Weston, Toronto
Encyclopedia
Weston is a neighbourhood in Toronto
, Ontario
, Canada
in the northwest end of the city, within the former boundaries of the old City of York
. The neighbourhood generally lies south of Highway 401, east of the Humber River
, north of Eglinton Avenue
, and west of Jane Street. Weston Road
just north of Lawrence Avenue
is the downtown 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.
estuary
in Yorkshire
, England
. In 1815 James Farr, a prominent local mill owner, named the growing settlement "Weston" after his birthplace, Weston, Hertfordshire
. Weston initially developed along both sides of the river until a disastrous flood in 1850 destroyed the west bank settlement. The former west bank settlement is now the site of the Weston Golf and Country Club.
Improvements to the Main Street, now Weston Road
, and the 1856 arrival of the Grand Trunk Railway
brought growth on the east side. On October 5, 1869, Prince Arthur, Duke of Connaught and Strathearn
attended the sod turning ceremony for the construction of the Toronto, Grey and Bruce Railway. The spade which he used for the event is kept in the public library.
The town of Weston grew, and over the 19th century became an important industrial centre for the Toronto area. The symbol adopted for the town, an outline of an old-fashioned bicycle, was based on this history of manufacturing and especially the old CCM
bicycle factory on Lawrence Avenue just east of Weston Road. Models of bicycles now hang from the streetlights along Weston Road.
In October 1954, Hurricane Hazel
flooded the Humber River valley, causing death and destruction of property. In response, low-lying areas in the Humber River valley were converted to parkland and property zoning standards were changed across Ontario to avoid building encroachment on floodplain
s. There is a memorial in the south end of Lions Park near a pedestrian bridge which incorporates the original footing of a bridge that once crossed the Humber. The other footing of the bridge is the square chunk of concrete that is in the middle of the river nearby.
Weston was incorporated as a village in 1881, and then as a town in 1914. In 1967, it became part of the Borough (later City) of York
. In 1998, York was in turn amalgamated
with the five other members of Metropolitan Toronto
, (Toronto, Etobicoke, North York, East York
, and Scarborough
) in the new "megacity" of Toronto. Vocal lobbying at the time allowed Weston to retain many street names which are exact duplicates of downtown streets, including Church Street, King Street and John Street.
Although the Town of Weston has not existed as a legal reality since 1967, the area continues to be known as "Weston" and Weston is still a valid mailing address.
and Carnegie library
). The community is also dotted with grand old churches with historical architectural significance. There has been a recent move in Weston to designate certain areas as a historical district. Most streets in Weston are lined with huge mature trees, some well over 100 years old. This is more common east of the railway tracks. Recently, there has been some infill development on former industrial and commercial lands bringing some new housing stock to the area.
The Weston Farmers' Market opens weekly from mid-May to the end of October near the centre of Weston. The Weston BIA also hosts the Weston Santa Claus Parade each November.
Weston falls within the service area of the Toronto Transit Commission
(TTC). Transit is provided entirely by buses
linking to the subway system
. The 32 Eglinton West, 35 Jane, 52 Lawrence, 58 Malton, 59 Maple Leaf, 73 Royal York, 79 Scarlett, and 89 Weston all pass through the boundaries of Weston.
Weston is also served by GO Transit's Weston GO Station which is a station on the Georgetown line, providing heavy interurban transit throughout the Greater Toronto Area.
TTC bus routes that serve areas within Weston's recognized borders.
The Weston GO Transit railway station is also wheelchair accessible.
