York is a district and former city within

Toronto Toronto ( , locally pronounced or ) is the List of the largest municipalities in Canada by population, most populous city in Canada. It is the capital city of the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian province of Ontario. With a p ...

Ontario Ontario is the southernmost Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Canada. Located in Central Canada, Ontario is the Population of Canada by province and territory, country's most populous province. As of the 2021 Canadian census, it ...

, Canada. It is located northwest of

Old Toronto Old Toronto is the part of Toronto, Ontario, Canada, that corresponds to the boundaries of the City of Toronto prior to 1998. It was incorporated as a city in 1834, after being known as the town of York, and being part of York County. Toronto ...

, southwest of

North York North York is a former township and city and is now one of the six administrative districts of Toronto, Ontario, Canada. It is located in the northern area of Toronto, centred around Yonge Street, north of Ontario Highway 401. It is bounded by ...

and east of the Humber River. Originally formed as York Township, it encompassed the southern section of York County. It was split several times, creating East York and North York. In 1953, it became part of the

Metropolitan Toronto The Municipality of Metropolitan Toronto was an upper-tier level of municipal government in Ontario, Canada, from 1953 to 1998. It was made up of the old city of Toronto and numerous townships, towns and villages that surrounded Toronto, whic ...

federation. It absorbed several municipalities, including

Lambton Mills The Village of Lambton Mills was a settlement at the crossing of Dundas Street and the Humber River (Ontario), Humber River. The settlement was on both sides of the Humber River, in both the former Etobicoke Township and York Township, within toda ...

and

Weston Weston may refer to: Places Australia * Weston, Australian Capital Territory, a suburb of Canberra * Weston, New South Wales * Weston Creek, a residential district of Canberra * Weston Park, Canberra, a park Canada * Weston, Nova Scotia * W ...

and was eventually known as the City of York. In 1998, it was dissolved along with Metro Toronto and its constituent municipalities,

amalgamated Amalgamation is the process of combining or uniting multiple entities into one form. Amalgamation, amalgam, and other derivatives may refer to: Mathematics and science * Amalgam (chemistry), the combination of mercury with another metal **Pan ama ...

to form the current

City of Toronto Toronto ( , locally pronounced or ) is the List of the largest municipalities in Canada by population, most populous city in Canada. It is the capital city of the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian province of Ontario. With a p ...

. Today, the area is integrated into the multicultural mosaic of Toronto. The area is home today to several

ethnic enclave In sociology, an ethnic enclave is a geographic area with high ethnic concentration, characteristic cultural identity, and economic activity. The term is usually used to refer to either a residential area or a workspace with a high concentration ...

s such as Portuguese, Jamaican and Latin American neighbourhoods.

History

Teiaiagon Teiaiagon, or Taiaiako'n, was an Iroquoian village on the east bank of the Humber River in what is now the York district of Toronto, Ontario, Canada. It was located along the Toronto Carrying-Place Trail. The site is near the current intersecti ...

, settled by the

Iroquois The Iroquois ( ), also known as the Five Nations, and later as the Six Nations from 1722 onwards; alternatively referred to by the Endonym and exonym, endonym Haudenosaunee ( ; ) are an Iroquoian languages, Iroquoian-speaking Confederation#Ind ...

on the eastern bank of the Humber River, where

Baby Point Baby Point is a residential neighbourhood in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. It is bounded on the west by the Humber River from south of Baby Point Crescent to St. Marks Road, east to Jane Street and Jane Street south to Raymond Avenue and Raymond Av ...

is now, was the oldest known settlement on the land that would later become York Township. York Township was first organized in 1793. Its initial boundaries were the Humber River to the west, in the east by what would become

Victoria Park Avenue Victoria Park Avenue is a major north-south route in eastern Toronto, Ontario, Canada. It is the western border of Scarborough, separating it from Old Toronto, East York, and North York. The common nickname for it is VP or Vic Park. History ...

, and in the north by what would become

Steeles Avenue Steeles Avenue is an east–west street that stretches across the western and central Greater Toronto Area in Ontario, Canada. Running from Appleby Line in Milton in the west to the Scarborough-Pickering Townline in the east, where it continue ...

