You can catch me on CBC Toronto today talking about the history of Woodbine Centre and Fantasy Fair with reporter Nav Nanwa. The CBC television report has some pretty good drone shots of the mall as well.
I wrote more about the history of Woodbine Centre in November 2024, which you can read here. Looking for reports of the mall opening from 1985, I found this full page ad in the Tuesday, August 6, 1985 edition of the Toronto Star.
In the fifth year that I have been following and mapping Canada’s intercity transportation links, the network (if you could call it that) remains in flux. Spring 2026 brings several new routes, particularly in Western Canada, that restore some former Greyhound services. Unfortunately, regional and commuter services in Ontario and Alberta are coming to an end. Wednesday, April 30 was the last day for the LTW Route 42 between Leamington and Windsor. In Alberta’s On-It is winding down its commuter buses between Calgary and Cochrane and Okatoks.
However, Flixbus continues to expand, taking over more former Greyhound routes. Unlike Greyhound or most other intercity transport companies, Flixbus is not a bus company per se, as it does not own or operate the services; instead it uses smaller contracted operators while coordinating branding, schedules, and ticketing. But starting in May, it will operate three-four days a week between Calgary, Regina, and Winnipeg, with stops in cities that have long been without service, such as Moose Jaw and Swift Current. Another route will connect Calgary with Drumheller, including a stop at the famous Royal Tyrrell Museum.
Despite the recent loss of TOK’s Southampton route and last year’s cutback of Grey County’s GTR services, there is hope for new connections in Midwestern Ontario. Grey County, together with neighbouring Bruce, Dufferin, and Wellington Counties, is studying a regional system to augment and replace the limited existing services. Hopefully, it will include regular service to fast-growing Saugeen Shores, which recently lost that TOK service. In Centre Wellington, a new local service connecting Elora and Fergus will soon start operations.
One of the major issues continually faces is the lack of intramodality and useful connections. A viable passenger rail system — be it a classic corridor service such as the Quebec-Windsor VIA train or a high-speed line such as the planned ALTO project — is much more useful to many more passengers when there are easy connections at stations. Through-ticketing and schedule coordination should be implemented whenever possible. Furthermore, though the Upper Ottawa Valley (towns and cites such as Renfrew and Pembroke) has a daily Ontario Northland bus, it arrives in Ottawa late in the evening and leaves early in the morning, limiting its usefulness to areas closer to Ottawa that could benefit from a commuter connection or onward trips to Montreal, Toronto, or Kingston. Despite more gaps seemingly filled, other gaps remain.
I updated my intercity transportation map to note these changes. As always, please contact me with any information that I have missed. While I’ve tried to keep this map as accurate and up to date as possible, Canada is a big country.
Transit planning is a long-term endeavour, not a one-time project with a single solution. In a municipal election year, we need to demand more from leaders and those charged with planning and running transit services than simple soundbites that recall old political slogans.
In Spacing, I wrote about the trouble of resorting to catchphrases such as “subways, subways, subways” when our transit troubles are more widespread — yet also fixable. We simply cannot rely on a single solution to our transit woes.
December 2025 marks the end of the sixth year that I have been keeping track of Ontario’s intercity transportation links. In 2020, I launched an online Ontario intercity map, expanding that effort to a Canada-wide map in 2022.
Over the last six years, Greyhound Canada disappeared after years of decline, the COVID-19 pandemic hit with travel restricted, the Ontario provincial government set up one-time funding for intercommunity transport links while deregulating the intercity coach industry, and many municipalities dipped their toes into providing rural transit services.
At the end of 2025, there was some good news to note — several rail transit lines opened in Toronto, Montreal, Ottawa, and Edmonton, while a few new rural services opened in Eastern Ontario. Unfortunately, there were also some major losses in Ontario, particularly in Grey County, Oxford County, Napanee-Deseronto, and the impending cancellation of a major route in Essex County. Unlike in Ontario, however, rural transport links remain stable in Quebec and British Columbia.