Weston has many small parks throughout but most notable is Cruickshank Park in the Humber River valley
with many mature trees and paved bicycle paths lined with large weeping willow trees. The bicycle path continues south to Lake Ontario
. Sometimes salmon
can be seen swimming upstream in the river. The park has a population of beaver
as can be seen the from the tell-tale marks left behind on trees. In order to protect some trees, park staff have wrapped the tree trunks with wire screen in some areas. There are also some frog
s closer to the water's edge and Garter snake
s hidden away in the more secluded areas. Canada geese, loon
s, mallard
s and seagulls are a common sight. Heron
s have also been spotted looking for fish in the river. In some areas of the park, you can see exposed Sedimentary rock
in the walls of the valley, made visible by the action of glaciers that carved out the valley during the last glacial period about 20000 years ago. The same rock was used to build many stone retaining walls throughout the town; an example of this use can be seen on the south end of the Lawrence Avenue bridge in the north end of Lions Park.
Weston Lions Park, located south of Lawrence Avenue, fills 22.13 acres (89,557 m²) and contains facilities for playing football
, rugby union
, soccer
, tennis
, and baseball
, as well as an ice rink, swimming pool, basketball court and skatepark.
and Union Station
downtown has become a hot political issue in Weston. It had originally been proposed for completion by 2009. Weston is currently a station stop on the Georgetown line operated by GO Transit
and airport trains would also stop there. If approved, the link would see the construction of three additional tracks through the neighbourhood and would increase rail traffic more than fourfold. Community activists are worried about the link severing the community (vehicle traffic on one street will be permanently blocked from crossing the tracks, replaced by a pedestrian bridge) and the possibility of lower future property values due to increased noise and diesel fumes. It was an issue during the Canadian federal election held on January 23, 2006, when incumbent Liberal Member of Parliament, Alan Tonks
, supported the link, while the other candidates opposed it. It is also an issue in the February 2007 provincial by-election, where all local candidates came out against the link, but which was still supported by the governing Liberals. Current plans for the link are still on the table and the project is expected to go ahead in its original form despite the various alternatives presented by the Weston Community Coalition (WCC). The WCC has proposed a subway line as an alternative to run through the Weston rail corridor to the airport that would have stops along the way which would serve many communities throughout Toronto and be operated by the TTC rather than a private company. Various other alternatives were presented by community activists such as an Eglinton subway
to the airport, an LRT alternative, or a route down Highway 427.
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...
in the northwest end of the city, within the former boundaries of the old City of York
York, Ontario
York is a dissolved municipality in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. Geographically, it is located northwest of Old Toronto, southwest of North York and east of Etobicoke, where it is bounded by the Humber River. Formerly a separate city, it was one of six municipalities that amalgamated in 1998 to form...
. The neighbourhood generally lies south of Highway 401, east of the Humber River
Humber 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....
, north of Eglinton Avenue
Eglinton Avenue
Eglinton Avenue, originally known as the Richview Sideroad within Etobicoke, is an east-west arterial thoroughfare in Toronto and Mississauga, in the Canadian province of Ontario. Within Toronto, Eglinton Avenue is the only road which crosses through all six former boroughs...
, and west of Jane Street. Weston Road
Weston Road
Weston Road is a north-south street in west end Toronto, Ontario, Canada. The route is named for the former Village of Weston, which was located near Weston Road and Lawrence Avenue West....
just north of Lawrence Avenue
Lawrence Avenue
Lawrence Avenue is a major east-west thoroughfare in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. It is divided into east and west portions by Yonge Street, the dividing line of east-west streets in Toronto....
is the downtown 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.
History
The first European settlement in the Weston area took place in the 1790s, when a saw mill was built on an old native trading path along the west side of the Humber River, named after the well-known HumberHumber
The Humber is a large tidal estuary on the east coast of Northern England. It is formed at Trent Falls, Faxfleet, by the confluence of the tidal River Ouse and the tidal River Trent. From here to the North Sea, it forms part of the boundary between the East Riding of Yorkshire on the north bank...
estuary
Estuary
An estuary is a partly enclosed coastal body of water with one or more rivers or streams flowing into it, and with a free connection to the open sea....
in Yorkshire
Yorkshire
Yorkshire is a historic county of northern England and the largest in the United Kingdom. Because of its great size in comparison to other English counties, functions have been increasingly undertaken over time by its subdivisions, which have also been subject to periodic reform...