Etobicoke Township Etobicoke (, ) is an administrative district and former city within Toronto, Ontario, Canada. Comprising the city's west end, Etobicoke is bordered on the south by Lake Ontario, on the east by the Humber River, on the west by Etobicoke Cre ...

and

Scarborough Township Scarborough (; 2021 Canadian census, 2021 Census 629,941) is a district of Toronto, Ontario, Canada. It is situated in the eastern part of the City of Toronto. Its borders are Victoria Park Avenue to the west, Steeles Avenue (Toronto), Steele ...

were located west and east, respectively, while the townships of

Vaughan Vaughan ( ) (2022 population 344,412) is a city in Ontario, Canada. It is located in the Regional Municipality of York, just north of Toronto. Vaughan was the fastest-growing municipality in Canada between 1996 and 2006 with its population increa ...

and

Markham Markham may refer to: Biology * Markham's storm-petrel (''Oceanodroma markhami''), a seabird species found in Chile and Colombia * Markham's grass mouse (''Abrothrix olivaceus markhami''), a rodent subspecies found on Wellington Island and the ne ...

bordered on the north, and Lake Ontario on the south, minus the small Town of York. It was incorporated by

Canada West The Province of Canada (or the United Province of Canada or the United Canadas) was a British colony in British North America from 1841 to 1867. Its formation reflected recommendations made by John Lambton, 1st Earl of Durham, in the Report ...

in 1850 (Canada West later became Ontario in 1867, due to

Confederation A confederation (also known as a confederacy or league) is a political union of sovereign states united for purposes of common action. Usually created by a treaty, confederations of states tend to be established for dealing with critical issu ...

) within the new

County of York Yorkshire ( ) is an area of Northern England which was historically a county. Despite no longer being used for administration, Yorkshire retains a strong regional identity. The county was named after its county town, the city of York. The so ...

. York Township was home to one of the original

Black Black is a color that results from the absence or complete absorption of visible light. It is an achromatic color, without chroma, like white and grey. It is often used symbolically or figuratively to represent darkness.Eva Heller, ''P ...

communities in the Toronto area, which was populated by many

African American African Americans, also known as Black Americans and formerly also called Afro-Americans, are an Race and ethnicity in the United States, American racial and ethnic group that consists of Americans who have total or partial ancestry from an ...

fugitive slaves In the United States, fugitive slaves or runaway slaves were terms used in the 18th and 19th centuries to describe people who fled slavery. The term also refers to the federal Fugitive Slave Acts of 1793 and 1850. Such people are also called fre ...

.Reverend Mitchell
Harriet Tubman Institute. Accessed 28 February 2016. By 1861, the township had the second-largest Black population in the Toronto area, after St. John's Ward, most of whom lived in York Township West (located west of

Yonge Street Yonge Street ( ') is a major arterial route in the Canadian province of Ontario connecting the shores of Lake Ontario in Toronto to Lake Simcoe, a gateway to the Great Lakes#Geography, Upper Great Lakes. Ontario's first colonial administrator, ...

and north of

Bloor Street Bloor Street is an east–west arterial road in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. Bloor Street runs from the Prince Edward Viaduct, which spans the Don River (Ontario), Don River Valley, westward into Mississauga where it ends at Central Parkway. East ...

). The legacy of York's original Black community continues today; as of the 2016 Census, 17 percent of York's population is Black, the largest percentage of Toronto's six former municipalities. From the period of 1850 onwards, individual villages developed such as Parkdale (1879) and Brockton (1881), which were later annexed into Toronto. The village of

was incorporated in 1882.

Toronto Junction The Junction is a neighbourhood in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, that is near the West Toronto Diamond, a junction of four railway lines in the area. The neighbourhood was previously an independent city called West Toronto, that was also its own f ...

and

East Toronto East Toronto is a former municipality, located within the current boundaries of Toronto, Ontario, Canada. It covered much of the present-day neighbourhood of the Upper Beaches, stretching up to Danforth Avenue in the north, part of it stretchin ...

were incorporated in 1887, both later annexed by Toronto. The village of

North Toronto North Toronto is a former town and informal district located in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. The Town of North Toronto was incorporated in 1890 by consolidating the villages of Bedford Park, Eglinton and Davisville. The town was annexed by Toronto ...

was incorporated in 1889, annexed by Toronto in 1912. Other parts of York were directly annexed by Toronto, such as "

The Annex The Annex is a neighbourhood in Downtown Toronto, Ontario, Canada. The traditional boundaries of the neighbourhood extend north to Dupont Street, south to Bloor Street, west to Bathurst Street (Toronto), Bathurst Street and east to Avenue Road, ...

", Riverdale, Rosedale, Seaton and Sunnyside in the 1880s and Bracondale, Deer Park, Wychwood, The Midway and Balmy Beach after 1905. York Civic Centre Time Capsule

This pattern of absorption by Toronto ended as the City no longer wanted to take on the servicing costs of new suburbs. The

Humewood–Cedarvale Humewood–Cedarvale is an area of Toronto, Ontario, Canada, consisting of Humewood in the south, divided by Vaughan Road and Cedarvale Ravine. The neighbourhood is bordered by Bathurst Street on the east, Eglinton Avenue to the north, Arlington ...

neighbourhood was developed in the 1910s to attract development in the growing township.

