North York | |
---|---|
Nickname: The City with Heart | |
Motto: Progress With Economy | |
Coordinates: 43°45′43″N079°24′37″W / 43.76194°N 79.41028°W [1] | |
Country | Canada |
Province | Ontario |
Municipality | Toronto |
Incorporated | June 13, 1922 (Township) January 1, 1967 (Borough) February 14, 1979 (City) January 1, 1998 (District of Toronto) |
Changed Region | 1953 Metropolitan Toronto from York County |
Amalgamated | January 1, 1998 into Toronto |
Government | |
• Councillors | Shelley Carroll, Mike Colle, Lily Cheng, Denzil Minnan-Wong, Frances Nunziata, James Pasternak, Anthony Perruzza, Jaye Robinson |
• MPs | Han Dong, Ali Ehsassi, Ahmed Hussen, Marco Mendicino, Rob Oliphant, Yasmin Ratansi, Ya'ara Saks, Judy Sgro |
• MPPs | Michael Kerzner, Stan Cho, Michael Coteau, Faisal Hassan, Vincent Ke, Robin Martin, Tom Rakocevic, Stephanie Bowman |
Area | |
• Total | 176.87 km2 (68.29 sq mi) |
Population (2021) | |
• Total | 683,511 |
• Density | 3,864.5/km2 (10,009/sq mi) |
Area code(s) | 416, 647, and 437 |
North York is a former township and city and is now one of the six administrative districts of Toronto, Ontario, Canada. It is located in the northern area of Toronto, centred around Yonge Street, north of Ontario Highway 401. It is bounded by York Region to the north at Steeles Avenue, on the west by the Humber River, on the east by Victoria Park Avenue. Its southern boundary is erratic and corresponds to the northern boundaries of the former municipalities of Toronto: York, Old Toronto and East York. As of the 2016 Census, the district has a population of 644,685. [3]
North York was created as a township in 1922 out of the northern part of the former township of York, a municipality that was located along the western border of the-then City of Toronto. Following its inclusion in Metropolitan Toronto in 1953, it was one of the fastest-growing parts of Greater Toronto due to its proximity to Toronto. It was declared a borough in 1967, and later became a city in 1979, attracting high-density residences, rapid transit, and a number of corporate headquarters in North York City Centre, its planned central business district. In 1998, North York was dissolved as part of the amalgamation which created the new City of Toronto. It has since been a secondary economic hub of the city outside Downtown Toronto.
The Township of North York was formed on June 13, 1922 out of the rural part of the Township of York. In the previous decade, the southern part of York, bordering the old City of Toronto had become increasingly urbanized while the northern portion remained rural farmland. The northern residents increasingly resented that they made up 20% of York's tax base while receiving few services and little representation in return, particularly after 1920 when their sole member on York's council, which was elected on an at-large basis, was defeated. Dairy farmer Robert Franklin Hicks organized with other farmers to petition the Ontario legislature to carve out what was then the portion of York Township north of Eglinton Avenue to create the separate township of North York. [4] With the support of the pro-farmer United Farmers of Ontario government, a plebiscite was organized and held and the 6,000 residents voted in favour of separating from York by margin of 393 votes. [5]
The township remained largely rural and agrarian until World War II. After the war, in the late 1940s and 1950s, a housing shortage led to the township becoming increasingly developed as a suburb of Toronto and a population boom. In 1953, the province federated 11 townships and villages with the Old City of Toronto, to become Metropolitan Toronto.
North York used to be known as a regional agricultural hub composed of scattered villages. The area boomed following World War II, and by the 1950s and 1960s, it resembled many other sprawling North American suburbs.
As North York became more populous, it became the Borough of North York in 1967, and then on February 14, 1979, the City of North York. To commemorate receiving its city charter on Valentine's Day, the city's corporate slogan was "The City with Heart". [6]
North York was amalgamated into Toronto on January 1, 1998. It now forms the largest part of the area served by the "North York Community Council", a committee of Toronto City Council.
