Sunnyside: A Cheap, Fun Date!

Sunnyside Amusement Park in Toronto’s west end was torn down in the 1950s to make way for the Gardiner Expressway, but people who went there still remember it with affection. Lois Broad, who was born in 1927, told us how wonderful Sunnyside was – much better than the Midway at the CNE.

When she was still in her early teens, Lois used to walk there from High Park Ave. north of Bloor St. with her boyfriend Charlie. For just a little money, they had a great time – going on some rides and having a Honey Dew, a popular Canadian-made orange drink.

When it opened in 1922, Sunnyside gave a real boost to the economies of neighbouring Parkdale and Roncesvalles Village; its closure, along with the construction of the Gardiner, heralded a period of decline for those communities.