New Toronto
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| New Toronto | |
| — Neighbourhood — | |
 |
|
 |
|
| Coordinates: 43°36′02″N 79°30′19″W / 43.60056°N 79.50528°W | |
| Country |  Canada |
|---|---|
| Province |  Ontario |
| City |  Toronto |
| Community | Etobicoke-York |
| Established | 1890 (Subdivision) 1892 (Postal village) |
| Incorporated | 1913 (Village) 1920 (Town) |
| Changed Municipality | 1954  Metropolitan Toronto from York County1998 Toronto from Etobicoke |
| Annexed | 1967 into  Etobicoke |
| Government | |
| - MP | Michael Ignatieff (Etobicoke-Lakeshore) |
| - MPP | Laurel Broten (Etobicoke-Lakeshore) |
| - Councillor | Mark Grimes (Ward 6 Etobicoke-Lakeshore) |
The historic Town of New Toronto is a neighbourhood in the south-west end of Toronto, Ontario, Canada. It is located in the south-centre of the former Township (and later, City) of Etobicoke and was an independent municipality from 1913 to 1967. New Toronto is bounded by Lake Ontario to the south, with a western boundary of Twenty-Third Street (south of Lake Shore Blvd. West) and the mid-point between Twenty-Second and Twenty-Fourth Streets (north of Lake Shore Blvd. West), the Canadian National Railways mainline to the north, and Dwight Avenue to the east.
This neighbourhood is centred around the intersection of Islington Avenue and Lake Shore Boulevard West with a commercial strip running east-west along the latter street. Residential streets generally run north-south from Lake Ontario north to Birmingham Street, except for the Lakeshore Grounds (formerly the Lakeshore Psychiatric Hospital) to the southwest which extends from Lake Shore Blvd. West south to the Lake. North of Birmingham Street has traditionally been a large industrial district, although a number of industries moved or closed in the period from 1987 to the early 1990s.
Contents |
[edit] History
- Beginnings
The largest farming families in what would become New Toronto were the Northcote family to the east around where Islington Avenue meets Lake Shore Blvd. West today, and the Goldthorpe family to the west at Mimico Avenue (now Kipling Avenue) where the Mimico Asylum was later built[1][2]. In 1888, a farm south of the Lake Shore Road at Mimico Avenue (Kipling Avenue) which had been purchased by the Ontario Government, was used to create the Mimico Asylum (alleviating overcrowding at Toronto's Asylum on Queen Street West - now the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health). In 1890 a plan of subdivision was filed by a group of industrialists and the first streets laid out in what is now New Toronto as a western extension of Mimico to Mimico Avenue (Kipling Ave.) by the Mimico Real Estate Security Company[3]. With the first industries in New Toronto already operating, or to be operational by the end of 1890, New Toronto was promoted with the publication of an article in the October 25th, 1890 edition of the Toronto Globe newspaper (now the Globe & Mail) entitled "Toronto's Growing Suburb - New Toronto - As it is and what it will be".[4] New Toronto, as an industrial centre "was expected to rival - if not exceed - 'old' Toronto in manufacturing output". A few workers homes were built on early streets north of Lake Shore Road while Mimico's planned development proceeded slowly. John Shean's Hotel (later, The New Toronto Hotel and the Almont Hotel) opened across from the Asylum grounds at Mimico Avenue (Kipling Ave.) and The Lake Shore Road (now Lake Shore Blvd West). In 1892 a Post Office was established in New Toronto. The next year, the pastor of Mimico's Methodist Church began holding separate services in New Toronto establishing a church building as a branch of Mimico's new Methodist Circuit in 1909[5]. The Mimico Yards (The Grand Trunk Railway freight yards) were established in 1906 in what was already a separate Postal Village from Mimico encouraging many more industries and workers to relocate to New Toronto. The same year a Public School was established on Sixth Street. A proper school house was opened in 1909 on Fifth Street (Fifth Street Public School)[6]. By 1911 an Anglican church had been completed in New Toronto called St. Margaret's.
