Moss Park Armoury is a

Canadian Forces } The Canadian Armed Forces (CAF; french: Forces armées canadiennes, ''FAC'') are the unified military forces of Canada, including sea, land, and air elements referred to as the Royal Canadian Navy, Canadian Army, and Royal Canadian Air Force. ...

facility located at 130

Queen Street East Queen Street is a major east-west thoroughfare in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. It extends from Roncesvalles Avenue and King Street (Toronto), King Street in the west to Victoria Park Avenue in the east. Queen Street was the cartographic baseline f ...

Toronto 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 ...

, Ontario, Canada. It is at the northeast corner of

Jarvis Street Jarvis Street is a north-south thoroughfare in downtown Toronto, Ontario, Canada, passing through some of the oldest developed areas in the city. Its alignment extends from Queens Quay East in the south to Bloor Street in the north. The segment s ...

and Queen Street East, in the neighbourhood of

Moss Park Moss Park is a residential neighbourhood located in downtown Toronto, Ontario, Canada. The area known as Moss Park is typically considered to be between Jarvis Street and Parliament Street, south of Dundas Street, an area dominated by public hous ...

. It currently hosts several units of the

Primary Reserve The Primary Reserve of the Canadian Armed Forces (french: links=no, Première réserve des Forces canadiennes) is the first and largest of the four sub-components of the Canadian Armed Forces reserves, followed by the Supplementary Reserve, the ...

. More than 600 soldiers and reservists train at Moss Park every week. It is located close to the downtown core and financial district, as well as several post-secondary institutions including the

University of Toronto The University of Toronto (UToronto or U of T) is a public research university in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, located on the grounds that surround Queen's Park. It was founded by royal charter in 1827 as King's College, the first institution ...

Toronto Metropolitan University Toronto Metropolitan University (TMU or Toronto Met) is a public university, public research university located in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. The university's core campus is situated within the Garden District, Toronto, Garden District, although i ...

, and

George Brown College George Brown College is a public, fully accredited college of applied arts and technology with three campuses in downtown Toronto (Ontario, Canada). Like many other colleges in Ontario, GBC was chartered in 1966 by the government of Ontario and ...

. The Armoury is within a short walking distance of the Queen subway station. It is also accessible by the

501 Queen 501 Queen (301 Queen during overnight periods) is an east–west Toronto streetcar route in Ontario, Canada, operated by the Toronto Transit Commission (TTC). At long, it is one of the longest surface routes operated by the TTC, the longest ...

and 502 Downtowner streetcar routes. As a prominent military structure in

downtown Toronto Downtown Toronto is the main central business district of Toronto, Ontario, Canada. Located entirely within the district of Old Toronto, it is approximately 16.6 square kilometres in area, bounded by Bloor Street to the northeast and Dupont Stre ...

, it has been the site of a number of anti-war protests. Moss Park Armoury was constructed in the mid-1960s to house several of the regiments displaced by the demolition of the old

Toronto Armories The Toronto Armories, also known as the University Avenue Armories and the Toronto Drill Hall, was an 1894 armoury building in downtown Toronto, Ontario, Canada. It was located on University Avenue, just north of Osgoode Hall. It was the largest ...

on University Avenue. It cost million to construct. In the spring and fall of 2010, the armoury was renovated and the facade was replaced.

Lodger Units

Panorama of Moss Park Armoury, 2017 05 06

In the Canadian Forces, an

armoury An arsenal is a place where arms and ammunition are made, maintained and repaired, stored, or issued, in any combination, whether privately or publicly owned. Arsenal and armoury (British English) or armory (American English) are most ...

is a place where a reserve unit trains, meets, and parades. The Armoury is currently home to: * 25 Field Ambulance * 48th Highlanders of Canada * 7th Toronto Regiment Royal Canadian Artillery *

The Queen's Own Rifles of Canada ("In peace prepared") , colours = None (Rifle regiments have no colours) , march = , mascot = , battle_honours = See #Battle honours , website ...

These units met previously at the

on University Avenue. The Armoury is also home to the 48th Highlanders of Canada

Royal Canadian Army Cadets The Royal Canadian Army Cadets (RCAC; french: Cadets royaux de l’Armée canadienne) is a national Canadian youth program sponsored by the Canadian Armed Forces and the civilian Army Cadet League of Canada. Under the authority of the National D ...

, a youth program for children aged 12–18.

Homeless shelter

In December 2017,

Toronto City Council Toronto City Council is the governing body of the municipal government of Toronto, Ontario. Meeting at Toronto City Hall, it comprises 25 city councillors and the mayor of Toronto. The current term began on November 15, 2022. Structure The cur ...

and

Mayor In many countries, a mayor is the highest-ranking official in a municipal government such as that of a city or a town. Worldwide, there is a wide variance in local laws and customs regarding the powers and responsibilities of a mayor as well a ...

John Tory John Howard Tory (born May 28, 1954) is a Canadian politician who has served as the 65th and current mayor of Toronto since 2014. After a career as a lawyer, political strategist and businessman, Tory ran as a mayoral candidate in the 2003 ...

rejected a motion to consider using armouries located in the city as

homeless shelter Homeless shelters are a type of homeless service agency which provide temporary residence for homeless individuals and families. Shelters exist to provide residents with safety and protection from exposure to the weather while simultaneously r ...

s. However, following several nights of weather, thousands of residents signed petitions asking the Mayor to reconsider the decision. On January 3, 2018, Mayor Tory asked the

Government of Canada The government of Canada (french: gouvernement du Canada) is the body responsible for the federal administration of Canada. A constitutional monarchy, the Crown is the corporation sole, assuming distinct roles: the executive, as the ''Crown ...

to allow city staff to use the Moss Park Armoury as a temporary shelter for the homeless. On January 5, 2018, the request was approved by the Government of Canada.

References

External links

* Armouries in Canada Buildings and structures in Toronto Queen's Own Rifles of Canada 48th Highlanders of Canada {{Canada-mil-hist-stub

Lodger Units

Homeless shelter

See also

References

External links