eric Bryan Lindros is a retired professional ice hockey player. He was the first overall pick in the 1991 NHL Entry Draft. He retired in November 2007, after playing the 2006-07 season with the Dallas Stars....
. The team moved from the Oshawa Civic Auditorium
Oshawa Civic Auditorium

The Oshawa Civic Auditorium is a 3,625?seat multi-purpose arena in Oshawa, Ontario, Canada. It opened in 1964, and was home to the Oshawa Generals ice hockey team of the Ontario Hockey League from December 1964 to October 2006....
 into the new General Motors Centre in November 2006.

The Oshawa Generals have the dubious distinction of having their home arena destroyed by fire not once, but twice in the franchise history. In June 1928 the Bradley Arena was destroyed by fire. Then 25 years later, the Hambly Arena
Hambly Arena

The Hambly Arena, originally known as the Oshawa Arena, opened in 1930 and was built in large part to the contributions of Samuel McLaughlin....
 was also destroyed by fire.

Baseball

Oshawa is also home to the Oshawa Dodgers
Oshawa Dodgers

The Oshawa Dodgers are an Independent baseball, minor league baseball team of the, semi-pro, Intercounty Baseball League based in Oshawa, Ontario....
 of the Intercounty Baseball League
Intercounty Baseball League

The Intercounty Baseball League is an amateur, semi-professional baseball organization located in the Canadian province of Ontario. The league was formed in 1919....
 (IBL), an amateur baseball league in Canada. Their home park, Kinsmen Stadium is located just to the north of the former site of the Hambly Arena.

Lacrosse

Oshawa was for many years one of the main centres for the sport of lacrosse
Lacrosse

Lacrosse is a team sport originated by several tribes of Native Americans in the United States. There are four distinct versions of the modern game: men's field lacrosse, women's field lacrosse, men's box lacrosse and intercrosse ....
 and home of the Oshawa Green Gaels
Clarington Green Gaels

The Clarington Green Gaels are Junior "B" box lacrosse team from Clarington, Ontario, Canada. The Gaels play in the OLA Junior B Lacrosse League....
, one of the most storied teams in the sport. A player of note in the 1920s was Nels Stewart
Nels Stewart

Nelson Robert "Old Poison" Stewart was a Canada professional ice hockey forward who played for the Montreal Maroons, New York Americans and Boston Bruins in the National Hockey League....
, who became a Hall of Famer in the National Hockey League
National Hockey League

The National Hockey League is a professional ice hockey league composed of 30 teams in North America. It is considered to be the premier professional ice hockey league in the world, and one of the North American Major professional sports leagues of the United States and Canada....
. During the 1980s, when lacrosse seemed on the edge of oblivion in Canada, (the Green Gaels themselves having folded in the early part of the decade), lacrosse continued to be played in the neighbouring towns of Whitby and Brooklin, and many of the players were from Oshawa. With the rise of the National Lacrosse League
National Lacrosse League

The National Lacrosse League is the league of men's box lacrosse in North America. It currently has 12 teams; 3 in Canada and 9 in the United States....
 the sport's survival seems assured and again, many players and others involved in the professional league are from the Oshawa area. Former Oshawa Green Gaels captain and Oshawa native, Derek Keenan
Derek Keenan

Derek Keenan is a former lacrosse player, and current head coach and General Manager of the Portland LumberJax of the National Lacrosse League....
, is the current general manager of the Portland Lumberjax
Portland Lumberjax

The Portland LumberJax is a professional box lacrosse team in the National Lacrosse League , which started playing in the 2006 NLL season season....
.

Rugby

Oshawa has been the home of since 1959. Founded by Kris Krause, who migrated to Toronto from England in 1951, was employed by General Motors since 1956. Notable players from the club since its inception include Dave Thompson (Ontario Rugby Hall of Fame) and Dean Van Camp (Rugby Canada Men XV squad). The clubhouse (Thompson Rugby Park) is located in the Oshawa Hamlet of Raglan.

