The Queensway-Humber Bay
Encyclopedia
The Queensway-Humber Bay, known officially as Stonegate-Queensway, is a neighbourhood in the south-west of Toronto
, Ontario
, Canada
. It is located in the south-east of the former City of Etobicoke.
, however that intersection disappeared with the building of the Queen Elizabeth Way
. Today, this neighbourhood is in fact two areas which overlap at the former intersection:
Most streets formerly south of The Queensway east of the Mimico Creek were lost when the QEW was built however, along the waterfront a new street has been built on largely artificial shoreline named Marine Parade after a similar 1890's street planned to run along Mimico's shoreline. Some streets laid out in developments for returning soldiers carry names commemorating military men such as: Hornell (war hero born in Mimico), Saunders, Clive and Cochrane (formerly Churchill). Other streets laid out in the following years celebrate the coronation of Queen Elizabeth II such as: The Queensway and Lillibet Rd. Many streets in the Humber Bay neighbourhood north of Berry Road are entirely new, such as: Sunnydale, Kinsdale and Heatherdale.
After the fall of New France to the British, a French trader and first Toronto settler M. Rousseau received permission from the British administration to settle with his family on the site of the second French Fort in Toronto (at the foot of the Humber River). When the Simcoes arrived from Newark (Niagara-on-the-Lake) with several hundred Queen's Rangers (Loyalist soldiers), M. Rousseau guided the ships into Toronto Bay (now Toronto Inner Harbour). John Graves Simcoe
renamed the Toronto River the Humber after the Humber River in England. When land in the area was surveyed and divided into lots, the area on both side of the Humber River was reserved by the government for timber and M. Rousseau was offered land on the west (Etobicoke) side in what is now the Humber Bay neighbourhood. M. Rousseau refused to relocate from one side of the river and he left to resettle near Hamilton where he was given land in compensation. The Kings Mill Reserve was that part of the original forest that covered Toronto that was preserved rather than cleared for farms. The Kings Mill (Old Mill) is at Bloor north of this neighbourhood but the reserve stretched south to what is now the Queensway covering most of modern Humber Bay's residential district. The Kings Mill reserve was commemorated in this neighbourhood by the Kitzler Vocational Collegiate (now Bishop Allen Academy
) which was actually on the west side of the Mimico Creek in The Queensway.
Early Hotels on the Lake Shore
Etobicoke's first highway was Dundas Street (Toronto to the town of Dundas beside Hamilton) but for most early settlers of southern Etobicoke an Indian path along the shoreline given the name Lake Road (Lake Shore Boulevard West) was found to be a more convenient street. This street extended into Toronto from where Queen street stopped at the bottom of Keele St (Parkside) around the top of Humber bay to the border of Etobicoke (the Humber River) where it met with the extension of Queen Street in Etobicoke (Stock's Side Road). As bridges were only built on Ontario's important highways at first (Dundas St, Kingston Rd., Yonge St.) a ferry was operated at the end of the Humber River. After the first bridge was built at the end of the Humber and a toll opened (to pay for the bridge), the intersection here became the first community in Etobicoke south of Dundas centring around three early Hotels and a wharf. North of this area were government reserves (forest left intact for lumber). There was also a notable jog in what would become Royal York where it meets the Mimico Creek crossing the creek to the east where there remains a footbridge today just north of Norseman St., north on today's Humbervale Boulevard and back west along what is now Glenroy Avenue. In 1855 Ontario's first railway the Grand Trunk Railway's line between Hamilton and Toronto was built through southern Humber Bay between Lake Shore and Stock's Side Road (the Queensway) passing over the latter just west of the intersection of these streets at the Humber River. A 'Humber Station' is marked between Lake Shore and Stock's Side Road (The Queensway) near the intersection and a 'Grove Stop' is marked where the railway passes over Salisbury (Park Lawn) into what became Mimico in the 1850s.
