159 Major St
159 Major St is in University. There are 2 planning proposals within 250 m. Bathurst Station is a 12‑minute walk.
Data as of Nov 8, 2026 · Every item lists its source
- 2 planning proposals within 250 m: one in progress and one decided recently.
- Assaults, break-ins, robberies and thefts over $5,000 in University were above the Toronto rate in 2025.
- Bathurst Station (Line 2) is about a 12-minute walk.
- The nearest elementary school is da Vinci School, 306 m away.
- Nothing is on record for the building itself: no permits, orders or heritage listing.
01What’s planned near 159 Major St
2 planning proposals within 250 m (about a 3‑minute walk): one in progress and one decided recently. That's about typical for Toronto (the typical address has 1).
In progress
- 1Add a storey42 Ulster St · 195 m awayCommittee of Adjustment · Minor variance: permission to bend a zoning rule, such as height, size or setbacks
The Committee of Adjustment refused it on Jul 19, 2023. It has been appealed to the Toronto Local Appeal Body (TLAB), which will hold its own hearing and make the final decision.
To alter the existing two-storey townhouse dwelling by constructing a rear second storey deck.File A0286/23TEY · submitted Mar 21, 2023
Decided recently
- 2Garage or parking110 Brunswick Ave · 150 m awayCommittee of Adjustment · Minor variance: permission to bend a zoning rule, such as height, size or setbacks
The Committee of Adjustment refused it on Aug 12, 2026.
To construct a new rear two-storey detached ancillary building containing a one-car garage on the first level and storage space on the second level, abutting Albert Jackson Laneway. The existing rear one-storey detached ancillary building…File A0469/26TEY · submitted Jun 25, 2026
Development Applications and Committee of Adjustment Applications, City of Toronto. A proposal that covers several addresses is listed once. Decided: development files submitted in the last 4 years; Committee of Adjustment decisions in the last 2 years.
02Safety near 159 Major St
Police recorded 136 major crimes within 500 m of this address from Oct 2025 to Sep 2026. That's more than at 9 in 10 Toronto addresses. The table compares the neighbourhood's rates with Toronto's.
| Major crime | Near this addressreported within 500 m, last 12 months | Universityper 100,000 residents, 2025 | Torontoper 100,000 residents, 2025 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Assaults | 67 | 1,741 | 768University is higher |
| Break-ins | 46 | 730 | 190University is higher |
| Car thefts | 10 | 183 | 225University is about the same |
| Robberies | 7 | 134 | 79University is higher |
| Thefts over $5,000 | 6 | 122 | 61University is higher |
Thick bar: University. Thin grey bar: Toronto. Source: Toronto Police Service Public Safety Data Portal, Major Crime Indicators (Oct 1, 2025 to Sep 30, 2026) and Neighbourhood Crime Rates. Reported incidents only; police place each incident at the nearest intersection. Five-year trends for University
03Getting around from 159 Major St
The nearest subway station is Bathurst Station (Line 2), about a 12‑minute walk (0.7 km). Within a 5‑minute walk there are 8 TTC stops served by routes 510, 506 and 94, with about 2,466 departures on a typical weekday. The nearest GO train station is Union Station GO, 2.6 km away, with 354 train stops on a weekday.
Source: TTC · Line 2 · about 12 min walk
Nearest stop: Harbord St at Brunswick Ave, plus 1 more stop for this route within 250 m.
Nearest stop: Spadina Ave at Willcocks St, plus 1 more stop for this route within 250 m.
Nearest stop: Spadina Ave at Harbord St South Side, plus 1 more stop for this route within 250 m.
Source: GO Transit · 354 train stops on a weekday
TTC and GO Transit schedules for a typical weekday (Nov 11, 2026). Walking times are estimates.
04Schools and child care near 159 Major St
These are the closest public and Catholic schools by distance. They may not be the schools assigned to this address: school boards set their own attendance areas, so check with the Toronto District School Board or Toronto Catholic District School Board.
Elementary schools
Share of Grade 6 students meeting the provincial standard. Toronto: 87% reading, 54% math.
Secondary schools
Share of students who passed the Grade 10 literacy test on their first try. Toronto: 84%.
The red tick on each bar is the Toronto average. Private schools within 1 km: Paul Penna Downtown Jewish Day School & Miles Nadal Jewish Community Centre, City As School Toronto, University Of Toronto Schools, Westside Montessori Elementary School, Braemar College Private Secondary School and 6 more. Source: Ontario Ministry of Education (2026), EQAO results.
Within 500 m (about a 6‑minute walk): six licensed child care centres, no EarlyON centres, no privately owned public spaces and one shelter or respite site.