, England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
. In 1815 James Farr, a prominent local mill owner, named the growing settlement "Weston" after his birthplace, Weston, Hertfordshire
Weston, Hertfordshire
Weston is a village and civil parish in Hertfordshire, England.It is located between Stevenage, Letchworth and Baldock. just east of the A1 junction 9. The Baldock bypass passes through the Weston Hills between Weston and Baldock in a cut-and-cover tunnel...
. Weston initially developed along both sides of the river until a disastrous flood in 1850 destroyed the west bank settlement. The former west bank settlement is now the site of the Weston Golf and Country Club.
Improvements to the Main Street, now Weston Road
Weston Road
Weston Road is a north-south street in west end Toronto, Ontario, Canada. The route is named for the former Village of Weston, which was located near Weston Road and Lawrence Avenue West....
, and the 1856 arrival of the Grand Trunk Railway
Grand Trunk Railway
The Grand Trunk Railway was a railway system which operated in the Canadian provinces of Quebec and Ontario, as well as the American states of Connecticut, Maine, Michigan, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, and Vermont. The railway was operated from headquarters in Montreal, Quebec; however, corporate...
brought growth on the east side. On October 5, 1869, Prince Arthur, Duke of Connaught and Strathearn
Prince Arthur, Duke of Connaught and Strathearn
Prince Arthur, Duke of Connaught and Strathearn was a member of the shared British and Saxe-Coburg and Gotha royal family who served as the Governor General of Canada, the 10th since Canadian Confederation.Born the seventh child and third son of Queen Victoria and Prince Albert of Saxe-Coburg and...
attended the sod turning ceremony for the construction of the Toronto, Grey and Bruce Railway. The spade which he used for the event is kept in the public library.
The town of Weston grew, and over the 19th century became an important industrial centre for the Toronto area. The symbol adopted for the town, an outline of an old-fashioned bicycle, was based on this history of manufacturing and especially the old CCM
CCM (cycle)
CCM, formerly an initialism for Canada Cycle & Motor Co. Ltd. The company would eventually split into two separate entities both maintaining the CCM trademark, one maintaining bicycle manufacturing and the other, CCM , producing hockey equipment.-History:The formation of C.C.M...
bicycle factory on Lawrence Avenue just east of Weston Road. Models of bicycles now hang from the streetlights along Weston Road.
In October 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...
flooded the Humber River valley, causing death and destruction of property. In response, low-lying areas in the Humber River valley were converted to parkland and property zoning standards were changed across Ontario to avoid building encroachment on floodplain
Floodplain
A floodplain, or flood plain, is a flat or nearly flat land adjacent a stream or river that stretches from the banks of its channel to the base of the enclosing valley walls and experiences flooding during periods of high discharge...
s. There is a memorial in the south end of Lions Park near a pedestrian bridge which incorporates the original footing of a bridge that once crossed the Humber. The other footing of the bridge is the square chunk of concrete that is in the middle of the river nearby.
Weston was incorporated as a village in 1881, and then as a town in 1914. In 1967, it became part of the Borough (later City) of York
York, Ontario
York is a dissolved municipality in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. Geographically, it is located northwest of Old Toronto, southwest of North York and east of Etobicoke, where it is bounded by the Humber River. Formerly a separate city, it was one of six municipalities that amalgamated in 1998 to form...
. In 1998, York was in turn amalgamated
Amalgamation (politics)
A merger or amalgamation in a political or administrative sense is the combination of two or more political or administrative entities such as municipalities , counties, districts, etc. into a single entity. This term is used when the process occurs within a sovereign entity...
with the five other members of Metropolitan Toronto
Metropolitan Toronto
The Municipality of Metropolitan Toronto was a senior level of municipal government in the Toronto, Ontario, Canada area from 1954 to 1998. It was created out of York County and was a precursor to the later concept of a regional municipality, being formed of smaller municipalities but having more...