Subdivision
In 1883, Mr. Davidson, a businessman from the United State, imported about 40 small prefabricated houses most of which were placed on Davidson Crescent (now gone) between Stock's Side Rd (The Queensway) and Lake Shore which formed a small artistic community. A subdivision plan was also prepared that year for residential streets north of the future The Queensway. In the 1890 subdivision of Mimico Humber Bay was still shown as being within that growing village. By 1926, the area between Lake Shore, Stock's Side Rd (the Queensway) and Salisbury (Park Lawn) was subdivided with a number of homes being built on the last street. Some homes had also been built on the south side along the Lake Shore between the Humber and Salisbury (Park Lawn). The several of the first churches and the first school use Davidson Houses. At the intersection of Lake Shore and what would become The Queensway, the Lake Shore streetcar line was built through with its own bridge and a camping ground was set up by one of the old hotels. The Humber Bay School and the St. James Anglican Church moved out of Davidson houses when new buildings were built on High Street in the subdivision north of what would become the Queensway. Humber Bay became a Postal District. More churches were soon built in Humber Bay including a LDS Church. By about 1890 Humber Bay became a postal village with the opening of the Humber Bay Post Office on the south side of what would become the Queensway between Davidson Crescent and the intersection with Lake Shore.
Pre War Years
With the advent of the car the area changed beyond recognition. At the intersection of Lake Shore and the future Queensway, the wharf into lake Ontario was replaced with a Dance Hall on a Pier called the Palace Pier
, modelled after the Brighton Pier
in England. The land south of Lake Shore along the shoreline was filled with motels for motorists arriving in Toronto along the Toronto-Hamilton Highway (Lake Shore). North of what would become the Queensway between the subdivision and the Humber a Golf Course was built and further north around Glenroy Avenue a school was built named Sunnylea in a competition. Along the Queensway many single storey homes were built. Just before the Second World War the first lighted limited access highway in North America connecting Hamilton with Toronto, the Queen Elizabeth Way, was opened. This replaced the Lake Shore as the major highway to the west of Toronto but it's Toronto end with the large QEW monument was at the intersection of the Queensway and Lake Shore. The building of the QEW involved the demolition of many of the buildings between the future Queensway and Lake Shore and cut off the 'Motel Strip' from the Humber Bay neighbourhood to the north. West of Mimico Creek the Highway cut the Queensway off from Mimico. The old intersection at the future Queensway and Lake Shore disappeared. Although the other Etobicoke neighbourhoods along the Lake Shore left Etobicoke in this period, the splitting of the Humber Bay neighbourhood by the QEW prevented this neighbourhood from developing into a separate municipality.
Post War years
In 1952 Etobicoke left York County with the other municipalities south of Steeles Ave to join the new Metropolitan Toronto which began to urbanise the townships around Toronto like Etobicoke. In 1946 the 'Queensway' post office opened and at the Queensway and Royal York a development of 'veterans houses' was built for returning servicemen. In the 1950s, Toronto was expanding and Queen Street West
was extended from the foot of Roncesvalles Avenue
around the top of Humber Bay
north of the Railway tracks complementing the Lake Shore to the south and linking with the former Stock's Side Road. With the accession of Queen Elizabeth in 1952 this street was named The Queensway also to be consistent with Queen Street to the west and the Kingsway to the north. Many immigrants arrived in the post-war years and the large northern parts of this neighbourhood was largely developed between Islington and the Mimico Creek where many new streets were laid out. North of The Queensway many apartments were built east of Stephen Drive. With the development of residential to the North the old heart of the community south of the Queensway between the Humber River and the Mimico Creek became industrial with the arrival of the Ontario Food Terminal
north of the QEW and Christie's Factory to the south. North of the Queensway the Golf Course became a Sewage Treatment Plant. The Palace Pier was lost to a fire set by young arsonists. In 1954 Hurricane Hazel
devastated the Humber Valley and Humber Bay was one of the worst hit areas, however because of the loss of so much of the residential area around the old Lake Shore/Queensway intersection, the damage was largely to city infrustucture notably destroying the Lake Shore and Royal York bridges over the Mimico Creek and damaging the Lake Shore Bridge over the Humber.
