(2004 population 150,000, metropolitan population 296,298) is a city on
Lake Ontario located 56 kilometres east of downtown
Toronto ,
Ontario ,
Canada . It is commonly viewed as the eastern anchor of both the
Greater Toronto Area and the
Golden Horseshoe . It is the largest community in the
Regional Municipality Of Durham . The name Oshawa originates from the
Seneca native term for "crossing of a stream".
The automobile industry, specifically the Canadian division of
General Motors , has always been Oshawa's lifeblood. Founded in 1876 as the
McLaughlin Carriage Company , 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, has become a backdrop favoured by Toronto film crews.
The city is also home to
Windfields Farm , a thoroughbred horse breeding operation and birthplace of Canada's most famous racehorse,
Northern Dancer .
Once very much a distinct community - physically, economically, and culturally - Oshawa has been increasingly subsumed into the
Greater Toronto Area by
Urban Sprawl .
The city of Oshawa started out as a transfer point for the
Fur Trade . Beaver and other animal pelts where trapped by local natives and traded with the
Coureur Des Bois (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 . 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.
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 , who left the United States to live under British rule. Later Irish and then French Canadian immigration increased as did industrialization. As well, the surveys ordered by Governor
John Graves Simcoe , 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) by the name of 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 about a half-mile east to the southeast corner of this intersection; as his store became a popular meeting place (probably because it also seved as the Post Office) the corner, and the growing settlement that surrounded it, was 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. The name "Oshawa" was adopted, a native term meaning "where we leave our canoes and walk." As a result the Post Office became Oshawa. 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 (or as near as was possible at that time), and implement works, tanneries, asheries and wagon factories opened (often closing shortly after their opening, as economic "panics" occurred regularly). In 1876, Colonel Robert
Samuel McLaughlin 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. The village became a town in 1879. 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 (these sites are today home to McLaughlin Square (an condominium building) and the new YMCA. Rail service had been provided in 1890 by an electric line which provided both streetcar and freight service, connecting central Oshawa with the Grand Trunk (today the CNR) Railway. The Oshawa Railway was acquired by the Grand Trunk operation around 1910, and streetcar service replaced by buses (built by GM) in 1940; after GM moved its main plants to south Oshawa in 1951, freight traffic fell and most of the tracks were removed after 1963, although a line to the old plants via Ritson Road remained until 2000.
In 1907 the McLaughlin Carriage Company began to manufacture Buick automobiles under the McLaughlin-Buick name, and in 1915 the firm acquired the manufacturing rights to the
Chevrolet brand. Within 3 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. Oshawa annexed the area to its south, including both the harbour and the community of Cedardale. This growth meant that The City of Oshawa was incorporated on
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.
In 1950, the city annexed a larger portion of East Whitby Township (the area to the west of Park Road). Some of this area had been developed during the 1920s boom period, even though it was not actually an official part of Oshawa. The opening of what later became
Highway 401 , shortly after World War II, caused another rapid expansion of Oshawa, as the annexed land was built up as new subdivisions and Oshawa became a bedroom community for both Toronto and its other suburbs as well as a manufacturing centre. With the creation of the Regional Municipality of Durham in 1974, Oshawa took on its present boundaries, which include several established hamlets now becoming suburban communities. 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 is headquarters to
General Motors Canada , which has large-scale manufacturing and administrative operations in the city and employs many thousands both directly and indirectly.
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 promising business improvement efforts. The city's southern neighbourhoods tend to be considerably poorer than its 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 mid-20th-century industrial workers, while the northern half has a suburban feel more typical of later decades.
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 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 , rural
Quebec and northern Ontario. The city was also a magnet for European immigrants in the skilled trades and boasts substantial
Polish ,
Ukrainian ,
German and
Russian ethnic communities.
Although the workforce at General Motors of Canada has shrunk in recent years (more reductions through attrition are planned), the company continues to make significant technology and capital investments at its sites in Oshawa. 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 , and wages at such operations tend to be much lower than at General Motors itself.
Despite GM's troubles, 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 fast growing neighbours
Whitby and
Clarington . Many commuters have been enticed to Oshawa by relatively cheap housing prices and regular rail service into downtown Toronto provided by
GO Transit . The growth of subdivisions to house Toronto commuters will likely accelerate if the long-planned
Highway 407 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 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 would be closed and its traffic diverted to a major new Toronto reliever airport to be constructed in
Pickering . 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 , 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 it's importance to the community and local economy. Additional aviation related construction is also taking place on the airport lands.
