Wilson Place, 1445 Wilson Ave: A 40-Suite, Self-Managed 1978 Low-Rise

Wilson Place is about as small as a Toronto elevator condo gets: 40 suites over five storeys, built in 1978, and run by its own board. The suites are large and the fee is modest, but that fee covers less than most buildings of this age. Read this before you compare it with the bigger towers nearby. I’m Jatin Dua, RE/MAX Quantum Realty.

Self-managed, 40 suites, and what that means

With only 40 suites, Wilson Place feels more like a large house divided into homes than a condo tower. Five storeys means a short elevator ride, and owners tend to know their neighbours by name. Buyers moving from 300-suite towers often tell me that is what they want.

The building is listed as self-managed, so the board runs it directly rather than paying a management company. In a well-organized corporation, that keeps costs down and decisions quick. In a disorganized one, it means slow repairs, thin records and a few volunteers doing most of the work.

You cannot tell which you are buying into from the listing. You find out from the status certificate, the reserve fund study, the board minutes and how quickly and completely the corporation answers your lawyer’s questions.

Small corporations also feel insurance and repairs differently. Ask what the corporation’s insurance deductible is and when it applies to owners, because in a 40-suite building a single water leak or a large deductible can land on a few people. Your own condo insurance should be set with that number in mind.

A lean fee that leaves heat and hydro to you

The published fee inclusions are short: common elements, building insurance and water. Heat and hydro are not on that list, and listing details I have seen describe electric baseboard heating, so plan on paying your own heating bill through hydro. Parking is not on the inclusion list either, even though the building has a parking garage. Confirm how parking is held and paid for in the status certificate.

Fees on current listings run from about $636 to $713 a month, which averages around $0.71 per square foot. That is lower than many buildings nearby, but they often include heat. Once you add back electric heating through a Toronto winter, the gap narrows.

Electric baseboard heat has one advantage: every owner pays for their own use. In an all-inclusive building, you pay for your neighbour’s thermostat too.

Before you firm up an offer, ask the seller for a year of hydro bills. That single document tells you more about the real monthly cost of a suite here than any fee comparison, and it will show you how much the winter months add.

Big suites in a small building

Reported suite sizes run from about 846 to 1,031 square feet, and the units on the market now are two- and three-bedroom plans. That is generous by any modern standard, and at 40 suites over five storeys there are only about eight homes per floor.

The building has an entry phone system, a security system, a party room and a parking garage. The listing data indicates pets are permitted, but small corporations often have specific rules on size or number, so check the declaration and rules.

Do not expect a gym, a pool or a concierge. What you are buying is space and a quiet, low-density building, not amenities.

Wilson Avenue and the Downsview area

1445 Wilson Avenue sits in the stretch of Wilson west of Keele, in what the City now calls Oakdale–Beverley Heights, between Roding Street and the rail line near Highway 400. Highways 400 and 401 are close, which makes it practical for anyone who drives to work.

Humber River Hospital, which opened in 2015 at Wilson and Keele, is a large neighbour and employer, and hospital staff are a natural pool of buyers and tenants for practical housing like this. To the east, the former Downsview airport lands around Downsview Park are being planned district by district under the City’s Update Downsview study. City Council approved the Taxiway West district plan in July 2025 and the Downsview West district plan in July 2026.

That redevelopment will play out over decades, so it is a reason to feel positive about the area rather than a reason to buy now. Day to day, this is a car-friendly neighbourhood with bus service on Wilson; the panel below shows the transit options.

Pricing: the highest per square foot in this group, for a reason

The reported building average is about $523 per square foot. That is higher than most older high-rises in northwest Toronto, which often trade in the low $400s. Buyers pay a premium for a small, quiet building and big suites, and the lower fee helps.

Three units are for sale at the time of writing, asking between about $399,000 and $550,000. In a 40-suite building, that is a meaningful share of the corporation on the market at once. I would ask why, and look at the minutes for any project or fee change that might explain it.

Small buildings trade rarely, so comparables are thin. I build price opinions here from the building’s own sales over several years and from similar low-rise condos nearby. My building sold report is the place to start.

When you compare Wilson Place with a larger tower, compare the full monthly picture: fee, hydro including heating, parking if it is separate, and property tax. On that basis the difference between a small low-rise and a big all-inclusive tower is often smaller than the asking prices suggest.

Building specifications

Amenities at Wilson Place

The amenities are the basics: a secure entry, a party room and a garage. This is a building for people who want a quiet home, not a facility to use.

Jatin’s honest take on Wilson Place

Wilson Place — frequently asked questions

Looking at Downsview, Weston, York University Heights, Rexdale and northwest Toronto more broadly? Start with my Toronto community guide — the neighbourhoods, what each pocket is like, and how they compare.