The 'Motel Strip'
Etobicoke became a Borough and was reunited with Mimico, New Toronto, and Long Branch. With city highway expansion plans the City of Toronto extended the Provincial Queen Elizabeth Highway into the City of Toronto with the building of the Gardiner Expressway along the top of Humber Bay. The former intersection at the Humber River with The Queensway and Lake Shore was no long an intersection with three heavy traffic bridges crossing the river (the QEW, The Queensway and Lake Shore) as well as the Railway. The motel strip was already in decline prompting city plans for the redevelopment of the area along the Lake Shore. Humber Bay Park
was built at this time, two artificial peninsulas extending east (along Humber's waterfront) and west (along Mimico's waterfront) from the bottom of the Mimico Creek. With a decline in the number of immigrants arriving and an ageing population and the introduction of full funding for Separate (Catholic) Schools several area Public Schools were given to the Separate School Board which became Bishop Allen Academy
and St. Felix Junior School (the only Catholic Junior school in Etobicoke), later École Sainte-Marguerite d'Youville. Sunnylea Public School was leased to the Separate (Catholic) School Board as Cardinal Slipyj (Eastern Rite Catholic) Elementary School for a short time. The Humber streetcar loop at the former intersection of The Queensway and Lake Shore also declined as the Long Branch car which had turned there was combined with the Queen car and the Queensway bus was continued along The Queensway into Toronto. As growth in the residential neighbourhoods to the east stagnated, the non residential area west of Kipling along The Queensway experienced rapid growth with the building of Sherway Gardens, one of the largest malls in Toronto.
Redevelopment
In 1984, Etobicoke became a city and began planning to redevelop the southern neighbourhoods. Since the 1980s some undeveloped areas have been built up with 'Monster Homes' and more recently townhouses such as on Royal York south from Norseman and on Berry Rd at Prince Edward Dr. The former site of Davidson crescent between the Humber streetcar loop and the Ontario Food Court became home to a large big box stores complex. Far to the west from Kipling to the 427 many new stores have opened and west of the 427 the former industrial has continued to be turned to commercial use with the building of many big box stores around the Sherway Gardens mall. In recent years the area south of the Lake Shore has been almost entirely redeveloped with the demolition of almost all the motels and the building of many tall condominiums. This had originally begun with two towers built in the 1980s at the foot of the Humber River and were named The Palace Pier
after the amusement pier that had been lost to arson. An artificial shoreline has also been created as parkland behind the new condominiums from Lake Shore. The TTC has recently considered reinstating the Long Branch streetcar which would necessitate passengers switching at the Humber Loop again, going or coming from Toronto. Proposals have also been made for a streetcar along the Queensway as an attempt to slow traffic and attempt to remove the 'suburban' feel of the area.
Churches
station which travels along Prince Edward and Park Lawn, and the 80 Queensway bus route from Keele
Station, along the lake shore, then along The Queensway to the Sherway Gardens mall. From the east the 501 Queen Street streetcar travels along the Queensway until the Humber, then switches south along Lakeshore Boulevard.
Toronto
Toronto is the provincial capital of Ontario and the largest city in Canada. It is located in Southern Ontario on the northwestern shore of Lake Ontario. A relatively modern city, Toronto's history dates back to the late-18th century, when its land was first purchased by the British monarchy from...
, Ontario
Ontario
Ontario is a province of Canada, located in east-central Canada. It is Canada's most populous province and second largest in total area. It is home to the nation's most populous city, Toronto, and the nation's capital, Ottawa....
, Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
. It is located in the south-east of the former City of Etobicoke.
Neighbourhoods
This neighbourhood originally centred on the intersection of Lake Shore Boulevard and The Queensway near the mouth of the Humber RiverHumber River (Ontario)
The Humber River is one of two major rivers on either side of Toronto, Ontario, Canada, the other being the Don River to the east. It was designated a Canadian Heritage River on September 24, 1999....
, however that intersection disappeared with the building of the Queen Elizabeth Way
Queen Elizabeth Way
The Queen Elizabeth Way, commonly abbreviated as the QEW, is a 400-Series highway in the Canadian province of Ontario. The freeway links Buffalo, New York and the Niagara Peninsula with Toronto. It begins at the Peace Bridge in Fort Erie and travels around the western shore of Lake Ontario, ending...
. Today, this neighbourhood is in fact two areas which overlap at the former intersection:
- The Queensway (also called South Islington): formerly a northern extension of Mimico, it was cut off from that town by the building of the Queen Elizabeth Way (this section now part of the Gardiner Expressway). It extends north from the Gardiner ExpresswayGardiner ExpresswayThe Frederick G. Gardiner Expressway, colloquially referred to as "the Gardiner", is a municipal expressway in the Canadian province of Ontario, connecting downtown Toronto with its western suburbs...