Stable funding is essential to keep these intercommunity and intercity links alive, particularly where private operators have not filled a need. For example, Flixbus recently cut back their once-a-day route from Toronto to the Lake Huron coast and will not serve rapidly-growing Saugeen Shores during the colder months. That part of Ontario is left only with a three-days-a-week TOK coach despite potential demand. A well-funded regional transport service coordinated by Grey, Bruce, and other adjacent counties could address this, but there needs to be political will to ensure stable and predictable service needed to grow ridership over the long term.
I just completed a round of edits to my intercity map, noting changes to routes, service levels, and in some cases, stop locations. A few new scheduled air shuttles in Atlantic Canada and Manitoba are included; these types of services are only mapped if they also provide non-airport service or at least connect to urban transport.
There are also more grey lines. Starting with edits in mid 2024, I have chosen to grey out abandoned routes, rather than just eliminating them. It is well worth noting where transport links have disappeared, and where replacement service might be worth planning.
Hopefully 2026 will see better service than the end of 2025.
As always, please contact me with any information that I have missed. While I’ve tried to keep this map as accurate and up to date as possible, Canada is a big country.
Yesterday, on Wednesday, May 7, I had the privilege of appearing on the long-running CBC Radio program Metro Morning. Though I have been interviewed on the radio a few times before – generally about pedestrian safety or transit issues – this was the first time I was asked to come into the studio.
I spoke about the new permanent barriers that have gone up around Union Station in the last few weeks, seven years after temporary Jersey barriers were installed. I take exception to the size and placement of new barriers – which needlessly restrict pedestrian flow around the busy transport hub – as well as their unappealing appearance.
I arrived around 6:10 for a short interview at 6:40. After checking in with security, I was let up to the CBC Toronto newsroom, which has a radio studio for local programs including Metro Morning and the afternoon drive time show Here And Now. I met with one of the producers and with host David Common before the segment. They were all great. David is a great interviewer, and it was nice to go see where the magic of radio happens.
In late 2024, I phased out my use of the social media website previously known as Twitter; by November of last year, I completely deactivated my account. Though I spent a lot of time on Twitter since 2012, when I first joined to follow City Hall news, I found it to be less and less enjoyable, even as my follower count grew. The lack of moderation, along with the rise of trolls and bots, made it less useful; the purchase of the platform by Elon Musk, who changed the verification scheme to promote paid users over official agencies and quality posters made it even worse. Despite so many professional and social connections made through that social media platform, it was time to leave.
The time to leave Meta’s platforms (Facebook, Instagram, and WhatsApp) has also come. Meta just changed its content moderation policies, including the “Hateful Content” policy, which according to Wired, “will permit users to accuse transgender or gay people of being mentally ill because of their gender expression and sexual orientation.” Its policies on disinformation have also changed for the worse. Mark Zuckerberg has joined Elon Musk in supporting President Re-Elect Donald Trump, whose own politics benefit from disinformation and hate.
Facebook was already becoming unusable. The ban on sharing actual news content in Canada (rather than supporting actual journalism) stopped me from sharing some of my own content on the platform, as well as expressing interest or thoughts on local news items. My feed was increasingly full of unwanted content such as “suggested for you” posts and an increasing number of ads.
But the latest decisions have made my decision to leave easier. I will be winding down my presence on Facebook, while deactivating my (rarely used) Instagram account completely.
You can find me here on this website, where I will continue to post my thoughts. I can also be found on BlueSky and LinkedIn, at least for now.
Growing up in Brampton in the 1980s and early 1990s, there were two favourite day trips I fondly remember.
There were the drives to nearby Georgetown, which had one of the largest indoor playgrounds at any McDonald’s restaurant. It featured a multistorey indoor crawl maze, a spiral slide that led to a giant ball pit, a tire swing, as well as a standard McDonaldland-themed merry-go-round. A CN caboose could be rented for children’s parties. At least we’d burn off some of the calories from the burgers and fries. (There’s a video on Reddit from 1992 that shows what it looked like.)
