Natural heritage feature of substantial size, now completely lost under garbage and landfill. Archaeological potential of original Bay now impossible to determine, but archaeological potential of subsequent uses of filled area possible, but difficult due to contamination of land.

Details of Site Location: Ashbridge’s Bay extended eastwards from the isthmus, south of the sandbar, and north of the mainland to openings in the sandbar to the lake near Woodbine avenue.

Boundary History: Bounded by the sandbar on the south, mainland on the north, the isthmus on the west, and the tip of the sandbar with two open water stretches to the east, the original Ashbridge’s Bay has been completely filled in, except for a neck of water at the foot of Coxwell Avenue left to serve boaters, with a marina and storage yard for boats at its sides.

Current Use of Property: Heavy industry, lake shipping, and a few beach or recreational areas. Ashbridge’s Bay must be regarded as a major landfill site.

Historical Description: Ashbridge’s Bay, according to early maps, drawings, paintings, and accounts was a beautiful area of marshlands which served as a wildlife habitat and fish spawning area. It remained close to its original state until 1912-14 when the last proposal for park development at the west end of the Bay was abandoned. By the 1930s, the Bay had been filled in and any plan for public park uses had been forgotten. With the disappearance of the Bay went the bird and butterfly migrations, the local fishing industry, and many forms of wildlife including the malaria-carrying mosquitoes that plagued early settlers and even the first Lieutenant-Governor. Recreational use of the Bay shrank to a few beach areas among the industrial areas. Within the area of the Bay, a turning basin for ocean-going ships was built, and on the newly created lands a system of new roads extended to service the industries that located there after 1930.

The Bay was named for the family that first settled on the mainland north of it in 1796. The last of the Ashbridge family’s houses still stands on Queen Street East, and it was built in 1856. During the period of the family’s farming their 355 acres, they used the Bay to ship their produce to mills and markets along Lake Ontario, important transportation in the days when roads were few and in poor condition.

Relative Importance: As a natural feature, Ashbridge’s Bay has great importance that is worthy of some degree of restoration to encourage the return of wildlife. It cannot be restored to its once-beautiful natural state, but can be treated to enlighten the public about what it once was, and about the family that opened up the area east of the Don River to settlement. Treatment should recall the days of infilling, heavy industry, and lake shipping as well.

Planning Implications: Planning should direct visitors to greater public enjoyment of the waterfront and greater awareness of the results of uncontrolled development of waterfront lands. Cleaning the area of toxic materials must be a planning priority.

Reference Sources: Alexander Aitken, Plan of York Harbour, 1793; Wayne C. Reeves, Visions for the Metropolitan Toronto Waterfront I: Towards Comprehensive Planning (1992); George Fairfield, Ashbridge’s Bay (1998).

Acknowledgements: Beach and East Toronto Historical Society; Maps Project collections.