630 Spadina Ave · 24 spaces · preschool · in the $10-a-day program
7 Glen Morris St · 96 spaces · infant, toddler, preschool · in the $10-a-day program · fee subsidies
33 Robert St · 142 spaces · kindergarten, school age · in the $10-a-day program · fee subsidies
Source: City of Toronto Licensed Child Care Centres and EarlyON Child and Family Centres.
05The building at 159 Major St
No building permits, building orders, heritage listing or short-term rental registration are on record for this address. About 9 in 10 Toronto addresses also had none in the last 5 years.
06Around the block
Stays of less than 28 days, like Airbnb. That's more than at most Toronto addresses (the typical address has 2).
Houses that rent individual rooms with shared kitchens or bathrooms. The City licenses them to enforce safety standards.
Musoshin Harbord (sidewalk café), Lumos Cafe (restaurant or bar), The Dropp Laundromat (laundromat or dry cleaner), and 1 more.
Scott Mission (434 m).
All new business licences nearby (4)
- Musoshin Harbord · Sidewalk café · 130 Harbord St · 118 m · licensed Aug 11, 2026
- Lumos Cafe · Restaurant or bar · 106 Harbord St · 143 m · licensed Aug 26, 2026
- The Dropp Laundromat · Laundromat or dry cleaner · 172 Harbord St · 199 m · licensed Sep 18, 2026
- Casa Donato · Restaurant or bar · 660 Spadina Ave · 239 m · licensed Aug 26, 2026
Source: Short Term Rentals Registration, Multi-Tenant (Rooming) House Licences, Business Licences and Permits (storefront types; owners’ personal names are never shown), POPS, and Daily Shelter Occupancy (Nov 6, 2026). Confidential shelter locations are not published.
07Risks and environment at 159 Major St
TRCA's maps show this address is outside the areas that could flood from rivers in a major storm (TRCA plans for a storm like Hurricane Hazel in 1954) and outside lake shoreline hazards. Basement flooding from overloaded sewers can still happen anywhere in the city.
Source: TRCA Regulation mapping 2025
In postal area M5S, 0 of 167 home tap-water samples (0%) tested above Ontario's limit for lead (10 micrograms per litre). Across Toronto, 2.0% of samples did, so M5S is lower than the city overall. Health Canada recommends a stricter limit of 5 micrograms per litre: 5 samples here (3.0%) were above it. These are voluntary tests, mostly from older homes, so they don't tell you about this house. Lead comes from old pipes and plumbing, not the City's treatment plants. If your home was built before the mid-1950s, you can get a free test kit by calling 311.
Source: Non Regulated Lead Sample · 167 tests, May 6, 2014 to Aug 11, 2026
Air Quality Health Index from Environment and Climate Change Canada's Toronto Downtown station, 1.7 km away, measured 3:00 AM EST Monday 9 November 2026. Forecast high for the next 24 hours: 2 (low risk). The scale runs from 1 to 10+; 1 to 3 is low risk.
Source: Environment and Climate Change Canada · hourly
TRCA mapping is for screening, not site-specific decisions. Lead results are voluntary samples from homes in the postal area, not this address.
08The neighbourhood: University
University had 6,435 residents in 2021. The median household income was $80,000, about the same as the typical Toronto neighbourhood ($85,000). 61% of households rent (typical neighbourhood: 46%). 45% of renters spend 30% or more of their income on housing. 27% of workers commuted by transit and 34% walked or cycled (typical neighbourhood: 26% and 5%). The most common first languages other than English and French are Mandarin (6.1%), Cantonese (4.1%) and Portuguese (3.3%). Source: 2021 Census; the next census was taken in 2026.
In October 2025, the average rent for a two-bedroom in a purpose-built rental building in the former City of Toronto was $2,457, up 6% from a year earlier. Across Toronto: $2,055. 3.2% of these apartments were vacant. These are averages paid by all tenants, including long-term ones, across a large area; new listings usually cost more.
| Average rent, October 2025 | Central Toronto | Change in a year | Toronto |
|---|---|---|---|
| Studio | $1,526 | +2% | $1,499 |
| 1 bedroom | $1,914 | +4% | $1,763 |
| 2 bedrooms | $2,457 | +6% | $2,055 |
| 3 bedrooms or more | $3,195 | 0% | $2,361 |
Source: CMHC, Rental Market Survey (October 2025), purpose-built rental apartments, central Toronto (the old City of Toronto, before the 1998 amalgamation). CMHC doesn’t publish rents for single neighbourhoods. Adapted by My Address in Toronto.
How University compares with Toronto’s 158 neighbourhoods →Archive photos from near this address: myaddressintoronto.com/address/159-major-st#sec-history