Transportation

As noted above, GO Transit
GO Transit

GO Transit is the interregional public transport serving the conurbation in Ontario, Canada referred to by Metrolinx as the "Greater Toronto and Hamilton Area" and extending to several communities beyond it....
 trains connect the city with downtown Toronto. The Oshawa Station also serves VIA Rail
VIA Rail

Via Rail Canada is an independent Crown corporation offering intercity passenger rail transport services in Canada.Via Rail Canada operates 480 trains in eight Canada Provinces of Canada over a network of of track spanning the country from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean, and from the Great Lakes to Hudson Bay....
 in the Quebec City-Windsor Corridor
Quebec City-Windsor Corridor

The Quebec City ? Windsor Corridor is the most densely-populated and heavily-industrialised region of Canada. With over 17 million people , it contained 56.8% of the Canadian population and three of the four List of the 100 largest metropolitan areas in Canada in the country in 2001....
, as well as GO Buses, and Durham Region Transit
Durham Region Transit

Durham Region Transit is the regional public transit operator in Durham Region, east of Toronto, Ontario, Canada. Its headquarters are at 605 Rossland Rd East in Whitby, Ontario, and there are regional centres in Ajax, Whitby, and Oshawa....
. DRT is a regional transit system, started on January 1 2006, that replaced Oshawa Transit
Oshawa Transit

The Oshawa Transit Commission was the former public transit operator in the City of Oshawa, Ontario.It, along with the other public transit agencies in Durham Region, were merged on January 1,2006 to form Durham Region Transit....
, and has roots in a street railway in the town dating from 1895.

Intercity buses include Greyhound
Greyhound

The Greyhound is a dog breed of hunting dog that has been primarily bred for coursing game and Greyhound racing, but with a recent resurgence of popularity increasingly as a pedigree show dog and family pet....
 (limited service between Toronto, Port Hope
Port Hope, Ontario

Port Hope is a municipality in Ontario, Canada, about 109 km east of Toronto and about 159 km west of Kingston, Ontario. It is located on the north shore of Lake Ontario , at the west end of Northumberland County, Ontario, and had a 2006 census population of 16,390....
, Cobourg
Cobourg, Ontario

Cobourg is a town in the Canada province of Ontario, located 110km east of Toronto. It is the largest town in Northumberland County, Ontario. Its nearest neighbour is Port Hope, Ontario, to the west....
 and Belleville
Belleville, Ontario

Belleville is a city located at the mouth of the Moira River on the Bay of Quinte in southeastern Ontario, Canada, in the Quebec City-Windsor Corridor....
, as well as to Peterborough
Peterborough, Ontario

Peterborough is a city on the Otonabee River in central-eastern Ontario, Canada, 125 kilometres northeast of Toronto. The population of the City of Peterborough was 74,898 in the 2006 census, while the census metropolitan area had a population of 116 570....
 and Ottawa
Ottawa

Ottawa is the Capital of Canada. The city has population of 812,000, the List of the 100 largest municipalities in Canada by population municipality in the country and second largest in Ontario....
, and Can-Ar coaches daily to/from Lindsay
Lindsay, Ontario

Lindsay is a community on the Scugog River in the Kawartha Lakes region of southern Ontario, Canada, 43 kilometres west of Peterborough, Ontario....
 and Toronto, along with GO use the downtown Oshawa Bus Terminal
Oshawa Bus Terminal

Oshawa Bus Terminal is located at 47 Bond Street West in Oshawa, Ontario, Canada. The building is owned by the City of Oshawa and incorporates a multi-storey municipal parking lot....
 at Bond and Centre Streets (Greyhound will also drop off passengers at the Oshawa GO Station upon request).

