Queen's medical campus in Oshawa a go after $20M land deal

A permanent Queen's University medical school campus in downtown Oshawa is a go after the City of Oshawa acquired and then donated land at the former Oshawa Clinic property on King Street, INsauga reported.

The campus at 111-117 King St. E. 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 property once housed the Oshawa Clinic, Canada's largest medical clinic.

The city has made a $20 million investment through the acquisition and donation of the property, including the northern portion of the parking lot, plus costs for building intelligence reports and interior demolition. The investment will be financed through a new Health Sciences Reserve, replenished through annual operating budget contributions of $1 million over 20 years beginning in 2027, with an estimated tax levy impact of 0.51 per cent.

Outgoing Oshawa Mayor Dan Carter called the collaboration an important milestone for Oshawa and its downtown, and said he was proud of the groundwork established by the 2022-2026 council. Queen's Dean of Health Sciences Lisa Tannock said the transfer of the King Street site brings the university one step closer to an integrated clinical and education facility in the area.

Queen's will now undertake a multi-year planning and construction process, including securing funding for the new facility. The campus will support medical education when access to family physicians is a significant challenge: about 17,000 Oshawa residents, roughly one in every 12, are not currently attached to a family physician, and more than 1,500 babies born in Durham Region are discharged each year without a primary care physician.

The Queen's-Lakeridge Health MD Family Medicine Program, launched in 2023, welcomes 20 new medical students each year to study and train in Oshawa, and as of September 2026 has grown to 80 students.