Oakwood Village Oakwood Village, formerly known as Oakwood–Vaughan, is a neighbourhood in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. Located in the former inner suburb of York, Toronto, York, the neighbourhood is a business improvement district, Business Improvement Area (BIA) ...

was also developed during this time. In the 1920s, the character of the township changed, with its southern reaches abutting the city of Toronto taking on a more urban character, compared with the very rural character of the north. The voters of the northern, rural part of York voted to secede, creating the new Township of North York in 1922. This was followed in 1923 by the incorporation of the village of Forest Hill, while the residents of Mount Dennis and Silverthorn voted to remain in York. The remaining two pockets of unincorporated urban development at the north end of the city, were split by the village of North Toronto, which was by then a part of the City of Toronto. Within years, the Province of Ontario saw that this arrangement of having an

exclave An enclave is a territory that is entirely surrounded by the territory of only one other state or entity. An enclave can be an independent territory or part of a larger one. Enclaves may also exist within territorial waters. ''Enclave'' is s ...

was impractical, and further subdivided York, creating in 1924 the township of

East York East York is a district and former municipality within Toronto, Ontario, Canada. From 1967 to 1998, it was officially the Borough of East York, a borough within the upper-tier municipality of Metropolitan Toronto. The borough was dissolved ...

out of the eastern pocket. The Township of York contracted

streetcar A tram (also known as a streetcar or trolley in Canada and the United States) is an urban rail transit in which vehicles, whether individual railcars or multiple-unit trains, run on tramway tracks on urban public streets; some include s ...

and bus services from the

Toronto Transportation Commission Toronto Transportation Commission (TTC) was the public transit operator in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, beginning in 1921. It operated buses, streetcars and the island ferries. The system was renamed the Toronto Transit Commission (TTC) in 1954. H ...

(later became

Toronto Transit Commission The Toronto Transit Commission (TTC) is the primary public transport agency in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, operating the majority of the city's transit bus, bus and rail services. It is the oldest and largest of the urban transit service providers ...

in 1954), but remained independent from Toronto. During this time, American novelist and journalist

Ernest Hemingway Ernest Miller Hemingway ( ; July 21, 1899 – July 2, 1961) was an American novelist, short-story writer and journalist. Known for an economical, understated style that influenced later 20th-century writers, he has been romanticized fo ...

resided in the Humewood–Cedarvale community, writing for the ''

Toronto Star The ''Toronto Star'' is a Canadian English-language broadsheet daily newspaper. It is owned by Toronto Star Newspapers Limited, a subsidiary of Torstar Corporation and part of Torstar's Daily News Brands (Torstar), Daily News Brands division. ...

''. In 1954, York, along with other municipalities south of

were severed from York County, forming the new upper-tier government of

. In 1967, it absorbed the town of

, and became the Borough of York, later known as the City of York. (The map shows this area in red). York was dissolved on 1 January 1998 and its functions

into the new City of Toronto. Its former council and administrative building,

York Civic Centre The York Civic Centre is a government building in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. It is located at 2700 Eglinton Avenue West in the neighbourhood of Beechborough-Greenbrook. The building is used by the Toronto West Court Office and was the seat of th ...

, is located at 2700

Eglinton Avenue Eglinton Avenue is a major east–west Arterial road, arterial thoroughfare in Toronto and Mississauga in the Canadian province of Ontario. The street begins at Ontario Highway 407, Highway 407 (but does not interchange with the tollway) at the w ...

West, between

Black Creek Drive Black Creek Drive is a limited-access arterial road in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. A four-lane route that runs north–south, it connects Weston Road and Humber Boulevard with Highway 401 via Highway 400, the latter of which it forms ...

and

Keele Street Keele Street is a north–south road in Toronto and York Region in Ontario, Canada. It stretches , running from Bloor Street in Toronto to the Holland Marsh. It begins at Bloor Street, as a continuation of Parkside Drive, which was originally pa ...

, used for courts and other functions. The Etobicoke-York Community Council of Toronto administers minor responsibilities within the limits of York and Etobicoke.

Neighbourhoods

There are several distinct neighbourhoods in the former city, including the former municipality of Weston, which retains its own main street, Weston Road, and several street names duplicated in other districts of Toronto, especially

downtown Toronto Downtown Toronto is the main city centre 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 Street to the nor ...

. North and west of

is the Fairbank community. Silverthorn is west of Fairbank. Silverthorn (and Fairbank) is described as "Toronto's hidden

San Francisco San Francisco, officially the City and County of San Francisco, is a commercial, Financial District, San Francisco, financial, and Culture of San Francisco, cultural center of Northern California. With a population of 827,526 residents as of ...