Rail freight is carried on both the Canadian National and Canadian Pacific Railway
Canadian Pacific Railway

The Canadian Pacific Railway , known as CP Rail between 1968 and 1996, is a Canada Class I railroad operated by Canadian Pacific Railway Limited....
s which traverse the city. Other than Highway 2 (Ontario)
Highway 2 (Ontario)

Highway 2 was the major east-west List of Ontario provincial highways in Southern Ontario, running from Windsor, Ontario in the west to the Quebec near Lancaster, Ontario in the east and joining together the towns and cities of the western two-thirds of the Quebec City-Windsor Corridor within the Canada province of Ontario....
, which reverted to local jurisdiction (King Street and Bond Street) in 1998, the city had no provincially maintained highways until the original section of Highway 401
Highway 401 (Ontario)

The King's Highway 401 is a highway that extends across Southern Ontario, Canada. It is the longest 400-series highways in Ontario, and one of the widest and busiest highways in the world....
 opened in 1947 (as Highway 2A
Highway 2A (Ontario)

Highway 2A is a short controlled-access freeway in Toronto, Ontario that extends from its junction with Kingston Road at the Highland Creek to its junction with Highway 401 ....
). The highway originally terminated at Ritson Road, and was extended east through the remainder of the city to Newcastle in 1952. Oshawa was the only city that Highway 401 was built directly through, rather than bypassing. This resulted in the demolition of several streets and hundreds of homes in the 1930s and 1940s.

The Port of Oshawa is a major stop for the auto industry, and at present there is still a small airport (see above).

Demographics

Ethnic origin
(multiple responses included)
PopulationPercent
Canadian
Demographics of Canada

This article is about the demographics features of the population of Canada, including population density, Ethnic group, education level, health of the populace, economic status, religious affiliations and other aspects of the population....
117,01039.86%
English
English people

The English are a nation and ethnic group native to England who speak English language in England. The English identity as a people is of early medieval origin, when they were known in Old English as the Anglecynn....
97,12533.09%
Scottish
Scottish people

The Scots people are a nation and an ethnic group indigenous to Scotland.Historically, as an ethnic group, they emerged from an amalgamation of Celts, Picts, Gaels and Brythons....
63,38021.59%
Irish
Irish people

The Irish people are a Western European ethnic group who originate in Ireland, in north western Europe. Ireland has been populated for around 9,000 years , with the Irish people's earliest ancestors recorded as the Nemedians, Fomorians, Fir Bolgs, Tuatha D? Danann and the Milesians ?the last group supposedly representing the "pure" Gaelic a...
59,74020.35%
French
French people

French people can refer to:* The legal residents and citizens of France, regardless of ancestry. For a legal discussion, see French nationality law....
32,08510.93%
German
Ethnic German

Ethnic Germans , also collectively referred to as the German diaspora, are those who are considered, by themselves or others, to be of Germans origin ethnicity, not necessarily born or living within the present-day Germany, holding its citizenship or speaking the German language....
22,3807.62%
Dutch (Netherlands)
Dutch people

The Dutch are the people native to the Netherlands, a country in north-western Europe.Dutch people, or descendants of Dutch people, are also found in migrant communities world wide,See the Dutch #Dutch diaspora. and form a mentionable part of the population of Canada,Australia, South Africa and the United States....
15,0855.14%
Italian
Italian people

The Italian people are a Southern European ethnic group located primarily in Italy and, by virtue of a wide-ranging Italian diaspora, throughout Western Europe, the Americas and Australia....
13,9854.76%
Polish
Poles

The Polish people, or Poles , are a West Slavs ethnic group of Central Europe, living predominantly in Poland. Poles are sometimes defined as people who share a common Polish culture and are of Polish descent....
11,4903.91%
Ukrainian
Ukrainians

Ukrainians are an East Slavs ethnic group primarily living in Ukraine, or more broadly?citizens of Ukraine . Some 200 years ago and times prior to that, Ukrainians were usually referred to and known as Rusyny ....
11,0353.76%


According to the 2006 census, population of Oshawa is 141,590, up from 139,051 (1.8 %) in the 2001 census. In 2001, 49.3% of the population was male and 50.7% female. Children under five accounted for approximately 6.5% of the resident population of Oshawa. This compares with 5.8% in Ontario, and almost 5.6% for Canada overall.

In mid-2001, 10.4% of the resident population in Oshawa were of retirement age (65 and over for males and females) compared with 13.2% in Canada, therefore, the average age is 35.8 years of age comparing to 37.6 years of age for all of Canada.

