Voyager I at Waterview, 2121 Lake Shore Blvd W: The First Monarch Tower

Voyager I at Waterview is where the modern Humber Bay Shores skyline started. Monarch launched it in 2001 as the first phase of a much larger waterfront plan, and it still has one of the deeper amenity lists on this strip, plus a fee that covers your hydro. It is 20-plus years old, and that is the part you need to look at carefully. I’m Jatin Dua, RE/MAX Quantum Realty.

Phase one of a 1,500-unit waterfront plan

When Voyager launched in April 2001, much of Humber Bay Shores was still the old Lake Shore motel strip. Monarch, through Monarch Waterview Development Limited, a joint venture with the landowner Waterview Corporation, announced Voyager as the first phase of an eight-phase plan called Waterview, about 1,500 homes on a ten-acre site on Humber Bay, valued at over $300 million at the time.

That history matters for two reasons. First, this is one of the older towers on the waterfront, so its finishes and systems date from the early 2000s. Second, it was built by a large, established builder at the start of a long program, when the developer had every reason to make the first building sell the rest.

One naming detail to sort out before you write an offer: a property manager’s page for this address and corporation number calls it Waterview Voyager 2 and describes it as the first of two phases. Condos.ca calls 2121 Voyager I. Make sure the listing, the status certificate and the corporation number all match, especially if you are also looking at the neighbouring Voyager tower.

An amenity list most newer towers skipped

The building’s own resident information, as published by a property management firm, lists an indoor pool, a whirlpool, a sauna, a fitness centre, a billiard room, a theatre, an indoor golf simulator, a library, a meeting room and a party room described as a sky lounge. It also lists two guest suites, visitor parking and a 24-hour concierge.

That is a full recreation centre. Many towers completed on this waterfront in the last decade have a gym and a party room and not much else, because pools and wet amenities are expensive to run. Here they are already built, and you can see their condition before you buy.

The catch is the same one I raise with every older pool building: the equipment, tile and dehumidification systems eventually need replacement, and that comes out of the reserve fund. Ask when the pool was last refurbished and what the reserve fund study says about it.

Utilities in the fee, parking possibly not

Condos.ca lists heat, hydro, air conditioning, water, building insurance and common elements inside the fee. The building information I found also says utilities are included. Having hydro bundled is now rare and makes your monthly budget very predictable.

Parking is not on condos.ca’s list of fee inclusions, even though the building has a garage. That can mean parking is owned and taxed separately, or charged on its own. Confirm whether the suite you want has a space, whether it is deeded, and whether a locker comes with it.

Condos.ca did not publish a suite size range for this building, so I am not going to guess. Ask for the floor plan and measured size for any suite you consider, and compare price per square foot only on confirmed numbers.

Living at the Humber Bay Shores waterfront

The appeal here is the lake. Humber Bay Shores sits along the waterfront trail and the Humber Bay parks, and upper-floor suites facing south or east look over the water toward the downtown skyline. Suites facing north look across Lake Shore toward the Gardiner and the city.

Across Lake Shore, the former Christie bakery lands at Park Lawn are planned for about 7,500 homes, retail, two parks and a new Park Lawn GO station. That will bring transit and services within reach, along with years of construction and a large supply of new condos. If a clear north view is important to you, ask which way the suite faces and what is planned opposite.

The data panel on this page covers transit, schools, parks and nearby food, so I will not repeat it here.

How I price a suite here

When I checked, no suites were listed for sale and condos.ca did not publish an average price per square foot for 2121, so I am not going to quote one. The data panel on this page shows what has traded here, and I can pull a recent sold report for the building on request through my building sold report.

As a rule of thumb on this waterfront, older towers like Voyager trade below the newer glass towers on a per-square-foot basis. Part of that discount is age and finishes; part of it is buyers comparing fees without accounting for the utilities and amenities included here.

When you compare carrying costs, add a hydro bill, cooling and any parking fee to the newer building before you decide which is cheaper. Then compare reserve fund health, because a large amenity package in an older building is only good value if the corporation has saved for it.

Before an offer on any suite here, I ask for the status certificate, the last three annual budgets, the most recent reserve fund study and recent board or AGM minutes. In a 313-suite building with a pool, those four documents tell you more about your future fees than any listing description will. If the seller cannot produce them in time, make your offer conditional on reviewing them.

Building specifications

Amenities at Voyager I at Waterview

With a pool, sauna, theatre and golf simulator in the building, you can drop a gym membership and host family in the guest suites. These features are the main reason to choose Voyager over a newer tower, and also the main reason to read the reserve fund study closely.

Jatin’s honest take on Voyager I at Waterview

Voyager I at Waterview — frequently asked questions

Looking at Humber Bay Shores, Mimico, the Queensway and central Etobicoke more broadly? Start with my Toronto community guide — the neighbourhoods, what each pocket is like, and how they compare.