Leaside, Toronto real estate

Living in Leaside

Leaside is a leafy residential neighbourhood in midtown Toronto, east of Bayview Avenue and centred on Eglinton Avenue East. The Don Valley ravines wrap around its southern and eastern sides, and the part of the community north of Eglinton is often called North Leaside. Bayview Avenue, Eglinton Avenue and Laird Drive are its main streets.

Leaside began as a planned town. In the early 1910s, executives of the Canadian Northern Railway worked with landscape architect Frederick Todd to lay out a community around a railway maintenance yard, and the Town of Leaside was incorporated in 1913. Industry grew up along the rail line, including wartime manufacturing, while the residential streets filled in mainly through the 1920s to 1950s. Leaside joined the Borough of East York in 1967 and became part of the amalgamated City of Toronto in 1998.

The result is a cohesive neighbourhood of curving, tree-lined streets and mostly single-family homes. Classic Leaside houses are brick detached and semi-detached homes from the inter-war and early post-war years, many now expanded or replaced with larger new builds. Townhouses and condos have been added along the main roads, especially around Laird Drive and Eglinton.

Getting around

Line 5 Eglinton, which opened in February 2026, runs along Eglinton Avenue through Leaside with stops at Leaside station (at Bayview) and Laird station, and Sunnybrook Park station just to the east. Line 5 connects west to Line 1 at Eglinton station and east toward Scarborough. Many residents also take buses to Line 1 at Davisville or Eglinton, or to Line 2 on Danforth.

By car, the Don Valley Parkway is close by, giving quick access downtown and to Highway 401. Bayview Avenue and Laird Drive are the main north-south roads. The neighbourhood's quiet streets are pleasant for walking, and the ravine trail system offers off-road cycling routes. Commutes to downtown are reasonable by transit or car, though rush-hour traffic on the DVP and Bayview can be slow.

Parks and things to do

• Trace Manes Park is a community favourite with tennis courts, a playground, a ball diamond and a winter rink.
• Howard Talbot Park has ball diamonds and a splash pad.
• Sunnybrook Park, Serena Gundy Park and Wilket Creek form a large ravine park system to the north and east, with trails, sports fields and picnic areas.
• Leaside Memorial Community Gardens is the local arena and recreation centre, with ice rinks, a curling rink and a pool.
• Bayview Avenue, south of Eglinton, is the traditional main street, with independent shops, cafés and restaurants.
• Laird Drive and the nearby retail centres offer big-box shopping and everyday errands.

Homes you'll find here

Most of Leaside is made up of detached and semi-detached homes on regular city lots, generally wider and more uniform than in older downtown neighbourhoods. Original homes are often modest two-storey brick houses with front driveways or mutual drives, many of which have been renovated, extended or rebuilt as larger custom homes.

Newer housing includes infill townhouses and condominiums along Eglinton, Bayview and Laird. The former industrial lands along Laird Drive and the Leaside Business Park are seeing redevelopment, and the City has studied the Laird area for future mixed-use growth. Homes backing onto the ravines offer privacy and views but come with extra rules.

Who it suits

• Families wanting space, with detached homes, parks, arenas and local schools.
• Commuters by car, thanks to quick access to the Don Valley Parkway.
• Transit users, now that Line 5 serves Eglinton with stations in the neighbourhood.
• Nature lovers and runners, given the ravine trails on the doorstep.
• Downsizers, who can stay in the area by moving to newer condos and townhouses on the main roads.

Good to know before you buy

• Ravine lots are regulated. Properties next to the Don Valley ravines may fall under the City's Ravine and Natural Feature Protection by-law and Toronto and Region Conservation Authority rules, which can limit additions, tree removal and grading.
• Tree permits. Toronto's private tree by-law applies to larger trees on private land; removal or construction near a protected tree usually needs a permit.
• Rebuilding requires approvals. Many buyers plan to expand or rebuild. Check the zoning by-law and expect that variances will go through the Committee of Adjustment.
• Check school boundaries. Local schools are in demand and boundaries can change; confirm catchments directly with the Toronto District School Board or Toronto Catholic District School Board.
• Basement flooding. Some older homes have had basement flooding in heavy storms; ask about backwater valves, sump pumps and the City's Basement Flooding Protection Subsidy Program.

Thinking about buying or selling in Leaside? Talk to Mehran for a free, no-pressure conversation.

Neighbourhood guide by Mehran Salehian, Sales Representative.