Former gold prospector Rex Wesley Heslop didn’t strike his fortune until he began building affordable housing developments in Alderwoood, Rexdale and Georgetown.

Heslop, who died in 1973 at the age of 68, was a top Etobicoke real estate developer, who was one of a few persons to have a phone in his Cadillac back in the day before they gained widespread use.

The father of two worked with in the family construction business before moving to Detroit, where for a time he drove a cab and worked as a car salesman.

He left ‘Motor City’ for Northern Ontario, where he worked as a prospector in the mines. He was injured in a rock slide and moved back to Toronto to work in construction.

Toronto at the time was facing a major housing shortage with many veterans returning home after WW11.

Local historian Denise Harris wrote that around 1947-48, Heslop acquired land on the southeast corner of Foch St. and Horner Ave., across from Sir Adam Beck Public School, where he built three houses using a precast and concrete wall system which sold immediately.

A year later he purchased more land on the north side of Horner that was subdivided in large lots and L-shaped streets. The so-called ‘army homes’ were mostly identical to each other and were on streets with names of English locations like Chelsea Dr., Fulham Dr., Norfolk Dr., and a Heslop Dr., named after him.

The Alderwood development with 400 homes was a success and Heslop purchased more farm land in the area and repeated his home-building sales.

Heslop by 1955 had purchased farmland in Thistletown, on which he built hundreds of homes. Soon, there were soon 330 families living in a development called ‘Rexdale,’ where Heslop opened the Rexdale Shopping Centre, now Rexdale Mall.

His homes were popular with working folks since were well-built and affordable selling for up to $10,000 then. They made Heslop a very rich man.

Heslop after building the Delrex subdivision in Georgetown, sold his interest in the firm and retired at the age of 61.

They are our unsung heroes who work long hours.

National Volunteer Week wrapped up after being celebrated from April 19 to 25. Members of the community applaud the works of Lynda Ryder, and Paul, of the Rotary Club of Etobicoke, (in photo) who this weekend dropped off 45 healthy lunches that they prepared to be handed out by LAMP Health Centre’s Adult Drop-in Program.

The centre, on Fifth Street, offers lunches and prepared meals five days a week.

National Volunteer Weed recognizes the work of volunteers from coast to coast who contribute long hours to help others in these trying times of COVID-19.

LAMP official Jasmin Dooh say for those in their Adult Drop-in/Harm Reduction program, take away meals will be provided Monday to Thursdays from 9:30 a.m. to 11:30 a.m. Harm reduction supplies are available upon request.

To try and prevent spread of this virus, LAMP has cancelled all routine or non-essential visits and changing the clinic operating hours to 8:30 a.m. to  5 p.m. Monday to Friday.  This will be in effect until further notice, she says.

Some medications will require a visit and it will be up to your provider whether or not you will need an appointment prior to renewal. If you need a renewal you can also call your pharmacy and have them send a request to our office via fax, LAMP says.

Photo by Jasmin Dooh-LAMP Health Centre

 

The boardwalk at Sunnyside Amusement Park was packed at its opening in 1922, as Toronto residents swam in Lake Ontario, and later dive into a new swimming pool, called the tank.

Called ‘the poor man’s Riviera,’ Sunnyside was this City’s most popular bathing and amusement spot from 1922 until 1955, when it was shut down due to the motor car.

The park was a carnival from the May 24 weekend until Labour Day, with crowds of people strolling the boardwalk or enjoying the many amusement rides while chowing down on oily fast foods; similar to what the CNE is today.

Sunnyside was approved by City Council in 1912 and built at a cost of $19-million. Construction work stopped in 1914 due to World War 1. It resumed on 1,400 acres of reclaimed land.

The iconic Bathing Pavilion was designed to hold 7,700 bathers and had a roof garden where 400 guests could purchase refreshments.

Popular features were the amusement park, concession stands, dance pavilion, and an open-air theatre called the Band Stand. The annual Easter Parade took place on the boardwalk, along with The Miss Toronto beauty contests and women’s softball games.

Fans also packed the Palais Royale dance hall which attracted famous big bands as Duke Ellington, Count Basie, Paul Whiteman and the Dorsey Brothers. The admission was 10-cents and 5-cents a dance.

Thousands of people descended on the park to visit the beach or concession stands; which rented beach chairs, boats, or sold root beer, popcorn and hotdogs.

There was also a drug store, guess-your-weight scales, high-powered telescopes, souvenir stands, a delicatessen, sight-seeing services and a shoe-shine shop.

People loved rides as the Whip, Aero Swing, Dodgem, the Frolic and a merry-go-round. The games of chance included: Monkey Racer, Coney Racer, a shooting gallery, Kentucky Derby, Torpedo Race, Balloon Race and Figure 8.

Families would leave home early to spend all day at the beach to catch the dog races, diving horses, fireworks displays and burning of old sailing vessels to attract crowds.

But in the late-1940s and early-1950s, automobiles became more affordable and families began travelling north to Muskoka or Georgian Bay to escape the summer heat.

The Toronto Harbour Commission ordered the demolition of Sunnyside and by late 1956, the retreat that generations had known and loved, became a memory, with the land buried under the Gardiner Expressway and widened Lakeshore Blvd.

With files by Mike Filey.

It was 92-years ago that Loblaw Groceteria opened its New Toronto store on the south side of Lake Shore Blvd. W., between Fifth and Sixth Streets.

The firm was established in 1919 and quickly became a hit due to the unheard of concept of self-shopping, self-serve and cash and carry. The New Toronto store hired many local people when it was opened in 1928.

Many residents at the time vowed self-shopping would never work, but by 1928 there were 70 stores in Ontario. The company had a state-of-the-art head office and warehouse at Bathurst and Fleet Streets that had its own electric trams, giant ovens and employee bowling lanes and auditorium.

Today, Loblaw Companies Limited, a subsidiary of George Weston Limited, is the largest Canadian food retailer in 22 markets with some 2,000 stores and 135,000 employees. The company owns No Frills with 200 franchise stores and the Shoppers Drug Mart chain with 1,300 stores from coast-to-coast.

The grocery chain was founded by Theodore Loblaw, who was born near Alliston, and moved to Toronto in 1890 and later settled in Mimico.

At 17, he found a job as a grocery store clerk, and used the experience to open his own store in 1919 which grew to become today’s chain of Loblaws grocery stores.

T.P., as he was called, and his wife Isabella Adam, built a large estate home on the Lakeshore in Mimico and named it Bonnyview. After she died in 1930, the house was sold and later demolished.