The
University Of Ontario Institute Of Technology also operates commercial pilot training from Oshawa Airport in conjunction with the two resident flight schools, an agreement of which is aided by the central and close location of the airport in relation to the university lands.
''See also
Oshawa (electoral District) ''
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 . The city has played an important role in Canada's labour history, including the 1937 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 (County) riding when
Michael Starr a high ranking
Progressive Conservative MP and Cabinet Member in the
Diefenbaker era served. Starr served the new
Oshawa—Whitby riding for one term, before being narrowly defeated by future federal NDP leader
Ed Broadbent in 1968. Broadbent then represented the city in the
Canadian House Of Commons 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 unchanging social attitudes led many voters towards the
Progressive Conservative Party Of Ontario and the
Canadian Alliance , a conservative party at the federal level. Conservative candidates have won recent provincial and federal elections, whereas from 1968-1993 the city provided a safe
New Democratic Party 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 (not coterminous with the City of Oshawa, but containing most of it) was the country's most competitive. The Conservative candidate edged out his NDP rival by several hundred votes; it was an atypical and ideologically stark race that left the Liberals in third place.
In local politics, recent debate has centred around the construction of a new sports arena. Other issues include:
- high property taxes in the newer northern and eastern areas of the city
- the sale of public utilities
- the rejuvenation of the downtown area (in which the sports arena is being built)
- the construction of a new courthouse on former GM lands in the downtown
- production and job cuts and the overall financial health of GM
Oshawa is home to Ontario's newest university, the
University Of Ontario Institute Of Technology , opened in 2003. The university shares a campus and some facilities with
Durham College , although the two institutions are independent. Given the city's industrial heritage, the university's courses emphasize technology, manufacturing and engineering themes.
Trent University also offers a full-time program at the campus.
Oshawa, for the most part, is served by radio and television stations from
Toronto . The city does, however, have one
AM station,
CKDO (1350), and one
FM station,
CKGE (94.9), of its own. Both stations are owned by Durham Radio, which also owns
CJKX and operates it from the same studios at the airport, although it is licenced to the nearby community of
Ajax .
Oshawa also has a rebroadcast transmitter of
Peterborough 's
CBC Television affiliate
CHEX on channel 22, which airs a daily afternoon news 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 1950's assignments as it was geographically too close to Toronto (the original spacings were set at 90 miles).
Oshawa is served by a number of community weekly newspapers, of which the most significant is Oshawa This Week (published three times per week). This newspaper is published by Metroland, which is part of the Torstar operation. The city also receives daily newspaper coverage from Toronto's newspapers, including the ''
Toronto Star '' and the ''
Toronto Sun ''. There was a daily newspaper, the ''Oshawa Times'', which was closed by the owner after a lengthy strike in 1994.
Oshawa is home to the
Oshawa Generals OHL (
Ontario Hockey League ) team, which is the top level for players aged 15 - 20. Famous Alumni of this team include
Bobby Orr and
Eric Lindros .
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 was also destroyed by fire.
As noted above,
GO Transit trains connect the city with downtown Toronto. The
Oshawa Station also serves
VIA Rail in the
Quebec City-Windsor Corridor , as well as GO Buses, and
Durham Region Transit . DRT is a regional transit system, started on
January 1 2006 , that replaced
Oshawa Transit , and has roots in a street railway in the town dating from 1895.
Intercity buses include
Greyhound (limited service between Toronto,
Port Hope ,
Cobourg and
Belleville , as well as to
Peterborough and
Ottawa , and Can-Ar coaches daily to/from
Lindsay and Toronto, along with GO use a downtown terminal at Bond and Centre Streets (Greyhound will also drop off passengers at the Oshawa GO Station upon request).
There is rail freight carried on both the
Canadian National and
Canadian Pacific Railway s which traverse the city. Other than
Highway 2 (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 opened in 1947 (as
Ontario Highway 2A ). 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).
According to the mid-2001 census, the population estimates there were 139 051 people residing in Oshawa, located in the province of Ontario, of whom 49.3% were male and 50.7% were 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 altogether.
At the time of the census in May 2001, the population of the City of Oshawa was 139,051, and 296,298 for the Oshawa Census Metropolitan Area, which includes neighbouring
Whitby and
Clarington .
According to StatCan Population Groups Census, the racial make-up of Oshawa is as follows:
- : 30.8%, other Christian: 3.3%
- Muslim: 0.9%, Hindu : 0.4%
Oshawa 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 . 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 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 part of the
Greater Toronto Area .
