Explorer at Waterview, 21 Grand Magazine Street: Building Review, Fees and Layouts

By Jatin Dua · Updated August 10, 2026 · 7 min read

The building

Explorer belongs to the first wave of Monarch’s Waterview community, before the taller towers — Nautilus among them — filled in the skyline behind it. At 13 storeys it reads as a mid-rise, and its position on Marine Parade Drive puts the lakefront promenade essentially at the door.

The record, per the sources at the end of this page:

One note on the completion date: condos.ca records the building as a 2006 build, while TalkCondo lists 2007. Either way it is a mid-2000s building — old enough to have a fully settled condo corporation and a track record, which is something I actually like to see when I pull a status certificate.

Amenities on record include a gym, an indoor pool, a sauna, a concierge and security, a party room, a business centre, a meeting room, guest suites and visitor parking — a solid list for a mid-rise of this era.

Location and getting around

Marine Parade Drive is the address in Humber Bay Shores if what you want is the water. Cross the street and you are on the promenade; Humber Bay Park East and West, the butterfly habitat and the yacht clubs are all a stroll away, and the Martin Goodman Trail carries cyclists over the Humber Bay Arch Bridge and along the lake toward downtown.

Transit works the way it does everywhere in this pocket: the streetcar along Lake Shore Boulevard West, Mimico GO on the Lakeshore West line a short trip away for a one-stop ride to Union, and the Gardiner via Park Lawn Road for drivers. The honest caveat is that Park Lawn and Lake Shore concentrate the neighbourhood’s rush-hour traffic, so try your commute before you commit to it.

Groceries, pharmacies, coffee and restaurants line Lake Shore and Marine Parade within walking distance; larger retail runs mean a drive to the Queensway or Sherway Gardens.

What day-to-day life offers

What people tell me they like about Explorer, once they live there, is the scale. Two hundred and seventy suites over 13 floors is a very different daily experience from the 40-plus-storey towers nearby: shorter elevator waits, amenity rooms that rarely feel crowded, and a lobby where the concierge can actually know your face.

The pool-sauna-gym floor covers the winter months, the business centre and meeting room are useful in the work-from-home era, and guest suites take the pressure off when family visits. Outside, the promenade sets the daily rhythm — this is a neighbourhood where the evening walk is a genuine amenity.

What to weigh: a mid-2000s building will feel its age in places — finishes and mechanical systems are of their era, and some suites will have been renovated while others have not, which makes unit-by-unit inspection matter more here than in a newer tower. Lower height also means fewer of the panoramic lake views the tall neighbours advertise; here the appeal is proximity rather than altitude.

Who this building suits (and who it may not)

Explorer tends to suit:

• People who want the waterfront without the megatower — the mid-rise scale is the building’s defining feature.
• Downsizers and long-term owner-occupiers, who tend to value a settled, mature building and a quieter amenity floor.
• Walkers, runners and dog owners — the park system across the street is the backyard.

Who should weigh it more carefully: buyers set on new-build finishes and glassy height, who will likely be happier in one of the pocket’s younger towers; and commuters who need rapid transit at the door, since the streetcar-or-GO reality here takes planning. Again — character, not defects. Visit twice, once on a summer evening and once on a February morning, and you will know which camp you are in.

Buying or renting here

Explorer is a resale building, and in a 270-suite mid-rise the flow of listings is steadier than in a boutique building but thinner than in the towers, so the right suite can take patience. Floor plans from this era often run more generous than newer construction — verify the measurements on the specific unit rather than the marketing history. I publish no prices here because they go stale in weeks; ask me for today’s picture instead.

For renters and landlords: first occupancy predates November 15, 2018 by more than a decade, so Ontario’s rent-increase guideline generally applies to tenancies here — the unit-level rules are in my rent-control guide. For landlords, the building’s location does the marketing for you; for tenants, it is a chance at the waterfront in a quieter building than the towers.

Frequently asked questions

Sources

• Condos.ca — Explorer at Waterview, 58 Marine Parade Dr. Monarch as developer, 2006 build year, 13 storeys, 270 units and amenity list. Accessed 10 August 2026.
• TalkCondo — Explorer at Waterview Condos. Monarch Group, 2007 completion, 13 floors, 270 suites and amenities. Accessed 10 August 2026.

Related reading

• Living in Nautilus at Waterview — the 39-storey sibling
• Living in Voyager at Waterview
• Living in Waterford Towers
• Living in Waterscapes
• The Humber Bay Shores condo buildings guide
• Etobicoke communities hub