On August 10, 2008, a massive propane explosion occurred at the Sunrise Propane Industrial Gases propane facility just southwest of the Downsview Airport. This destroyed the depot and damaged several homes nearby. About 13,000 residents were evacuated for several days before being allowed back home. One employee at the company was killed in the blast and one firefighter died while attending to the scene of the accident. [7] A follow-up investigation to the incident made several recommendations concerning propane supply depots. It asked for a review of setback distances between depots and nearby residential areas but did not call for restrictions on where they can be located. [8] [9] [10] [11] [12]
Canada's deadliest pedestrian attack occurred in the North York City Centre district on April 23, 2018 when a van collided with numerous pedestrians killing 10 and injuring 16 others on Yonge Street between Finch and Sheppard Avenues. [13] [14]
Climate data for North York (1981−2010) | |||||||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
Record high °C (°F) | 15.5 (59.9) | 15.0 (59.0) | 25.5 (77.9) | 29.5 (85.1) | 34.0 (93.2) | 35.5 (95.9) | 36.0 (96.8) | 37.5 (99.5) | 34.5 (94.1) | 29.5 (85.1) | 23.0 (73.4) | 18.0 (64.4) | 37.5 (99.5) |
Mean daily maximum °C (°F) | −1.1 (30.0) | 0.5 (32.9) | 5.1 (41.2) | 12.0 (53.6) | 18.8 (65.8) | 24.9 (76.8) | 27.3 (81.1) | 26.5 (79.7) | 22.3 (72.1) | 14.5 (58.1) | 7.8 (46.0) | 2.0 (35.6) | 13.4 (56.1) |
Daily mean °C (°F) | −5 (23) | −3.7 (25.3) | 0.5 (32.9) | 6.7 (44.1) | 13.1 (55.6) | 19.2 (66.6) | 21.6 (70.9) | 20.9 (69.6) | 16.8 (62.2) | 9.8 (49.6) | 4.1 (39.4) | −1.4 (29.5) | 8.6 (47.5) |
Mean daily minimum °C (°F) | −8.8 (16.2) | −7.8 (18.0) | −4.1 (24.6) | 1.4 (34.5) | 7.3 (45.1) | 13.5 (56.3) | 15.9 (60.6) | 15.3 (59.5) | 11.3 (52.3) | 5.1 (41.2) | 0.4 (32.7) | −4.9 (23.2) | 3.7 (38.7) |
Record low °C (°F) | −26.0 (−14.8) | −23.5 (−10.3) | −25.5 (−13.9) | −10.0 (14.0) | −2.5 (27.5) | 3.0 (37.4) | 7.0 (44.6) | 5.5 (41.9) | −0.5 (31.1) | −5.5 (22.1) | −12.5 (9.5) | −26.0 (−14.8) | −26.0 (−14.8) |
Average precipitation mm (inches) | 72.5 (2.85) | 53.3 (2.10) | 52.4 (2.06) | 74.1 (2.92) | 90.3 (3.56) | 85.5 (3.37) | 80.2 (3.16) | 74.0 (2.91) | 82.3 (3.24) | 66.7 (2.63) | 79.4 (3.13) | 61.3 (2.41) | 871.9 (34.33) |
Average rainfall mm (inches) | 37.2 (1.46) | 31.9 (1.26) | 29.2 (1.15) | 64.9 (2.56) | 90.3 (3.56) | 85.5 (3.37) | 80.2 (3.16) | 74.0 (2.91) | 82.3 (3.24) | 66.5 (2.62) | 69.6 (2.74) | 34.6 (1.36) | 746.2 (29.38) |
Average snowfall cm (inches) | 37.8 (14.9) | 21.1 (8.3) | 23.7 (9.3) | 5.5 (2.2) | 0.02 (0.01) | 0.0 (0.0) | 0.0 (0.0) | 0.0 (0.0) | 0.0 (0.0) | 0.2 (0.1) | 10.5 (4.1) | 26.5 (10.4) | 125.2 (49.3) |
Average precipitation days (≥ 0.2 mm) | 16.7 | 12.3 | 12.4 | 12.7 | 12.9 | 11.9 | 11.6 | 10.1 | 11.1 | 12.8 | 14.4 | 13.9 | 152.7 |
Average rainy days (≥ 0.2 mm) | 6.5 | 5.5 | 6.7 | 11.3 | 12.9 | 11.9 | 11.6 | 10.1 | 11.1 | 12.7 | 11.0 | 6.9 | 118.1 |
Average snowy days (≥ 0.2 cm) | 13.3 | 8.8 | 7.2 | 2.7 | 0.08 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.17 | 4.6 | 9.2 | 46.0 |
Source: Environment Canada [15] |
As of the 2021 census, North York had a population of 683,511, a 1.6% increase from the 2016 population of 672,955.
