Leslieville is a

neighbourhood A neighbourhood (British English, Irish English, Australian English and Canadian English) or neighborhood (American English; see spelling differences) is a geographically localised community within a larger city, town, suburb or rural a ...

Toronto, Ontario Toronto ( ; or ) is the capital city of the Canadian province of Ontario. With a recorded population of 2,794,356 in 2021, it is the most populous city in Canada and the fourth most populous city in North America. The city is the ancho ...

, Canada, situated east of the

Don River The Don ( rus, Дон, p=don) is the fifth-longest river in Europe. Flowing from Central Russia to the Sea of Azov in Southern Russia, it is one of Russia's largest rivers and played an important role for traders from the Byzantine Empire. Its ...

. It is bounded by the

Canadian National The Canadian National Railway Company (french: Compagnie des chemins de fer nationaux du Canada) is a Canadian Class I freight railway headquartered in Montreal, Quebec, which serves Canada and the Midwestern and Southern United States. CN ...

railway line and Gerrard Street to the north, McGee Street to the west, Eastern Avenue to south, and

Coxwell Avenue Coxwell may refer to any of the following: Places *Coxwell Avenue, a street in Toronto, Canada ** Coxwell (TTC), a subway station in Toronto * Great Coxwell, a village in Berkshire, England **Great Coxwell Barn Great Coxwell Barn is a Medie ...

to the east.

History

This east-end neighbourhood forms part of the broader neighbourhood of South Riverdale. Leslieville began as a small village in the 1850s, which grew up around the Toronto Nurseries owned by George Leslie (1804-1893) and sons, after whom the community is named. Most of Leslieville's residents were gardeners or were employed at one of the brick-making factories in the area. Leslie's home at Queen and Leslie no longer exists but the general store remains on Queen east of Jones Avenue.

Alexander Muir Alexander Muir (5 April 1830 – 26 June 1906) was a Canadian songwriter, poet, soldier, and school headmaster. He was the composer of ''The Maple Leaf Forever'', which he wrote in October 1867 to celebrate the Confederation of Canada. Early l ...

, the composer of ''

The Maple Leaf Forever "The Maple Leaf Forever" is a Canadian song written by Alexander Muir (1830–1906) in 1867, the year of Canada's Confederation. He wrote the work after serving with the Queen's Own Rifles of Toronto in the Battle of Ridgeway against the Fen ...

'', was the first principal of the Leslieville Public School, one of the first buildings in the village. Muir was inspired when a brilliant maple leaf fell on his jacket from a Leslieville tree. That tree fell on July 19, 2013, and only its trunk exists today in front of Maple Cottage within Maple Leaf Forever Park. Its offspring still grows in the park behind the cottage. For decades, South Riverdale was home to light industry, particularly along Eastern Ave. south of Queen St. Metal processing and tanning were notable industries which, along with other industrial activity, left Leslieville and South Riverdale with a legacy of contaminated land. In 2000, the A.R. Clarke Tannery(c.1876 and now C.C. Leather Inc) went up in flames, burning for days and unleashing toxic ash on the surrounding neighbourhood. Almost all these industrial areas have now been abandoned and are being redeveloped. Greenwood - Coxwell, Toronto, ON, Canada - panoramio (4)

Greenwood - Coxwell, Toronto, ON, Canada - panoramio (4)

Leslieville's iconic multi-colour benches

Leslieville once mainly housed those who worked in the factories, and their departure has greatly changed the area. The reduction in air pollution and fumes have made it much more appealing to members of the middle and creative class. Several industrial buildings in the immediate area, including north along Carlaw, have been revamped into condominiums. Large film studios have opened in some of the former industrial areas, including Cinevillage and Showline Studios. Just to the south, in the Port Lands area, the massive new Pinewood Toronto Studios have been built. A fortified site along Eastern Avenue was the main Toronto base of the

Hells Angels The Hells Angels Motorcycle Club (HAMC) is a worldwide outlaw motorcycle club whose members typically ride Harley-Davidson motorcycles. In the United States and Canada, the Hells Angels are incorporated as the Hells Angels Motorcycle Corporati ...

until it was raided by police and confiscated in 2007. Just to the southeast of the neighbourhood is the massive

Ashbridges Bay Wastewater Treatment Plant The Ashbridges Bay Wastewater Treatment Plant is the city of Toronto's main sewage treatment facility, and the second largest such plant in Canada after Montreal's Jean-R. Marcotte facility. One of four plants that service the city of Toronto, it t ...

, Canada's largest.

Landmarks

Ashbridge Estate The Ashbridge Estate is a historic estate in eastern Toronto, Ontario, Canada. The property was settled by the Ashbridge family, who were English Quakers who left Pennsylvania after the American Revolutionary War. In 1796, as United Empire Loy ...