south of Norseman street. There is a residential area in the centre-east with industrial land and new big box stores further to the west - Humber Bay (also called Sunnylea or Stonegate): formerly the 'Humber' postal village it originally referred to the area around the old intersection of what is now the Queensway and what is now Lake Shore Boulevard at the Humber River. It is now mostly to the north of The Queensway, a residential area with few bridges between the Mimico CreekMimico CreekMimico Creek is a 33 km watercourse with its headwaters in Brampton, Ontario, and its mouth in Toronto, Ontario.The watershed lies between the Humber River to the east and Etobicoke Creek to the west....
and the Humber River from Lake OntarioLake OntarioLake Ontario is one of the five Great Lakes of North America. It is bounded on the north and southwest by the Canadian province of Ontario, and on the south by the American state of New York. Ontario, Canada's most populous province, was named for the lake. In the Wyandot language, ontarío means...
north to Glenroy Avenue (south of Park Lawn cemetery). There is little commercial in this area except along portions of The Queensway and a small amount on Berry Rd.
Character
This community is mainly made up of 1950's era low rise apartment buildings and an old turn-of-the century market garden community was absorbed by the city as it grew. There is little traffic, and the only amenities in the area are in the Stonegate Plaza, which include delis, dollar stores, a pharmacy, a laundromat, and a Valu-Mart. The southeast portion of the neighbourhood is relatively low-rent, with a high population of European immigrants.Most streets formerly south of The Queensway east of the Mimico Creek were lost when the QEW was built however, along the waterfront a new street has been built on largely artificial shoreline named Marine Parade after a similar 1890's street planned to run along Mimico's shoreline. Some streets laid out in developments for returning soldiers carry names commemorating military men such as: Hornell (war hero born in Mimico), Saunders, Clive and Cochrane (formerly Churchill). Other streets laid out in the following years celebrate the coronation of Queen Elizabeth II such as: The Queensway and Lillibet Rd. Many streets in the Humber Bay neighbourhood north of Berry Road are entirely new, such as: Sunnydale, Kinsdale and Heatherdale.
History
King's Mill ReserveAfter the fall of New France to the British, a French trader and first Toronto settler M. Rousseau received permission from the British administration to settle with his family on the site of the second French Fort in Toronto (at the foot of the Humber River). When the Simcoes arrived from Newark (Niagara-on-the-Lake) with several hundred Queen's Rangers (Loyalist soldiers), M. Rousseau guided the ships into Toronto Bay (now Toronto Inner Harbour). John Graves Simcoe
John Graves Simcoe
John Graves Simcoe was a British army officer and the first Lieutenant Governor of Upper Canada from 1791–1796. Then frontier, this was modern-day southern Ontario and the watersheds of Georgian Bay and Lake Superior...
renamed the Toronto River the Humber after the Humber River in England. When land in the area was surveyed and divided into lots, the area on both side of the Humber River was reserved by the government for timber and M. Rousseau was offered land on the west (Etobicoke) side in what is now the Humber Bay neighbourhood. M. Rousseau refused to relocate from one side of the river and he left to resettle near Hamilton where he was given land in compensation. The Kings Mill Reserve was that part of the original forest that covered Toronto that was preserved rather than cleared for farms. The Kings Mill (Old Mill) is at Bloor north of this neighbourhood but the reserve stretched south to what is now the Queensway covering most of modern Humber Bay's residential district. The Kings Mill reserve was commemorated in this neighbourhood by the Kitzler Vocational Collegiate (now Bishop Allen Academy
Bishop Allen Academy
Bishop Allen Academy is a high school located in the The Queensway – Humber Bay neighbourhood of Toronto, Ontario, Canada. It is managed by the Toronto Catholic District School Board.- History :...
) which was actually on the west side of the Mimico Creek in The Queensway.
