City of Oshawa and Queen’s University advance new Health Sciences facility in downtown Oshawa

The City of Oshawa and Queen’s University are pleased to announce a new collaboration to establish a facility in Oshawa that will serve as home to some of the university’s health sciences programs including the Queen’s Lakeridge Health MD Family Medicine, and Family Medicine residency programs based in Durham Region.

The new facility will be located at 111-117 King Street East in downtown Oshawa, the former Oshawa Clinic property. The Oshawa Clinic served patients beginning in 1927 and was once Canada’s largest medical clinic. Establishing a new health sciences facility at the property builds on its longstanding connection to health care in the community. The location also offers convenient access to Lakeridge Health Oshawa, transit, and other downtown amenities and services.

The new facility will support medical education in Oshawa at a time when access to family physicians continues to be a significant challenge in the community. Approximately 17,000 Oshawa residents, or roughly 1 in every 12 residents, are not currently attached to a family physician.

Queen’s University, including its Family Medicine Residency Program, has had a presence throughout Durham Region for more than a decade, with Lakeridge Health Oshawa serving as a major teaching site. That presence expanded in 2023 with the launch of the Queen’s-Lakeridge Health MD Family Medicine Program, which welcomes 20 new medical students each year to study and train in Oshawa. As of September 2026, the program has grown to 80 learners. With research showing that where physicians train is an important predictor of where they ultimately practice, the program is building a pipeline of family physicians, where many may stay in the Oshawa and Durham Region.

Queen’s University will undertake a multi-year planning and construction process, which includes securing funding for the new facility and providing the City with updates as the project advances. Once completed, the King Street East property will serve as a home for Queen’s University and create opportunities for future expansion of medical and other education programs in Durham Region.

To support the establishment of the new facility, the City has made an investment in the project in the amount of $20 million through the acquisition and donation of the 111-117 King Street East property, including the northern portion of the parking lot, as well as costs associated with building intelligence reports and interior demolition.

Quick facts:

• Approximately 17,000 Oshawa residents, or roughly 1 in every 12 residents, are not currently attached to a family physician.
• More than 1,500 babies born in Durham Region are discharged each year without a primary care physician.
•  Approximately 27 per cent of Durham’s family physicians are over age 60 and nearing retirement from clinical practice.
• The City adopted an approach similar to York University and in accordance with the Municipal Act, 2001, the $20 million will be financed through the establishment of a new Health Sciences Reserve. The Reserve will be replenished through annual operating budget contributions of $1 million over 20 years beginning in 2027. The estimated tax levy impact is 0.51 per cent.

Quotes:

“This exciting collaboration with Queen’s University and Lakeridge Health marks an important milestone for Oshawa and our downtown. I am incredibly proud of the groundwork established by the 2022-2026 Oshawa City Council, whose leadership and vision helped create the strong foundation for this transformative initiative. On behalf of the City, I also want to thank Atria Development and President Hans Jain for their collaboration and contributions to making this opportunity possible. We look forward to the milestones ahead and to welcoming Queen’s University’s new Health Sciences facility to our community in the near future.”

–  Mayor Dan Carter, City of Oshawa

“Queen's is proud to be working with the City of Oshawa in establishing a site that will serve as a home base for training physicians in the Durham Region. The transfer of the King Street site brings us one step closer to realizing our vision for an integrated clinical and education facility in the area.”

–  Lisa Tannock, Dean, Health Sciences, Queen’s University

Queen’s School of Medicine 

For more than 150 years, Queen’s School of Medicine has been training physicians who lead, innovate, and care. The school offers a general MD program on its Kingston campus, a Family Medicine-focused MD program based at Lakeridge Health in Oshawa and over 30 residency and fellowship programs in partnership with Kingston Health Sciences Centre and affiliated hospitals and clinics across Ontario. Driven by a spirit of inquiry, Queen’s Medicine graduates are known for their versatility and leadership.