DownsviewToronto
A neighbourhood of 18,055 in Toronto. Of Toronto’s 158 neighbourhoods, this is one.
Is Downsview a good place to live?
Several subjects drag its grade down. The weak point is cost of living (D−). Taken together, its subjects give Downsview a C− overall, better than a fifth of Canadian towns. That places it #763 of 858 in Ontario. It is easy to get around without a car (A+). Jobs & income is weaker too (D).
Rents here are the metro area's average, shared by every town and neighbourhood in it. Safety uses the city's Crime Severity Index, scaled by this neighbourhood's own violent and property crime rates. Health is graded on the health region's survey figures and life expectancy, with the distance to hospital giving the town its own spread.
How Downsview grades
Each subject compares Downsview with Canadian towns of 2,500 or more, ordered by how far it is from the middle. Towns in other countries are graded separately.
How TownRatings grades Canadian towns →
What makes Downsview stand out
The 3 things Downsview does most differently from other towns.
The data
Data highlights are ordered by what stands out in Downsview.
Rent takes more of local pay in Downsview than in Ontario’s towns or Canadian towns: 30% of household income
Owners make up 53% of households, below both Ontario’s towns (76%) and Canadian towns (74%).
What homes were worth · The median owner’s estimate at the 2021 census
| Census 2021 | Downsview | Ontario | Canada |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rent as a share of income | 30% | 22% | 20% |
| Households spending 30%+ on shelter | 30% | 22% | 18% |
| Households owning their home | 53% | 76% | 74% |
Statistics Canada, Census 2021; CMHC Rental Market Survey via Statistics Canada · These are 2021 census values, as owners judged them, set against household income in 2020. · Rent as a share of income and monthly rent for a two-bedroom: the Toronto metro area
Few places match Downsview for health: it beats 90% of Canadian towns
Measured across the City of Toronto Health Unit: health survey and life expectancy
On average 16% of adults live with arthritis, diabetes or high blood pressure, near both Ontario’s towns (17%) and Canadian towns (17%). The survey puts the region’s share in very good or excellent health at 50%; Ontario as a whole is at 51%. People in the region live to 84.7 on average: 87.2 for women and 82.0 for men in 2022/2024. The region has fewer smokers than Ontario, 9.2% of adults to 11%.
Very good or excellent health · adults, age-standardised
| Health | Downsview | Ontario | Canada |
|---|---|---|---|
| Life expectancy at birth | 84.7 | 82.8 | 81.5 |
| Smokers | 9.2% | 10% | 12% |
| Chronic conditions (average share) | 16% | 17% | 17% |
| Very good or excellent health | 50% | 51% | 52% |
Statistics Canada, Canadian Community Health Survey 2023/2024 and life expectancy 2022/2024; Open Database of Healthcare Facilities
Commuters in Downsview travel further than in Ontario’s towns or Canadian towns, 36 min on average
How working residents got to work · census 2021
| Census 2021 | Downsview | Ontario | Canada |
|---|---|---|---|
| Average trip | 36 min | 29 min | 26 min |
Statistics Canada, Census 2021 (labour and commuting) · These are May 2021 figures, gathered while COVID-19 kept many people home or out of work.
Downsview’s schools belong to 4 boards that cover the same streets
On results, 52 of its 75 tested schools sit in the lower two fifths in Ontario. Northview Heights Secondary School is the biggest, at 1,585 students. Also worth knowing: of the 78, 2 teach in French (10% of schools in Ontario). In or within 3 km of Downsview: 65 elementary schools and 13 secondary schools, with 33,210 students.