Early Hotels on the Lake Shore
Etobicoke's first highway was Dundas Street (Toronto to the town of Dundas beside Hamilton) but for most early settlers of southern Etobicoke an Indian path along the shoreline given the name Lake Road (Lake Shore Boulevard West) was found to be a more convenient street. This street extended into Toronto from where Queen street stopped at the bottom of Keele St (Parkside) around the top of Humber bay to the border of Etobicoke (the Humber River) where it met with the extension of Queen Street in Etobicoke (Stock's Side Road). As bridges were only built on Ontario's important highways at first (Dundas St, Kingston Rd., Yonge St.) a ferry was operated at the end of the Humber River. After the first bridge was built at the end of the Humber and a toll opened (to pay for the bridge), the intersection here became the first community in Etobicoke south of Dundas centring around three early Hotels and a wharf. North of this area were government reserves (forest left intact for lumber). There was also a notable jog in what would become Royal York where it meets the Mimico Creek crossing the creek to the east where there remains a footbridge today just north of Norseman St., north on today's Humbervale Boulevard and back west along what is now Glenroy Avenue. In 1855 Ontario's first railway the Grand Trunk Railway's line between Hamilton and Toronto was built through southern Humber Bay between Lake Shore and Stock's Side Road (the Queensway) passing over the latter just west of the intersection of these streets at the Humber River. A 'Humber Station' is marked between Lake Shore and Stock's Side Road (The Queensway) near the intersection and a 'Grove Stop' is marked where the railway passes over Salisbury (Park Lawn) into what became Mimico in the 1850s.
Subdivision
In 1883, Mr. Davidson, a businessman from the United State, imported about 40 small prefabricated houses most of which were placed on Davidson Crescent (now gone) between Stock's Side Rd (The Queensway) and Lake Shore which formed a small artistic community. A subdivision plan was also prepared that year for residential streets north of the future The Queensway. In the 1890 subdivision of Mimico Humber Bay was still shown as being within that growing village. By 1926, the area between Lake Shore, Stock's Side Rd (the Queensway) and Salisbury (Park Lawn) was subdivided with a number of homes being built on the last street. Some homes had also been built on the south side along the Lake Shore between the Humber and Salisbury (Park Lawn). The several of the first churches and the first school use Davidson Houses. At the intersection of Lake Shore and what would become The Queensway, the Lake Shore streetcar line was built through with its own bridge and a camping ground was set up by one of the old hotels. The Humber Bay School and the St. James Anglican Church moved out of Davidson houses when new buildings were built on High Street in the subdivision north of what would become the Queensway. Humber Bay became a Postal District. More churches were soon built in Humber Bay including a LDS Church. By about 1890 Humber Bay became a postal village with the opening of the Humber Bay Post Office on the south side of what would become the Queensway between Davidson Crescent and the intersection with Lake Shore.
Pre War Years
With the advent of the car the area changed beyond recognition. At the intersection of Lake Shore and the future Queensway, the wharf into lake Ontario was replaced with a Dance Hall on a Pier called the Palace Pier
The Palace Pier
The Palace Pier is the site of Palace Place and Palace Pier, both tied for the 36th-tallest building in Toronto. They are located at 2045 Lake Shore Boulevard West and 1 Palace Pier Court in the Humber Bay neighbourhood.- Overview :...
, modelled after the Brighton Pier
Brighton Pier
The Brighton Marine Palace and Pier is a pleasure pier in Brighton, England. It is generally known as the Palace Pier for short, but has been informally renamed Brighton Pier since 2000 by its owners, the Noble Organisation, in an attempt to suggest that it is Brighton's only pier...
in England. The land south of Lake Shore along the shoreline was filled with motels for motorists arriving in Toronto along the Toronto-Hamilton Highway (Lake Shore). North of what would become the Queensway between the subdivision and the Humber a Golf Course was built and further north around Glenroy Avenue a school was built named Sunnylea in a competition. Along the Queensway many single storey homes were built. Just before the Second World War the first lighted limited access highway in North America connecting Hamilton with Toronto, the Queen Elizabeth Way, was opened. This replaced the Lake Shore as the major highway to the west of Toronto but it's Toronto end with the large QEW monument was at the intersection of the Queensway and Lake Shore. The building of the QEW involved the demolition of many of the buildings between the future Queensway and Lake Shore and cut off the 'Motel Strip' from the Humber Bay neighbourhood to the north. West of Mimico Creek the Highway cut the Queensway off from Mimico. The old intersection at the future Queensway and Lake Shore disappeared. Although the other Etobicoke neighbourhoods along the Lake Shore left Etobicoke in this period, the splitting of the Humber Bay neighbourhood by the QEW prevented this neighbourhood from developing into a separate municipality.
