North York

North York is one of the six administrative districts of Toronto, Ontario, Canada. It is located directly north of York, Old Toronto and East York, between Etobicoke to the west and Scarborough to the east. As of the 2016 Census, it had a population of 869,401. It was first 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 Old Toronto. Following its inclusion in Metropolitan Toronto in 1954, it was one of the fastest-growing parts of the region due to its proximity to Old 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 central business district. In 1998, North York was amalgamated with the rest of Metropolitan Toronto to form the new city of Toronto and has since been a secondary economic hub of the city outside Downtown Toronto.

This article is about an administrative division of Toronto. For other uses, see North York (disambiguation).

North York
Suburban district
Dissolved municipality
North York skyline in May 2009.
Nickname(s): 
The City with Heart
Motto(s): 
Progress With Economy
Location of North York (red) within the rest of Toronto.
Coordinates: 43°46′47″N 079°24′56″W
CountryCanada
ProvinceOntario
MunicipalityToronto
IncorporatedJune 13, 1922 (Township)
1967 (Borough)
February 14, 1979 (City)
January 1, 1998 (District of Toronto)
Changed Region1954 Metropolitan Toronto from York County
AmalgamatedJanuary 1, 1998 into Toronto
Government
 • CouncillorsShelley Carroll, Mike Colle, John Filion, Denzil Minnan-Wong, Frances Nunziata, James Pasternak, Anthony Perruzza, Jaye Robinson
 • MPsHan Dong, Ali Ehsassi, Ahmed Hussen, Marco Mendicino, Rob Oliphant, Yasmin Ratansi, Ya'ara Saks, Judy Sgro
 • MPPsRoman Baber, Stan Cho, Michael Coteau, Faisal Hassan, Vincent Ke, Robin Martin, Tom Rakocevic, Kathleen Wynne
Area
 • Total176.87 km2 (68.29 sq mi)
Population
 (2016)
 • Total869,401
 • Density4,915.5/km2 (12,731/sq mi)
Area code(s)416, 647

History

The Township of North York was formed on June 13, 1922 out of the rural part of the Township of York. The rapidly growing parts of the township remained in that township. 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". It now forms the largest part of the area served by the "North York Community Council", a committee of Toronto City Council.

Residences in North York, August 1945. The post-World War II era saw a boom in residential development throughout North York.

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.

On August 10, 2008, the Toronto 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.[1] 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 didn't call for restrictions on where they can be located.[2][3][4][5][6]

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.[7][8]

Climate
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)
Average high °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)
Average low °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[9]

Neighbourhoods
Main article: List of neighbourhoods in Toronto § North York

Demographics
Storefronts in North York offering Iranian cuisine. North York holds the largest population of West Asians in Toronto.

North York is highly multicultural and diverse.

Ethnic groups in North York (2016)
Source: 2016 Canadian Census[10]		 Population%
Ethnic originsEuropean349,15040.6%
East Asian123,28014.3%
Southeast Asian85,1159.9%
Black84,4159.8%
South Asian75,9958.8%
Middle Eastern49,0605.7%
Latin American35,8404.2%
Aboriginal7,0350.8%
Other4,1650.5%
Total population869,401100%

Economy
North York City Centre is the central business district of North York and is located on Yonge Street, between Finch and Sheppard Avenue.

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.[11] 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.[12]

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.[13]

Shops at Don Mills is one of five major shopping malls in North York.

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.

Education
Headquarters of the Toronto District School Board in North York. All four Toronto-based public school boards are headquartered in North York.

Four public school boards operate primary and secondary institutions in North York, Conseil scolaire catholique MonAvenir (CSCM), Conseil scolaire Viamonde (CSV), the Toronto Catholic District School Board (TCDSB), and the Toronto District School Board (TDSB). 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 Toronto-based public school boards are headquartered within North York. 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, while the Metropolitan Separate School Board operated English and French public separate schools for North York pupils.

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.

Governance

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.

The North York Civic Centre is home to the district's community council, as well as other municipal services.

Prior to North York's amalgamation with Toronto in 1998, North York operated as a lower-tier municipality within the regional 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.

