Ionview, Scarborough Neighbourhood Guide: City Life On Eglinton

This humble neighbourhood is a great choice for anyone who appreciates quiet, residential suburbs with convenient access to shopping and public transit. Located next to Kennedy Station, it’s easy to commute to downtown Toronto or anywhere in the city via the GO train. Ionview has a selection of shopping options in Golden Mile a short distance to the west, where you can find major national retailers like Canadian Tire, Walmart, and Staples. There are many grocery stores in this area, such as No Frills near Kennedy Station. Housing in this area primarily consists of apartment buildings, single- and two-storey detached homes, and bungalows.

The present-day Ionview community overlaps a few of Scarborough’s rural communities that originated in the 1800s. One of these communities was Wexford, the other was Scarborough Junction. Some of the most successful farmers in this area were of the Ionson family, which is how the neighbourhood got its name. The intersection of Iondale Place and Bertrand Avenue is historically known as the access road for the Ionson family farm, constructed in 1860. One of the oldest houses in Ionview is at 12 Iondale Place. According to the county atlas, this two-storey home belonged to John Ionson in 1877. The house has a renovated drive shed but largely resembles its original design.

Until the 1940s and 1950s, this area was primarily rural farms with a few taverns and churches. After this time, Canada’s housing boom instigated residential development in the area. There are single and two-storey detached homes as well as bungalows on large lots with driveways and backyards. This area also has many apartment buildings such as those on Kennedy Road. Ionview is home to one of Toronto’s 90 hydro homes on 1047 Birchmount Road. These fake houses were designed to blend in with the surrounding community. The houses contain a transformer for converting high voltage electricity to low enough voltages for distribution across the city.

The Scarborough area has many annual festivals. One of these festivals is the Scarborough Ribfest. This event celebrates the joys of food, family, and entertainment, and is one of Scarborough’s largest fundraisers. Organized by the Rotary Club of Scarborough, the festival raises money for charitable organizations to help those in need. The event is nearly 20 years old and is partially held at Centennial College Ashtonbee Campus, a few blocks west of Ionview. Some of the food offerings include ribs from multiple BBQ vendors, donuts, Texas-size Tornado Potatoes, corn, funnel cake, and soft-serve ice cream.

Kennedy Plaza on Eglinton Avenue East and Kennedy Road is the closest shopping area to Ionview. This plaza has a No Frills, a Shoppers Drug Mart, and a TD Bank. At the intersection of Warden Avenue and Eglinton Avenue East is Costco, PetSmart, Staples, and Best Buy. Closer to Pharmacy Avenue you’ll find a Walmart Supercentre, Canadian Tire, and Seafood City Supermarket, where you can find exotic fruits, fish, meat, and frozen goods. A little farther west is a Metro and a Hudson’s Bay at the Eglinton Square Shopping Centre.

There are a few restaurants at the intersection of Kennedy Road and Eglinton Avenue East. Options include Caribbean Splash and Badshah Grill, the latter of which serves Pakistani foods such as tandoori and chicken tikka. Other restaurants at this intersection include Good Luck Chinese Restaurant and Pizza Village ‘n Burgers. There are many more restaurants west of Ionview near the intersection of Warden Avenue and Eglinton Avenue East. Here, you can find Turkish restaurants like Barans Turkish Cuisine & Bar and Filipino food at Perlas de Pilipinas. Mexican food is available at Quesada Burritos & Tacos and Big Fat Burrito. There’s a Kelseys in the area, as well as many Caribbean restaurants like Scotty Bons Caribbean Grill.

Ionview has many parks, two of which are next to Taylor Massey Creek. One of these parks is Maidavale Park. It has a small baseball diamond and a play area for children. The largest park in Ionview is Jack Goodlad Park. There are two baseball diamonds here, a play area, two basketball courts, and a large parking lot for visitors. Ionview Park is the second-largest park in this neighbourhood. Adjacent to Ionview Public School, the park has large sports fields, a basketball court, and a playground. On the northern border of Ionview there is a green corridor with a long, paved path perfect for running, cycling, or walking your dog, as well as a large community garden.   

The Don Montgomery Recreation Centre is the closest hockey arena for people living in Ionview. It’s a multi-purpose facility offering a variety of programming for all ages. The centre has an indoor skating rink, several multi-purpose rooms, and a gymnasium. The centre offers registered and drop-in programs for arts, sports, youth, preschool, and seniors. There are many fitness centres west of Ionview near the commercial area of Golden Mile. Some of these fitness centres include LA Fitness, Northern Touch CrossFit, and Fit4Less. If you’re interested in martial arts, consider stopping by Scarborough Triumph Muay Thai or Stride Conditioning Muay Thai & Fitness.

The trip from Ionview to downtown Toronto will take drivers around 30 minutes. The fastest route is driving west on Eglinton Avenue then turning south on the Don Valley Parkway. After driving south on the parkway for around 20 minutes, drivers will have the option of turning off onto Bayview Avenue or Eastern Avenue. Taking public transit from Ionview to downtown Toronto is about a 40-minute commute. Travellers will either walk or bus to Kennedy Station where they will take a GO train west to Union Station. From there, they can travel north through downtown Toronto by subway, bus, or on foot.

Close to shopping, parks, a library, and a multi-faceted community centre, Ionview has plenty to offer. What was once a small, rural farming area is now a residential community with excellent amenities. Distinct from the commercial area in Golden Mile to the west, this community is quiet and relaxed. The homes here are primarily detached, and there are many apartment buildings for rent. Transit to downtown Toronto is a breeze by taking Eglinton and the Don Valley Parkway,