, (Toronto, Etobicoke, North York, East York
East York
East York can refer to:*East York, Pennsylvania, United States*East York, Ontario, Canada...
, and Scarborough
Scarborough, Ontario
Scarborough is a dissolved municipality within the city of Toronto, Ontario, Canada. Geographically, it comprises the eastern part of Toronto. It is bordered on the south by Lake Ontario, on the west by Victoria Park Avenue, on the north by Steeles Avenue East, and on the east by the Rouge River...
) in the new "megacity" of Toronto. Vocal lobbying at the time allowed Weston to retain many street names which are exact duplicates of downtown streets, including Church Street, King Street and John Street.
Today
Weston's building stock consists mostly of Victorian homes east of the railway with apartment and condominium towers on Weston Road overlooking the Humber River valley. Weston's main shopping district is located on Weston Road between Church Street in the north and Wilby Crescent (just south of Lawrence Avenue) in the south. Most buildings in this area reflect early-mid-20th century Ontario town architecture, brick buildings with decorative masonry. The town has a historic library (previously a Mechanics' InstituteMechanics' Institutes
Historically, Mechanics' Institutes were educational establishments formed to provide adult education, particularly in technical subjects, to working men...
and Carnegie library
Carnegie library
A Carnegie library is a library built with money donated by Scottish-American businessman and philanthropist Andrew Carnegie. 2,509 Carnegie libraries were built between 1883 and 1929, including some belonging to public and university library systems...
). The community is also dotted with grand old churches with historical architectural significance. There has been a recent move in Weston to designate certain areas as a historical district. Most streets in Weston are lined with huge mature trees, some well over 100 years old. This is more common east of the railway tracks. Recently, there has been some infill development on former industrial and commercial lands bringing some new housing stock to the area.
The Weston Farmers' Market opens weekly from mid-May to the end of October near the centre of Weston. The Weston BIA also hosts the Weston Santa Claus Parade each November.
Public transportation
Toronto Transit Commission
-Island Ferry:The ferry service to the Toronto Islands was operated by the TTC from 1927 until 1962, when it was transferred to the Metro Parks and Culture department. Since 1998, the ferry service is run by Toronto Parks and Recreation.-Gray Coach:...
(TTC). Transit is provided entirely by buses
Toronto buses and trolley buses
Toronto Transit Commission buses are transit buses used for public transport in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. Buses are owned and operated by the Toronto Transit Commission . With over 140 routes in operation, the TTC attracts over 400 million riders each year. Each route is further divided into branch...
linking to the subway system
Toronto subway and RT
The Toronto subway and RT is a rapid transit system in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, consisting of both underground and elevated railway lines, operated by the Toronto Transit Commission . It was Canada's first completed subway system, with the first line being built under Yonge Street, which opened in...
. The 32 Eglinton West, 35 Jane, 52 Lawrence, 58 Malton, 59 Maple Leaf, 73 Royal York, 79 Scarlett, and 89 Weston all pass through the boundaries of Weston.
Public transit accessibility for the disabled
As of February 2008, the 79 Scarlett, which travels on Lawrence Avenue, and the 35 Jane on the eastern border of Weston, are the only accessibleAccessibility
Accessibility is a general term used to describe the degree to which a product, device, service, or environment is available to as many people as possible. Accessibility can be viewed as the "ability to access" and benefit from some system or entity...
TTC bus routes that serve areas within Weston's recognized borders.
The Weston GO Transit railway station is also wheelchair accessible.
Parkland and recreation
with many mature trees and paved bicycle paths lined with large weeping willow trees. The bicycle path continues south to Lake Ontario
Lake Ontario
Lake 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...
