EQ1 Condos, 70 Town Centre Court: Heat and Parking In, Mall Next Door

EQ1 is the taller of the two EQ towers on Town Centre Court, and it is one of the more practical buys at Scarborough Centre: a 2009 building with heat, cooling, water and parking already in the fee, steps from the mall and the Civic Centre. The trade-off is that the transit story here is in the middle of a long rebuild, and you should buy knowing that. I’m Jatin Dua, RE/MAX Quantum Realty.

Two EQ towers, one corporation each

EQ1 and EQ2 went up together on Town Centre Court and were registered a month apart at the end of 2009, but they are separate condominium corporations. EQ1 is TSCC-2036 with 336 suites over 35 storeys; EQ2 at number 60 is TSCC-2044 with 300 suites over 30 storeys. Each has its own budget, its own reserve fund and its own board.

That matters more than buyers expect. Two buildings that look like twins from the street can have very different reserve fund balances, special projects and fee histories ten years in. When you compare a suite here with one next door, compare the two corporations’ status certificates, not just the suites.

An architecture listing on Architizer names Monarch as developer of the EQ towers, and Daily Commercial News reported that Monarch, in a joint venture with The Goldman Group, went on to build the 39-storey Encore at Equinox near Scarborough Town Centre, designed by Graziani & Corazza. I have not found a source I trust naming EQ1’s own architect, so I have left that out.

Small suites at the low end, real two-bedrooms at the top

Condos.ca records suites here from about 303 to 1,167 square feet. The bottom of that range is a true studio, and the top is a large two-bedroom or two-plus-den, so EQ1 covers first-time buyers, investors and small families in one building.

The current listings show the middle of the market well: one-plus-dens in the 600s and two-bedrooms in the 800s of square feet. Those are the sizes most buyers here actually live in, and the ones with the deepest resale pool.

At the studio end, think carefully. A suite near 300 square feet suits a student or a single owner who is out most of the day, but it has the narrowest pool of future buyers. If resale matters to you, a one-plus-den with a den that can actually hold a desk is the safer purchase.

Because parking is part of the fee here, ask exactly what comes with the suite you are looking at: whether a space is owned or assigned, where it sits in the garage, and whether a locker is included. Two suites at the same price can differ by a parking space and a locker, and that difference shows up again when you sell.

What the fee covers, and why it reads high

The fee here includes heat, air conditioning, water, building insurance, common elements and parking. That is a broad package. Active listings work out to about $0.82 per square foot, which looks expensive next to a new tower quoting $0.60, until you remember that most newer buildings meter heat and cooling to the suite and sell parking separately.

In a 2009 tower with central heating and cooling, the fee is also paying for older mechanical equipment that will need replacing. A broad inclusion list is good for budgeting, but it means the reserve fund carries a lot of the building’s big-ticket risk. That is the document to read first.

Hydro is not on the inclusion list, so budget for it separately, and confirm what internet and cable arrangements the corporation has before you assume anything.

Living at Scarborough Centre while the transit is rebuilt

Town Centre Court sits in the cluster of towers beside Scarborough Town Centre and the Scarborough Civic Centre. For daily life that means a major mall, a library, government offices and a bus terminal on your doorstep, with Highway 401 close by for drivers.

The transit is where you need the full story. The TTC closed Line 3, the Scarborough RT, in July 2023 and replaced it with buses between Kennedy and Scarborough Centre. A dedicated busway on part of the old rail corridor was scheduled by the TTC to open on 30 September 2026, with the TTC estimating about seven minutes saved per trip.

The longer-term fix is the provincial Scarborough Subway Extension, which blogTO describes as extending Line 2 about eight kilometres from Kennedy to Sheppard and McCowan, with completion expected around 2030. If you buy here, you are buying into an area whose connection to the rest of the city should improve, but on a timeline you do not control.

In the meantime, the honest daily reality is a bus connection to Kennedy rather than a train. For a buyer who drives, or who works in the centre itself, that changes little. For a downtown commuter, ride the route at rush hour before you commit.

Pricing: about $617 a square foot, close to its twin

Condos.ca puts EQ1’s average at about $617 per square foot, a little under EQ2 next door at about $651. Both sit in the band I see across 2000s towers in Scarborough’s centres, broadly in line with Legends at Tam O’Shanter on Bonis Avenue at about $607.

The four current listings ask $429,000 to $669,000, with fees from about $503 to $793 a month. Because the fee includes heat, cooling and parking, compare the total monthly cost against a newer building, not the fee alone.

For the actual traded numbers, use the 12-month data panel on this page. If you want a closer look at what comparable suites have done, my building sold report is the place to start.

Building specifications

Amenities at EQ1 Condos

The amenity list is practical rather than flashy: concierge, guest suites for visiting family, a media room, a party room and a car wash bay in the garage. Confirm the fitness and any recreation facilities on site before you buy, because the full list was not available to me.

Jatin’s honest take on EQ1 Condos

EQ1 Condos — frequently asked questions

Looking at Agincourt, L’Amoreaux, Milliken, Dorset Park and Wexford in Scarborough more broadly? Start with my Toronto community guide — the neighbourhoods, what each pocket is like, and how they compare.