Reeves and Mayors

Township of North York

  • 1922–1929 Robert Franklin Hicks - born in 1866, Hicks was a dairy farmer who 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.[14] During his period as the first reeve, the North York Hydro Commission, a public health board, and a water supply system were created and improvements were made to Yonge Street and other local roads. Hicks died in 1942.[15]
  • 1929–1930 James Muirhead
  • 1931–1933 George B. Elliott
  • 1934–1940 Robert Earl Bales
  • 1941–1949 George H. Mitchell
  • 1950–1952 Nelson A. Boylen
  • 1953–1956 Fred J. McMahon
  • 1957–1958 Vernon M. Singer - went on to serve as MPP from 1959 to 1977
  • 1959–1964 Norman C. Goodhead
  • 1965–1966 James Ditson Service

Borough of North York

  • 1967–1969 James Ditson Service
  • 1970–1972 Basil H. Hall
  • 1973–1978 Mel Lastman

City of North York

  • 1979–1997 Mel Lastman - served as first mayor of the amalgamated city of Toronto from 1998 to 2003.

Board of Control

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

Elections to the Board of Control for North York (1964-1985)
Controller1964196619691972197419761978198019821985
James Ditson ServiceMM
G. Gordon HurlburtXX
Irving PaisleyXXX
Frank WatsonXX
Basil H. HallXXM
Paul HuntXX
Mel LastmanXMMMMMMM
John Booth[A]X
Paul Godfrey[A]AX
John WilliamsX
Alex McGivernXX
Barbara GreeneXXXXX
William Sutherland[A]AXXX
Joseph MarkinX
Esther Shiner[B]XXXXX
Ron SummersX
Robert YuillXXXXX
Norm GardnerXX
Howard MoscoeX
Mario GentileA

^A Booth died in 1970 and was replaced by Paul Godfrey who served out the balance of his term.[16] 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.[17]

^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.[18]

Media
  • North York Mirror: A twice-weekly community newspaper covering North York. Part of Torstar's Metroland chain of community newspapers.
  • Salam Toronto: Bilingual Persian-English weekly paper for the Iranian community of North York.

Recreation

Museums
The Aga Khan Museum is one of several museums located in North York.

North York is home to several museums including the (now closed) Canadian Air and Space Museum (formerly the Toronto Aerospace Museum) in Downsview Park. North York is also home to a number of interactive museums. Black Creek Pioneer Village, an authentic nineteenth-century village and a living museum, while the Ontario Science Centre is an interactive science museum, both located in North York. The Aga Khan Museum, includes a collection of Islamic art from the Middle-East and Northern Africa.

Sports

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.

Soccer pitch at the KIA Training Ground, the practice facility for the Toronto FC.

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.[19] 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 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:

Transportation

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,[30][31] and one of the widest.[32][33]

A Toronto Transit Commission bus terminal outside of Finch subway station.

Public transportation in Toronto 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. 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. 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.[34]

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.