In the five years between 1996 and 2001, the population of Oshawa grew by 10.2%, compared with an increase of 6.1% for Ontario as a whole. Population density of Oshawa averaged 328.0 people per square kilometre, compared with an average of 12.6, for Ontario
Ontario

Ontario is a Provinces and territories of Canada located in the Central Canada part of Canada, the largest by population and second largest, after Quebec, in total area....
 altogether.

According to the 2006 census, the Oshawa Census Metropolitan Area, which includes neighbouring Whitby
Whitby, Ontario

Whitby is a town in Ontario, Canada. Whitby is located east of Toronto on the north shore of Lake Ontario, and is home to the headquarters of Durham Region, Ontario....
 and Clarington, has a population of 330,594.

The information regarding ethnicities at the right is from the . The percentages add to more than 100% because of dual responses (e.g. "French-Canadian" generates an entry in both the category "French" and the category "Canadian".) Groups with greater than 10,000 responses are included.

In 2006, 8.1% of the residents were visible minorities
Visible minority

Visible minority is a term used primarily in Canada to describe persons who are not of the majority Race in a given population.The term is used as a demographic category by Statistics Canada in connection with that country's multiculturalism policies, which are based on race rather than ethnicity....
, 37.4% of whom were Black Canadians.

Religious profile
  • Protestant: 44.7%, Roman Catholic: 30.8%, other Christian: 3.3%
  • Muslim: 0.9%, Hindu: 0.4%


Oshawa is also home to the Canadian headquarters of the Seventh-day Adventist church
Seventh-day Adventist Church

The Seventh-day Adventist Church is a Christianity Religious denomination which is distinguished mainly by its observance of Saturday, the original Days of the week of the Judeo-Christian week, as the Sabbath and Seventh-day Adventism....
, who for many years maintained a college here, and currently run a high school and elementary school.

Communities of Oshawa

  • Downtown Oshawa
    Downtown Oshawa

    Downtown Oshawa has over 150 stores and services, and is located at the intersection of Simcoe and King. Famous for its historic Four Corners, Downtown Oshawa was constructed in 1836, and in the same year the town hall was built....
  • Grandview Heights
  • Kedron
    Kedron (Oshawa)

    Kedron, a relatively small area, is a community on the northern urbanized limits of the city of Oshawa, Ontario, Ontario, Canada. It is home to Durham College, the University of Ontario Institute of Technology, and Camp Samac, a camp run by the Boy Scouts of Canada....
  • Kingsway Village
    Kingsway Village (Oshawa)

    Kingsway Village is an old community centered on the intersection of Townline Road and King Street, on the boundary between Oshawa, Ontario, Ontario, Canada and Courtice....
  • Lake Vista
    Lake Vista (Oshawa)

    Lake Vista is an old Oshawa, Ontario, Ontario, Canada neighbourhood located in the south part of the city. It's boundaries are Highway 401 to the north, the Lake Ontario to the south, the General Motors plant to the West, and Wilson Road to the east....
  • North Oshawa
    North Oshawa (Oshawa)

    North Oshawa is a community located in the northern part of the city of Oshawa, Ontario.It's population is about 4,000. It has 7 or 8 schools and a couple nice community parks....
  • Thornton Woods
    Thornton Woods (Oshawa)

    Thornton Woods is an Oshawa neighbourhood that is centered on the intersection of Thornton and Adelaide. The boundaries are considered to run from King St....


Neighbourhoods

Because Oshawa was for many years a separate and distinct city from Toronto, it remains in certain ways an urban centre unto itself, adjoined by several suburbs in its Census Metropolitan Area, which is entirely contained within the Greater Toronto Area
Greater Toronto Area

The Greater Toronto Area is the most populous metropolitan area in Canada. The GTA is a provincial planning area with a population of 5,555,912 at the 2006 Canadian Census....
. Unlike most Toronto bedroom communities, Oshawa experienced its fastest growth (which was locally self-sustained) well before Toronto spilled over the boundaries of the now-defunct Metropolitan Toronto
Metropolitan Toronto