Then there were the trips to Fantasy Fair. When Woodbine Centre opened in 1985, it featured a unique attraction: a large indoor amusement park, complete with a historic Looff carousel (though with replica fiberglass horses), a Ferris wheel, and a train ride that wound through the attraction. The highlight for me, however, was a huge indoor playground that spanned two floors that was many times the size of the Georgetown McDonald’s playground. It had multiple slides, a mirror maze, swings, and two ball pits. There was also a McDonald’s restaurant facing Fantasy Fair, in one of the faux-Victorian storefronts that surrounded the attraction.
The mall itself was anchored by The Bay and Simpson’s, along with a Cineplex multiplex cinema, and a complete assortment of mid-market retailers. In 1991, when the Hudson’s Bay Company retired the Simpson’s brand (converting most of those stores into The Bay), it sold the redundant store to Sears Canada. A Zellers discount department store was added in the 1990s. But the mall slowly lost its pizzazz.
Cadillac Fairview sold Woodbine Centre in 2005 to a numbered company, with real estate management firm Avison Young operating the mall. By then, many of the national retailers had left once their leases were up. The mall’s relatively isolated site, without good transit access became a liability. Changing demographics in northern Etobicoke, competition from surrounding larger malls (Bramalea City Centre, Sherway Gardens, Square One, Vaughan Mills, and Yorkdale) and new big box retail developments also took their toll.
The Zellers store was not one of the leases picked up by ill-fated Target Canada, and it closed in 2012. Sears closed in March 2017, a few months before the entire chain was liquidated. Sport Chek closed its store in 2018.
There was an attempt to renovate the mall, as part of a grand plan to revitalize the property with a new supermarket, refreshed food court, new entertainment options, and condominium towers surrounding the shopping centre. The Woodbine Village proposal competed with the better-financed Woodbine Live plans at the nearby racetrack, which included a casino, hotel, and event hall, all of which were built or are nearing completion. Condominium development is complicated as the property, particularly the southeast corner at Highway 27 and Rexdale Boulevard, is directly below the approach for Pearson Airport’s Runway 23.
After a disheartening American election result on Tuesday, November 5, I decided to turn off the newsfeeds, and out for a walk and explore Woodbine Centre again.
Though the basic architecture remains intact, the corridor floors were given cheap new brown, grey, and beige tiles that look out of place in the post-modern interior. Much of the original green paint on the roof, walls, railings, and signs is now red and mahogany.
Apart from the fast food offerings, there were few recognizable store names among the tenants in 2024. Apart from Hudson’s Bay, Foot Locker, Ardene, The Children’s Place, Dollarama, LensCrafters, TD Bank, and Urban Behavior, most stores were independent clothing, home décor, and furniture stores, or were cellphone vendors such as Wow Mobile, Best Buy Express, or Rogers and Bell kiosks. About 20 percent of the store fronts were vacant.
Professional property managers are quick to update signage and keep up appearances; the management at Woodbine has clearly given up. Vacant storefronts are left exposed, rather than blocked off. Signage advertises stores that are long gone. Pot lights flicker on and off.
Surprisingly, Fantasy Fair was still operating, even on a Wednesday afternoon where there were few visitors. Ride attendants, dressed in red vests, looked bored, even when running the train for the lone parent and child. The Ferris wheel is now permanently closed, however, and some of the attractions look sadly decrepit.
Outside the mall, much of the parking lot is fenced off and is now used for truck and trailer storage, and the storage of overflow rental car fleets. Though the rental car parking began during the COVID-19 pandemic, when people stopped travelling, it continues to be an easy revenue stream for the mall management. The truck trailers, on the other hand, are an unsightly feature, particularly where they face Highway 27.