" in reference to its "steep streets, staircases, and unusual views of houses built in what must be the hilliest part of the city." This is due to Toronto's topography being shaped by its deep ravines being similar to the hills of San Francisco, especially in Fairbank and Silverthorn. The

Mount Dennis Mount Dennis is a neighbourhood in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. It was initially an urban area within the former township of York. Primarily located along Eglinton Avenue between the Humber River and the Kitchener commuter rail line, the neighbou ...

area of Weston was the base for the former campus of

Kodak The Eastman Kodak Company, referred to simply as Kodak (), is an American public company that produces various products related to its historic basis in film photography. The company is headquartered in Rochester, New York, and is incorporated i ...

's Canadian operations from 1912 to 2006. While most of the buildings were demolished, the branch head office has been repurposed for

Line 5 Eglinton Line 5 Eglinton, also known as the Eglinton Crosstown LRT or the Crosstown, is a light rail transit line that is under construction in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, that will be part of the Toronto subway system. Owned by Metrolinx and operated by t ...

's Eglinton Maintenance and Storage Facility.

, between Jane Street and the Humber River, north of Bloor Street, is situated where the former

Iroquoian The Iroquoian languages () are a language family of indigenous peoples of North America. They are known for their general lack of labial consonants. The Iroquoian languages are polysynthetic and head-marking. As of 2020, almost all surviving I ...

village of

was located. It was formerly part of the Lambton Mills village within York Township.

Education

Before York was dissolved, the York Board of Education (YBE) oversaw public English-language

secular Secularity, also the secular or secularness (from Latin , or or ), is the state of being unrelated or neutral in regards to religion. The origins of secularity can be traced to the Bible itself. The concept was fleshed out through Christian hi ...

schools in the former city. Since 1998, the district has been administered by the four Toronto boards: *

Conseil scolaire catholique MonAvenir Conseil scolaire catholique MonAvenir (also referred to as Csc MonAvenir) is a French-language Catholic school board that manages elementary and secondary French schools in South-Central Ontario. The school board operates 47 elementary schools, 12 ...

(CSCM) *

Conseil scolaire Viamonde The Conseil scolaire Viamonde (CSV) is a public-secular French first language school board, and manages elementary and secondary schools in the Ontario Peninsula and the Greater Golden Horseshoe. The school board operates 41 elementary school ...

(CSV) *

Toronto Catholic District School Board The Toronto Catholic District School Board (TCDSB, known as English-language Separate District School Board No. 40 prior to 1999) is an English-language public-separate school board for Toronto, Ontario, Canada, headquartered in North York. ...

(TCDSB) *

Toronto District School Board The Toronto District School Board (TDSB), formerly known as English-language Public District School Board No. 12 prior to 1999, is the English-language public-secular school board for Toronto, Ontario, Canada. The minority public-secular franco ...

(TDSB) CSV and TDSB operate as secular public school boards, the former operating

French French may refer to: * Something of, from, or related to France ** French language, which originated in France ** French people, a nation and ethnic group ** French cuisine, cooking traditions and practices Arts and media * The French (band), ...

first-language A first language (L1), native language, native tongue, or mother tongue is the first language a person has been exposed to from birth or within the critical period. In some countries, the term ''native language'' or ''mother tongue'' refers ...

institution, whereas the latter operates English first-language institutions (although it does offer French immersion). The other two school boards, CSCM and TCDSB, operate as public Roman Catholic

separate school In Canada, a separate school is a type of school that has constitutional status in three provinces (Ontario, Alberta and Saskatchewan) and statutory status in the three territories (Northwest Territories, Yukon and Nunavut). In these Canadian ...

boards, the former operating French first-language separate schools, the latter operating English first-language separate schools. TDSB operates several institutions that offer

primary Primary or primaries may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Music Groups and labels * Primary (band), from Australia * Primary (musician), hip hop musician and record producer from South Korea * Primary Music, Israeli record label Work ...

and

secondary education Secondary education is the education level following primary education and preceding tertiary education. Level 2 or ''lower secondary education'' (less commonly ''junior secondary education'') is considered the second and final phase of basic e ...

. Secondary schools in York that are operated by TDSB include: *

Forest Hill Collegiate Institute Forest Hill Collegiate Institute (FHCI) is a public high school in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. It is located in the Forest Hill neighbourhood. Having about 900 students and 55 teachers, it is part of the Toronto District School Board. Prior to 1998 ...

* Frank Oke Secondary School * George Harvey Collegiate Institute (merged with York Memorial Collegiate Institute) *

Oakwood Collegiate Institute Oakwood Collegiate Institute (commonly known as OCI or Oakwood) is a public high school in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. It is located near the neighbourhoods of Regal Heights, Oakwood-Vaughan and Bracondale Hill. History and Alumni Oakwood was fo ...

