The exterior of the Bergeron Centre for Engineering Excellence-York University. It is a contemporary building with geometric glass windows stretching from one side of the building to the other. Some windows are frosted and others aren't, forming more geometric patterns within the design. The building is a low rise that takes up most of the image in the foreground. In the background are 2 brown brick apartment buildings and several fall coloured trees.
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Pelmo Park-Humberlea

Rivermede Cottage
3100 Weston Road
*Note: Private property. Please observe the building from the street only. This heritage-listed, Tudor-style building dates to 1928. It was originally constructed by wealthy businessman Percy Gardiner as an extravagant summer cottage complete with a swimming pool and tennis courts. The building was purchased in 1961 by a religious organization, who continue to occupy the building today.

Joseph Bannon Park
65 Mary Chapman Boulevard
Joseph Bannon Park is a one hectare park with a mini soccer field, green space, a playground with senior and junior play structures, and a splash pad that transforms into an artificial outdoor ice rink during the winter. Opened in 2012, the park was named after Joseph Bannon, a local war hero and dedicated community champion. Born in Scotland in 1919, Joseph Bannon moved with his family into a war home in the new Weston subdivisions built for Second World War veterans. His experiences during the war, where he witnessed children suffering, led to his lifelong commitment to their care. Bannon and his wife fostered over 100 children, seven whom they eventually adopted. Joseph Bannon Park now hosts the Emery Village BIA's outdoor movie nights, a popular summer tradition that hundreds of residents have attended every year since 2014.

Strathburn Park
55 Strathburn Boulevard
Located in the center of the neighbourhood, Strathburn Park features a large open green space, a baseball diamond, a basketball court, a children's playground, tennis courts, and a sports pad arena. Community youth often gather here after school for a game of pick-up ball hockey and the community frequently hosts community gatherings, such as barbecues, charity hockey games, and the annual Picnic in the Park, at this location.

Former Location of Chow & Sons Grocery Store
2825 Weston Road
Home to a convenience store now, this unassuming spot used to be the site of Chow & Sons, a local grocery store that was also a neighbourhood gathering spot. Tom Chow, an immigrant to Canada, purchased the store in 1958 and named it 'Chow & Sons' as a reference to his older brother and father. Over its nine years of operation at this location, the store grew in popularity within the neighbourhood, often employing part-time staff from the community. In addition to offering a wide variety of groceries, the store was known for products not available in larger markets as well as offering a wide selection of seasonal items, such as pumpkins, flowers, and Christmas trees. The store also offered a free and personalized delivery service to customers, who could phone in their orders. The service was highly valued by the many seniors it served, some who lived as far away as Kipling Avenue and Albion Road. Although Chow & Sons was forced to relocate in 1967 when their building was sold to make way for a small strip plaza, the store's legacy lives on in the neighbourhood today.

Louise Russo Park
42 Flindon Road
Louise Russo Park is a 3.4 hectare park along the eastern banks of the Humber River, near Weston Road and Albion Road. It features two outdoor bocce courts, a children's playground, and a large open green space. Originally Flindon Park, it was renamed in 2006 after the first annual Working Against Violence Everyday (W.A.V.E.) walk, organized by Louise Russo. Following a shooting that left her paralyzed from the waist down, Louise Russo started W.A.V.E., a non-profit organization that awards bursaries to youth and groups who exemplify respect, responsibility, and leadership.

Acacia Park
68 Lilac Avenue
This quaint neighbourhood park near Albion Road and Weston Road features a small baseball diamond and a children's playground. It is situated on flat table land just above the Humber Escarpment.

Uganda Martyrs United Church of Canada (UMUCCA)
2799 Weston Road
Uganda Martyrs United Church of Canada (UMUCCA) was founded in 1991 by a small community of Ugandans in the Greater Toronto Area (GTA) in the mid-1980s. The church eventually became a place of refuge for Canadians of Ugandan descent in the Greater Toronto Area and offered a space for social connection and mutual support. The church became affiliated with the United Church of Canada in 1999. UMUCCA offers services in English, Swahili, and Uganda's native languages. The church also houses women's and youth ministries, responsible for various volunteer activities and community outreach. The church also shares their space with the Riverside-Emery Church.

Pellatt Parkette
325 Pellatt Avenue
This small park near Weston Road and Oak Street features a children's playground and an open green space.

