Oshawa Council – saying it has been struggling to cope with the massive popularity of Lakeview Park – has endorsed a motion to implement paid parking for non-registered visitors to the park.
Five-months of paid parking at a flat rate of $20 per day for non-resident visitors will be in effect at the park from May 15, 2026. Paid parking will also be in effect on weekends and public holidays. Oshawa residents who register their licence plate(s) with the city will continue to be allowed to park for free.
City of Pickering and the Township of Uxbridge have also implemented paid parking the waterfront and select trail heads respectively.
Lakeview Park was a major city venue for Canada Day celebrations on July 1.
“The park has been swamped with users, especially on weekends, holidays and when special events are held,” said Councillor Brian Nicholson of Ward 5 Oshawa and Durham Council. “It is not uncommon to see over 10,000+ persons at the park on one of these weekends and often much more.”
He had put forward the motion, which was endorsed on June 27.
Major Service Disruptions
Nicholson pointed out that this massive amount of use is having major disruptions in services provided such as parking, waste removal and wear and tear on facilities.
“Much of this use is a result of residents not from Oshawa using Lakeview Park as their go-to park destination. This influx has resulted in preventing many Oshawa residents from using their park that they paid for with their taxes,” said Nicholson.
He said to try to address this, city council tried to limit out-of-town groups from taking out permits to use the park. Unfortunately this step did not work as park usage actually went up. “As a result of this situation and before the park and its equipment is damaged further, city council chose to introduce non-resident paid parking to begin May 15, 2026.”
Annual Paid Parking During Summer
Staff have been directed to begin the process towards implementing this paid parking plan so it is ready to move forward at the beginning of the spring/summer season next year.
Paid parking is planned to be annual. The funds raised from the parking fees will be used to pay for the parking fee system and any excess will be used to enhance and protect Lakeview Park, said Nicholson.
He said Oshawa residents who register their vehicle licence plate(s) with the city along with proof of residence will not be required to pay for parking at Lakeview Park.
How do you register license plate? I think this is a great idea but who will patrol this and will there be tickets for those that are not residents?