| School | Level | Students | System |
|---|---|---|---|
| Dublin Heights Elementary and Middle School Fourth fifth in OntarioLargest elementary schoolElementary · Grades JK–8 | Elementary · Grades JK–8 | 760 | English public |
| Northview Heights Secondary School Middle fifth in OntarioLargest secondary schoolSecondary · Grades 9–12 | Secondary · Grades 9–12 | 1,585 | English public |
| ÉÉC Saint-Noël-Chabanel-Toronto FrenchTeaches in FrenchElementary · Grades JK–6 | Elementary · Grades JK–6 | 140 | French Catholic |
| George Anderson Public School Top fifth in OntarioResults in the top fifth in OntarioElementary · Grades JK–5 | Elementary · Grades JK–5 | 140 | English public |
Schools by system · Schools within 3 km
| Schools within 3 km | Downsview | Ontario | Canada |
|---|---|---|---|
| School boards | 4 | 4 | 3 |
Provincial school lists and results, 2024-25
Flood mapping exists for Downsview: 1 on record, latest by Toronto Regional Conservation Authority
NRCan expects $0.043 of shaking damage a year per $1,000 of buildings in Downsview, near the typical $0.030. In Health Canada’s survey, just 2.7% of homes tested in the area exceeded 200 Bq/m³ (6.6% typical). Behind earthquake risk sits data gathered across the city of Toronto, with Downsview one part of it.
Radon tests above the guideline · share of tested homes, 200 Bq/m³
| Hazards | Downsview | Ontario | Canada |
|---|---|---|---|
| Radon tests above the guideline | 2.7% | 4% | 6.6% |
| Earthquake loss per $1,000 of buildings a year | $0.043 | $0.043 | $0.030 |
NRCan seismic risk model and burned areas, Health Canada radon survey, the Flood Hazard Map Inventory
Winters are mild in Downsview: January nights hold at −6.7°C, above Ontario’s towns and Canadian towns
Frosty days number 101 in a normal year, lower than both Ontario’s towns (139) and Canadian towns (159). Gardeners get 208 frost-free days, from 11 April to 6 November. A July afternoon in Downsview typically reaches 27.0°C. A normal January brings 32 cm of snow, the most of any month.
Average high by season · ECCC normals, 1991–2020
| Normals, 1991–2020 | Downsview | Ontario | Canada |
|---|---|---|---|
| Days with frost a year | 101 | 139 | 159 |
| January night low | −6.7°C | −9.1°C | −13.5°C |
| July afternoon high | 27.0°C | 26.7°C | 25.5°C |
| Snowfall a year | 115 cm | 146 cm | 141 cm |
Environment and Climate Change Canada, Canadian Climate Normals 1991–2020 (Toronto (City))
Downsview gets a C+ for safety
Area-wide: Crime Severity Index, Violent Crime Severity Index, violent crime and property crime per 1,000, counted over the Toronto service area
For violence alone, its police area’s index was 93, above Ontario’s towns (76) and Canadian towns (86) alike. Where it is policed, thefts, break-ins and damage came to 34.4 per 1,000 a year, above Ontario’s towns (30.5) and Canadian towns (31.2) alike.
Year by year · Crime Severity Index for each year
| 2023–2025 | Downsview | Ontario | Canada |
|---|---|---|---|
| Violent Crime Severity Index | 93 | 76 | 86 |
| Property crime per 1,000 | 34.4 | 30.5 | 31.2 |
Statistics Canada, Uniform Crime Reporting Survey, 2023–2025 average
Visible minorities make up more of Downsview than of Ontario’s towns or Canadian towns: 55%
Over-65s are 15% of the population. 0.3% of residents have an Indigenous identity, below both Ontario’s towns (1.6%) and Canadian towns (2.8%).
Ages · Share of residents in each age group, Census 2021
Schooling · Highest qualification, residents 15 and over
Women and men · all residents
51.3% of Downsview’s residents are women
In 2021 there were 9,265 women to 8,795 men; Canada as a whole is 50.9% women.
| Downsview | Ontario | Canada | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 15 | 15% | 15% | 16% |
| 15 to 64 | 70% | 65% | 64% |
| 65+ | 15% | 19% | 19% |
| No certificate, diploma or degree | 21% | 15% | 16% |
| Postsecondary qualification | 53% | 56% | 56% |
Statistics Canada, Census 2021; Ontario and Canada: medians of towns of 2,500+
Expect November days around 8°C in Downsview, nights around 2°C
December follows at 3°C by day and −3°C by night. November usually brings some 9 cm of snow. Rain and snow over a typical November come to 71 mm. ECCC’s forecast for Toronto is on the Weather page, hour by hour.