North York is highly multicultural and diverse.
Ethnic groups in North York (2016) Source: 2016 Canadian Census [16] | Population | % | |
---|---|---|---|
Ethnic origins | European | 349,150 | 40.6% |
East Asian | 123,280 | 14.3% | |
Southeast Asian | 85,115 | 9.9% | |
Black | 84,415 | 9.8% | |
South Asian | 75,995 | 8.8% | |
Middle Eastern | 49,060 | 5.7% | |
Latin American | 35,840 | 4.2% | |
Aboriginal | 7,035 | 0.8% | |
Other | 4,165 | 0.5% | |
Total population | 869,401 | 100% |
Mother Tongue Languages | Population | Percentage |
---|---|---|
English | 280,320 | 43.9% |
Mandarin | 40,125 | 6.3% |
Persian | 30,465 | 4.8% |
Tagalog (Pilipino, Filipino) | 28,810 | 4.5% |
Cantonese | 27,665 | 4.3% |
Russian | 20,320 | 3.2% |
Korean | 19,265 | 3.0% |
Spanish | 16,220 | 2.5% |
Italian | 15,440 | 2.4% |
Urdu | 10,325 | 1.6% |
Others | 123,895 | 19.4% |
Multiple Responses | 25,255 | 4.0% |
The district's central business district is known as North York Centre, which was the location of the former city's government and major corporate headquarters. North York Centre continues to be one of Toronto's major corporate areas with many office buildings and businesses. The former city hall of North York, the North York Civic Centre, is located within North York City Centre.
Downsview Airport, near Sheppard and Allen Road, employs 1,800 workers. [18] Downsview Airport will be the location of the Centennial College Aerospace campus, a $60 million investment from the Government of Ontario and Government of Canada. Private partners include Bombardier, Honeywell, MDA Corporation, Pratt & Whitney Canada, Ryerson University, Sumitomo Precision Products Canada Aircraft, Inc. and UTC Aerospace Systems. [19]
Flemingdon Park, located near Eglinton and Don Mills, is an economic hub located near the busy Don Valley Parkway and busy Toronto Transit Commission (TTC) routes. McDonald's Canada and Celestica are located in this area, and Foresters Insurance has a major office tower and Bell Canada has a data centre. The Concorde Corporate Centre has 550,000 sq ft (51,000 m2) of leasable area and is 85% occupied with tenants such as Home Depot Canada, Sport Alliance of Ontario, Toronto-Dominion Bank, Esri Canada and Deloitte. Home Depot's Canadian head office is located in Flemingdon Park. [20]
North York houses two of Toronto's five major shopping malls: the Yorkdale Shopping Centre and Fairview Mall. Other neighbourhood malls locations include Centerpoint Mall, Bayview Village, Sheridan Mall, Yorkgate Mall, Shops at Don Mills, Steeles West Market Mall, Jane Finch Mall and Sheppard Centre.
Health care is another major industry in North York, with the district housing several major hospitals, including the North York General Hospital, Humber River Hospital and the Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre.
Prior to 1998, the North York Board of Education and Conseil des écoles françaises de la communauté urbaine de Toronto operated English and French public secular schools in North York, while the Metropolitan Separate School Board operated English and French public separate schools for North York pupils. Today, four public school boards operate primary and secondary institutions in the former city:
CSV and TDSB operate as secular public school boards, the former operating French first language institution, whereas the latter operated English first language institutions. The other two school boards, CSCM and TCDSB, operate as public separate school boards, the former operating French first language separate schools, the latter operating English first language separate schools. All four public school boards are headquartered within North York.
