Statement from Mayor Carter on Ontario’s Framework for a Defence Industrial Strategy

Oshawa Mayor Dan Carter has released the following statement in response to the Ontario Government unveiling the province’s first-ever Framework for a Defence Industrial Strategy at the Canadian Association of Defence and Security Industries Conference (CANSEC):

“The Government of Ontario’s Framework for a Defence Industrial Strategy is a decisive step toward strengthening Canada’s sovereign defence capabilities, securing resilient supply chains, and scaling domestic innovation to meet national and allied requirements. The City of Oshawa welcomes this framework and affirms our commitment to working with provincial and federal partners, industry, and post‑secondary institutions to turn policy into tangible capability.

Oshawa is uniquely positioned to support and accelerate the province’s defence industrial objectives through our Integrated National Defence Innovation Corridor. Our strategic Corridor brings together advanced manufacturing capacity, multimodal logistics, concentrated R&D and testing assets, and a growing talent base in cybersecurity, artificial intelligence, and systems engineering. These are complemented by GM Canada’s long-standing rich history in Oshawa and its cutting-edge advancements in automotive technology at the GM Canadian Technical Centre and CTC McLaughlin Advanced Technology Track. These strengths align directly with the Framework’s priorities to expand domestic production, shorten procurement timelines, and deepen industrial collaboration across the defence ecosystem.

Oshawa has a long history of supporting industrial developments through generous incentives to support a vibrant local job market. Providing development charge exemptions has led to the introduction of more than 7,000 new jobs in Oshawa since 2018 and spurred industrial developments. Together with lands already zoned for defence‑related uses and a supply of shovel‑ready sites, these incentives underscore the City’s strategic commitment to the defence sector and its readiness to support rapid growth vital to national security and sovereignty.

Key alignments and opportunities

• • Advanced testing and R&D: Oshawa hosts the ACE Wind Tunnel, a NATO DIANA‑capable facility able to simulate Arctic conditions for aerospace and systems testing, providing a rare and critical capability for cold‑weather defence research and validation. A recent $5 million FedDev Ontario investment further expands ACE into a defence technology hub – demonstrating federal recognition of Oshawa’s strategic value and catalytic potential. The Oshawa Executive Airport offers the unique opportunity for real-world validation of these capabilities, minutes from ACE and with strategic advantage of direct Arctic connectivity.
    
    
  • Integrated multimodal logistics and manufacturing: Proximity to major highways, rail connections, a deep seaport with access to international markets via the St. Lawrence Seaway, Oshawa Executive Airport and GM Canada’s Oshawa Assembly Plant creates a resilient, multimodal supply chain suited to defence manufacturing and rapid deployment.
    
    
  • Talent and innovation pipeline: A pipeline of 35,000 students at four renowned post‑secondary institutions, training centres, and private-sector partners supply skilled workers in advanced manufacturing, AI, and cybersecurity to support defence projects at scale.
    
    
  • Investment‑friendly development: The City of Oshawa offers zero development charges on industrial development and service-ready sites with immediate availability, reducing upfront costs for defence manufacturers and accelerating project timelines to meet urgent capability needs.

Oshawa is open for business and stands ready to partner on procurement, joint R&D initiatives, workforce development programs, and infrastructure investments that will deliver secure, made‑in‑Canada solutions for our armed forces and allied partners. We invite provincial and federal ministries, the defence industry, SMEs, and academic partners to continue engaging with the City to discover opportunities within the Corridor and to leverage Oshawa’s many strategic assets.

We look forward to collaborating to ensure Ontario’s Framework for a Defence Industrial Strategy translates into durable economic growth, high‑quality jobs for Ontario, and strengthened national security.”

To learn more about Oshawa’s unique position as an Integrated National Defence Innovation Corridor and the opportunities that Oshawa offers, visit Oshawa.ca/Defence.

To learn more about Ontario’s framework for the Ontario Defence Industrial Strategy, visit https://shorturl.at/8xnmD