Normal highs, the months ahead · ECCC normals, 1991–2020
| Season | High | Low | Rain and snow |
|---|---|---|---|
| Winter | 1°C | −5°C | 176 mm |
| Spring | 12°C | 4°C | 207 mm |
| Summer | 26°C | 17°C | 230 mm |
| Autumn | 15°C | 8°C | 209 mm |
ECCC normals, 1991–2020 (Toronto (City)); the forecast is on the Weather page
Downsview’s public library is Toronto Public Library - Downsview
The library figures on this page are Toronto’s: Toronto Public Library serves all 3,110,984 people of the city, Downsview among them.
Provincial library statistics, OpenStreetMap, the CRA and Statistics Canada
Downsview is 23 km from Rouge National Urban Park
Of the country within 10 km, 1.1% lies in protected areas; the median Canadian town has 2.3%. 8.4 km out lies the largest, E.T. Seton Park, at 130 ha. A provincial park, Holland Landing Prairie Provincial Park, lies 41 km away. The 10 km around town hold 14 protected areas.
Protected land · of the land within 10 km
| Outdoors | Downsview | Ontario | Canada |
|---|---|---|---|
| Protected land within 10 km | 1.1% | 2.3% | 2.3% |
| Public protected areas within 10 km | 3 | 4 | 4 |
Canadian Protected and Conserved Areas Database (CPCAD), OpenStreetMap routes and beaches
Everything we know about Downsview
Downsview Park and 15 more in and around Downsview
Sights in Downsview and close by, ordered by how widely each is known.
GardenDownsview Parkin town
MuseumCanadian Air and Space Museumin town
MuseumBlack Creek Pioneer Village3.9 km outside town, to the northwestArt galleryArt galleryThe Joan and Martin Goldfarb Gallery of York University2.7 km outside town, to the northwestArt galleryArt gallerySt. Germain Gallery3.9 km outside town, to the eastArt galleryArt galleryGrowth Path Optical Art4.9 km outside town, to the eastPhotos: each place’s Wikidata image, from Wikimedia Commons under the licence below (our copy, resized).
Photo credits (3)
- Downsview Park: Mhsheikholeslami, CC BY-SA 4.0, Wikimedia Commons
- Canadian Air and Space Museum: Hawklord2 at English Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 3.0, Wikimedia Commons
- Black Creek Pioneer Village: John Griffiths from London, United Kingdom, CC BY-SA 2.0, Wikimedia Commons
Famous people from Downsview
3 notable people were born in Downsview.
About Downsview
Neighbourhood in Toronto
Where Downsview begins and ends inside Toronto is TownRatings’s line, traced along census dissemination areas and named after the city’s map or OpenStreetMap.
Statistics Canada: population estimates 2025 (17-10-0155), Census of Population 2021, 2021 census boundaries.
- Population
- 18,055 (people, 2021 estimate)
- Province or territory
- Ontario
- City
- Toronto
- Census subdivision
- 3520005
Downsview’s neighbours
The nearest places of 1,000 or more. Statistics Canada
| Town | People | km | Overall | Cost | Safety | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Downsview | 18,055 | — | C− | D− | C+ | A |
| Maple Leaf | 10,040 | 1.7 | C+ | D− | A− | A |
| Oakdale-Beverley Heights | 21,386 | 2.4 | D | D− | C− | A |
| Rustic | 9,543 | 2.7 | C− | D− | B | A |
| Yorkdale-Glen Park | 17,043 | 2.9 | C− | D− | D | A |
| York University Heights | 28,557 | 3.1 | D | D− | D | A |
| Glenfield-Jane Heights | 30,197 | 3.1 | C− | D− | B− | A |
People: Statistics Canada, Census 2021. Distances: centre to centre.
Questions about Downsview
How old are the people of Downsview?
Its median age is 39.7, where Canadian towns sit at 45.2. Under-15s are 15% of residents; over-65s, 15%.
Sources: Statistics Canada, Census of Population 2021 · population estimates 2025 (17-10-0155) and 2021 census boundaries · Uniform Crime Reporting Survey 2023–25 (35-10-0026, 35-10-0183 to 35-10-0190) · CMHC rents as published by Statistics Canada (34-10-0133) · grades by TownRatings. Under the Statistics Canada Open Licence.
Adapted from Statistics Canada (Census of Population 2021, population estimates 2025, 2021 census boundaries) under the Statistics Canada Open Licence; this does not constitute an endorsement by Statistics Canada. Neighbourhood names in some cities © OpenStreetMap contributors (ODbL).