Residents
Welcome to Oshawa, a city where people choose to live and enjoy safe neighbourhoods, good schools, a variety of businesses and beautiful parks and trails! With our successful downtown, growing retail and business segment, and many tourism activities, Oshawa is a city with a commitment to community-based living.
The following information will help you understand many of the services offered by the City, as well as provide key contacts for other important local resources.
| Arts, Culture and Heritage | ||
| Oshawa develops vibrant and dynamic cultural events and programs as well as supports local cultural organizations. Discover Oshawa today: | ||
| Building and Renovating | ||
| If you build an addition, a garage or a shed, or make renovations to your home, a building permit may be required. Visit our Building and Renovating page for more information. | ||
| By-law Enforcement | ||
| Municipal Law Enforcement Officers work with residents and businesses to ensure they are meeting the requirements of a variety of by-laws. Visit our By-law Enforcement page for more information. | ||
| By-laws | ||
| Municipal by-laws help to keep our City a safe and enjoyable place to live and work. View our By-laws page now. | ||
| City Contacts | ||
| Visit our Contact Us page for our location, hours of operation, City contacts and other helpful information. | ||
| City Government | ||
| Oshawa is one of eight lower-tier municipalities within the Regional Municipality of Durham and is governed by a Mayor and eleven Council Members elected every four years by Oshawa residents. As well, the community can be involved in decision-making through participation with City committees. Visit our City Council page for more information. | ||
| Connect Oshawa - an online community engagement platform | ||
| Have your say! Connect Oshawa is an online community engagement platform designed to give you a voice on City initiatives. | ||
| Education | ||
| From pre-school to university, Oshawa has excellent options for education at all levels. View our Education page for more information. | ||
| Emergency Preparedness | ||
| If there is a flood, tornado, ice storm or other emergency, having an emergency plan and an emergency kit on-hand is important and will help you be self-sufficient for 72 hours. Visit our Emergency Preparedness page for more information. | ||
| Employment and Volunteer Opportunities with the City | ||
| The City regularly has a variety of job and volunteer opportunities. We promote diversity and equal opportunities in the workplace across various departments throughout the City. Visit our Employment page for more information. | ||
| Festivals and Events | ||
| Oshawa is proud to host and/or facilitate many festivals and special events throughout the year for you to enjoy. Visit our Festivals and Events page for more information. | ||
| Garbage, Recycling and Green Bin | ||
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New residents to the Region of Durham will receive a complimentary waste diversion kit. View more information about New Resident Diversion Kits. On your scheduled collection day:
Please visit our Find Your Collection Schedule page and enter your address to look up your collection day or download the Durham Region Waste app. Place your garbage, recycling and green bin at the curb before 7:00 a.m. on the day of your collection. Never forget your collection day! Download the Durham Region mobile app to get reminders, alerts and sorting tips for blue box, green bin and garbage. |
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| Health | ||
| Lakeridge Health serves the community for patient care and programs. Learn more about other Health Services Organizations in the City of Oshawa. | ||
| Immigration Portal | ||
| The cultural diversity of Oshawa is a source of enrichment and strength for the City.
For those who are new to Canada, please visit the Durham Region Immigration Portal, a one-stop, community-based immigration web portal, designed to welcome, support, attract and retain skilled newcomers, entrepreneurs, businesses and other new Canadians to our Region. |
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| New Home in a New Subdivision | ||
| If you have moved into a new home in an area of the City that is newly developed, visit our New Subdivision Homeowners Information page for helpful tips. | ||
| Oshawa Public Libraries | ||
| The Oshawa Public Library has four locations: the McLaughlin Branch, Northview Branch, Jess Hann Branch and Legends Centre Branch. All branches provide a variety of free materials and services. | ||
| Oshawa Senior Citizens Centres | ||
| The Oshawa Senior Citizens Centre has four locations: the John Street Branch, Northview Branch, Legends Branch and Conant Branch, each of which offer a variety of programs and services. | ||
| Parking | ||
| Visit our Parking page for information about parking in the downtown, in residential neighbourhoods and on private property. A permit is available for you and your guests while you move into your new home - visit our Occasional Use Parking Permits page for more information. | ||
| Parks and Trails | ||
| Oshawa's parks and trails system encompasses almost 410 hectares of parkland and more than 27 kilometres of paved surface for you to explore. Visit our Parks, Trails & Natural Areas page for all locations. | ||
| Pet Licences | ||
| All cats, dogs and ferrets must be licensed in Oshawa. A licence protects your pet by providing an easy-to-identify tag and registration with Oshawa Animal Services. Visit our Pet Licensing page for more information. | ||
| Property Taxes | ||
| The City determines property taxes by applying the assessed value of properties from the Municipal Property Assessment Corporation (MPAC) to the current tax rates to arrive at the amount of taxes owing each year.
There are a number of payment options, including our Pre-authorized Payment Plan that enables residents to pay their property tax bill automatically in monthly installments. Visit our Property Taxes page for more information. |
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| Public Safety | ||
Oshawa Fire Services and the Durham Region Police Service contribute to ensuring Oshawa is a safe and secure place to live and raise a family.
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| Public Transit | ||
| Visit our Public Transit page for information on how you can get around the city and surrounding area by using one of the public transit options offered within Oshawa. | ||
| Recreation | ||
| Oshawa offers many recreational programs, events and activities available to everyone. The activeOshawa Guide is a great resource to help keep you active and connected in our community. View more information: | ||
| Seniors | ||
| There are a variety of programs and services available for seniors in Oshawa. Visit our Seniors page for more information. | ||
| Service Oshawa - Connecting You to Your City | ||
| Do you need a City service or information? We can help! Please visit our Service Oshawa page for more information. | ||
| Snow Clearing | ||
During winter snowstorms:
The City clears City-owned roads on a priority-based schedule:
The Region of Durham maintains all Regional Roads in Oshawa. Homeowners are required to clear the snow and ice from municipal sidewalks adjacent to their property by midnight of the first day following the end of a snowfall. View more information about how you can help during snow events:
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| Social Media and eNewsletters | ||
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We encourage you to experience all that Oshawa has to offer. For updates on seasonal plans and programs, subscribe to our quarterly e-newsletters or follow "oshawacity" on our official social media accounts. |
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| Students | ||
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Students are an important part of our community, they help make our community vibrant and dynamic and we thank them for choosing Oshawa. |
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| Utilities | ||
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