Runnymede Collegiate Institute Runnymede Collegiate Institute (colloquially known as Runnymede CI, RCI, or Runnymede) is a public high school in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. The school first opened in 1927 and is operated by the Toronto District School Board. Runnymede has a pop ...

* Weston Collegiate Institute *

York Memorial Collegiate Institute York Memorial Collegiate Institute is a public secondary school in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. It is administered by Toronto District School Board (TDSB), ''de jure'' located at 2690 Eglinton Avenue West. Prior to 1998, the school was part of th ...

TDSB formerly operated another secondary school in York,

Vaughan Road Academy Vaughan Road Academy (VRA), formerly known as Vaughan Road High School and Vaughan Road Collegiate Institute, is a Toronto District School Board (TDSB) facility that formerly operated as an International Baccalaureate high school in Toronto, Ont ...

. Opened in 1927, the secondary school was York's first but was closed on its 90th anniversary in 2017 due to its lack of student population resulting from students in the local catchment area attending other nearby secondary schools. Vaughan Road Academy is repurposed as a temporary elementary school for students in the Yonge and Davisville area in

Midtown Toronto Midtown is one of four central business districts outside the city's downtown core of Toronto, Ontario, Canada. Located in the north of Old Toronto, its borders are roughly defined by St. Clair Avenue to the south and Eglinton Avenue or Lawren ...

since the 2018–19 school year to accommodate the construction of a new school building. TCDSB operates one secondary school in York, St. Oscar Romero Catholic Secondary School. Neither CSCM nor CSV operate a secondary school in York.

St. Michael's College School St. Michael's College School (also known as St. Michael's, St. Mike's, and SMCS), is an all-boys Catholic private school in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. Administered by the Congregation of St. Basil, it is the largest school of its kind in Canada ...

, an independent young men's Roman Catholic school, is located in the Tichester neighbourhood with its sports field being directly over

St. Clair West station St. Clair West is a subway station on Line 1 Yonge–University in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. It spans the block north of St. Clair Avenue West to Heath Street, between Bathurst Street and Tweedsmuir Avenue. The station serves the local communit ...

Infrastructure

Public library system

Before 1998, the city operated its own library system, the York Public Library. York Public Library was merged with the other library systems of Metro Toronto to form the new

Toronto Public Library Toronto Public Library (TPL) is a public library system in Toronto, Ontario. It is the largest public library system in Canada, and in 2023 had averaged a higher circulation per capita than any other public library system internationally, making i ...

(TPL). TPL operates several branches within the district. York's first public library was the Mount Dennis branch, which operated out of rented premises from 1923. In 1945, the Township of York Public Library Board was established, and proceeded to build three new library buildings that opened in 1951, including the Jane/Dundas library, Main Library (Eglinton Avenue one block east of Dufferin Street), and the Mount Dennis Library. The Main Library was later renamed after York Public Library head librarian Maria Shchuka and was later fully rebuilt in 2003. The Oakwood Village branch was York's newest library, which opened in 1996, two years before York Public Library was dissolved.

Public transit

York operated its own bus and streetcar service, until it was absorbed by the

. Today, the area is served by the

buses A bus (contracted from omnibus, with variants multibus, motorbus, autobus, etc.) is a motor vehicle that carries significantly more passengers than an average car or van, but fewer than the average rail transport. It is most commonly used ...

, and

subway system Rapid transit or mass rapid transit (MRT) or heavy rail, commonly referred to as metro, is a type of high-capacity public transport that is generally built in urban areas. A grade separated rapid transit line below ground surface through a tu ...

. Of the Toronto subway system, only the Heath Street exit of

Line 1 Yonge–University Line 1 Yonge–University is a rapid transit line of the Toronto subway. It serves Toronto and the neighbouring city of Vaughan in Ontario, Canada. It is operated by the Toronto Transit Commission, has 38 stations and is in length, making it t ...

is in the former city of York as Eglinton West station is completely within Old Toronto. The Rogers Road streetcar line served the namesake street as well.

Line 5 Eglinton

The TTC once had plans to construct the Eglinton West subway line along Eglinton Avenue. It began construction in 1994. However, it was cancelled in 1995 under Ontario premier

Mike Harris Michael Deane Harris (born January 23, 1945) is a retired Canadian politician who served as the 22nd premier of Ontario from 1995 to 2002 and leader of the Progressive Conservative Party of Ontario (PC Party) from 1990 to 2002. Taking the PC ...

and there had been no serious discussion about reviving the line until 2007, when

(then known as the Eglinton Crosstown LRT) was proposed as part of David Miller's

Transit City Transit City was a plan for developing public transport in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. It was first proposed and announced on 16 March 2007 by Toronto mayor David Miller and Toronto Transit Commission (TTC) chair Adam Giambrone. The plan call ...

