Oshawa: The City That Refuses to Die

By Dale Jodoin I’ve lived in Oshawa my whole life. My family came here in 1964, when my father got a job at General Motors. Like many others, he came for honest work and a chance to build something real. He didn’t come for politics or promises he came because Oshawa was a place where you could work hard, raise a family, and take pride in both. He stayed, and so did I. The Oshawa I grew up in was a different kind of city. King Street was lined with diners, barbershops, and smoky pool halls. Some of them even had “no women allowed” signs, strange to think about now, but that was the way it was. The air smelled of oil and metal. You could hear the GM plant from blocks away, humming through the night. That sound meant stability. It meant a steady paycheck, a full table, and a reason to get up in the morning. I worked downtown for years before retiring. I’ve seen this city in its glory days, and I’ve seen it when the silence after the layoffs felt like grief. When the plants slowed down, Oshawa was shaken to its core. Families struggled, businesses closed, and it felt like part of our identity had been lost. But Oshawa doesn’t quit. We bend, we bruise, but we don’t break. Now when I walk downtown, I see a city finding its feet again. Cranes rise where old buildings once stood. The Bond-Simcoe Urban Square is nearly finished, bringing people back to the core. There are new cafés, art studios, and trails being built by the lake that connect us back to nature. The smell of engine grease has been replaced with the smell of coffee and hope. It’s not the same city, but it’s still home. You can still feel the old Oshawa if you stop by the McLaughlin House or the Oshawa Museum. Those places remind us of where we came from the families who built this town with their bare hands, and the industries that gave them a reason to stay. It’s not about who sat in city hall or what policies were passed. Oshawa has always been about the stubborn, hardworking, loyal people who don’t give up even when everything around them seems to change. That’s what keeps this city alive. You see it in the small acts of neighbors helping neighbors, teachers staying late for students, volunteers handing out food with a smile. That’s the real Oshawa. Not the politics, not the headlines, the people. Sure, we’ve still got challenges. Homelessness, addiction, and high living costs are real issues. But we’ve faced worse before, and we always find a way forward. The new HART Hub will help, but real change will come from us from the same people who built this place in the first place. And there’s life here again. Durham College and Ontario Tech have filled the city with new faces and energy. The Convergence Festival paints the streets with color and music every summer. And now the Albany FireWolves lacrosse team is coming to town, bringing pride and excitement back to the Tribute Communities Centre. You can feel momentum again, quiet, but steady. Some say Oshawa isn’t what it used to be, and they’re right. It’s different now but that’s growth. The factories built our bones, but the people built our heart. The city has learned how to change without losing itself. When I walk by Lakeview Park and see kids riding bikes and families laughing near the water, I think about my father. He is proud. He sees that Oshawa still works, still grows, and still believes in itself. The sound may have changed, but the spirit behind it never did. And before I close, I want to thank those who’ve helped keep Oshawa’s story alive. Rick Kerr, City Councillor for Ward 4, believed in this city when others doubted it. He pushed for downtown renewal and never stopped fighting for progress. His persistence reminds us what real dedication looks like. And to Joe Ingino and The Central Newspaper thank you for keeping Oshawa’s voice strong. The paper has stood through the city’s highs and lows, giving space to local stories and international news that affect us here at home. Joe’s work reminds us that Oshawa isn’t isolated from the world, it's part of it, shaped by it, and still proud to speak its truth. That’s what makes Oshawa what it is: persistence, pride, and people who care. We’ve never been the kind of city that waits for someone else to fix things. We roll up our sleeves and do it ourselves. Every time someone says we’re finished, we prove them wrong. That’s why I think our motto should be simple: Welcome Home. Because no matter how much this city grows, it still feels like home. You can leave for years and still find your footing the moment you return. Oshawa bends, but it never breaks. It falls, but it always stands back up. We’ve come a long way, and there’s more to do. But growth isn’t supposed to be easy, it's supposed to be earned. And if any city knows how to earn it, it’s this one. Oshawa doesn’t just survive. It endures. It remembers. And through every change, it remains what it’s always been: the city that refuses to die. Dale Jodoin is a lifelong Oshawa resident and retired downtown worker who writes about the people and spirit that keep his city alive. His words are published with appreciation to The Central Newspaper for continuing to share Oshawa’s voice and the world events that shape it.