Unfortunately, the future is not good for Woodbine Centre as a mall. Though mixed-use development remains a possibility — Humber College is within walking distance — the airport noise will continue to be a challenge for condominium sales. Transit expansion would certainly help; the nearly-complete Finch West LRT terminates nearby. Extending that two kilometres south to serve Woodbine Centre, Woodbine Racetrack/Casino, and a planned GO Transit station, could be the boost the site needs. (Of course, the mall site could have made a good location for a mega-spa, particularly with the nearby casino venue and hotels, but I digress.)
The mall’s fate will likely be decided soon. The site is up for sale again, not advertised as a shopping centre, but as a “50 acre mixed use site.”
Below is the list of tenants at Woodbine Centre in 1992, obtained from the 1993 Canadian Directory of Shopping Centres, published by Maclean-Hunter. Tenants still open in 2024 are bolded.
Anchors
Anchors: The Bay (140,000 sq.ft.), Sears (135,000 sq.ft.)
Fashions and footwear
Children’s Wear: Flora’s, Just Kids.
Family Wear: Cotton Ginny.
Ladies’ Wear: Addition-Elle, Antel’s, Au Coton, Braemar, Braemar Petites, La Cache, The Cavery, Cotton Plus, D’Allaird’s, Dalmy’s, Emotions, Fairweather, Irene Hill, Jacob, La Jolie, Karuba, Lady Foot Locker, Limité, Lindor, Liz Porter, Mia, Northern Reflections, Ports International (Ladies), Reitmans, Ricki’s, Shirley K Maternity, Smart Set, Suzy Shier, Tabi International, Tan Jay, Tristan, Tucci Fashions.
Menswear: Casa Angelo, Petrocelle Vomo, Randy River, Star’s Men’s Shop, Steel, Tip Top, Tuxedo Royale.
Unisex / Men’s & Ladies’ Wear: Benetton, Boca, Bootlegger, Canary Island Adventure & Travel Company, Le Château, Frenz Leather, Jean Machine, Levi’s 1850, Pantorama, The Pro Image, Stitches, Thriftys, Willow Ridge.
Footwear/Leather Goods: Agnew, Aldo, Bata, Belinda & Brother, Bentley Leathers, Calderon, Florsheim Shoes, Foot Locker, Fredelle, K. Jamson, Kinney, The Little Shoemaker, Moneysworth & Best, Naturalizer, Pegabo
Jewellery/Fashion Accessories: Accessories For You, Ardene, The Joy of Sox, Mappins, Peoples Jewellers, Reflexions, Young’s Jewellers
Other retailers
Books: Classic Bookshop, Coles, Moyer’s The Teacher’s Store, Smithbooks
Cosmetics/toiletries: Body Reform, Caryl Baker Visage, Enchante Perfumes, Merle Norman Cosmetics
Department store/mass merchandiser: Marks & Spencer
Drugs/health & beauty: Shoppers Drug Mart
Electronics/Computers: Bell Canada Phone Centre, Compucentre, Majestic Sound Warehouse, Radio Shack, Safe & Sound
Fabric & Sewing: Needle ‘n’ Thread
Florist/Nursery: Woodbine Florists
Furniture & Furnishings: Brass Imports, Clocks Unlimited, Diamond Furniture, Lighting Unlimited, Pictures
Gift: A. David Soloway, China Panda, Den For Men, Jinny’s China & Gifts, Party Hut, Rafters, Le Roulet
Grocery: Bulk Barn
Hardware/Paint & Paper: St. Clair The Paint & Paper People
Hobby/Craft: Lewiscraft
Housewares: House of Knives, Pot Pourri, Shaver Centre Fine Blade, Stokes
Music/Records & Tapes: A&A Music & Entertainment, Discus, Music World
Optical: LensCrafters
Pet: Aquarium Toronto
Photo/Camera: Blacks, Japan Camera
Restaurant and Fast Food: A & W, Abacus Cuisine, Baby O’Donuts, Dutch Treats, Jimmy The Creek, J.J. Muggs, Kentucky Fried Chicken, Kernels, London Style Fish & Chips, Los Rios, Made In Japan A Teriyaki Experience, Manchu Wok, Manfreds, McDonald’s, Mr. Submarine, New York Fries, Sbarro.
