History

From 1924 into the 1970s, Canada Varnish Ltd. was among Leaside’s most established companies. The firm manufactured paints and varnishes at its plant on Canvarco Road off Laird Drive, and its founder/president, Rupert E. Edwards …more

To the adults and children who go there to socialize and play, R.V. Burgess Park at 46 Thorncliffe Park Drive is a popular and valued community asset. But like many other civic landmarks in Toronto …more

The heroic victory of the Royal Air Force over Hitler’s Luftwaffe during the Battle of Britain in 1940 is a well-known chapter in history. Equally well-known is the vital contribution the fledgling technology of radar …more

If you’re like many Leasiders, you may not know about the Canada Wire and Cable company’s water tower. Like other bygone Leaside landmarks – from the Bayview Ghost apartment building and the old CP train …more

Thanks to our proximity to Toronto’s ravine system and the Mt. Pleasant Cemetery, Leasiders have grown accustomed to sharing their habitat with a variety of wildlife – everything from hawks, raccoons and foxes to deer, …more

The application for a 25-storey tower at Bayview and Broadway I wrote about in last month’s Leaside Life is not in fact the first development proposal on the block between Craig and Broadway to meet …more

Beauty pageants may seem outdated now. But they were a big deal in the previous century, especially in the years immediately before and after World War II. In Ontario alone, dozens of contests took place …more

Computerized video games are common today. Just ask any parent. But they were unknown back in 1950. That was the year the world’s first publicly displayed electronic video game was created. And it happened right …more

In 1963, to help commemorate Leaside’s 50th anniversary, Arthur Donahue, founder and editor of The Leaside Advertiser, wrote an article for the newspaper’s September 12th issue describing what Leaside was like when he and his …more

Long-time Leaside residents may remember the Sangamo Company Ltd. at 215 Laird Drive near Eglinton – a site now occupied by Canadian Tire and other retail establishments. Sangamo specialized in the production of electric motors …more