Durham College signs 10-year naming rights deal with Metrolinx for Oshawa GO station
Posted October 4, 2022 4:22 pm.
Last Updated October 4, 2022 4:36 pm.
Durham College has signed a 10-year deal with Metrolinx to secure the naming rights for Oshawa GO station, marking the first renaming under a program brought in by the Ford government.
However, officials didn’t disclose the cost to acquire the rights for the newly renamed “Durham College Oshawa GO station.”
In a brief email message to Lakeshore East customers, GO Transit staff said the name will be seen “throughout the station, including on the station building itself.”
Don Lovisa, the president of Durham College, told CityNews the post-secondary institution was first approached by Metrolinx in 2019 with a proposal to rename the station.
“We took it to our board and we agreed that it was a really good communication marketing opportunity for the college,” he said, noting it was approved months ago.
“It goes beyond just the name. If you’ve been onto a GO train, you know as a train enters a station they say you’re now entering Oshawa GO, but now they’re going to say you’re entering Durham College Oshawa GO.”
Lovisa said GO train crews will also be relaying promotional messages on behalf of the college. Durham College’s Whitby campus is minutes away from the GO station and there’s also a transit link to the Oshawa campus.
“They’ll also be able to say, ‘Did you know Durham College has an open house this weekend? Do you want to pop in and see what Durham College has to offer?” he said.
“The name on the building and the flags and the trains is one thing, but the communication we have with the customers is significant from a marketing perspective.”
A Metrolinx spokesperson said all physical signage at the GO station will be updated in the coming weeks. They said “other assets” across the network would be updated “in the coming months.”
RELATED: Ford government looks to sell naming rights for GTA GO stations
When CityNews asked about how much the college paid for this, Lovisa said he wasn’t able to disclose the price because it’s “commercially sensitive” due to future naming rights deals at other GO Transit stations. He said the funds will be paid for out of the budget that the college uses to market itself in Ontario.
“Every college and university you can’t go far in Toronto to see advertising by every college and university. Well this just comes out of an advertising budget and the amount is not significant,” Lovisa said.
The Metrolinx spokesperson also declined to reveal the cost.
In 2019, Transportation Minister Caroline Mulroney said the government believes the move will increase income for Metrolinx and help keep fares low.
“We are looking to maximize the value of Metrolinx assets, properties, and services to increase non-fare revenue while improving services for our customers,” she said in a statement at the time.
The province estimates it can make between $50,000 to $500,000 a year on rights for some stations, which would retain their original names while also featuring a sponsor’s name and branding.
The agreements – which could range between five and 10 years – would also provide sponsors with ridership data. But Mulroney noted at the time that it would be stripped of personally identifying information.
“No agreements will be entered into without a thorough and complete process, including approval by the Metrolinx management team and the government,” she said.
“Customer privacy is of utmost importance. Any agreements will protect customers’ privacy.”
The Ontario government didn’t provide an update on this particular aspect of the program.
When the program was first proposed, officials said they were seeking interest in the naming rights for five GO Transit stations: Whitby, Pickering, Exhibition, Clarkson and Oakville.
With files from The Canadian Press