. Sometimes salmon
Salmon
Salmon is the common name for several species of fish in the family Salmonidae. Several other fish in the same family are called trout; the difference is often said to be that salmon migrate and trout are resident, but this distinction does not strictly hold true...
can be seen swimming upstream in the river. The park has a population of beaver
Beaver
The beaver is a primarily nocturnal, large, semi-aquatic rodent. Castor includes two extant species, North American Beaver and Eurasian Beaver . Beavers are known for building dams, canals, and lodges . They are the second-largest rodent in the world...
as can be seen the from the tell-tale marks left behind on trees. In order to protect some trees, park staff have wrapped the tree trunks with wire screen in some areas. There are also some frog
Frog
Frogs are amphibians in the order Anura , formerly referred to as Salientia . Most frogs are characterized by a short body, webbed digits , protruding eyes and the absence of a tail...
s closer to the water's edge and Garter snake
Garter snake
The Garter snake is a Colubrid snake genus common across North America, ranging from Alaska and Canada to Central America. It is the single most widely distributed genus of reptile in North America. The garter snake is also the Massachusettsstate reptile.There is no real consensus on the...
s hidden away in the more secluded areas. Canada geese, loon
Loon
The loons or divers are a group of aquatic birds found in many parts of North America and northern Eurasia...
s, mallard
Mallard
The Mallard , or Wild Duck , is a dabbling duck which breeds throughout the temperate and subtropical Americas, Europe, Asia, and North Africa, and has been introduced to New Zealand and Australia....
s and seagulls are a common sight. Heron
Heron
The herons are long-legged freshwater and coastal birds in the family Ardeidae. There are 64 recognised species in this family. Some are called "egrets" or "bitterns" instead of "heron"....
s have also been spotted looking for fish in the river. In some areas of the park, you can see exposed Sedimentary rock
Sedimentary rock
Sedimentary rock are types of rock that are formed by the deposition of material at the Earth's surface and within bodies of water. Sedimentation is the collective name for processes that cause mineral and/or organic particles to settle and accumulate or minerals to precipitate from a solution....
in the walls of the valley, made visible by the action of glaciers that carved out the valley during the last glacial period about 20000 years ago. The same rock was used to build many stone retaining walls throughout the town; an example of this use can be seen on the south end of the Lawrence Avenue bridge in the north end of Lions Park.
Weston Lions Park, located south of Lawrence Avenue, fills 22.13 acres (89,557 m²) and contains facilities for playing football
American football
American football is a sport played between two teams of eleven with the objective of scoring points by advancing the ball into the opposing team's end zone. Known in the United States simply as football, it may also be referred to informally as gridiron football. The ball can be advanced by...
, rugby union
Rugby union
Rugby union, often simply referred to as rugby, is a full contact team sport which originated in England in the early 19th century. One of the two codes of rugby football, it is based on running with the ball in hand...
, soccer
Football (soccer)
Association football, more commonly known as football or soccer, is a sport played between two teams of eleven players with a spherical ball...
, tennis
Tennis
Tennis is a sport usually played between two players or between two teams of two players each . Each player uses a racket that is strung to strike a hollow rubber ball covered with felt over a net into the opponent's court. Tennis is an Olympic sport and is played at all levels of society at all...
, and baseball
Baseball
Baseball is a bat-and-ball sport played between two teams of nine players each. The aim is to score runs by hitting a thrown ball with a bat and touching a series of four bases arranged at the corners of a ninety-foot diamond...
, as well as an ice rink, swimming pool, basketball court and skatepark.