. When

Rob Ford Robert Bruce Ford (May 28, 1969 – March 22, 2016) was a Canadian politician and businessman who served as the 64th mayor of Toronto from 2010 to 2014. Before and after his term as mayor, Ford was a city councillor representing Ward 2 Etobi ...

became mayor in 2010, he immediately announced the cancellation of Transit City. However, city council spared a few lines, including the Eglinton Crosstown LRT, from cancellation, despite Ford's objections. Since 2013, the new LRT has been under construction and the first phase is expected to be opened in 2025.

GO Transit

The

Weston GO Station Weston GO Station is a train station in Toronto, Ontario, serving the GO Transit Kitchener line and the Union Pearson Express. It is located on the south side of Lawrence Avenue West, just east of Weston Road, in the neighbourhood of Weston. O ...

along the

Kitchener line Kitchener is one of the seven passenger lines of the GO Transit system in the Greater Toronto Area, Ontario, Canada. It extends westward from Union Station in Toronto to Kitchener, though most trains originate and terminate in Brampton in off-p ...

is the only

GO Transit GO Transit is a regional public transit system serving the Greater Golden Horseshoe region of Ontario, Canada. With its hub at Union Station in Toronto, GO Transit's green-and-white trains and buses serve a population of more than seven mil ...

train station and

Union Pearson Express The Union Pearson Express (UP Express or UPX) is an airport rail link connecting Union Station (Toronto), Union Station in Downtown Toronto to Toronto Pearson International Airport. The UP Express began operation on 6 June 2015, in time for the ...

(UP Express) train station in the district. There are also plans to construct the Caledonia GO Station along the

Barrie line Barrie is one of the seven commuter lines of the GO Transit system in the Greater Toronto Area, Ontario, Canada. It extends from Union Station in Toronto in a generally northward direction to Barrie, and includes ten stations along its route ...

, which would connect with Line 5's Caledonia station and the York

Beltline Trail The Beltline Trail is a -long cycling and walking rail trail in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. It consists of three sections, the York Beltline Trail west of Allen Road, the Kay Gardner Beltline Park from the Allen to Mount Pleasant Road, and the R ...

, along with the Mount Dennis GO Station along the Kitchener line and UP Express to connect with Line 5's

Mount Dennis station Mount Dennis (also known as Mount Dennis GO) is an intermodal transit terminal under construction in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. Located east of the intersection of Eglinton Avenue and Weston Road in the Mount Dennis neighbourhood in the district ...

Politics

The community was first organized as a township in 1793, but not incorporated until 1850. The township was initially a township under the

until 1954. In 1954, York was formally severed from the county, along with other municipalities situated south of

to form the upper-tier government of

. In 1967, the township was formally made into a borough of Metropolitan Toronto, and later a city in 1983. In 1997, York, along with the remaining municipalities of Metropolitan Toronto were formally amalgamated to form the new City of Toronto. Today, residents now vote for the

Mayor of Toronto The mayor of Toronto is the head of Toronto City Council and chief executive officer of the Municipal government of Toronto, municipal government. The mayor is elected alongside city council every four years on the fourth Monday of October; t ...

, as well as councillors of

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 Toronto City Council 2022–2026, current term began on Nove ...

and school trustees. Federally and provincially, eligible residents of York are also able to vote for members of the

Parliament of Canada The Parliament of Canada () is the Canadian federalism, federal legislature of Canada. The Monarchy of Canada, Crown, along with two chambers: the Senate of Canada, Senate and the House of Commons of Canada, House of Commons, form the Bicameral ...

and the

Legislative Assembly of Ontario The Legislative Assembly of Ontario (OLA; ) is the legislative chamber of the Canadian province of Ontario. Its elected members are known as Members of Provincial Parliament (MPPs). Bills passed by the Legislative Assembly are given royal as ...

Reeves

Prior to York's amalgamation with Toronto, York operated its own municipal council, with a mayor heading York's council. Prior to the municipality's incorporation as a borough, the chief magistrate of the council was referred to as a reeve. The following individuals served as the reeves of the Township of York: *

Franklin Jackes Franklin Jackes (3 March 1804 – 16 April 1852) was an early Torontonian politician of the Reform movement. Early life Franklin Jackes was born in London, England, the third child of William Jackes and Catharine Palmer. He had a twin broth ...

