In a bid to combat Oshawa residents poor access to family doctors; A new facility to train medical staff is going to be established in Oshawa in collaboration with Queens University.
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. 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 facility will be 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.
Lisa Tannock, Dean of Health Sciences at Queen’s said that “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.”
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.
Oshawa has 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.
Mayor Dan Carter expressed his excitement at the collaboration with Queen’s University and Lakeridge Health; saying that “this marks an important milestone for Oshawa and our downtown.” and that “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.”
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