Compiled by Jelo Gutierrez Cantos

Background

The area between Keele Street, Runnymede Road, St. Clair, and the CP railway lines, located in the neighborhood of The Junction, was known for many decades the location of the Ontario Stockyards. At that time, this was Canada’s largest livestock market and the centre of Ontario’s meat packing industry, and reinforced Toronto’s nickname as Hogtown. The Ontario Stockyards ended oeprations at this site in 1993, and most of the meat-packing plants such as Canada Packers that surrounded it closed shortly thereafter with its production moved to Cookstown, just north north of the city.

With the elimination of the neighbourhood’s alcohol prohibition law in 2000 has led to a number of new restaurants and bars moving into the neighbourhood. Much of the lands has been redeveloped with new housing and retail uses. The main Stockyards site is now the location of a large bloc of big-box stores, including Metro, Home Depot, Canadian Tire, Future Shop, Rona, Staples, and Nations Fresh Foods, an Asian supermarket, along with several smaller stores. There are still some smaller meat-packing facilities in the area and the name “Stockyards” is still used for the area to this day.

The origins of the STOCKYARDS bus itself begins in 1927 when the JANE bus was extended eastward to St. Clair between Runnymede and Keele and was replaced itself by the 71 RUNNYMEDE bus in 1947 to allow customers to transfer to the ST. CLAIR streetcars east of the Gunns Loop.

In 2017, the TTC began a study in the Junction Area. The goal is to improve transit travel for customers by restructuring the bus route network in the Junction Area to better align with customers’ trip origin and destinations and reduce customer journey time. The TTC received comments and concerns from the customers that travel in the area is difficult due to the geography of the area. Physical and natural barriers limit the area network permeability, namely the Humber River to the west and the GO Rail corridors within and to the east. On St. Clair Avenue, the TTC originally proposed to extend the 127 DAVENPORT to Scarlett Road to replace both the 71A RUNNYMEDE and the 79B SCARLETT ROAD services but feedback to the change came out negative with concerns loss of direct connections between Runnymede Station and residential communities on St. Clair Avenue West, resulting in additional transfers and increased travel times. Finally in April 2019, the TTC board approved the bus service on Keele and St. Clair in the form of the 189 STOCKYARDS.

October 13, 2019

As part of the Junction Area Study, service begins on the new 189 STOCKYARDS route serving between High Park station on LINE 2 BLOOR-DANFORTH and Scarlett Road via Keele station in the Junction and Stockyards area. Westbound buses operate between High Park Station to south on High Park Avenue, east on Bloor Street West, north on Keele Street, west on West Toronto Street, north on Old Stock Yards Road through to Gunns Road, west and south into Gunns Loop, west on St Clair Avenue West to Florence Crescent while westbound trips operate via west on St Clair Avenue West and Florence Crescent to north on Scarlett Road, east on Foxwell Street, south on Jane Street, east on St Clair Avenue West, south on Old Stock Yards Road, east on West Toronto Street, south on Keele Street, west on Bloor Street West, north on High Park Avenue into High Park Station. This service replaces the 71A RUNNYMEDE route.

Service operates every 20 to 30 minutes, seven days a week whenever the subway is open. This route operates out of Queensway garage using Nova LFS and Orion VII low-floor buses.

Document Archive

• Junction Area Routing Changes Study, April 11, 2019 (PDF - 5.6 Mb)

189 Stockyards Image Archive

	An official TTC timetable map of 189 STOCKYARDS service, effective October 13, 2019.
	TTC Novabus #8464 heads north on Gunns Road, approaching Gunns Loop in 189 STOCKYARDS service. This shot was taken by James Bow on June 5, 2021.
	On October 24, 2019, Jelo Gutierrez Cantos provides us with the photograph of TTC bus #8038 (Orion VII) on Foxwell Street about to turn right onto Jane Street heading eastbound to High Park station via Keele station.
	TTC Orion VII coach unit #8053 departs High Park station on the 189 STOCKYARDS service heading westbound to Scarlett Road. This photo was taken on the evening of October 23, 2019 by Jelo Gutierrez Cantos.