Oshawa Harbour
The City is in the process of acquiring approximately 23 acres of land located near the Oshawa Harbour.The 23 acres are on the east side of Simcoe Street, south from Harbour Road to about 140 metres south of the Oshawa Creek.
In addition, the City has already acquired approximately 4 acres of land located on the north side of Harbour Road (please refer to map).
The land was part of a 2010 settlement agreement between the City, the federal government and the Oshawa Harbour Commission (OHC). The land acquired by the City does not include the former marina. The City will consider the acquisition of the former marina in summer/fall 2012. The City hopes to acquire 48 acres in total from the federal government and the OHC.
In addition, as part of the agreement, the federal government will transition the Oshawa Harbour Commission into a Canada Port Authority (CPA). The CPA will guide the development of a plan for the Oshawa Harbour and deep water port.
Oshawa submits a compelling case against a proposed ethanol refinery at the Harbour
Oshawa City Council thanks residents, the public and community and advocacy groups for voicing their strong opposition to the the proposed construction and operation of a 210-million-litre ethanol refinery at the Oshawa Harbour (registry reference number 08-01-42395).
The City of Oshawa has submitted to Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada approximately 3,300 opposition letters. Along with the opposition letters, the City delivered its 300-page response. The comprehensive submission is based on an in-depth review of the Environmental Assessment (EA) Screening Report from a legal, land use planning and scientific perspective. The submission emphasizes that the Screening Report does not comply with the legal requirements of the Canadian Environmental Assessment Act, fails to address serious land-use compatibility issues, and does not provide the data and analysis necessary to evaluate the environmental effects of the ethanol facility. For details, read the Overview of the City ’s Comment Submission.
Download the complete City of Oshawa Comment Response Submission:
- Cover Page and Overview of the City's Comment Submission
- Table of Contents
- Part 1 – Legal Review
- Part 2 – City Planning Report
- Part 3 – Technical Peer Review
- Part 4 – Appendices A, B, C, D, E, F, G, H, I, J, K, L, M, N, O, P, Q, R, S, T, U, V, W, X
More Information
The proposed ethanol refinery would include four grain silos, each standing 125 feet high (equivalent to four 12-storey buildings). In addition, the shipment of raw materials and end product into and out of the ethanol refinery would generate hundreds of daily truck trips near the harbour.
Correspondence
- Response letter from The Honourable Gerry Ritz , Minister of Agriculture and Agri-Food and Minister for the Canadian Wheat Board (Jan. 20, 2012)
- Response letter from The Honourable Denis Lebel, Minister of Transport, Infrastructure and Communities (Nov 15, 2011)
- Letter from Mayor Henry to the Honourable Gerry Ritz, Minister of Agriculture and Agri-Food and Minister for the Canadian Wheat Board – Nov 10, 2011
- Response letter from The Honourable Gerry Ritz, Minister of Agriculture and Agri-Food and Minister for the Canadian Wheat Board (Oct 20, 2011)
- Response letter from The Honourable Peter Kent, Minister of the Environment (Oct 6, 2011)
- Letter of support from Robert Bateman (Aug 16, 2011)
- YouTube Video: Mayor Henry video thanking residents (Aug 10, 2011)
- Letter from Harold L. Atwood, University of Toronto Professor regarding Second Marsh and the proposed FarmTech Ethanol Refinery (Aug 9, 2011)
- Response letter from Transport Canada regarding its delay in creating a Canada Port Authority (Aug 2, 2011)
- Letter from the City Manager to Transport Canada regarding its delay in forming the required Canada Port Authority (Jul 26, 2011)
- Response letter from Margaret Atwood voicing her strong opposition to the construction of the proposed ethanol plant (Aug 3, 2011)
- Ministry of Environment - Review of the revised Environmental Screening Report for proposed Farmtech Ethanol Fuel Production Facility (Jul 28, 2011)
- Media Release: Oshawa granted two additional weeks to build a case against an ethanol refinery at waterfront (Jul 28, 2011)Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada announces extension for public consultation period (Jul 28, 2011)
- Letter to Prime Minister Stephen Harper from Mayor Henry requesting additional support (Jul 28, 2011)
- Letter from Mayor Henry requesting that the OHC be transparent and accountable (Jul 20, 2011)
- Letter from the Harbour Commission denying the City of Oshawa site visit access (Jul 19,2011)
- Response letter from the OHC declining to share information (Jul 26, 2011)
- Response letter from Maude Barlow, National Chairperson, Council of Canadians urging greater public consultation (Jul 26, 2011)
- Response letter from the David Suzuki Foundation supporting our opposition to the ethanol plant at Oshawa's harbour(Jul 25, 2011)
- Letter from Mayor Terry Clayton requesting consideration to have the ethanol plant located in Township of Brock(Jul 21, 2011)
- Media Release: Oshawa community fights to keep an ethanol plant away from its waterfront (Jul 14, 2011)
- Council Resolution - designation of sensitive land uses - CM-11-38
- Council Resolution - request to extend EA comment period - CM-11-37
- Council Resolution - affirmation of opposition to an ethanol plant at the Oshawa Harbour - CM-11-37
- Letter to the Minister of the Environment from the Canadian Environmental Law Association (Jul 5, 2011)
- Ethanol Plant Motion - Regional Council (Jun 29, 2011)
Oshawa Harbour - Background
In 1966, the City of Oshawa transferred about 61 acres of land to the Government of Canada (“Crown”) specifically for harbour purposes and the growth of the local economy. For some time, the City felt that the 61 acres were underutilized and did not contribute to the growth of the local economy as intended.
In April 2006, the Oshawa Harbour Commission (OHC) and CN proposed a rail spur on a part of the 61 acres. In response, the City initiated a lawsuit in July 2006 against OHC, CN and the Crown to get the 61 acres back.
In September 2007, the Canadian Transportation Agency approved the construction of the rail spur over the City’s objection; however, the lawsuit continued with respect to the return of the 61 acres.
In June 2009 in response to an offer by the Crown, City Council authorized confidential negotiations with the Crown and OHC to try and settle the lawsuit and move the harbour forward in an appropriate manner. Negotiations took place between June 2009 and May 2010 and a proposed settlement was prepared.
In June 2010, the City, the Crown and OHC negotiated a settlement and two legal agreements implementing the settlement were signed by all three parties. For details about the Oshawa Harbour agreement announced in July 2010, please click on the links below.
- PowerPoint Presentation
- Map - Land Ownership
- Map - Potential Urban Design Option
- Information Pamphlet (graphic design layout)
- Information Pamphlet (text only layout)
- Federal Government Media Release
- Settlement Agreement
- Land Use, Development & Municipal Services Agreement
In addition, the City held a public meeting on October 13, 2010. During the meeting, a presentation was made by City staff. Click here to download the presentation.
Additional Information
For additional information on the Oshawa Harbour, please email harbour@oshawa.ca.
For information on the Oshawa Waterfront Master Plan, visit the Oshawa Waterfront Master Plan webpage.