- Growth
In 1913, New Toronto was incorporated as a separate village, with a population of 500. In 1915 the Methodist church became a separate Methodist Parish from Mimico. 1916 saw a referendum on rejoining New Toronto to Mimico which passed in Mimico but was defeated in New Toronto. With the first world war raging, new industries arrived in New Toronto - most notably The Goodyear Tire and Rubber Company which established a plant in New Toronto in 1917 that quickly became the town's largest employer. Other major industries included: Anaconda American Brass Company of Canada (1922), Continental Can Company of Canada (1936), and W & A Gilbey Ltd. distillery (1933). New Toronto became a town in 1920 and established a Library Association[7]. In 1924 a St. Theresa's Catholic Church was created in New Toronto out of Mimico's St. Leo's Catholic Church. By 1927 a new school was needed and the Seventh Street Public school was opened[8]. With the creation of the United Church of Canada after the union of the Methodist, Congregational and Presbyterian Churches, the New Toronto Methodist Church opened a new Church building, the first to be built specifically as a United Church, called the Century United Church. In 1929 an Italianate style building was built for a New Toronto Fire Station and was also used as the Town Hall for a time, it is still a Fire Station today[9]. At the same time, the new mayor William Jackson donated land for a Public Library Building, Jackson would go on to be mayor almost continuously until 1952, he also served as Warden of York County (leader of the Regional Government)[10]. In 1930, the Campbell Soup Company Ltd. had arrived in New Toronto[11]. In 1947 the Fifth Street Public School burned down and was replaced with the new Second Street Public School[12].
- Deindustrialisation
In 1953 with urbanisation spreading north from the Lake Shore municipalities (Mimico, New Toronto, Long Branch) into Etobicoke, these municipalities were separated from York County along with the other municipalities south of Steeles Ave to create a new 'urban' region: Metropolitan Toronto. Growing freight traffic in the Toronto area necessitated the creation of an amalgamated facility and a by-pass of the congested Toronto Terminal downtown. A modern hump yard in Maple, first named Toronto Yard and then MacMillan Yard, the freight by-pass opened in 1965 at which time Mimico was downgraded considerably, resulting in the loss of much employment. At the same time the Toronto By-Pass line allowed for the creation of GO Transit commuter train line between Oakville and Pickering. GO named its facility Willowbrook, after the nearby Willowbrook Road. Old CNR facilities in Mimico Yard were used for the startup of this trial train service. Its subsequent growth has resulted in new facilities being built for GO. In 1967 New Toronto was amalgamated with the other Lake Shore municipalities (Mimico and Long Branch) back into Etobicoke to create the Borough of Etobicoke. In 1984 Etobicoke became a city. In 1985, VIA Rail facilities at Spadina Avenue were relocated from downtown Toronto to New Toronto's underused former Mimico Yards to form the Toronto Maintenance Centre. In 1987, Goodyear Canada Inc., which was the largest employer in New Toronto, shut down its plant[13] contributing to a general loss of employment in the area. While many Ukrainian and Polish immigrants traditionally lived in New Toronto and surrounding communities beginning early in the 20th Century, more arrived as the Communist Bloc collapsed. By the mid-1970's the population aged as many younger people moved further west to Mississauga and other new suburbs where large houses were being built. At this time the former Century United Church closed to be replaced with a mosque. New Toronto's Library was demolished in 1993 to be replaced with a new building[14]. In 1998 Etobicoke was joined with the other municipalities of Metropolitan Toronto and the Metropolitan government itself to form the new City of Toronto. Recent attempts to rejuvenate New Toronto include the protection of remaining industrial lands, the old Mimico Asylum Buildings, and the establishment of Humber College's Lake Shore campus to the Lakeshore Grounds.
[edit] Character
New Toronto is now a neighbourhood in transition, as the industrial corridor located at the north end of the community is being redeveloped after having been vacant and fallow for many years. Industry that gradually moved out of New Toronto over the years is now being re-established, in addition to institutional uses. New Toronto also has a high senior citizen population.
The area contains a large amount of government-assisted housing between 9th and 13th Streets, north of Lake Shore Blvd.
In September 2009, a new Toronto Police College training facility will oficially open at 70 Birmingham St., and will also house a 22 division substation.
The Lakeshore Campus of Humber College, formerly the Lakeshore Psychiatric Hospital, is located at the foot of Kipling Avenue. New Toronto's high school, now called Lakeshore Collegiate Institute, was originally built and operated as New Toronto Secondary School beginning in 1951. It is located on the northwest corner of Kipling Avenue and Birmingham Street.
In 1890 streets in Mimico's western extension (soon to become New Toronto) were several series of new streets essentially without names using simply ordinal numbers (1st, 2nd, 3rd etc.). When streets were laid out through New Toronto they were simply given ordinal numbers as names with a single new starting point: 1st street one half block west of Dwight Ave (the boundary street between Mimico and New Toronto). While not actually numbered, Kipling Ave would be 18th street. This naming convention was later applied to streets further west of New Toronto in the Village of Long Branch when they were renamed in 1931, continuing up to 42nd street (43rd street was washed out during Hurricane Hazel).