Notable residents

See also

References
  1. Thousands returning home after massive T.O. fire. CTV News. August 10, 2008.
  2. Boost 'hazard distance' at propane depots: report. CTV News. November 7, 2008.
  3. "Residents 'Very Lucky' After Massive Explosion At Propane Facility Sparks Huge Evacuation". CityNews. August 10, 2008. Archived from the original on August 13, 2008.
  4. "Thousands returning home after massive T.O. fire". CTV. Archived from the original on August 19, 2008.
  5. "Residents return after blast". Toronto Star. August 11, 2008. Archived from the original on December 26, 2013.
  6. "401 reopens - finally". Toronto Star. August 10, 2008. Archived from the original on August 11, 2008.
  7. Austen, Ian; Stack, Liam (April 23, 2018). "Toronto Van Plows Along Sidewalk, Killing 10 in 'Pure Carnage'". The New York Times. Retrieved April 23, 2018.
  8. "All 10 of those killed in Toronto van attack identified". CBC. Retrieved May 4, 2018.
  9. "Toronto North York". Canadian Climate Normals 1981–2010. Environment Canada. Retrieved July 24, 2019.
  10. "Census Profile, 2016 Census York Centre [Federal electoral district], Ontario and Ontario [Province]". Retrieved March 3, 2019.,
    "Census Profile, 2016 Census Don Valley West [Federal electoral district], Ontario and Ontario [Province]". Retrieved March 3, 2019.,
    "Census Profile, 2016 Census Don Valley East [Federal electoral district], Ontario and Ontario [Province]". Retrieved March 3, 2019.,
    "Census Profile, 2016 Census Willowdale [Federal electoral district], Ontario and Ontario [Province]". Retrieved March 3, 2019.,
    "Census Profile, 2016 Census Eglinton--Lawrence [Federal electoral district], Ontario and Ontario [Province]". Retrieved March 3, 2019.,
    "Census Profile, 2016 Census Humber River--Black Creek [Federal electoral district], Ontario and Ontario [Province]". Retrieved March 3, 2019.,
    "Census Profile, 2016 Census York South--Weston [Federal electoral district], Ontario and Ontario [Province]". Retrieved March 3, 2019.,
    "Census Profile, 2016 Census Don Valley North [Federal electoral district], Ontario and Ontario [Province]". Retrieved March 3, 2019.
  11. Queen, Lisa. "Aerospace campus for Downsview Park?". Inside Toronto. Metroland Media. Retrieved March 5, 2015.
  12. Arnaud-Gaudet, Nicolas. "Centennial College To Build Aerospace Campus at Downsview Park". Urban Toronto. Retrieved March 6, 2015.
  13. "Concorde Corporate Centre". Artis REIT. Retrieved March 15, 2015.
  14. Kennedy, Scott (November 11, 2013). Willowdale: Yesterday's Farms, Today's Legacy. Dundurn. ISBN 978-1-4597-1751-0.
  15. "Children get history lesson as park plaque unveiled". North York Mirror. December 9, 2010. Retrieved November 8, 2020.
  16. "Godfrey captures vacant seat on North York Board of Control", The Globe and Mail (1936-Current); Toronto, Ont. [Toronto, Ont]26 Sep 1970
  17. "North York vacancy filled by Sutherland" The Globe and Mail (1936-Current); Toronto, Ont. [Toronto, Ont]24 July 1973: 5
  18. "North York seeks councillor to fill seat that Gentile vacated", Toronto Star, 2 February 1988
  19. 2010-2011 NYAC Handbook, p 4.
  20. "York9 FC - Our Stadium". Archived from the original on February 15, 2019. Retrieved February 24, 2020.
  21. USL League One - Toronto FC II Schedule
  22. North York Astros Archived November 24, 2002, at the Wayback Machine Men's professional soccer playing in the Canadian Soccer League. Esther Shiner Stadium.
  23. North York Storm Official site of girls hockey in North York.
  24. North York Aquatic Club North York's oldest swim club, located at the swimming pool next to Mel Lastman Square
  25. "North York Fire Basketball". Archived from the original on September 16, 2008. Retrieved April 28, 2019.
  26. North York Hockey League
  27. North York Hearts Azzurri Soccer Club
  28. North York Baseball Association
  29. Hayabusakan Judo
  30. Allen, Paddy (July 11, 2011). "Carmageddon: the world's busiest roads". The Guardian. Guardian News & Media Ltd. Archived from the original on July 15, 2014. Retrieved July 11, 2014.
  31. Maier, Hanna (October 9, 2007). "Chapter 2". Long-Life Concrete Pavements in Europe and Canada (Report). Federal Highway Administration. Archived from the original on May 27, 2010. Retrieved May 1, 2010. 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.
  32. Canadian NewsWire (August 6, 2002). Ontario government investing $401 million to upgrade Highway 401 (Report). Ministry of Transportation of Ontario. 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.
  33. Thün, Geoffrey; Velikov, Kathy. "The Post-Carbon Highway". Alphabet City. Archived from the original on July 5, 2010. Retrieved January 2, 2012. 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).
  34. Pigg, Susan. "York Mills TTC parking lot slated for hotel, office complex". Toronto Star. Torstar. Retrieved April 10, 2015.
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