Pelmo Park and Pelmo Park Community Centre
171 Pellatt Avenue
Pelmo Park Community Centre
Pelmo Park is a 4.9 hectare park with a lit ball diamond, two ball hockey rinks, three tennis courts, a bocce court, a splash pad, a children's playground, and a bike trail. The Pelmo Park Community Centre is also located here at the park's entrance and is accessible from Pellatt Avenue. With two multipurpose rooms that can accommodate 40 to 75 people, the centre is home to several local older adult groups, offers recreational programs on weeknights, and a summer camp.

Wallace C. Swanek Park
241 Gary Drive
Wallace C. Swanek Park is a small park with a ball diamond, a children's playground, and a plaque that outlines the park's namesake. It was named after a Polish immigrant who, after enlisting in the Second World War, moved to and lived in the Pelmo Park area. His first homes were built on his father's farm, which is now part of Queenslea Avenue, and he went on to build many houses in the surrounding area. In 1955, he gifted the Borough of North York with parkland with the hope that it would one day be a public place of recreation for neighbourhood children. He continued to build his projects in other districts in west Toronto, but the Pelmo Park area remained his home until his death in 1985 at the age of 83.

Crawford-Jones Memorial Park
80 Dee Avenue
Crawford-Jones Memorial Park is a 9.4 hectare park in the Humber River Valley, near Highway 401 and Weston Road. It has a combination of mature trees along the banks of the Humber River and a meadow with newly planted trees. It also has a pond, four bike trails, and paths that connect to the Humber River Recreational Trail from the parking lot. The park was renamed in 2006 after local residents Herbert Jones and Jim Crawford, who travelled rooftop to rooftop in a boat and saved 50 to 60 people during Hurricane Hazel, a deadly event that caused flooding and washed away an entire city block in 1954. The park is at the site of one of the hardest hit parts of the city during the hurricane.

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Explore Pelmo Park-Humberlea

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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 [email protected].

Neighbourhood Stroll

Pelmo Park-Humberlea is a neighbourhood that is northwest of Toronto's central core. With Weston Road running through the center, the neighbourhood is bordered by Sheppard Avenue West in the north, the Humber River in the west, Woodward Avenue in the south, and Jane Street and the Canadian Pacific Railway tracks in the east. Situated next to the Humber Valley and forming part of the larger Toronto ravine system, it is a neighbourhood with ample access to green spaces. A large Italian community lives in the neighbourhood, making Italian the most common language spoken here after English. This stroll takes you through the neighbourhood's abundant green spaces and the Emery Village BIA, which is also Canada's largest BIA with over 3,200 businesses.

