East York was a separate municipality of Toronto’s east end from January 1, 1924, when it left York Township, until January 1, 1998, when it joined the amalgamated City of Toronto. Its council records at the City of Toronto Archives run from 1924 to 1997. The township and the Town of Leaside merged on January 1, 1967, to form the Borough of East York.
Land, mills, and the Don Valley
Before 1924 the area was farmland and mill sites inside York Township, which was surveyed in 1791. The Canadian Encyclopedia says the area was first surveyed in 1791 and describes the district between 1840 and 1880 as prosperous farming country that grew wheat, barley, oats, potatoes, peas, beans, and turnips. The industry sat in the Don Valley. Aaron and Isaiah Skinner built a sawmill and gristmill near the eastern branch of the Don River, the first of several early works supplying the town of York.
The Helliwell family settled on the river in 1821 and built a brewery and distillery. They named the place Todmorden after their home town in Lancashire, England, according to the City of Toronto’s museum service. A paper mill on the same site was the first in Upper Canada to make paper by machine and supplied newsprint to early publications, among them William Lyon Mackenzie’s Colonial Advocate. The site is now the Todmorden Mills Heritage Site, which opened to the public in 1967 as East York’s centennial project.
The Taylor family paper mills
The Taylor family emigrated from Staffordshire, England, in 1821, and in 1839 the sons John, Thomas, and George bought land from Samuel Sinclair, according to the North York Historical Society, which gives no founding dates for the three mills. The Lost Rivers account of the Don Valley paper mill says the firm built an Upper Mill on the West Don in 1846, bought the Lower Mill (the former York Paper Mill, now Todmorden Mills) in 1855, and built the Middle Mill on that site in 1858. By the 1870s, it says, the mills ran around the clock and supplied much of the printing paper for Toronto and Dominion newspapers.
John Taylor died on May 13, 1871, according to Lost Rivers. The Historical Society says he helped develop a way of making paper from wood pulp instead of rags and ties this to an 1854 English contest with a £1,000 reward; neither source says the Taylors won it. Lost Rivers reports that Taylor Brothers went bankrupt in June 1901, that the Middle Mill restarted in July 1909 as the Don Valley Paper Company, and that Domtar acquired the mill in 1961. The Don Valley Brick Works, founded in 1880 by William Taylor with his brothers John F. and George A. (North York Historical Society), is covered in a separate article.
Leaside, North Toronto, and separation from York
York Township lost land in pieces. According to the Canadian Encyclopedia, North Toronto was annexed by Toronto in 1912 and Leaside separated in 1913, which cut the township into eastern and western parts. The City of Toronto Archives holds Leaside council proceedings from 1913 to 1966. Residents of the eastern section voted in 1923 to leave York Township, believing that a smaller municipality would serve their needs better, according to the City of Toronto’s East York centennial exhibit. At that point the area had few roads and schools, no sewers or sidewalks, and many homes without electricity or indoor plumbing.
The incorporation date is given two ways. The Archives’ guide to former municipalities lists December 31, 1923, while the City’s centennial exhibit says the Township of East York was incorporated on January 1, 1924. The two entries fall on either side of the turn of the year, and neither page explains the difference. The exhibit gives the population at founding as just under 20,000. The Don Valley crossing known as the Prince Edward Viaduct has its own article.
Timeline of East York
| Date | Event | Source |
|---|---|---|
| 1791 | York Township surveyed | Canadian Encyclopedia |
| 1913 | Leaside separates from York Township | Canadian Encyclopedia |
| 1923 | Residents vote to separate from York Township | City of Toronto exhibit |
| January 1, 1924 | Township of East York incorporated (Archives: December 31, 1923) | City of Toronto exhibit, Archives |
| April 15, 1953 | East York becomes one of 13 municipalities in Metropolitan Toronto | City of Toronto Archives |
| January 1, 1967 | East York and Leaside merge as the Borough of East York | City of Toronto Archives |
| January 1, 1998 | Borough ends; East York joins the City of Toronto | City of Toronto Archives |
Metro, the borough, and amalgamation
On April 15, 1953, East York became one of 13 municipalities under the new Metropolitan Toronto government. The 1967 merger with Leaside joined the township to Leaside, which had separated from York Township in 1913. The centennial exhibit shows Mayor True Davidson with a giant birthday cake in 1967, the year of the national centennial. When the provincial government created the new City of Toronto, the borough ended on January 1, 1998. The Archives keeps the township and borough records, including council proceedings and assessment rolls for 1924 to 1997, for researchers.
For other former municipalities, see North York, York, and Etobicoke.
Frequently asked questions
When did East York become part of Toronto?
The Borough of East York ceased to be a separate municipality on January 1, 1998, when it joined the amalgamated City of Toronto, according to the City of Toronto Archives.
Was East York ever a city?
No. It was a township from 1924 to 1966 and a borough from 1967 to 1997, based on the Archives’ summary of former municipalities.
What is Todmorden named after?
The Helliwell family, who settled there in 1821, named it after their home town in Lancashire, England, according to the City of Toronto.
Which municipality merged with East York in 1967?
The Town of Leaside. The two formed the Borough of East York on January 1, 1967.
Last verified: October 2026
Sources
- City of Toronto, “East York 100: A New Municipality”, web exhibit (January 1, 1924 incorporation, 1923 vote, population, early conditions, 1967 centennial photograph).
- City of Toronto Archives, “Resources on former municipalities” (December 31, 1923; April 15, 1953; January 1, 1967; January 1, 1998; record ranges).
- “East York,” The Canadian Encyclopedia (1791 survey, farming, Skinner mills, 1912 and 1913 separations, 1967 and 1998).
- City of Toronto Museums, Todmorden Mills (Helliwells in 1821, name, machine-made paper, 1967 opening).
- Lost Rivers, Don Valley Paper Mill (mill dates 1846 to 1961, John Taylor’s death).
- North York Historical Society, “The Taylor Brothers” (emigration from Staffordshire, 1839 land purchase, wood pulp, Brick Works).
Related reading
- Don Valley Brick Works and the Taylor clay pits
- The Don River and Toronto’s lost rivers and ravines
- Scarborough, the neighbor to the east
- The Prince Edward Viaduct across the Don Valley
- Toronto neighborhoods and how the districts grew
Cite this page
APA: History of Toronto. (2026, October 25). East York: History of the Former Toronto Municipality. https://historyoftoronto.ca/blog/east-york-history
MLA: “East York: History of the Former Toronto Municipality.” History of Toronto, 25 Oct. 2026, https://historyoftoronto.ca/blog/east-york-history. Accessed .
Chicago: History of Toronto. “East York: History of the Former Toronto Municipality.” Last modified October 25, 2026. https://historyoftoronto.ca/blog/east-york-history.
The pages have no named author, so the site is given as the author. Add the date you read the page if your style asks for it.