[edit] Notable residents
- Mayors[15]
- George Ironside (1913-1917) (Reeve)
- Charles Lovejoy (1917-1922) Mayor from 1920
- S. Tucker (1922)
- George Janes (1923-1926)
- George Warner (1926-1929)
- William Jackson (1929-1937, 1938-1952)
- S. Douglas (1937)
- E. Grant (1952-1954)
- J. Strath (1954)
- Don Russell (1955-)
[edit] Institutions
- New Toronto Town Hall (now LAMP)
- New Toronto Post Office[16]
- New Toronto Fire Hall, 130 Eighth St
- New Toronto Library
- Almont Hotel[17]
- Winston Spencer Churchill Legion Hall
- Mimico Rail Yards
- Mimico Asylum (former) now a park accommodating: Humber College (Lake Shore Campus) & Fr. John Redmond Secondary Separate School
New Toronto has always had a large industrial base including plants operated by: Campbell's Soup Company, Good-year Tire Co. (demolished)
- Churches
- St. Margaret Anglican Church Founded 1911
- St. Theresa Roman Catholic Church Founded 1924
- Living Hope Baptist Church
- New Covenant Pentecostal Church
- Bosnian Mosque former Century United Church
- Schools
- Humber College (Lakeshore Campus)
- Lakeshore Collegiate Institute formerly New Toronto Secondary School
- Father John Redmond Catholic Secondary School
- Second Street Junior Middle School formerly Fifth Street Public School
- Seventh Street Junior School
- St. Theresa Separate Elementary School
[edit] Transportation
The Toronto Transit Commission's 501 Queen streetcar line, which runs along Lake Shore Boulevard, connects New Toronto to the downtown core. Though Mimico GO Station is nearby and GO Transit trains use track in the northern reaches of the neighbourhood, there is no active railway station in New Toronto. Two TTC bus lines serve the area. The 44 Kipling and the 110 Islington routes connect to the Bloor-Danforth subway to the north.
[edit] References
- ^ Tremaines Atlas of the County of York, 1860
- ^ Illustrated Historical Atlas of the County of York 1878, Etobicoke Township
- ^ Mimico, Etobicoke Township, York County, Province of Ontario, Chas. E. GOAD, 1890
- ^ http://www.newtorontohistorical.com/Early%20History.htm
- ^ http://www.newtorontohistorical.com/Religion.htm
- ^ http://www.newtorontohistorical.com/Education.htm
- ^ http://www.newtorontohistorical.com/New%20Toronto%20Public%20Library.htm
- ^ http://www.newtorontohistorical.com/Seventh%20Street%20School.htm
- ^ http://www.newtorontohistorical.com/New%20Toronto%20Fire%20Department.htm
- ^ http://74.125.47.132/search?q=cache:GsO8pHynJ0QJ:www.newtorontohistorical.com/1937%2520New%2520Toronto%2520Souvenir%2520Booklet.pdf+William+Jackson+mayor+%22New+Toronto%22&hl=en&ct=clnk&cd=3&gl=ca&client=firefox-a
- ^ http://www.newtorontohistorical.com/Campbells%20Soup.htm
- ^ http://www.newtorontohistorical.com/Second%20Street.htm
- ^ http://www.newtorontohistorical.com/Goodyear%20Tire.htm
- ^ http://www.torontopubliclibrary.ca/hou_az_nt.jsp
- ^ http://www.newtorontohistorical.com/Politics.htm
- ^ http://www.newtorontohistorical.com/New%20Toronto%20Post%20Office.htm
- ^ http://www.newtorontohistorical.com/Almont%20Hotel.htm
- "Topographic Map sheet 30M12". Atlas of Canada. Natural Resources Canada. 2006-02-06. http://atlas.nrcan.gc.ca/site/english/maps/topo/map/. Retrieved on 2008-12-05.
[edit] External links
- City of Toronto - New Toronto Neighbourhood Profile
- New Toronto Historical Society
- The Former Lakeshore Psychiatric Hospital Project
- New Toronto Street Re-naming History
 Victorian Worker's Home |
 Surviving Victorian House in New Toronto |
 Victorian Home on New Toronto boundary with Long Branch |
 Residential Development of former Goodyear site |
 former Bell Telephone Company of Canada New Toronto Telephone Exchange |
 c. 1920 facade of the Reg. N. Boxer Wallpaper Company building on Birmingham Street |
 |
Islington |
|
|||||
| Long Branch |  |
Mimico | |||||
 New Toronto  |
|||||||
 |
|||||||
| Lake Ontario |
|
|||||||||||
