Humber Bay Park is a waterfront park located in

Etobicoke Etobicoke (, ) is an administrative district of, and one of six municipalities amalgamated into, the city of Toronto, Ontario, Canada. Comprising the city's west-end, Etobicoke was first settled by Europeans in the 1790s, and the municipalit ...

, part of

Toronto Toronto ( ; or ) is the capital city of the Canadian province of Ontario. With a recorded population of 2,794,356 in 2021, it is the most populous city in Canada and the fourth most populous city in North America. The city is the anch ...

Ontario Ontario ( ; ) is one of the thirteen provinces and territories of Canada.Ontario is located in the geographic eastern half of Canada, but it has historically and politically been considered to be part of Central Canada. Located in Central C ...

, Canada. The park consists of two landspits situated at the mouth of

Mimico Creek Mimico Creek is a stream that flows through Brampton, Mississauga and Toronto in the Greater Toronto Area of Ontario, Canada. It is long, is in the Great Lakes Basin, and is a tributary of Lake Ontario. The creek's name is derived from the comm ...

. The park is south of

Lake Shore Boulevard Lake Shore Boulevard (often incorrectly compounded as Lakeshore Boulevard) is a major arterial road running along more than half of the Lake Ontario waterfront in the city of Toronto, Ontario, Canada. Prior to 1998, two segments of Lake Shore ...

West, near Park Lawn Road. Humber Bay Park East is , while Humber Bay Park West is .

History

The park maintains a recreational focus for residents and visitors, and was established during the mid-19th century when a number of motels were built in the

Humber Bay Humber Bay is a bay of Lake Ontario south of Toronto, Ontario, Canada. It is located between Ontario Place on the east and Mimico Creek to the west. The bay gives its name to Etobicoke's Humber Bay neighbourhood. History Prior to 1809 the bay ...

area. Watersports were enjoyed here during the summer and town council meetings were often held in the Humber Bay motels. Boat building was the earliest trade practiced in what would become the community of Humber Bay. Humber Bay Park was developed by the former Metropolitan Toronto and Region Conservation Authority with 5.1 million cubic metres of lakefill, at a cost of $6.56 million. Lieutenant-Governor

John Black Aird John Black Aird (May 5, 1923 – May 6, 1995) was a Canadian lawyer, corporate director and political figure. He served in the Senate of Canada from 1964 to 1974, and he was Lieutenant Governor of Ontario from 1980 to 1985. Life and caree ...

opened the park on June 11, 1984. Several

habitat restoration Restoration ecology is the scientific study supporting the practice of ecological restoration, which is the practice of renewing and restoring degraded, damaged, or destroyed ecosystems and habitats in the environment by active human interrupt ...

projects have been initiated at Humber Bay Park, including the planting of Carolinian trees and shrubs, the establishment of wildflower meadows and the creation of a warm-water fish habitat and wetland on the east peninsula. The park is also a popular destination to view migrating birds.

Mimico Cruising Club Lighthouses

The Eastern Gap Lighthouses were built in 1895 and located along waterway. The larger of two lighthouses is a four-storey structure and the smaller two storey building. Removed in 1973 during the widening of the Eastern Gap, both the large and small lighthouses were relocated to Marine Terminal 51 and offered to the Etobicoke Yacht Club. They were relocated to Humber Bay Park in 1981 and restored for use by the Mimico Cruising Club in 1982.

Amenities

The park has a number of amenities such as picnic tables, trails, and a beach front. There are fly casting and model boating ponds and a fully accessible fishing pier. The ''Humber Bay Park Boating Federation'' and historic old Eastern Gap Lighthouse (c. 1895) are located at Humber Bay West, along with public boat launch ramps and moorings. Humber Bay Park East was home to Toronto's memorial to the victims of the bombing of

Air India Flight 182 Air India Flight 182 was an Air India flight operating on the Montreal–London–Delhi–Bombay route. On 23 June 1985, it was operated using Boeing 747-237B registered ''VT-EFO''. It disintegrated in mid-air en route from Montreal to Lond ...

References

External links

Humber Bay Park East
{{Lighthouses of Canada Etobicoke Parks in Toronto Beaches of Toronto