Oshawa commercial growth is a point of difference in the city’s mayoral race, with seven candidates outlining how they would attract investment and what limits they would place on industries such as artificial-intelligence data centres.
The positions appear in an October 22 DurhamRegion.com questionnaire ahead of the October 26 municipal election. The newspaper asked all nine candidates the same question about commercial and industrial development and limited answers to 100 words. Jim Lee and Joseph Tomlins did not respond by its deadline.
The responses are campaign positions. They do not establish new municipal approvals, committed funding or projects that a mayor could deliver alone.
Investment and development charges
Sherland Chhangur said he would pursue federal defence spending by promoting Oshawa’s manufacturing facilities, workforce, port and transportation connections. He proposed leading an early delegation to Ottawa and said he had not taken a position on AI data centres.
Michael Coons called for more active investment recruitment while retaining development-charge revenue needed for infrastructure. He proposed reviewing permitting barriers and approval delays rather than shifting growth-related costs onto existing residents.
Tito-Dante Marimpietri emphasized expanding the tax base and advancing Northwood Business Park, the 407 East Innovation Corridor and a defence-and-innovation corridor. His answer calls for bringing employers, unions and other partners together.
Candidates differ on data centres
Derek Giberson said local business development should take priority and questioned whether recent non-residential investment has produced enough well-paid work. He supports pausing AI data-centre construction while concerns are addressed.
Jeremy Large opposes data centres. His proposed job-creation approach includes public-option housing, a broad solar installation initiative and public-option telecommunications services. Those are proposals, not funded City programmes.
Marimpietri would evaluate data centres individually, including local benefits and demands on power, water and other infrastructure. Henry Onwuachu also rejects an automatic yes-or-no approach, saying projects should be weighed against jobs, investment, environmental impacts and service requirements.
Dave Westlake supports commercial development that does not depend on taxpayer subsidy. He favours higher-wage sectors such as advanced manufacturing and medical technology, while expressing concern about businesses with high utility demands and limited local employment.
Local jobs and the tax base
Onwuachu linked his Oshawa commercial growth approach to advanced manufacturing, logistics, technology, skilled trades and health sciences. He said municipal processes should be easier to navigate while ensuring benefits reach residents.
Westlake also tied business recruitment to the city’s reputation and downtown conditions. Giberson raised concerns about the cost of the Tribute Communities Centre expansion, while Marimpietri emphasized the economic case for continuing investment.
These answers address a different policy question from earlier coverage of homelessness and downtown public safety. The City lists the registered candidates and election information on its official website.
Residents can compare the proposals before voting closes on October 26. The questionnaire itself is not a costed economic-development plan or an independent assessment of each candidate’s financial claims.