Post War years
In 1952 Etobicoke left York County with the other municipalities south of Steeles Ave to join the new Metropolitan Toronto which began to urbanise the townships around Toronto like Etobicoke. In 1946 the 'Queensway' post office opened and at the Queensway and Royal York a development of 'veterans houses' was built for returning servicemen. In the 1950s, Toronto was expanding and Queen Street West
Queen Street West
Queen Street West describes both the western branch of Queen Street, a major east-west thoroughfare, and a series of neighbourhoods or commercial districts, situated west of Yonge Street in downtown Toronto, Ontario, Canada. Queen Street begins in the west at the intersection of King Street, The...
was extended from the foot of Roncesvalles Avenue
Roncesvalles Avenue
Roncesvalles Avenue is a north-south arterial street in Toronto, Canada. It connects Queen Street West, King Street West and runs north to Dundas Street West. Roncesvalles Avenue takes its name from the Battle of Roncesvalles, which took place in the Roncesvalles gorge in Spain in 1813...
around the top of Humber Bay
Humber Bay
Humber Bay is a bay of Lake Ontario south of Toronto, Ontario, Canada. It is located between Ontario Place on the east and Mimico Creek to the west. The bay gives its name to Etobicoke's Humber Bay neighbourhood.-History:...
north of the Railway tracks complementing the Lake Shore to the south and linking with the former Stock's Side Road. With the accession of Queen Elizabeth in 1952 this street was named The Queensway also to be consistent with Queen Street to the west and the Kingsway to the north. Many immigrants arrived in the post-war years and the large northern parts of this neighbourhood was largely developed between Islington and the Mimico Creek where many new streets were laid out. North of The Queensway many apartments were built east of Stephen Drive. With the development of residential to the North the old heart of the community south of the Queensway between the Humber River and the Mimico Creek became industrial with the arrival of the Ontario Food Terminal
Ontario Food Terminal
The Ontario Food Terminal is the main produce distribution centre for Toronto, Canada. It is located on The Queensway in Etobicoke just off the Gardiner Expressway. Annually some one million vehicles arrive at the centre delivering produce from across North America or leave to distribute it to...
north of the QEW and Christie's Factory to the south. North of the Queensway the Golf Course became a Sewage Treatment Plant. The Palace Pier was lost to a fire set by young arsonists. In 1954 Hurricane Hazel
Hurricane Hazel
Hurricane Hazel was the deadliest and costliest hurricane of the 1954 Atlantic hurricane season. The storm killed as many as 1,000 people in Haiti before striking the United States near the border between North and South Carolina, as a Category 4 hurricane...
devastated the Humber Valley and Humber Bay was one of the worst hit areas, however because of the loss of so much of the residential area around the old Lake Shore/Queensway intersection, the damage was largely to city infrustucture notably destroying the Lake Shore and Royal York bridges over the Mimico Creek and damaging the Lake Shore Bridge over the Humber.
The 'Motel Strip'
Etobicoke became a Borough and was reunited with Mimico, New Toronto, and Long Branch. With city highway expansion plans the City of Toronto extended the Provincial Queen Elizabeth Highway into the City of Toronto with the building of the Gardiner Expressway along the top of Humber Bay. The former intersection at the Humber River with The Queensway and Lake Shore was no long an intersection with three heavy traffic bridges crossing the river (the QEW, The Queensway and Lake Shore) as well as the Railway. The motel strip was already in decline prompting city plans for the redevelopment of the area along the Lake Shore. Humber Bay Park
Humber Bay Park
Humber Bay Park is a waterfront park located in Etobicoke, Ontario, Canada. The park consists of two landspits situated at the mouth of Mimico Creek. The park is on Lake Shore Boulevard West at Park Lawn Road. Humber Bay Park East, connecting to the Humber Bay neighbourhood that existed there...
was built at this time, two artificial peninsulas extending east (along Humber's waterfront) and west (along Mimico's waterfront) from the bottom of the Mimico Creek. With a decline in the number of immigrants arriving and an ageing population and the introduction of full funding for Separate (Catholic) Schools several area Public Schools were given to the Separate School Board which became Bishop Allen Academy
Bishop Allen Academy
Bishop Allen Academy is a high school located in the The Queensway – Humber Bay neighbourhood of Toronto, Ontario, Canada. It is managed by the Toronto Catholic District School Board.- History :...
and St. Felix Junior School (the only Catholic Junior school in Etobicoke), later École Sainte-Marguerite d'Youville. Sunnylea Public School was leased to the Separate (Catholic) School Board as Cardinal Slipyj (Eastern Rite Catholic) Elementary School for a short time. The Humber streetcar loop at the former intersection of The Queensway and Lake Shore also declined as the Long Branch car which had turned there was combined with the Queen car and the Queensway bus was continued along The Queensway into Toronto. As growth in the residential neighbourhoods to the east stagnated, the non residential area west of Kipling along The Queensway experienced rapid growth with the building of Sherway Gardens, one of the largest malls in Toronto.