(1850–1851) – ''first reeve''Adam, G. Mercer, and Charles Pelham Mulvany. History of Toronto and County of York, Ontario. Manotick, Ont.: Archive CD Canada, 2008. Print. * William James (1852–1860) * William Tyrrell (1860–1864) – architect, later first reeve of Weston *Bartholomew Bull, Jr. (1865–1872) * William Tyrell (1873–1878) – second tenure *Henry Duncan (1879–1886) *Henry Frankland (1887) *A.L. Wilson (1888–1889) *Simon Thomas Humberstone (1890–1894) *

William James Hill William James Hill (December 21, 1854 – October 11, 1922) was an Ontario construction contractor and political figure. He represented York West in the Legislative Assembly of Ontario from 1898 to 1902 as a Liberal member. He was born in ...

(1894–1897) – later MPP for York West *Henry Duncan (1898–1902) – second tenure *William Sylvester (1903–1904) *George Syme (1905) *

George Stewart Henry George Stewart Henry (July 16, 1871 – September 2, 1958) was a farmer, businessman and politician in Ontario, Canada. He served as the tenth premier of Ontario from 1930 to 1934. He had acted as minister of highways while Ontario greatly e ...

(1906–1910) – later MPP for York East and Premier of Ontario *John T. Watson (1911–1912) *George Syme (1913–1914) – second tenure *Thomas Griffiths (1915–1918) *Frederick H. Miller (1919–1922) *W.S. Jury (1923) *William M. Graham (1924–1927) *Ernest C. Westbury (1928–1929) *W.J. Gilbert Dean (1930–1931) *A.J.B. Gray (1932–1933) *R.J. Stuart (1934–1935) *Wesley Marsh Magwood (1936–1937) - Magwood Park is named after him. *F.J. MacRae (1938–1946) *Charles J. McMaster (1947–1948) * William George Beech (1949–1951) – later MPP for York South * Frederick W. Hall (1952–1956) – was reeve when Metropolitan Toronto was created, with York as a member municipality. Subsequently, became chairman of the Metro Licensing Committee. Hall was later tried on charges of municipal corruption for allegedly accepting bribes for building permits during his tenure as reeve. *

Christopher Alexander Tonks Christopher Alexander Tonks (March 23, 1917 – February 6, 2006) was a long-time politician in the Toronto municipality of York, Ontario from 1949 to 1988. He served as reeve of the then-Township of York from 1957 to 1960. He was unseated in 196 ...

(1957–1960) – focus of a scandal after he was accused of conflict of interest for voting for a by-law that allowed him to purchase property from the township. Unseated by a court order after a judicial probe but then reinstated on appeal. *

Frederick Charles Taylor Frederick Charles Taylor (1907 – December 15, 1961) was a Canadian politician. He served as the reeve (mayor) of York, Ontario in 1961. York is now part of Toronto. Early life Taylor was born in Toronto and educated at Harbord Collegiate Ins ...

(1961) – Owner of a construction firm, he was elected on a reform agenda after allegations of corruption against York Township council, having first demanded a judicial probe of the township in 1956. Died in office. * Walter Saunders (1962) – Previously Councillor for Ward 2, council voted Saunders in as reeve in January 1962, following the death of Reeve Taylor. A travel agent by profession, Saunders had run for reeve in previous general elections but had not been successful. Walter Saunders Memorial Park along the

York Beltline Trail The Beltline Trail is a -long cycling and walking rail trail in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. It consists of three sections, the York Beltline Trail west of Allen Road, the Kay Gardner Beltline Park from the Allen to Mount Pleasant Road, and the Rav ...

between Dufferin Street and Times Road is named after him. * John Lister (Jack) Mould (1963–1966) – ran against former reeve Chris Tonks and was elected by 44 votes, after a recount. Mould was York's last reeve and would be its first mayor. Ran for the position of Metropolitan Toronto Chairman in July 1969 but was forced to withdraw from the contest after Member of Parliament Ralph Cowan accused him of tax evasion."War pilot Jack Mould was York's first mayor":

IN Edition IN, In or in may refer to: Dans * India (country code IN) * Indiana, United States (postal code IN) * Ingolstadt, Germany (license plate code IN) * In, Russia, a town in the Jewish Autonomous Oblast Businesses and organizations * Independen ...