Specialty Food & Drink: Baskin-Robbins, Laura Secord Mrs. Fields Cookies, mmmarvellous mmmuffins, Swiss Fudge, Timothy’s Coffees of the World, Yogurty’s Yogurt Discovery.
Stationery/Card: Garfield, Grand & Toy, Hallmark.
Toy: Toy World.
Variety/Convenience: The Silver Dollar Store, United Cigar Store.
Dry Cleaners: Parker’s Cleaners.
Financial/Legal: Bank of Montreal, Canada Trust
Hairstyling/Esthetics: The Cut Above, Da Vinci, Tantastic, You’nique Hairstyling.
Medical/Dental: Eye-Exam Centre, Procare Medical Centre, Woodbine Dental.
Printing: K.P. Copy.
Theatre / Entertainment: Cineplex, Orville & Wilbur Family Games, Wizard’s Castle
Travel: Marlin Travel
Miscellaneous: Lottery Kiosk
In late March 2024, with a streak of mild, sunny days, I was eager to get outside and walk. As I have long been interested in local politics and planning issues, public transit, active transportation (especially walking advocacy), I thought I would try to get to every city, town, and township hall in the Greater Toronto and Hamilton Area (GTHA) without a car.
This was a fun project, even if there were times I felt really frustrated at times by poor transit and long hikes. The highlight of my quest was a tour of Mississauga City Hall from Councillor Joe Horneck. Mississauga’s civic centre is one of Ontario’s most iconic — and walkable — government buildings.
Of the three levels of government (federal, provincial, municipal), the municipal level has the most impact on the day-to-day lives of most Canadians; it is also the closest level of government to all. Residents can depute at committee meetings, get meetings with their local councillor and city staff, and obtain building permits, marriage licenses, or pay bills at city and town halls. Therefore, they should be as accessible as possible, especially to those without cars.
Only one GTHA town hall (Caledon) was completely inaccessible without a car, though several other town halls required long walks from the nearest transit stop, making them inaccessible to some residents. But I could get to Brock Township, the least-populated and most-rural municipality in the GTHA, thanks to Durham Region Transit’s On-Demand service, though I had some difficulty there.
The complete list of GTHA city and town halls, along with photographs and a map can be accessed here.
NOTE: Previous versions of the Ontario and Canada maps are retired; please see the new Canada Intercity Transport Map, launched March 30, 2025. This will now be the only interactive map that I will update.
In 2022, I was approached by staff at Infrastructure Canada who were interested in compiling information on intercity bus services across the country. Unfortunately, no repository had existed for a very long time, especially as transit and intercity coach services are primarily under provincial and municipal jurisdiction. Ontario’s provincial government last published a map of intercity carriers in 1990-1991, while Saskatchewan abolished its provincial bus service in 2017. The withering of Greyhound Canada’s once-extensive network left many communities from Ontario west to British Columbia and the Yukon without any service, while new private operators like Ebus and Rider Express filled in to serve the most lucrative routes.
Though the Federal Government operates VIA Rail and oversees air, marine, and long-distance rail transport, for road and city transport, its role has been more limited to helping to fund transit projects and some major road infrastructure improvements. Knowing that, I was excited to learn that there was interest in understanding the state of the country’s rural and intercity transport initiatives. I completed the project for Infrastructure Canada in June 2023, but I have recently updated a version of the map I completed, which I am excited to share.
A simplified methodology of how I completed this map can be found below.
On Saturday August 19, while my spouse and I were paying a visit to the renewed AKG Art Gallery in Buffalo, a thief broke into our building and made off with my bicycle. The well-equipped thief broke into our building’s front entrance using a pry bar, and then used a heavy-duty bolt cutter to cut the rack my bicycle was attached to, taking care to watch for any activity in the garage by hiding in an adjacent stairwell. He spent nearly an hour in the building in total.