In addition to primary and secondary schools, several post-secondary institutions were established in North York. York University is a university that was established in 1959. The university operates two campuses in North York, the Keele campus located in the north, and Glendon College, a bilingual campus operated by the university. There are also two colleges that operate campuses in North York. Seneca College was established in North York in 1967, and presently operates several campuses throughout North York, and Greater Toronto. One of Centennial College's campuses are also located in North York, known as the Downsview Park Aerospace Campus.
North York is a district of the City of Toronto, and is represented by councillors elected to the Toronto City Council, members elected to the Legislative Assembly of Ontario, as well as members elected to the Parliament of Canada. North York Civic Centre is presently used by North York's community council and other city departments servicing North York.
Prior to North York's amalgamation with Toronto in 1998, North York operated as a lower-tier municipality within the Municipality of Metropolitan Toronto. The municipality operated its own municipal council, the North York City Council, and met at the North York Civic Centre prior to the municipality's dissolution. The following is a list of reeves (1922–1966) and mayors (1967–1997) of North York.
Township of North York
Borough of North York
City of North York
North York had a Board of Control from 1964 until it was abolished with the 1988 election and replaced by directly elected Metro Councillors. The Board of Control consisted of four Controllers elected at large and the mayor and served as the executive committee of North York Council. Controllers concurrently sat on Metropolitan Toronto Council
Names in italics indicate Controllers that were or became Mayor of North York in other years. X = elected as Controller
A = appointed Controller to fill a vacancy
M = sitting as Reeve or Mayor
Controller | 1964 | 1966 | 1969 | 1972 | 1974 | 1976 | 1978 | 1980 | 1982 | 1985 |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
James Ditson Service | M | M | ||||||||
G. Gordon Hurlburt | X | X | ||||||||
Irving Paisley | X | X | X | |||||||
Frank Watson | X | X | ||||||||
Basil H. Hall | X | X | M | |||||||
Paul Hunt | X | X | ||||||||
Mel Lastman | X | M | M | M | M | M | M | M | ||
John Booth [A] | X | |||||||||
Paul Godfrey [A] | A | X | ||||||||
John Williams | X | |||||||||
Alex McGivern | X | X | ||||||||
Barbara Greene | X | X | X | X | X | |||||
William Sutherland [A] | A | X | X | X | ||||||
Joseph Markin | X | |||||||||
Esther Shiner [B] | X | X | X | X | X | |||||
Ron Summers | X | |||||||||
Robert Yuill | X | X | X | X | X | |||||
Norm Gardner | X | X | ||||||||
Howard Moscoe | X | |||||||||
Mario Gentile | A |
^A Booth died in 1970 and was replaced by Paul Godfrey who served out the balance of his term. [41] Godfrey was reelected in 1972, but resigned when he was elected Metro Chairman in 1973 following the death of Metro Chairman Albert Campbell. North York Council elected Alderman William Sutherland to replace Godfrey on the Board of Control on July 23, 1973. [42]
^B Shiner died on 19 December 1987. Councillor Mario Gentile was appointed to the Board of Control in February 1988 to fill Shiner's seat. [43]
North York is home to several museums including the (now closed) Canadian Air and Space Museum (formerly the Toronto Aerospace Museum) in Downsview Park. The closed museum was relocated to Edenvale, Ontario in 2019 (northwest of Barrie) and opened and renamed as the "Canadian Air and Space Conservancy". [45] North York is also home to a number of interactive museums, including Black Creek Pioneer Village, an authentic nineteenth-century village and a living museum, the Ontario Science Centre was an interactive science museum which was permanently closed in June, 2024, and the Aga Khan Museum, which includes a collection of Islamic art from the Middle-East and Northern Africa.
An aircraft manufacturing facility and a former military base are located in the Downsview neighbourhood. With the end of the Cold War, much of the land was transformed into a large park now called Downsview Park. Located within the park is the Downsview Park Sports Centre, a 45,000 m2 (484,000 sq ft) multi-purpose facility built by Maple Leaf Sports & Entertainment (MLSE), owners of Toronto FC, of Major League Soccer. MLSE invested $26 million to build the Kia Training Ground, the state-of-the-art practice facility for Toronto FC. Volleyball Canada made Downsview Park its headquarters and training facility.
