Leaside is a
community in
Toronto which was first settled by John Lea a
pioneer farmer who
emigrated to
Canada from
Philadelphia in 1819.
The Canadian Northern Railway
incorporated the
Town of Leaside in 1913 on land formerly owned by the Lea family. Leaside's development was
historically significant in that it was the first town in
Ontario to be completely
planned on
paper before any
homes were actually
built.
Leaside's residential
development was stalled due to the outbreak of
World War I, however
Leaside was an important contributor to the
war effort.
Heavy artillery was manufactured at the Leaside Munitions Company. Leaside was also the location of an
airfield used for the
training of Canadian
pilots.
In 1918 the Leaside Airfield made
Canadian aviation history as the
terminus of the first
airmail flight in Canada, travelling from
Montreal to
Toronto. Leaside's status as a Town came to an
end in
1967 when it
became part of the
Borough of
East York, which has
since amalgamated with the City of
Toronto.