Business Funding & Support Finder launched as an immediate response to the most identified need in the survey, with over 170 new user profile registrants and counting to date.
Business Retention and Expansion Program
Oshawa Economic Development is undertaking a Business Retention and Expansion (BR+E) Program aimed at supporting the growth and retention of Oshawa-based businesses across the city.
The Oshawa BR+E Program is structured, collaborative, data-based and aims to put our business community at the forefront. Through the program, we aim to connect with local businesses through an online survey and in-person meetings to gather insights, support growth and/or resolve immediate concerns, deepening our relationship in the process.
The City of Oshawa is working as part of a broader network of organizations aiming to help your business succeed in Oshawa. Our goal is to add value and build further capacity within the business community through collaborations amongst related sectors of our economy and in alignment with the Oshawa Economic Development Strategy. The Oshawa BR+E Program is a four-stage process, which is currently in stage 3:
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Top business needs identified
Awareness of business incentive programs
Opportunities for business networking
Assistance with marketing and operations improvement
Hiring and retaining talent, succession planning, and leadership development
Action Plan development items
The development items below present a total of 17 high-level actions segregated according to the key themes, which emerged from the BR+E survey, stakeholder input, and meetings with businesses conducted thus far. The implementation of these actions are dependent on further feasibility assessment.
Action Item 1
Action Item 2
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Action Item 17
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Actions taken
Immediate initiative implementation #1
Immediate initiative implementation #2
A complimentary Funding & Grant Writing Seminar was conducted in October 2025 in partnership with the Business Advisory Centre Durham (BACD), Greater Oshawa Chamber of Commerce (GOCC), and Reid Write Consulting, which welcomed 100 local business representatives.
BR+E survey
We value Oshawa's business community and still want to hear about opportunities and challenges affecting your business. While future responses will not be added to the reported results above, we continue to invite you to share your priorities by completing our BR+E Survey, which should take approximately ten minutes. Your feedback will help us improve local programs, services, and partnerships that support your business and strengthen our community.
Oshawa Economic Development
Connect with us
Contact Us
Oshawa Economic Development
Oshawa City Hall,
50 Centre St. S.,
Oshawa, Ontario L1H 3Z7
Phone: 905-436-5617
Toll Free: 1-800-667-4292
Fax: 905-436-5623
Email: business@oshawa.ca
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