The Toronto Islands were home to a year-round community of cottagers and a busy summer resort in the early 1900s, but by 1956 the land was transferred to Metropolitan Toronto as regional parkland, and over 400 homes were destroyed, according to the City of Toronto Archives. Only the communities on Ward’s and Algonquin islands survived, and a provincial law passed in 1993 finally let residents buy 99-year leases.
The islands also became the site of the city’s airport. Opened in 1939, it displaced a baseball stadium and an amusement park at Hanlan’s Point. This article follows both stories, the homes and the runway, from about 1900 to 1993. For park rules, ferries, and the formation of the islands, see the separate article on Toronto Islands history, ferry, and park rules.
A sandbar becomes an island
The Toronto Public Library’s local history blog traces how the islands came to be. The Royal Navy surveyed the sandbars in 1792, and the main bar ran nine km (5.6 mi) southwest from Woodbine Avenue. A storm in 1852 cut a channel east of present-day Ward’s Island, and on April 13, 1858 another storm fully separated the peninsula from the mainland, leaving a gap known as the Eastern Gap. The Globe reported on April 14 that the Island Hotel had been washed away. Sediment deposits stopped in the 1960s, the blog says, after the Leslie Street Spit expanded.
Cottages and a summer resort
By 1900 the City’s exhibit “Your Home, Our City” says Toronto Island had a 200-acre park and residential areas at Hanlan’s Point, Centre Island, and Ward’s Island. The residents included both permanent and summer households. During the Second World War, a housing shortage led the City to encourage owners to winterize their cottages, which increased the number of year-round residents. The City’s photographs of the period include a 1907 image of island houses at Hanlan’s Point and a 1944 picture of a milkman delivering on the island, both held by the City of Toronto Archives.
The airport, 1937 to 1943
The Canadian Encyclopedia says that in 1937 city council approved two aerodromes: a main one south of the Western Channel and a backup at Malton, northwest of Toronto. Building the island airport required extensive lake-filling and the relocation of cottages to Algonquin Island. The baseball stadium and amusement park at Hanlan’s Point were demolished. The airfield was named the Port George VI Airport and completed in 1939.
The Second World War changed its use. Veterans Affairs Canada states that from 1940 to 1943 the Norwegian government in exile trained Royal Norwegian Air Force personnel at the airport, and the Canadian Encyclopedia adds that the Norwegians left in 1943 and the Royal Canadian Air Force took over the camp. That story is told in the article on Toronto in the Second World War. After the war, Malton remained the base for the major airlines, and commercial service resumed at the island. The airport was renamed Billy Bishop Toronto City Airport on November 10, 2009, according to Veterans Affairs Canada. The article on Toronto airports covers the modern airport.
Parkland and the fight over homes, 1956 to 1993
The turning point came in 1956. The City’s exhibit says that year the island was transferred to the new Metropolitan Toronto to become a regional park, and the change led to the destruction of “over 400 homes.” The Canadian Encyclopedia confirms that Metro Toronto sought to evict residents to create parkland through the 1950s, that the communities west of Algonquin Island were removed by the late 1960s, and that the remaining residents won a series of short-term lease renewals.
| Date | Event | Source |
|---|---|---|
| 1900 | 200-acre park and residential areas on the island | City of Toronto |
| 1937 | City council approves island airport and Malton | Canadian Encyclopedia |
| 1939 | Port George VI Airport completed | Canadian Encyclopedia |
| 1956 | Island transferred to Metro Toronto; over 400 homes lost | City of Toronto |
| July 28, 1980 | Residents gather at Algonquin Island Bridge as the sheriff arrives | Canadian Encyclopedia |
| 1993 | Provincial legislation allows 99-year leases through a land trust | Canadian Encyclopedia |
The fight peaked on July 28, 1980. According to the Canadian Encyclopedia, residents gathered at the Algonquin Island Bridge as the sheriff arrived to carry out evictions, and acting sheriff Joseph Bremner agreed to delay action for 24 hours while a court case over Metro’s eviction writs continued. The lasting resolution came in 1993, when provincial legislation let islanders buy 99-year leases from a land trust.
Where sources are silent
The City exhibit and the encyclopedia do not give residents’ numbers by year or the number of households left in the 1990s. A figure of 8,000 people on Centre Island in the early 1950s appeared in one secondary account, but it could not be matched in any fetched source and is not used here.
Frequently asked questions
When did the Toronto Islands stop being a peninsula?
On April 13, 1858, when a storm cut through the sandbar, according to the Toronto Public Library. An earlier storm in 1852 had already opened a channel east of present-day Ward’s Island.
Why were homes demolished on the islands?
The island was transferred to Metropolitan Toronto in 1956 to become regional parkland, and over 400 homes were destroyed, according to the City of Toronto exhibit.
When did the island airport open?
It was completed in 1939 as the Port George VI Airport and renamed Billy Bishop Toronto City Airport on November 10, 2009, according to the Canadian Encyclopedia and Veterans Affairs Canada.
How did the island community survive?
Residents on Ward’s and Algonquin islands won short-term lease renewals after the late 1960s and, in 1993, a provincial law that allowed 99-year leases from a land trust.
Related reading
- Toronto Harbour and waterfront: history
- Toronto airports: Pearson and Billy Bishop
- Toronto in the Second World War
- Canadian National Exhibition: history
- An overview of Toronto’s history
Last verified: October 2026
Sources
- City of Toronto Archives, Your Home, Our City: Island Housing (online exhibit)
- The Canadian Encyclopedia, Toronto Feature: Toronto Islands
- The Canadian Encyclopedia, Toronto Feature: Billy Bishop Toronto City Airport
- Toronto Public Library, Local History and Genealogy blog, “Remembering the Toronto Islands: April 13”
- Veterans Affairs Canada, “Billy Bishop Toronto City Airport”
Cite this page
APA: History of Toronto. (2026, October 23). Toronto Islands: The Community and the Airport, 1900 to 1993. https://historyoftoronto.ca/blog/toronto-islands-history
MLA: “Toronto Islands: The Community and the Airport, 1900 to 1993.” History of Toronto, 23 Oct. 2026, https://historyoftoronto.ca/blog/toronto-islands-history. Accessed .
Chicago: History of Toronto. “Toronto Islands: The Community and the Airport, 1900 to 1993.” Last modified October 23, 2026. https://historyoftoronto.ca/blog/toronto-islands-history.
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