Toronto Star; Toronto, Ont. oronto, Ont2 Aug 1990: A19., "Political credentials are sound: Smiling Jack Mould is the man to watch in the contest for Metro chairman", Baker, Alden. The Globe and Mail (1936-2016); Toronto, Ont. oronto, Ont4 Aug 1969: 5., "Mould Declared Township Reeve After Recount", The Globe and Mail (1936-Current); Toronto, Ont. oronto, Ont1 Dec 1962: 5, "Metro chairman campaign shaping up as a 2-man contest", Baker, Alden. The Globe and Mail (1936-2016); Toronto, Ont. oronto, Ont2 July 1969: 5. ,"Charge by Cowan: Mould denies Council wrote off firm's taxes", The Globe and Mail (1936-2016); Toronto, Ont. oronto, Ont4 Sep 1969: 5, "Tax writeoff disclosure sought: Resignation of Mould is demanded by York ratepayers", The Globe and Mail (1936-2016); Toronto, Ont. oronto, Ont0 Sep 1969: 5 "Writ filed by Mould charges libel, slander", The Globe and Mail (1936-2016); Toronto, Ont. oronto, Ont7 Sep 1969: 5. "White urges inquiry as more tax write-offs queried by residents", Baker, Alden The Globe and Mail (1936-2016); Toronto, Ont. oronto, Ont4 Oct 1969: 4 "Remains in Metro race: Mould denies interest in firm given tax deal", The Globe and Mail (1936-2016); Toronto, Ont. oronto, Ont5 Sep 1969: 1. "Mould reddens as support lost; Goodhead dejected:, The Globe and Mail (1936-2016); Toronto, Ont. oronto, Ont1 Oct 1969: 5. "Mould asked to call meeting to explain disclosure on taxes", The Globe and Mail (1936-2016); Toronto, Ont. oronto, Ont9 Oct 1969: 5. "Mould subject of report ordered by York Council", The Globe and Mail (1936-2016); Toronto, Ont. oronto, Ont5 Oct 1969: 5 "White to seek mayor's chair", The Globe and Mail (1936-2016); Toronto, Ont. oronto, Ont1 Oct 1969: 2. "Won't seek re-election, Mould says", The Globe and Mail (1936-2016); Toronto, Ont. oronto, Ont2 Oct 1969: 1. "Launched to quash comment: Grys and Mould suits similar, Cowan says", The Globe and Mail (1936-2016); Toronto, Ont. oronto, Ont6 Feb 1972: 5. "Believed typical of several 'swing' ridings: Wait-and-see attitude of York South delegates has strategists worried", Zaritsky, John. The Globe and Mail (1936-2016); Toronto, Ont. oronto, Ont0 Feb 1971: 8.

Mayors

The following individuals served as York's mayor: * John Lister (Jack) Mould (1966–1969) * Philip White (1970–1978) * Gayle Christie (1978–1982) *

Alan Tonks Alan Tonks (born April 2, 1943) is a former Canadian politician. He was the Liberal MP for the federal riding of York South—Weston in Toronto from 2000 to 2011, and was the Metro Toronto Chairman from 1987 to 1997. Background Tonks is the ...

(1982–1988) – resigned to become Metro Chairman, later MP for

York South York South was an electoral district (or "riding") in Ontario, Canada, that was represented in the House of Commons of Canada from 1904 to 1979. The riding is notable for the 1942 federal by-election in which newly elected Conservative leader ...

* Fergus Brown (1988–1994) *

Frances Nunziata Frances Nunziata ( , ; born ) is a Canadian politician who has served as the speaker of Toronto City Council since December 1, 2010. Nunziata presently represents Ward 5 York South—Weston. She is the sister of former member of Parliament (M ...

(1994–1997) The following individual served as the Deputy Mayor of York: *

Joe Mihevc Joe Mihevc ( ; born February 24, 1954) is a Canadian politician who was appointed to represent Ward 10 Spadina—Fort York on Toronto City Council on June 1, 2022. He was previously elected to represent Ward 21 St. Paul's from 2000 to 2018, War ...

(1991–1997)

Board of Control

The Board of Control was created in 1966 and abolished in 1988. The following individuals served as on the Board of Control: York's two Controllers also sat on Metro Council. Names in

boldface In typography, emphasis is the strengthening of words in a text with a font in a different style from the rest of the text, to highlight them. It is the equivalent of prosody stress in speech. Methods and use The most common methods in We ...

indicate Controllers that were or became Mayor of York in other years.

Italics In typography, italic type is a cursive font based on a stylised form of calligraphic handwriting. Along with blackletter and roman type, it served as one of the major typefaces in the history of Western typography. Owing to the influence f ...

indicate those who only sat on the Board of Control as mayor. X = elected as Controller
A = appointed Controller to fill a vacancy
M = sitting as Reeve or Mayor *Brown served as mayor from 1988 to 1994

Explanatory notes

References

Citations

General and cited references

External links

City of Toronto
{{authority control Black Canadian culture in Toronto Black Canadian settlements Former municipalities in Toronto Former cities in Ontario Metropolitan Toronto Neighbourhoods in Toronto Populated places disestablished in 1998 1998 disestablishments in Ontario