The Municipality of Metropolitan Toronto was the senior level of municipal government in the Toronto, Ontario, Canada area from 1954 to 1997. It was a precursor to the later concept of a regional municipality, being formed of smaller municipalities but having more responsibilities than a county or district....
 in the 1970s and 1980s. Its industrial base and colourful labour history also make it an unusual kind of suburb. However, Oshawa is today considered to be part of the Greater Toronto Area
Greater Toronto Area

The Greater Toronto Area is the most populous metropolitan area in Canada. The GTA is a provincial planning area with a population of 5,555,912 at the 2006 Canadian Census....
. Despite this, in the mid 1990s, Oshawa residents still voted in a non-binding referendum to overwhelmingly reject any incorporation into a possible Greater Toronto Area amalgamation that would include it. This, however, may have simply reflected an overall dissatisfaction among citizens in the GTA when Metropolitan Toronto was itself amalgamated by the then-governing Progressive Conservative Party
Progressive Conservative Party of Ontario

The Progressive Conservative Party of Ontario , is a right-of-centre political party in Ontario, Canada. The party was known for many years as "Ontario's natural governing party." It has ruled the province for 80 of the years since Canadian Confederation, including an uninterrupted run from 1943 to 1985....
 of Premier Mike Harris
Mike Harris

Michael Deane Harris was the twenty-second Premier of Ontario from June 26, 1995 to April 15, 2002. He is most noted for the "Common Sense Revolution", his government's program of deficit reduction in combination with lower taxes and significant cuts to some government programs....
.

Notable people

  • Philip Akin
    Philip Akin

    'Philip Akin' is a Canada actor who has been active for over thirty years in stage, film, and television. He has had featured roles in major United States films such as The Sum of All Fears, S.W.A.T....
    , actor * Arnie Brown
    Arnie Brown

    Arnold "Arnie" Brown was a defenceman in the National Hockey League with the Toronto Maple Leafs, New York Rangers, Detroit Red Wings, New York Islanders, and Atlanta Flames. He completed his career in the World Hockey Association....
    , NHL player
  • Lloyd Chadburn
    Lloyd Chadburn

    Lloyd Vernon "Chad" Chadburn Distinguished Service Order Medal bar, Distinguished Flying Cross was a Canadian World War II fighter pilot....
    , Canadian WW II fighter pilot
  • A. J. Cook
    A. J. Cook (actress)

    Andrea Joy Cook is a Canadian actor more commonly known as A. J. Cook. She has appeared in several Hollywood films and television shows including The Virgin Suicides , Out Cold , Final Destination 2....
    , actress
  • Dennis Edmonton, songwriter Born to be Wild
    Born to Be Wild

    "Born to Be Wild" is a rock music song written by Mars Bonfire and made famous by the Canada rock music band, Steppenwolf . It is often used in popular culture to denote a motorcycle appearance or attitude....
  • Jerry Edmonton
    Jerry Edmonton

    Jerry Edmonton was the drummer for the rock music band , Steppenwolf .He was born Jerry McCrohan in Oshawa, Ontario, Ontario, Canada. Both he and his brother Dennis, also known as Mars Bonfire, changed their surnames to Edmonton during the 1960s, when they performed in a group called The Sparrows....
    , member of Steppenwolf
    Steppenwolf (band)

    Steppenwolf is a Canada/United States rock music band that helped establish heavy metal music in the late 1960s along with bands like Blue Cheer and Iron Butterfly....
  • Mike Hall, guitarist for 80's rock group the Killer Dwarfs
    Killer Dwarfs

    Killer Dwarfs were a heavy metal music band who formed in late 1981 in Oshawa, Ontario. Though they were known for their off beat sense of humor , they were nominated for two Juno Awards....
  • Shalom Harlow
    Shalom Harlow

    Shalom Harlow is a Canadian Model and actress....
    , Canadian supermodel and actress
  • Dale Hawerchuk
    Dale Hawerchuk

    Dale Hawerchuk is a retired professional ice hockey player. In 2001, he was elected as an Honoured Member of the Hockey Hall of Fame in his second year of eligibility....
    , NHL player
  • Sandy Hawley
    Sandy Hawley

