Oshawa has been named one of Canada’s best business locations for 2026 by Site Selection magazine, placing the city among 20 economic-development organizations recognized nationwide.
The publication’s list evaluates corporate facility activity, capital investment and job creation. Site Selection’s underlying project window ran from June 1, 2025 through May 31, 2026.
Projects qualified for its Conway Projects Database when they involved at least US$1 million in investment, created at least 20 affiliated jobs or added at least 20,000 square feet of space. Results were considered on both cumulative and per-capita bases.
Oshawa among 11 Ontario locations recognized
Eleven of the 20 listed economic-development groups are in Ontario. Oshawa appears alongside Brampton, Brantford, Hamilton, London, Mississauga, Oakville, Greater Sudbury, Toronto Global, Vaughan and Windsor-Essex.
The magazine highlighted recent Oshawa-area activity involving Lactalis Canada, Martin Brower, Ontario Power Generation, General Motors Canada, Amazon and GEODIS.
Site Selection also noted more than $1 billion in industrial, commercial and institutional development in Oshawa over the past five years, as reported by the city’s economic-development office.
Ontario Power Generation’s new corporate headquarters, expected to bring more than 2,000 employees to Oshawa, was among the projects identified in the publication’s profile.
Transportation and innovation assets cited
Oshawa’s economic-development case includes access to Highways 401 and 407 East, the Port of Oshawa, Oshawa Executive Airport and planned GO rail expansion.
The city and publication also point to advanced manufacturing, clean energy, life sciences, defence innovation and logistics as important local sectors.
Ontario Tech University’s ACE climatic wind tunnel and the City-led DRIVE mobility initiative were cited as parts of the region’s research, testing and commercialization network.
The recognition is not a ranking of neighbourhood quality or consumer amenities. It is an economic-development list based largely on qualifying corporate investment projects and associated employment data.
Site Selection published the national list on September 1. The City of Oshawa announced its inclusion locally on September 16.