Redevelopment
In 1984, Etobicoke became a city and began planning to redevelop the southern neighbourhoods. Since the 1980s some undeveloped areas have been built up with 'Monster Homes' and more recently townhouses such as on Royal York south from Norseman and on Berry Rd at Prince Edward Dr. The former site of Davidson crescent between the Humber streetcar loop and the Ontario Food Court became home to a large big box stores complex. Far to the west from Kipling to the 427 many new stores have opened and west of the 427 the former industrial has continued to be turned to commercial use with the building of many big box stores around the Sherway Gardens mall. In recent years the area south of the Lake Shore has been almost entirely redeveloped with the demolition of almost all the motels and the building of many tall condominiums. This had originally begun with two towers built in the 1980s at the foot of the Humber River and were named The Palace Pier
The Palace Pier
The Palace Pier is the site of Palace Place and Palace Pier, both tied for the 36th-tallest building in Toronto. They are located at 2045 Lake Shore Boulevard West and 1 Palace Pier Court in the Humber Bay neighbourhood.- Overview :...
after the amusement pier that had been lost to arson. An artificial shoreline has also been created as parkland behind the new condominiums from Lake Shore. The TTC has recently considered reinstating the Long Branch streetcar which would necessitate passengers switching at the Humber Loop again, going or coming from Toronto. Proposals have also been made for a streetcar along the Queensway as an attempt to slow traffic and attempt to remove the 'suburban' feel of the area.
Schools
- Bishop Allen AcademyBishop Allen AcademyBishop Allen Academy is a high school located in the The Queensway – Humber Bay neighbourhood of Toronto, Ontario, Canada. It is managed by the Toronto Catholic District School Board.- History :...
is a Catholic high school on Royal York Road. (formerly Kingsmill Vocational Institute) - École Sainte-Marguerite d'Youville (formerly St Felix Catholic Middle School)
- Etienne Brulé Junior School is a public elementary schoolElementary schoolAn elementary school or primary school is an institution where children receive the first stage of compulsory education known as elementary or primary education. Elementary school is the preferred term in some countries, particularly those in North America, where the terms grade school and grammar...
at 50 Cloverhill Road near Parklawn and Berry Road. It was built in 1957 and was named after Étienne BrûléÉtienne BrûléÉtienne Brûlé , was the first of European French explorers to journey along the St. Lawrence River with the Native Americans and to view Georgian Bay and Lake Huron Canada in the 17th century. A rugged outdoorsman, he took to the lifestyle of the First Nations and had a unique contribution to the...
, a French explorer who was the first European explorer to reach the mouth of the Humber RiverHumber River (Ontario)The Humber River is one of two major rivers on either side of Toronto, Ontario, Canada, the other being the Don River to the east. It was designated a Canadian Heritage River on September 24, 1999....
and Lake OntarioLake OntarioLake Ontario is one of the five Great Lakes of North America. It is bounded on the north and southwest by the Canadian province of Ontario, and on the south by the American state of New York. Ontario, Canada's most populous province, was named for the lake. In the Wyandot language, ontarío means...
and see the site of TorontoTorontoToronto is the provincial capital of Ontario and the largest city in Canada. It is located in Southern Ontario on the northwestern shore of Lake Ontario. A relatively modern city, Toronto's history dates back to the late-18th century, when its land was first purchased by the British monarchy from...
. - Etobicoke School of the ArtsEtobicoke School of the ArtsThe Etobicoke School of the Arts is a specialized public arts-academic high school located in Etobicoke area of Toronto, Canada. Founded on September 8, 1981, the Etobicoke School of the Arts has the distinction of being the oldest, free standing arts focused high school in Canada...
is a specialized public arts-academic high school on Royal York Road. - Humber Bay Elementary School (closed)
- Holy Angels Separate Elementary School (Queensway)
- Norseman Junior Middle School (Queensway)
- Park Lawn Junior and Middle School (Humber Bay) - A publicPublicIn public relations and communication science, publics are groups of individuals, and the public is the totality of such groupings. This is a different concept to the sociological concept of the Öffentlichkeit or public sphere. The concept of a public has also been defined in political science,...
elementary schoolElementary schoolAn elementary school or primary school is an institution where children receive the first stage of compulsory education known as elementary or primary education. Elementary school is the preferred term in some countries, particularly those in North America, where the terms grade school and grammar...