    Desmond Sanford "Sandy" Hawley, Order of Canada is a Hall of Fame jockey.Sandy Hawley started his career as a 17-year-old boy, hotwalking horses at a Toronto racetrack....
    , horse jockey
  • Greg Kean
    Greg Kean

    Gregory Kean Williams is a Canadian television actor. He is perhaps best known for his role as Clancy Lass in the television series Dead Like Me....
    , actor
  • Donald Jackson
    Donald Jackson

    Donald George Jackson, Order of Canada is a retired Canada figure skater. He captured four Canadian titles and a bronze medal at the 1960 Winter Olympics....
    , figure skater who won the bronze at the 1960 Olympics
    1960 Winter Olympics

    The 1960 Winter Olympics, officially known as the VIII Olympic Winter Games, were a winter multi-sport event which was celebrated between February 18 and February 28, 1960 in Squaw Valley, California , California, United States ....
  • John MacLean, NHL player
  • Kevin McClelland
    Kevin McClelland

    Kevin McClelland is a retired professional ice hockey forward .McClelland was drafted in the 4th round, 71st overall, by the Hartford Whalers during the 1980 NHL Entry Draft....
    , NHL player
  • Robert Samuel McLaughlin
    Samuel McLaughlin

    Colonel Robert Samuel McLaughlin, Order of Canada, Canadian Efficiency Decoration, Canadian Forces Decoration was an important Canada businessman, philanthropist and founder, in 1907, of the McLaughlin automobile, one of the first major automobile manufacturers in Canada....
     ("Sam") founder of McLaughlin Buick, philanthropist, millionaire
  • John J. McLaughlin inventor of Canada Dry Ginger Ale, and founder of Canada Dry
    Canada Dry

    File:Canada Dry logo.svg Canada Dry is a brand of soft drinks marketed by Dr Pepper/Seven Up, a unit of Dr Pepper Snapple Group. Canada Dry is best known for its ginger ale, but also manufactures a number of other soft drinks and drink mixers....
    , brother to Robert Samuel McLaughlin
    Samuel McLaughlin

    Colonel Robert Samuel McLaughlin, Order of Canada, Canadian Efficiency Decoration, Canadian Forces Decoration was an important Canada businessman, philanthropist and founder, in 1907, of the McLaughlin automobile, one of the first major automobile manufacturers in Canada....
     and son of Robert McLaughlin
    Robert McLaughlin

    Robert McLaughlin was an Ontario manufacturer. He founded the McLaughlin Carriage and McLaughlin Motor Car companies which later became part of General Motors....
    .
  • Andrew Nicholls, musician, writer, and producer
  • John Part
    John Part

    John Part is a Canada darts player, who is nicknamed Darth Maple.Part is a three time World Champion. His first world title came at the 1994 BDO World Darts Championship and he later won the other version of the world title, the PDC World Darts Championship in 2003 and again in 2008....
    , World Darts Champion
  • Wayne Petti
    Cuff the Duke

    Cuff the Duke is a Canada band from Oshawa, Ontario. They play a blend of traditional Country music and Folk music music with indie rock influences, and can be categorized as an Alternative country group....
    , member of Cuff the Duke
    Cuff the Duke

    Cuff the Duke is a Canada band from Oshawa, Ontario. They play a blend of traditional Country music and Folk music music with indie rock influences, and can be categorized as an Alternative country group....
  • Janice Tanton
    Janice Tanton

    Janice Tanton is a Canada artist.Tanton was born on October 25, 1961 in Oshawa, Ontario and is the daughter of George and Jacqueline Tanton. Her birth parents were Doug Hunter and Louise Brown, both deceased, of Toronto....
    , noted contemporary Canadian artist, and cousin to jockey Sandy Hawley
    Sandy Hawley

    Desmond Sanford "Sandy" Hawley, Order of Canada is a Hall of Fame jockey.Sandy Hawley started his career as a 17-year-old boy, hotwalking horses at a Toronto racetrack....
     (above)
  • Jordan Todosey
    Jordan Todosey

