The City of Oshawa has been advised to decline a proposed sports field partnership with the Durham Catholic District School Board, citing sufficient existing facilities across the city.
The school board previously requested a partnership for the development of a track and sports field at the relocated Monsignor Paul Dwyer Catholic High School in north Oshawa. In October, the board asked the city to contribute $400,000 toward outdoor lighting for the field.
Following a review, the city’s community and operations services committee recommended rejecting the proposal at its Jan. 19 meeting. The committee noted Oshawa already maintains 34 similar-sized sports fields, most of which are classified as community sport fields. Utilization rates for these facilities ranged between 50 and 58 per cent from 2023 to 2025.
Additional fields at the Civic Recreation Complex were also reviewed, with utilization rates between 31 and 36 per cent during the same period.
City staff further referenced a previous $250,000 contribution made by Oshawa toward lighting upgrades at Monsignor John Pereyma Catholic Secondary School in south Oshawa. Based on existing capacity and prior investments, the committee concluded the Oshawa sports field partnership was not justified at this time.
