New Toronto
Explore New Toronto
Now is the time for residents to experience all that tourists have been raving about for years. Discover shops, stops, places and spaces on city main streets. Stay curious, Toronto.
We want to hear from you! Click here to complete a short survey
We hope that you enjoyed exploring this Toronto neighbourhood and found many other points of interest along the way. While StrollTO highlights some of the 'hidden gems' in the neighbourhood, there may be others that could be included in a future edition. Would you like to share a point of interest that you discovered in the neighbourhood? Email us at StrollTO@toronto.ca.
Neighbourhood Stroll
This stroll features historic sites such as the Humber College Lakeshore Campus - which was the site of the Lakeshore Psychiatric Hospital - as well as plenty of greenspace along Lake Ontario such as Cliff Lumsdon Park and Prince of Wales Park. The stroll also reflects the working class history of the area with historic designated buildings such as the Boxer Building and 80 Birmingham Street. A number of fantastic local businesses can be visited along Lake Shore Boulevard West in the area's Lakeshore Village BIA.
- The Third Garden
1 Colonel Samuel Smith Park Drive
An art installation consisting of five cast iron seating forms, eight concrete pavers inlaid with bronze text, and landscaping. The couch forms are playful improvisations on a cliché associated with psychiatric care. The text in the pavers is based on oral and recorded histories of the former Lakeshore Psychiatric Hospital facilities on the Lakeshore Grounds, a prominent landmark setting in Etobicoke for more than 100 years.
Read More - Assembly Hall
1 Colonel Samuel Smith Park Drive
The Assembly Hall was constructed in 1898 as part of an expansion of the hospital. It was a gathering place for the patients and offered recreational activities, community events and other services. Since there was no comparable facility in the area, the Assembly Hall became the principal venue for community events for patients, hospital staff and local citizens. The Assembly Hall stood throughout the changes to the hospital and became a landmark facility for the larger Lakeshore community. After the hospital's closure in 1979, the Assembly Hall remained empty for over 20 years. The restored Assembly Hall officially opened in 2001 as a multipurpose community cultural centre, offering a performance hall, community meeting rooms and gallery space. The Assembly Hall, operated by the City of Toronto, provides space to many of Toronto's arts, heritage and community groups. The building offers a performance hall for music, theatre, dance, receptions and other special events. The community rooms are used for art classes, meetings, workshops and rehearsals. The gallery spaces are located throughout the building.
Read More - Humber College Lakeshore Campus
2 Colonel Samuel Smith Park Drive
Many of the heritage listed buildings which now make up much of the Humber College Lakeshore Campus were once part of the former Lakeshore Psychiatric Hospital. When visiting this site, it's important to reflect upon and acknowledge that many of these buidlings were constucted by the patients themselves through forced labour. Long before the hospital was built, this location was also an important Indigenous travel way and trading path.
Read More - Indigenous Cultural Markers at Humber College Lakeshore Campus
2 Colonel Samuel Smith Park Drive
These beautiful pieces of public art at the Humber College Lakeshore Campus constitute a physical land acknowledgement and are designed to place the college in the context of the long history of Indigenous peoples in what is now referred to as the Greater Toronto Area. They were designed by Co-Leads Ryan Gorrie and David Thomas, with additional input provided by Indigenous Humber students and faculty. One piece near the entrance to the campus welcome centre, entitled 'The Migration of the Anishinaabe' displays the seven major stopping places along their multi-generational journey from the St. Lawrence River to Ojibwe Gitchi-Gameh (today's Lake Superior). A second piece in the courtyard around the Commons Field and Student Welcome and Resource Centre contains eight markers to represent different areas of the Anishinaabe's migration and provides an explanation of their original names.
Read More - Colonel Samuel Smith Park
3145 Lake Shore Boulevard West
A large park situated on a stretch of wooden shoreline along Lake Ontario. The park is considered to be a top bird watching spot, has many urban wetlands trails, and has a popular ice skating trail in the winter.
- Cliff Lumsdon Park
101 Lake Shore Drive
A hidden gem park on the shore of Lake Ontario offering fantastic views of downtown Toronto. The park is named after Cliff Lumsdon, a famous Canadian swimmer.
- Prince of Wales Park
1 Third Street
Another park on the shore of Lake Ontario featuring fantastic views of downtown Toronto. This park also has a playground and artificial ice rink.
- Chris Irvine Commemorating 50 Years of the Canadian Flag Mural
2938 Lake Shore Boulevard West
This heritage-designated building houses a local business that has a mural on the side. The Canadian flag was 50 years old in 2015. In celebration of this anniversary, local artist Chris Irvine painted this mural, which received the Outstanding Murals award at the Toronto Association of Business Improvement Areas in 2014.
Read More - Francis Muscat 'Untitled (Bell)' at Toronto Public Library: New Toronto Branch
110 Eleventh Street
An art installation of a bell from artist Francis Muscat in front of the New Toronto TPL Branch.
- Eighth Street Skate Park
160 Eighth Street
A skateboard park that also features plenty of murals as part of the Eighth Street Skatepark Mural Project, headed by Lakeshore Arts. The first mural was painted in 2017, and several more were added in 2020. Mural artists include Chris Perez, Fats Patrol, Luvsumone, Nick Sweetman and Peru Dyer Jalea.
- 222 Islington Avenue - Boxer Building
222 Islington Avenue
A large heritage listed industrial building primarily constructed in the late 1800s/early 1900s. The building is a noteworthy example of Romanesque Revival architecture and acts as an important visual manifestation of the strong working class and manufacturing history of the area. The building now houses several different local businesses.
Read More - 80 Birmingham Street - Historic Bell Telephone Building
80 Birmingham Street
A heritage listed building that dates to 1926 and designed in the Edwardian Classical style. The building was originally home to Bell Telephone, who required additional space to facilitate their rapidly expanding service in the area. The building is now known as the Birmingham Business Centre.
Accessibility information: All of the points of interest on this stroll are viewable from the street. Colonel Samuel Smith Park has unpaved and uneven surfaces.
The StrollTO itineraries may follow routes that do not receive winter maintenance. Please review winter safety tips and for more information contact 311.
Soundtracks of the City
From global superstars to local favourites and ones to watch, the Soundtracks of the City playlists all feature artists who have called Toronto home. Whether it’s a lyric about the neighborhood, an artist representing a cultural community, or a tie-in to the StrollTO itinerary itself, all the music reflects connections to an individual ward or the City as a whole.
Music was chosen based on an artist’s Spotify presence and each song’s broad appeal, as well as its associations with the cultures, languages and ethnicities that reflect Toronto’s neighborhoods and diverse music scene. Soundtracks of the City combines 425 songs that feature more than 500 different local artists or acts, showcasing songs in 23 different languages.