Main Streets: Sheppard Avenue West, Weston Road and Jane Street
  1. Rivermede Cottage
    3100 Weston Road
    *Note: Private property. Please observe the building from the street only. This heritage-listed, Tudor-style building dates to 1928. It was originally constructed by wealthy businessman Percy Gardiner as an extravagant summer cottage complete with a swimming pool and tennis courts. The building was purchased in 1961 by a religious organization, who continue to occupy the building today.
  2. Joseph Bannon Park
    65 Mary Chapman Boulevard
    Joseph Bannon Park is a one hectare park with a mini soccer field, green space, a playground with senior and junior play structures, and a splash pad that transforms into an artificial outdoor ice rink during the winter. Opened in 2012, the park was named after Joseph Bannon, a local war hero and dedicated community champion. Born in Scotland in 1919, Joseph Bannon moved with his family into a war home in the new Weston subdivisions built for Second World War veterans. His experiences during the war, where he witnessed children suffering, led to his lifelong commitment to their care. Bannon and his wife fostered over 100 children, seven whom they eventually adopted. Joseph Bannon Park now hosts the Emery Village BIA's outdoor movie nights, a popular summer tradition that hundreds of residents have attended every year since 2014.
  3. Strathburn Park
    55 Strathburn Boulevard
    Located in the center of the neighbourhood, Strathburn Park features a large open green space, a baseball diamond, a basketball court, a children's playground, tennis courts, and a sports pad arena. Community youth often gather here after school for a game of pick-up ball hockey and the community frequently hosts community gatherings, such as barbecues, charity hockey games, and the annual Picnic in the Park, at this location.
  4. Former Location of Chow & Sons Grocery Store
    2825 Weston Road
    Home to a convenience store now, this unassuming spot used to be the site of Chow & Sons, a local grocery store that was also a neighbourhood gathering spot. Tom Chow, an immigrant to Canada, purchased the store in 1958 and named it 'Chow & Sons' as a reference to his older brother and father. Over its nine years of operation at this location, the store grew in popularity within the neighbourhood, often employing part-time staff from the community. In addition to offering a wide variety of groceries, the store was known for products not available in larger markets as well as offering a wide selection of seasonal items, such as pumpkins, flowers, and Christmas trees. The store also offered a free and personalized delivery service to customers, who could phone in their orders. The service was highly valued by the many seniors it served, some who lived as far away as Kipling Avenue and Albion Road. Although Chow & Sons was forced to relocate in 1967 when their building was sold to make way for a small strip plaza, the store's legacy lives on in the neighbourhood today.
  5. Louise Russo Park
    42 Flindon Road
    Louise Russo Park is a 3.4 hectare park along the eastern banks of the Humber River, near Weston Road and Albion Road. It features two outdoor bocce courts, a children's playground, and a large open green space. Originally Flindon Park, it was renamed in 2006 after the first annual Working Against Violence Everyday (W.A.V.E.) walk, organized by Louise Russo. Following a shooting that left her paralyzed from the waist down, Louise Russo started W.A.V.E., a non-profit organization that awards bursaries to youth and groups who exemplify respect, responsibility, and leadership.
  6. Acacia Park
    68 Lilac Avenue
    This quaint neighbourhood park near Albion Road and Weston Road features a small baseball diamond and a children's playground. It is situated on flat table land just above the Humber Escarpment.
  7. Uganda Martyrs United Church of Canada (UMUCCA)
    2799 Weston Road
    Uganda Martyrs United Church of Canada (UMUCCA) was founded in 1991 by a small community of Ugandans in the Greater Toronto Area (GTA) in the mid-1980s. The church eventually became a place of refuge for Canadians of Ugandan descent in the Greater Toronto Area and offered a space for social connection and mutual support. The church became affiliated with the United Church of Canada in 1999. UMUCCA offers services in English, Swahili, and Uganda's native languages. The church also houses women's and youth ministries, responsible for various volunteer activities and community outreach. The church also shares their space with the Riverside-Emery Church.
  8. Pellatt Parkette
    325 Pellatt Avenue
    This small park near Weston Road and Oak Street features a children's playground and an open green space.
  9. Pelmo Park and Pelmo Park Community Centre
    171 Pellatt Avenue
    Pelmo Park Community Centre
    Pelmo Park is a 4.9 hectare park with a lit ball diamond, two ball hockey rinks, three tennis courts, a bocce court, a splash pad, a children's playground, and a bike trail. The Pelmo Park Community Centre is also located here at the park's entrance and is accessible from Pellatt Avenue. With two multipurpose rooms that can accommodate 40 to 75 people, the centre is home to several local older adult groups, offers recreational programs on weeknights, and a summer camp.
  10. Wallace C. Swanek Park
    241 Gary Drive
    Wallace C. Swanek Park is a small park with a ball diamond, a children's playground, and a plaque that outlines the park's namesake. It was named after a Polish immigrant who, after enlisting in the Second World War, moved to and lived in the Pelmo Park area. His first homes were built on his father's farm, which is now part of Queenslea Avenue, and he went on to build many houses in the surrounding area. In 1955, he gifted the Borough of North York with parkland with the hope that it would one day be a public place of recreation for neighbourhood children. He continued to build his projects in other districts in west Toronto, but the Pelmo Park area remained his home until his death in 1985 at the age of 83.
  11. Crawford-Jones Memorial Park
    80 Dee Avenue
    Crawford-Jones Memorial Park is a 9.4 hectare park in the Humber River Valley, near Highway 401 and Weston Road. It has a combination of mature trees along the banks of the Humber River and a meadow with newly planted trees. It also has a pond, four bike trails, and paths that connect to the Humber River Recreational Trail from the parking lot. The park was renamed in 2006 after local residents Herbert Jones and Jim Crawford, who travelled rooftop to rooftop in a boat and saved 50 to 60 people during Hurricane Hazel, a deadly event that caused flooding and washed away an entire city block in 1954. The park is at the site of one of the hardest hit parts of the city during the hurricane.

Accessibility information: All points of interest are viewable from the street. Most of this stroll takes place on streets and paved paths, but there may be some unpaved paths and uneven surfaces within each park.

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.