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Spanning more than 500 acres in North York, the Downsview Lands represent one of the most ambitious city-building opportunities in North America. Over the coming decades, it will become the home to five mixed-use communities with TTC and GO connections, bordering on the protected Downsview Park. Canada Lands Company (CLC), a self-financed Crown corporation, is now advancing some of the largest parcels, including the near-shovel-ready Arbo and the upcoming Downsview West districts. UrbanToronto recently sat down with CLC President and CEO Stéphan Déry and with VP of Real Estate, Central Region, James Cox, to discuss the scale of the undertaking and what’s next.
CLC has a 30-year history of transforming surplus government lands into new communities across Canada, with many on former military or federal lands. Uniquely, it operates without direct public funding, buying land at market value and reinvesting its profits back into federal coffers. “Every profit we make, we’re giving it back to the Government of Canada in the form of a dividend,” explained Déry. Its real estate portfolio currently spans 23 active development sites. The company also owns and manages the CN Tower, Downsview Park, the Montreal Science Centre, and more.
CLC has committed to enabling 49,000 new homes by 2031. CLC supported 4,100 new homes in 2024–2025, double the previous year, with 35% qualifying as affordable. That trajectory will need to climb even further in the coming years. “If we want to deliver 49,000 homes by 2031, we’ll have to go to 10,000 to 15,000 units per year,” noted Déry.
Recent federal changes are helping make that ramp-up possible. Authority granted in Budget 2024 allows CLC to purchase land directly from other Crown entities like Canada Post without requiring lengthy approvals, and to begin planning for redevelopment even while federal buildings are still in use. In some cases, lands can now be acquired at book value instead of market rates, allowing CLC to pass those savings to developers and increase the share of affordable housing within its projects.
CLC, along with Northcrest Developments for the former Bombardier airport lands, jointly shaped the vision through the id8 Downsview framework, which laid the groundwork for the City of Toronto’s approved Secondary Plan for the area. At 520 acres, “It is CLC’s largest development opportunity, and one of the largest in North America,” shared Cox, making it the largest project in the company’s history.
The Stanley Greene neighbourhood, located south of Downsview Park, was the first to be built out, with Mattamy Homes and Stafford delivering approximately 1,300 homes through a mix of townhouses and mid-rise buildings. Next in line is Downsview West on the north side of Downsview Park, served by Downsview Park subway and GO station, and Arbo to the west of it.
On the north and west sides of this curving section of Sheppard Avenue, Arbo will be a 62-acre community organized around a preserved woodlot. Planned to include 4,300 homes at full build-out, the neighbourhood commits 20% of its housing to affordability. The first phase, comprising 1,700 units, is expected to receive zoning approval by mid-2025. One parcel, offered through CMHC’s Federal Lands Initiative, will deliver approximately 300 units with a minimum 30% of affordable units under a 99-year land lease. “Arbo is defined by the woodlot at its heart,” said Cox, “a completely different character from Downsview West, and a real jewel.”
Covering 30.3 hectares, Downsview West is the largest of the five districts, planned to accommodate 8,800 homes, including 1,760 affordable units, alongside 1.2 million ft² of employment space and 10 acres of parkland. Designed by Urban Strategies, alongside SLA and Indigenous-owned Trophic Design, at its heart is the Cold War-era Depot Building, a sprawling 875,000ft² structure currently home to interim uses including film studios and the Downsview Park Merchants’ Market.
Rather than demolish the structure, CLC is exploring adaptive reuse strategies through a feasibility study. Plans include the Depot Mews, a pedestrian-focused retail corridor running alongside the building and inspired by the revitalization of Market Street next to St Lawrence Market. “The Depot is what defines Downsview West,” said Déry. “We want to build something great, something iconic.”
The Downsview West district is divided into three character areas;
Station Quarter, at the northeast corner, will feature the tallest towers near the TTC and GO station.
At the centre of the plan is Heart at the Crossroads, framed by Heart Park and the Depot.
To the south, The Mews adopts a more residential feel, composed of mid-rise buildings arranged around landscaped courtyards.
An 800m-long Ancestors’ Trail runs throughout the district, featuring Indigenous placemaking elements, art, and storytelling.
CLC is working in formal partnership with the Mississaugas of the Credit First Nation (MCFN), having signed a Memorandum of Understanding in December, 2023. Together, they are developing Cultural Design Guidelines that will inform the planning and expression of future neighbourhoods within MCFN territory, including at Downsview. Discussions are also underway around shared commercial opportunities tied to the redevelopment.
The company is also responding to recent feedback from the City’s Design Review Panel, including crowding near station areas. Cox explained that the open space network was intentionally designed to absorb foot traffic and relieve pressure around the stations.
In terms of sustainability, all new development aims to meet Tier 3 of the Toronto Green Standard. CLC is pursuing strategies such as green roofs, on-site solar integration, and advanced stormwater systems, while also targeting a 25% tree canopy across the site with the planting of approximately 1,400 new trees.
CLC continues to work in close coordination with the City of Toronto and Northcrest Developments. With Arbo expected to receive zoning approvals by mid-2025, subdivision registration is expected this summer, positioning the neighbourhood for early land offerings. Downsview West, currently advancing through its rezoning and subdivision process, is anticipated to secure approvals by Spring 2026. “There has been a real collaborative effort around how do we move forward quickly with approvals,” said Cox, highlighting a shared urgency to accelerate housing delivery. The two remaining neighbourhoods, Downsview East (58 acres, and about 6,700 homes) and Allen West (28 acres, and about 3,200 homes), are longer-term projects.
UrbanToronto will continue to follow progress on this development, but in the meantime, you can learn more about it from our Database file, linked below. If you'd like, you can join in on the conversation in the associated Project Forum thread or leave a comment in the space provided on this page.
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