History of New Toronto

Lakeshore Road & 6th streets looking east, approximately 1939

Don Russell Drugs (right hand side) is still there today

In 1913, the Village of New Toronto, was incorporated, becoming separate from the Township of Etobicoke.  The population of New Toronto at that time had reached 500.  In 1920, the village became a town.  

New Toronto is only one square mile in size, located on the north shore of Lake Ontario, bounded by the Town of Mimico on the east, and Long Branch on the west.  

New Toronto was once quoted as having the “highest value of manufacturing per square mile in North America” and was also able to boast about having the lowest tax rates of all the (then) 13 municipalities of “Metro Toronto”

In 1967, New Toronto rejoined Etobicoke, along with several other local communities, including Mimico and Long Branch, and then in 1998, the City of Etobicoke was amalgamated into what my brother calls the “Megacity”  (pronounced me-ga-ci-ty) (pardon the pun) of the City of Toronto.  

The following picture was donated by Perry Empey of Ridley’s Funeral Home.

Sadly, Perry passed away only a week after sending me the photo in November 2007.

This is Lakeshore (The Highway) about 1910/1915 at about today’s 8th street looking west towards Brown’s Line.

The white house in the centre of the picture to the left a little bit, is the previous Ridley Funeral Home building, then Baycroft’s.

The Assembly Hall can be seen tucked in behind the trees a little west of Baycroft’s.

Goodyear was soon to build on the land in the forefront, opening in 1917.