Pape Avenue Cemetery Pape Avenue Cemetery, officially known as Holy Blossom Cemetery, is the first Jewish cemetery in the city of Toronto, Canada. The small cemetery is now closed to new burials, and is mostly hidden within the residential neighbourhood of Leslievil ...

Gerrard India Bazaar Gerrard India Bazaar, also known as Little India, is a commercial South Asian ethnic enclave in the Leslieville neighbourhood of Toronto, Ontario, Canada. It is entirely situated along a portion of Gerrard Street, between Greenwood Avenue and ...

Russell Carhouse The Russell Carhouse, located at Queen Street East and Connaught Avenue just east of Greenwood Avenue in Toronto, is the Toronto Transit Commission's second oldest carhouse. Russell Carhouse used to store and maintain high-floor streetcars which ...

(a.k.a. Connaught Barns) - streetcar facility on Connaught Avenue between Queen Street and Eastern Avenue since 1916 * Maple Leaf Forever Park

Churches

*Glen Rhodes United Church *Living Hope Community Church *Queen Street East Presbyterian Church *St. Anargyroi Old Calendar Greek Orthodox *St. Matthew's Cathedral *St. Joseph's Roman Catholic Church *Toronto Gospel Lighthouse

Political representation

Leslieville is in the federal political riding of Toronto-Danforth, represented by Liberal MP

Julie Dabrusin Julie A. Dabrusin (born April 16, 1971) is a Canadian Liberal politician. She was elected to represent the riding of Toronto—Danforth in the House of Commons of Canada in the 2015 federal election. Dabrusin earned university degrees in law ...

. Municipally, Leslieville is in Toronto Ward 14, represented by City Councillor

Paula Fletcher Paula Fletcher (born 1951) is a Canadian politician who has served on Toronto City Council since 2003. She currently represents Ward 14 Toronto—Danforth. Fletcher is regarded as an advocate for affordable housing, environmentally sustainable ...

. The seat in the

Ontario provincial parliament The Legislative Assembly of Ontario (OLA, french: Assemblée législative de l'Ontario) is the legislative chamber of the Canadian province of Ontario. Its elected members are known as Members of Provincial Parliament (MPPs). Bills passed b ...

is currently held by New Democrat

Peter Tabuns Peter Charles Tabuns (born October 3, 1951) is a Canadian politician who has served as the interim leader of the Ontario New Democratic Party and the leader of the Opposition since June 28, 2022. He is a member of the Legislative Assembly of O ...

, elected in the March 30, 2006 by-election and then re-elected in the 2007 general election. Federally, the riding was represented by

New Democrats New Democrats, also known as centrist Democrats, Clinton Democrats, or moderate Democrats, are a centrist ideological faction within the Democratic Party in the United States. As the Third Way faction of the party, they are seen as culturall ...

from 1965 until 1988; past MPs include

Bob Rae Robert Keith Rae (born August 2, 1948) is a Canadian diplomat and former politician who is the current Canadian Ambassador to the United Nations since 2020. He previously served as the 21st premier of Ontario from 1990 to 1995, leader of th ...

(1978-1982), who resigned to become leader of the provincial NDP, and was later

Premier of Ontario The premier of Ontario (french: premier ministre de l'Ontario) is the head of government of Ontario. Under the Westminster system, the premier governs with the confidence of a majority the elected Legislative Assembly; as such, the premier typ ...

in the NDP majority government of 1990-1995. In the 1988 federal election, the seat was won by Liberal

Dennis Mills Dennis Joseph Mills (born July 19, 1946) is a Canadian businessman and former politician. He was a Liberal Member of Parliament for the riding of Toronto—Danforth in the east-end of downtown Toronto. From February 2012 until November 2016, Mi ...

. Mills held the riding until

Jack Layton John Gilbert Layton (July 18, 1950 – August 22, 2011) was a Canadian academic and politician who served as the leader of the New Democratic Party (NDP) from 2003 to 2011 and leader of the Official Opposition in 2011. He previously sat on To ...

of the New Democratic Party regained the seat in the 2004 Canadian federal election. The provincial seat was previously held by

Marilyn Churley Marilyn Churley (born May 7, 1948) is a former politician in Ontario, Canada. She was a New Democratic member of the Legislative Assembly of Ontario from 1990 to 2005 who represented the downtown Toronto ridings of Riverdale and Toronto—Danfor ...

, then deputy leader of the New Democratic Party of Ontario, until she resigned prior to an unsuccessful bid for the adjacent federal seat of Beaches-East York in the January 2006 federal election. Provincially, the riding has elected a New Democrat in every election and by-election since 1963.

References

External links