Current issues
The Air Rail Link under construction between Toronto Pearson International AirportToronto Pearson International Airport
Toronto Pearson International Airport is an international airport serving Toronto, Ontario, Canada; its metropolitan area; and the Golden Horseshoe, an urban agglomeration that is home to 8.1 million people – approximately 25% of Canada's population...
and Union Station
Union Station (Toronto)
Union Station is the major inter-city rail station and a major commuter rail hub in Toronto, located on Front Street West and occupying the south side of the block bounded by Bay Street and York Street in the central business district. The station building is owned by the City of Toronto, while the...
downtown has become a hot political issue in Weston. It had originally been proposed for completion by 2009. Weston is currently a station stop on the Georgetown line operated by GO Transit
GO Transit
GO Transit is an inter-regional public transit system in Southern Ontario, Canada. It primarily serves the Greater Toronto and Hamilton Area conurbation, with operations extending to several communities beyond the GTHA proper in the Greater Golden Horseshoe...
and airport trains would also stop there. If approved, the link would see the construction of three additional tracks through the neighbourhood and would increase rail traffic more than fourfold. Community activists are worried about the link severing the community (vehicle traffic on one street will be permanently blocked from crossing the tracks, replaced by a pedestrian bridge) and the possibility of lower future property values due to increased noise and diesel fumes. It was an issue during the Canadian federal election held on January 23, 2006, when incumbent Liberal Member of Parliament, Alan Tonks
Alan Tonks
Alan Tonks is a Canadian politician. He was the Liberal MP for the federal electoral district of York South—Weston in Toronto from 2000 to 2011, and was the final Metro Toronto Chairman before the amalgamation of Metro Toronto into the new City of Toronto.-Background:Tonks is the son of the late...
, supported the link, while the other candidates opposed it. It is also an issue in the February 2007 provincial by-election, where all local candidates came out against the link, but which was still supported by the governing Liberals. Current plans for the link are still on the table and the project is expected to go ahead in its original form despite the various alternatives presented by the Weston Community Coalition (WCC). The WCC has proposed a subway line as an alternative to run through the Weston rail corridor to the airport that would have stops along the way which would serve many communities throughout Toronto and be operated by the TTC rather than a private company. Various other alternatives were presented by community activists such as an Eglinton subway
Eglinton West subway
The Eglinton West subway was a proposed east-west subway line in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. It was to start from the existing Eglinton West station on the Toronto Transit Commission's Yonge-University-Spadina line. Work began in 1994, but was halted in 1995 when the newly-elected Government of...
to the airport, an LRT alternative, or a route down Highway 427.
See also
- York South—WestonYork South—WestonYork South—Weston is a federal electoral district in Ontario, Canada, that has been represented in the Canadian House of Commons since 1979.-Electoral district:It is in the west-end of Toronto. The riding has a largely working class and immigrant population...
- Weston Collegiate InstituteWeston Collegiate InstituteWeston Collegiate Institute is a Grade 9 to 12 public high school located in the York South-Weston area of Toronto, Ontario, Canada. It is the second oldest high school in Toronto, after Jarvis Collegiate Institute. Weston CI is located on 100 Pine Street and is near the Jane Street & Lawrence...
- 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....
- Weston RoadWeston RoadWeston Road is a north-south street in west end Toronto, Ontario, Canada. The route is named for the former Village of Weston, which was located near Weston Road and Lawrence Avenue West....
- Canada Cycle & Motor Co. Ltd
- Knob Hill Farms
- Raymore DriveRaymore DriveRaymore Drive is a mostly residential street in the Weston neighbourhood of Toronto in the Canadian province of Ontario. It runs next to the Humber River. On October 15, 1954, the area was severely affected by Hurricane Hazel. When the Humber River burst its banks and tore away a footbridge, the...
External links
- Welcome To Weston
- Weston Place
- The Weston Heritage Conservation District
- Weston Village BIA
- Toronto Public Library - Weston Branch
- Weston Community Coalition
- Weston Community Coalition rapid transit proposal
- TTC 89 Weston route map
- Weston Neighbourhood Profile from City of Toronto website
- Weston Neighbourhood Profile from blogTO
- Youtube video- Deindustrialization of Weston and Mount Dennis
- Site with info on Hurricane Hazel damage
- Future plans for Weston GO station and railway corridor in Weston
- Weston News