    Jordan Todosey is a Canada child actress....
    , child actor
  • Shawn Thornton
    Shawn Thornton

    Shawn Thornton is a Canada professional Ice hockey Forward for the Boston Bruins of the National Hockey League. He is known to be an enforcer ....
    , NHL player
  • Christopher E. Scott
    Christopher E. Scott

    Christopher Scott is a film director, producer, writer, and editor, noted for his films dealing with controversial social and political issues. He co-founded GrandTheftVideo.com and is the owner of Maroontown Pictures....
    , film director
  • Barbara Underhill
    Barbara Underhill

    Barbara Ann Underhill is a Canadian pairs figure skater. With partner Paul Martini, she was a five-time Canadian national champion and won Gold at the 1984 World Figure Skating Championships....
    , figure skater
  • Lori Yates
    Lori Yates

    Lori Yates is a Canadian Juno Award-nominated country music singer and songwriter....
    , country singer and songwriter
  • Darrell Vickers, musician, writer, and producer
  • Tonya Lee Williams
    Tonya Lee Williams

    Tonya Lee Williams is a Canada actress, best known for her role as Dr. Olivia Barber Winters on the United States soap opera The Young and the Restless, from 1990 to 2005, and for a brief time in 2007....
    , actress
  • Nigel Wilson
    Nigel Wilson

    Nigel Edward Wilson is a former major league baseball player from Oshawa, Ontario, Canada. He played for the Florida Marlins, Cincinnati Reds, and Cleveland Indians....
    , major league baseball player
  • Justin T. Milner, child actor
  • Suzie Pollard
    Suzie Pollard

    Suzie Pollard is a Canada Actor. She currently stars in the television series Beyond the Break as Dawn Preston."CSI: NY" .... Lucy Scott ...
    , actress
  • Kyle Smith
    Kyle Smith

    Kyle Smith is an American critic, novelist and essayist. He is a staff film critic for the New York Post. His film reviewing style has been called "an exercise in hilarious hostility" by Entertainment Weekly....
    , actor
  • Brandon Craggs, actor
  • Scott Brachmayer, cage fighter


Cultural resources

  • Oshawa Military and Industrial Museum
    Oshawa Military and Industrial Museum

    The Oshawa Military and Industrial Museum is an accredited located in Oshawa, Ontario, Canada. The museum, more commonly known as The Ontario Regiment 'Ferret Club', traces its roots in Oshawa to 1980, having grown to become the of the Ontario Regiment Museum....
  • Canadian Aviation Expo
    Canadian Aviation Expo

    The Canadian Aviation Expo is Canada?s largest aviation event, combining a three day tradeshow with a fly-in. Except for 2007 it has included an airshow....
  • Oshawa Downtown Murals
  • Oshawa Civic Auditorium
    Oshawa Civic Auditorium

    The Oshawa Civic Auditorium is a 3,625?seat multi-purpose arena in Oshawa, Ontario, Canada. It opened in 1964, and was home to the Oshawa Generals ice hockey team of the Ontario Hockey League from December 1964 to October 2006....
  • General Motors Centre
  • (North Oshawa Recreation Centre)
  • South Oshawa Community Centre
  • McLaughlin branch of the Oshawa Public Library
  • Oshawa Community Museum & Archives


See also

  • Camp X
    Camp X

    Camp X was the unofficial name of a World War II paramilitary and commando training installation, on the northwestern shore of Lake Ontario between whitby, Ontario and Oshawa, Ontario in Ontario, Canada....
  • Oshawa Car Assembly
    Oshawa Car Assembly

    Oshawa Car Assembly is a major car manufacturing facility in the city of Oshawa, Ontario, Ontario, Canada building various automobiles for General Motors....
  • Oshawa Truck Assembly
    Oshawa Truck Assembly

    Oshawa Truck Assembly is a General Motors Canada truck factory in Oshawa, Ontario, Canada. It opened in 1965, and has produced Chevrolet C/K and Chevrolet Silverado trucks....


External links