This was the second time my bicycle was stolen. This time, I thought I had a better lock. The old spot I had was hidden from the cameras and out of view of most people in the garage — the new spot was in a more prominent location.
My Brodie touring bicycle was quite distinguishable, with dual-sided pedals (flat on one side, clipless on the other), additional handlebar-mounted brake pedals, fenders and a rear rack, Marathon tires, reflective tape on the forks and seat stays, and the dealer’s original decal on the frame. When I bought it from Bateman’s Bicycle Company in March 2015, I had the extra brake pedals installed as I was unused to having a bike with drop bars, and I wanted a more upright position when riding on city streets.
It took over a week before I discovered the bike missing as I had been really busy in August. When I discovered the theft, I informed the building management, and was able to get still photos and video of the thief. He was dressed in a black hoodie, with a black baseball cap and a surgical mask covering part of his face. His backpack had several tools, so he came in with a specific purpose. He did not cut the Kryptonite lock; instead he cut the rack and left with the lock still attached to the frame.
I reported the theft to Toronto Police, firstly by going on their website, as I had registered my bicycle. (The last time I had a bicycle stolen, the police actually recovered the frame, which I later donated to Bike Sauce.) I saved a service receipt with the bicycle’s make, model, and serial number, and had photos to provide. However, since it involved a break-and-enter, I learned that I actually had to call the police and make a verbal report. After calling, I learned that I had to wait for an officer to arrive so I could give him a narrative. Our building maintenance manager expected it to take a few days; the officer arrived within a few hours, which impressed me. I posted the still photos to social media, including the Cycling in Toronto Facebook group, with the hope that someone might know something.
I was able to provide a detailed timeline to the police based on the security videos, and provided still photos. A week later, a different police officer called me as he wasn’t able to meet the manager to review the videos; I was able to make a copy and dropped off a USB stick to 51 Division the next day. That was the extent of communications from Toronto Police.
On Monday, September 18, I got a Facebook message from a friend of a friend telling me they found a Facebook Marketplace listing with a bike that matched my bike’s description. It looked like a match, with the extra brake pedals, the red and white tape, the dual pedals, and the Bateman’s dealer sticker. Missing were the fenders and water bottle cage, and cheap new lights were added, replacing the bare mounts.
I had not thought of looking at Facebook Marketplace, but it appears to be a popular place to sell stolen goods. After my spouse searched Kijiji, there was a similar listing. But seeing one’s prized procession taken, and then put up for sale elsewhere felt like it added insult to injury. We had checked these sites before, with no matches.
I brought this to the police’s attention, hoping for at least advice. I emailed the officer assigned to the case, and heard nothing. I went down to 51 Division again with printed screenshots. I heard nothing.
Back on the Cycling in Toronto Facebook Group, members suggested posting to another FB group, called Stolen Bikes – Toronto. After my membership was approved, I posted about the theft, and a member there quickly messaged me saying that they had just acquired the bike. I could meet him the next day, and I could get it from him. The person who purchased the bike said he followed the listing, feeling especially suspicious. Originally, it was listed for $400, but the person I met was able to get it for $150.
I was so happy to get the bike back, after three weeks of anxiety, especially when I learned of the sale listing. I was worried I wouldn’t see it again, and that an unsuspecting or predatorial buyer would pick it up.
Though I am not out a bike anymore, I will still need new locks and a safe place to store it. I will probably get new fenders when I take it in for an inspection. Until then, my bicycle is safe in our apartment. Luckily, our building allows bikes in the elevators and hallways.
Having distinguishable characteristics helped to identify the bike when I shared the theft on social media; keeping a record of the make, model and serial number also helped. I also choose to secure the wheels with custom locks, which kept the bike intact. Finally, the cycling groups on Facebook proved to be an invaluable resourse for getting people to watch out, and eventually, getting the bike back. I am grateful for the people who kept an eye out and especially to the person who got it back in my possession.
Sean Marshall 