, located east of Royal York RoadRoyal York RoadRoyal York Road, historically known as Church Street or New Church Street, is a north-south arterial road in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. It is a concession road, 5 concessions west of Yonge Street, and runs through many residential neighbourhoods, most notably Mimico and the Kingsway...
. It was opened in 1951. Notable former students include Marnie McBeanMarnie McBeanMarnie Elizabeth McBean is a Canadian rower.McBean competed at the 1992 Summer Olympics in the coxless pairs and eights events, winning gold medals in both. At the 1996 Summer Olympics she competed in the double and quadruple sculls, winning gold in the double and bronze in the quadruple...
, the champion rower and Jeff Healy, the musician. - Queensway Public School (1912–1969)
- St Mark's Elementary School (Humber Bay)
- Sunnylea Junior School is a publicPublicIn public relations and communication science, publics are groups of individuals, and the public is the totality of such groupings. This is a different concept to the sociological concept of the Öffentlichkeit or public sphere. The concept of a public has also been defined in political science,...
elementary schoolElementary schoolAn elementary school or primary school is an institution where children receive the first stage of compulsory education known as elementary or primary education. Elementary school is the preferred term in some countries, particularly those in North America, where the terms grade school and grammar...
located at 35 Glenroy Avenue. The name Sunnylea was chosen in a competition and has sometimes been used as the name of the local neighbourhood. It is located east of Royal York RoadRoyal York RoadRoyal York Road, historically known as Church Street or New Church Street, is a north-south arterial road in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. It is a concession road, 5 concessions west of Yonge Street, and runs through many residential neighbourhoods, most notably Mimico and the Kingsway...
. For a short time this school closed and the building was leased to the Separate (Catholic) School Board as Cardinal Slipyj (Eastern Rite Catholic) School which had 400 students until the lease expired and Sunnylea reopened with less than 100 students. (Humber Bay)
Institutions
- Humber Post Office (closed)
- Humber Loop
- Humber Bay Library (Park Lawn)
- Ontario Food TerminalOntario Food TerminalThe Ontario Food Terminal is the main produce distribution centre for Toronto, Canada. It is located on The Queensway in Etobicoke just off the Gardiner Expressway. Annually some one million vehicles arrive at the centre delivering produce from across North America or leave to distribute it to...
- Humber Bay Waste Treatment Plant
- Stonegate Plaza
- Kipling-Queensway Mall
- Humber Bay Park (East)Humber Bay ParkHumber Bay Park is a waterfront park located in Etobicoke, Ontario, Canada. The park consists of two landspits situated at the mouth of Mimico Creek. The park is on Lake Shore Boulevard West at Park Lawn Road. Humber Bay Park East, connecting to the Humber Bay neighbourhood that existed there...
- Humber Park
- Park Lawn Park
Churches
- Queensway Cathedral (formerly Queensway Full Gospel Church)
- St James Anglican Church
- St Mark's Roman Catholic Church (Humber Bay)
- Holy Angels Roman Catholic Church (Queensway)
- Church of the Transfiguration (Society of St Pius X)
- Queensway Baptist Church
- Park Lawn Baptist Church
- Humbervale Baptist Church
Transportation
The area is accessible from the Bloor-Danforth subway by two bus routes: the route 66 bus from Old MillOld Mill (TTC)
Old Mill is a station on the Bloor–Danforth line of the subway system in Toronto, Canada. It is located at 2672 Bloor Street West at Old Mill Terrace/Humber Boulevard.The station is built into the side of the Humber River valley...
station which travels along Prince Edward and Park Lawn, and the 80 Queensway bus route from Keele
Keele (TTC)
Keele is a station on the Bloor–Danforth line of the subway system in Toronto, Canada. It is located at 1733 Bloor Street West at Keele Street/Parkside Drive...
Station, along the lake shore, then along The Queensway to the Sherway Gardens mall. From the east the 501 Queen Street streetcar travels along the Queensway until the Humber, then switches south along Lakeshore Boulevard.