Concord Canada House, 23 Spadina Ave: CityPlace’s Final, Tallest Towers

Concord Canada House is the newest building I can show in CityPlace, and the most visible. Its two towers at Spadina and Bremner carry an illuminated maple-leaf pattern you can see from the Gardiner, and the amenity package was marketed as one of the largest in the city. It is also brand new, enormous and full of investor suites, so the first few years of this corporation need watching. I’m Jatin Dua, RE/MAX Quantum Realty.

The last piece of CityPlace

Concord Adex built CityPlace on the former railway lands over roughly two decades, and Canada House is the final phase, on the site that was the CityPlace presentation centre at 23 Spadina. It neighbours the Rogers Centre and the CN Tower, and it closes off the northeast corner of the neighbourhood at Spadina and Bremner.

The towers are 74 and 64 storeys, about 232 and 203 metres, according to UrbanToronto. Early marketing in 2017 described 79 and 68 storeys, and listing data shows 72 floors, so heights changed during design and the number depends on how floors are counted. Either way, they rise well above most of their CityPlace neighbours, and upper suites have open lake and city views.

The base holds retail and office space. Marketing described about 21,000 square feet of shops and restaurants and 26,000 square feet of office space wrapping the podium.

The maple leaf, and what the design does

Arcadis designed the towers with a stylized maple-leaf pattern made from alternating white and grey aluminum panels between the floors of windows and balcony guards. The pattern repeats up the north face, mixed with recessed and cantilevered balconies, and the leaves were designed to be lit at night, along with the glass lounges at the top of each tower.

The nine-storey podium is clad in dark panels with glass along the street, and its upper floors enclose a double-height amenity space behind a curtain wall. A cantilevered volume on the southeast corner pushes an outdoor amenity terrace out over the sidewalk.

For buyers, the design matters less than what it does to individual suites. Balcony types vary, and a recessed balcony is more usable in wind at height than a cantilevered one. Ask which type your suite has.

The amenity package, as marketed

When Canada House launched, Concord marketed about 60,000 square feet of amenities: a resort-style spa and indoor pool, a fitness centre, a sky gym and sky lounge on the top floors with views of the lake, and an outdoor space above the podium with a skating rink inspired by the Rideau Canal that turns into a pond in summer. Practical features included a touchless car wash, a wheel-wash station and electric vehicle charging in the garage.

Listing data now shows an indoor pool, hot tub, spa, gym, catering kitchen, wine cellar and tasting area, and an outdoor patio. Because the building has only just been registered, I would confirm in person which of the marketed amenities were delivered, which are open, and what each costs to run.

A package this size is a real draw, but it is also a big line in the budget. In a new corporation, the first-year budget is set by the developer and is often revised once real costs come in.

Buying in a brand-new, very large building

With roughly 1,400 suites, Canada House is one of the largest condominium corporations in the city. At the time I wrote this there were 10 suites for sale and 15 for lease, which tells you how many owners bought as investors. Expect a lot of leasing activity, elevator traffic and move-ins during the first few years.

Original buyers are still closing and taking possession, and some are reselling. That means many similar one-bedroom and one-plus-den suites competing for buyers at once. It also means the building is still in its warranty period, with deficiencies being reported and fixed. If you buy now, ask about the deficiency list, the performance audit and the status of common-element warranty claims.

The location is the strong point. You are steps from the Rogers Centre, the CN Tower, the waterfront and Canoe Landing Park, with King West and the financial district a short walk north. Event nights are loud, and the Gardiner sits just south. The data panel on this page has transit and walkability details.

What Canada House costs

The building average is about $1,066 per square foot, near the top of CityPlace. That premium reflects a brand-new building, the height and views, and the amenity package.

One-bedrooms were asking roughly $525,000 to $575,000, one-plus-dens roughly $529,999 to $569,000, and two-bedrooms roughly $729,000 to $821,800. Fees on current listings ranged from about $373 to $822 a month, averaging about $0.87 per square foot.

Floor and view matter more here than in most buildings. In a 74-storey tower, the difference between a suite on the 15th floor looking at the next podium and one on the 60th looking at the lake is large, and two listings with the same square footage can be very different products. Compare like with like: same tower, similar height, same exposure.

Listing data does not yet show fee inclusions, so get the budget from the status certificate and ask which utilities are metered to each suite. Compare the per-square-foot price with older CityPlace towers at $800 to $900 per square foot before you decide the new finishes and amenities are worth the gap. For actual sold figures, use the aggregate data on this page or ask me for a building sold report.

Building specifications

Amenities at Concord Canada House

Few buildings in Toronto offer this much: a pool and spa, lounges at the top of the towers and a large outdoor podium. Confirm what is open and how bookings work, because 1,400 households will be sharing it.

Jatin’s honest take on Concord Canada House

Concord Canada House — frequently asked questions

Looking at King West, Liberty Village and CityPlace more broadly? Start with my Toronto community guide — the neighbourhoods, what each pocket is like, and how they compare.