There are a multitude of sports clubs based in North York including the North York Storm, a girls' hockey league, Gwendolen Tennis Club, and the North York Aquatic Club, which was founded in 1958 as the North York Lions Swim Club. [46] The Granite Club, located at Bayview and Lawrence, is an invitation-only athletic club. In 2012, the club made a major expansion in North York for their members.
The Oakdale Golf & Country Club is a private, parkland-style golf and tennis club located in North York. It hosted the 2023 Canadian Open, and will host the tournament again in 2026. [47] [48]
The North York Ski Centre at Earl Bales Park is one of the only urban ski centres of its kind in Canada. After several incidents involving failures of the club's two-person chairlift incited talks of closing the ski centre, the city revitalized the facilities with a new four-person chairlift. Sports clubs based in North York include:
Several major controlled-access highways pass through North York, including Highway 400, Highway 401, Highway 404, Allen Road, and the Don Valley Parkway. The former three controlled access highways are operated by the province as 400-series highways, whereas the latter two roadways are managed by the City of Toronto. The section of Highway 401 which traverses North York is the busiest section of freeway in North America, exceeding 400,000 vehicles per day, [59] [60] and one of the widest. [61] [62]
Public transportation in North York is primarily provided by the Toronto Transit Commission's (TTC) bus or subway system. Two lines of the Toronto subway have stations in North York, the Line 1 Yonge–University, and Line 4 Sheppard. Finch station, the terminus of the Yonge Street branch of the Yonge–University line, is the busiest TTC bus station and the sixth-busiest subway station, serving around 97,460 people per day.[ citation needed ] The Line 4 Sheppard subway which runs from its intersection with the Yonge-University line at Sheppard Avenue easterly to Fairview Mall at Don Mills Road, is entirely in North York, averaging around 55,000 riders per day. [ citation needed ] Line 5 Eglinton is a light rail line that is under construction and will traverse through the southeast portion of North York. Line 6 Finch West is another line under construction and will traverse through the northwestern portion of North York. The Ontario Line is expected to have two stops in North York, Science Centre and Flemingdon Park. The intersection of York Mills and Yonge, located next to York Mills station is home to an office and a TTC commuter parking lot, which was sold for $25 million. A $300-million project is expected to create about 300 jobs and bring a new hotel, perhaps a four star Marriott, to the intersection. [63]
In addition to the TTC, other public transit services that may be accessed from North York include GO Transit, and York Region Transit. GO Transit provides access to commuter rail and bus services to communities throughout Greater Toronto. Both services may be accessed at GO or TTC stations located in North York.
Swansea is a neighbourhood in the city of Toronto, Ontario, Canada, bounded on the west by the Humber River, on the north by Bloor Street, on the east by High Park and on the south by Lake Ontario. The neighbourhood was originally a separate municipality, the Village of Swansea, which became part of Metropolitan Toronto in 1953.
York is a district and former city within Toronto, Ontario, Canada. It is located northwest of Old Toronto, southwest of North York and east of the Humber River.
Line 4 Sheppard is the newest and shortest rapid transit line of the Toronto subway system, operated by the Toronto Transit Commission (TTC). It opened on November 22, 2002, and has five stations along 5.5 kilometres (3.4 mi) of track, which is built without any open sections in the district of North York along Sheppard Avenue East between Yonge Street and Don Mills Road. All stations are wheelchair accessible and are decorated with unique public art.
Line 1 Yonge–University is a rapid transit line of the Toronto subway. It serves Toronto and the neighbouring city of Vaughan in Ontario, Canada. It is operated by the Toronto Transit Commission, has 38 stations and is 38.4 km (23.9 mi) in length, making it the longest line on the subway system. It opened as the "Yonge subway" in 1954 as Canada's first underground passenger rail line and was extended multiple times between 1963 and 2017. As of 2010, Line 1 was the busiest rapid transit line in Canada, and one of the busiest lines in North America. In 2022, it averaged over 670,000 riders per weekday.
Mimico is a neighbourhood in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, being located in the south-west area of Toronto on Lake Ontario. It is in the south-east corner of the former Township of Etobicoke, and was an independent municipality from 1911 to 1967.
