OCTOBER 1, 2024

Dear reader,

In 2023, when the city decided to put Centennial Park’s ski operations out to pasture, people were upset—myself included. For more than 50 years, the hill was a wintertime wonder for Etobicoke families like mine: an adorable ’60s-era alpine getaway, surrounded by post-war bungalows, only a short bus ride from Royal York station.

Climate change and the rising cost of just about everything were the culprits behind the closure—a timely reminder that neighbourhood amenities like urban ski hills are quirky privileges that should be cherished.

But, if you have some extra dough, why not just buy an entire ski hill for yourself? The prospect isn’t as wild as it sounds. Curb Appeal’s top post this week is a 75-acre former resort in Simcoe County that comes with trails, a swimming pond and a tricked-out aluminum camper. And it’s currently going for $2.5 million—about the price of a detached house downtown.

Also in today’s newsletter: a Scarborough family finds paradise two hours outside the city. Plus, a Trinity-Bellwoods home featuring an original Banksy. Visit torontolife.com or subscribe to our print edition for all of our real estate coverage and more.

—Barry Jordan Chong, city and real estate editor

A $2.5-million, 75-acre parcel of land that was once the Loretto Ski Resort. The place includes an Airstream outfitted for year-round living, three picturesque hills and a network of cross-country ski trails that are also great for walking and cycling. A spring-fed swimming pond complete with a private beach sits at the heart of the property.

Exhausted with corporate life, the Ioannidis family spent years looking for their ideal home outside the city. After missing out on a lavender farm and almost buying a dilapidated house, they found paradise in Warkworth.

This 5,000-square-foot ex-schoolhouse near Trinity Bellwoods Park comes with classroom layouts, an elevator, a kooky catwalk and an original Banksy that can be negotiated into the sale.

Here’s a four-plus-one-bedroom, three-bathroom Caledon getaway that feels like a country club. It has a pool house, two sunrooms, cathedral ceilings and a tennis court surrounded by fruit trees and a dense forest.

In the latest issue: dispatches from the front lines of Ontario’s broken health care system. Plus, a sneak preview of Poilievre’s Toronto, a bold next step for Chinese-food king David Schwartz, converted schoolhouses that blend history and style, and more. Still not receiving Toronto Life at home? Subscribe today.

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