Weston is a neighbourhood and former town in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. The neighbourhood is situated in the northwest of the city, south of Steeles Avenue West, east of the Humber River, north of Eglinton Avenue, and west of Jane Street. The eponymous Weston Road, just north of Lawrence Avenue is the historic core of Weston, with many small businesses and services. Weston was incorporated as a village in the 19th century and was absorbed into the Borough of York in the late 1960s. York itself was amalgamated into Toronto in 1998. Weston is one of the few former towns and villages in Toronto located in a generally suburban setting, although it is contiguous with the inner city to the southeast along Weston Road. It is also one of the few not developed as a planned satellite town, as is the case with Leaside or New Toronto.
Sheppard West is a subway station on Line 1 Yonge–University in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. The station, which is located near the intersection of Sheppard Avenue West and Allen Road, opened in 1996 in what was then the City of North York, and the commuter parking lot opened in July 2005. It was the northwestern terminus of the line for over two decades, until the opening of the Toronto–York Spadina Subway Extension on December 17, 2017.
Wilson is a subway station on Line 1 Yonge–University in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. It is located in the median of Allen Road at Wilson Avenue. Wi-Fi service is available at this station. The station is accessible, has two parking lots, bike parking and connects to many bus routes.
Albert McTaggart "Ab" Campbell (1910–1973) was a Canadian politician and the Chairman of Metropolitan Toronto from 1969 to 1973.
The chairman of the Municipality of Metropolitan Toronto or Metro Chairman was the regional chair of Metropolitan Toronto, Ontario, Canada, and the most senior political figure in the municipality. The Metro Chairman was elected by the members of Metropolitan Toronto Council.
Clanton Park is a neighbourhood in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. Located in the district of North York, it is part of federal and provincial electoral district York Centre, and Toronto electoral wards 9: York Centre (West) and 10: York Centre (East). In 2016, it had a population of 16,472, a 12.7% rise from 2011.
Municipal elections were held in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, on December 7, 1964. Incumbent mayor Philip Givens defeated former mayor Allan Lamport.
Municipal elections were held in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, on December 3, 1962. Incumbent mayor Nathan Phillips, then the longest-serving mayor in Toronto history, lost to Controller Donald Summerville by a significant margin.
James Ditson Service, QC was a lawyer, co-founder of CHIN Radio, property developer and the first mayor of North York, Ontario as well as its last reeve.
Norman Goodhead was Reeve of the Township of North York, Ontario from 1959 to 1964 and was twice a leading candidate to be Chairman of Metropolitan Toronto.
Frederick Joseph McMahon was a provincial court judge in Ontario who had previously been a lawyer and reeve of North York, Ontario from 1953 to 1955. As a lawyer, McMahon was well known for having defended bank robbers Edwin Alonzo Boyd and his brother Norman in their 1952 trials.
Jack Mould (1921-1990) was the last Reeve of York Township and the first mayor of the borough of York, one of six municipalities that made up Metropolitan Toronto.
The Toronto–York Spadina subway extension (TYSSE) is an extension of the Toronto subway's Line 1 Yonge–University which opened on December 17, 2017. It runs 8.6 kilometres (5.3 mi) northwest from the line's previous terminus at Sheppard West station serving six new stations and terminating at Vaughan Metropolitan Centre station near Jane Street and Highway 7 in Vaughan. The TYSSE was the first new section of a Toronto subway line to be opened since the opening of Line 4 Sheppard in 2002.
The key high-volume highways in Ontario are the 400-series highways in the southern part of the province. The most important of these is the 401, the busiest highway in North America, with average annual daily traffic (AADT) of more than 425,000 vehicles in 2004 and daily traffic sometimes exceeding 500,000 vehicles.
Highway 401 is one of the busiest highways in the world and represents a vital link in Ontario's transportation infrastructure, carrying more than 400,000 vehicles per day through Toronto.
It is North America's busiest highway, and one of the busiest in the world. The section of Highway 401 that cuts across the northern part of Toronto has been expanded to eighteen lanes, and typically carries 420,000 vehicles a day, rising to 500,000 at peak times, as compared to 380,000 on the I-405 in Los Angeles or 350,000 on the I-75 in Atlanta (Gray).