Published 7 September 2026 · By Jatin Dua, Broker of Record, RE/MAX Quantum Realty
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Get My Free Estimate →York Condominium Corporation No. 1 — the first corporation in the York sequence — is a townhouse complex on Martin Grove Road in north Etobicoke, at 2068–2088 Martin Grove Road with addresses also at 7–33 Tealham Drive and 6 Lexington Avenue.
It was developed by the Rockport Group, founded by Burton “Bert” Winberg, and dates to 1968 or 1969 depending on which source you believe. The Etobicoke Historical Society calls it “the very first townhouse condominium corporation registered in Ontario” — note the word townhouse, which matters. Three sources give three different unit counts.
Why this building matters
Ontario’s first condominium statute, the Condominium Act, 1967, created a form of ownership that did not previously exist in the province. Somebody had to be first. In the York land registry sequence — which covers the former suburban municipalities including Etobicoke — that first corporation is on Martin Grove Road.
The Globe and Mail’s account of Bert Winberg describes him converting a rental townhouse project behind a shopping mall he owned on Albion Road in Rexdale, in 1968–69. The homes were about 1,300 square feet and sold for roughly $20,000, and banks were unwilling to finance a product they had never seen before.
That last detail is worth sitting with. Every condominium mortgage written in Ontario since traces back to somebody being willing to lend on the first one.
The superlative, stated carefully
The Etobicoke Historical Society writes: “This 69-unit complex was registered as York Condominium Corporation No. 1 – the very first townhouse condominium corporation registered in Ontario.”
Townhouse. The Society does not claim it was the first condominium of any kind, and neither will I. A separate claim that the first high-rise condominium in Ontario was Horizon House in Nepean, registered 1967, appears only on self-published enthusiast sites and I would not repeat it as fact.
The Globe’s claim is about Toronto, not Ontario, and it is the better-sourced of the two.
Three unit counts, two years, and one location question
| Units | 86 (listings database) · 69 (Etobicoke Historical Society) · 59 rental townhouses converted (Globe and Mail) |
| Year | 1968, with a registration date of 1 August 1968 (listings database) · 1969 (Historical Society) · 1968–69 (Globe) |
| Developer | Rockport Group, founded by Burton “Bert” Winberg — confirmed by three independent sources |
And a location wrinkle. The Globe places Winberg’s first registered condominium “behind a shopping mall that Mr. Winberg owned on Albion Road.” The Historical Society places YCC 1 between Martin Grove Road and Tealham Drive, north of Lexington Avenue. Those are near each other but not the same description.
Complicating it further: a listings database attributes 415 Silverstone Drive, registered as YCC 3, to the same developer — and that complex sits at Albion Road and Silverstone Drive. So it is not certain which Rockport complex the Globe means.
What I am confident saying: Rockport Group registered two of the first three York condominium corporations, within about a kilometre of each other in north Etobicoke, in 1968–69. That is the honest version of the story, and it is a better one than a shaky superlative.
What this means if you are buying here
Historical interest does not pay for a roof. Practically:
- This corporation is close to sixty years old. Every major component has been replaced at least once, possibly twice. There is real history in the records — ask for it.
- The reserve fund study, plus the two prior studies. The trend matters more than the snapshot.
- Special assessment history. Ask directly, in writing.
- The declaration. A 1968 declaration was drafted under the 1967 Act and reads very differently from a modern one. What is a common element and what is a unit may not be what you expect. Have a lawyer read it, not just skim the certificate.
- The unit count. Three published figures cannot all be right. The status certificate settles it.
What I could not verify
- The unit count, the year, or which Rockport complex the Globe describes.
- The registration date against an official registry. The Condominium Authority of Ontario registry is behind an interactive application and I could not query it programmatically — but anyone can search it manually, free.
- What the “York” in York Condominium Corporation actually refers to. The only source I found addressing it says York Region north of Toronto, which cannot be right — every corporation discussed here is inside the City of Toronto, and York Region corporations use a different prefix. The likeliest explanation is the historic York land registry division, but I could not source it and will not assert it.
The takeaway
The first townhouse condominium corporation registered in Ontario is an unremarkable-looking brick complex on Martin Grove Road, and the story behind it — a developer who could not get banks to finance a form of ownership nobody had seen — is genuinely worth knowing. If you are buying here, the history is a nice footnote and the declaration is the real document: it was drafted under the 1967 Act and it will not read like a modern one. Get a lawyer on it.
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Frequently asked questions
Where is York Condominium Corporation No. 1?
On Martin Grove Road in north Etobicoke — 2068–2088 Martin Grove Road, with addresses also at 7–33 Tealham Drive and 6 Lexington Avenue. It was developed by the Rockport Group.
Was this the first condominium in Ontario?
The Etobicoke Historical Society describes it as “the very first townhouse condominium corporation registered in Ontario” — note the word townhouse. It is not a claim to be the first condominium of any kind, and I would not extend it into one.
How many units are in YCC 1?
Sources disagree: 86 per a listings database, 69 per the Etobicoke Historical Society, and 59 rental townhouses converted per The Globe and Mail. The status certificate is the only reliable answer.
Who was Bert Winberg?
The founder of the Rockport Group, described by The Globe and Mail as the developer behind Toronto’s first registered condominium — a conversion of rental townhouses in Rexdale in 1968–69, with homes around 1,300 square feet selling for about $20,000 at a time when banks would not finance the unfamiliar product.
What does YCC stand for and why is it used in Etobicoke?
It stands for York Condominium Corporation. What the “York” refers to is genuinely unclear — the one source addressing it says York Region north of Toronto, which cannot be right since these corporations are all inside the City of Toronto and York Region uses a different prefix. The likeliest explanation is the historic York land registry division, but I could not source that.
What should I check before buying in a 1960s condominium corporation?
The declaration above all — it was drafted under the 1967 Act and defines units and common elements differently from modern documents. Then the reserve fund study plus earlier studies to read the trend, and the special assessment history, asked for directly and in writing.
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Jatin Dua, Broker of Record — RE/MAX Quantum Realty Inc., Brokerage. Not intended to solicit buyers or sellers currently under contract with another brokerage.
Sources
Everything above that is a number or a name comes from one of these. Anything I could not source, I have marked as unverified in the text.
- Etobicoke Historical Society — Northern Etobicoke driving tour, part 2. The identification of the complex as York Condominium Corporation No. 1, the 69-unit figure, the 1969 date, the location between Martin Grove and Tealham north of Lexington, and the carefully qualified “first townhouse condominium corporation” claim. Accessed 7 September 2026.
- The Globe and Mail — The man who brought condos to Toronto. Bert Winberg and the Rockport Group, the conversion of 59 rental townhouses behind an Albion Road shopping mall in 1968–69, the roughly 1,300 square foot homes at about $20,000, and banks’ reluctance to finance them. Accessed 7 September 2026.
- condos.ca — 2068 Martin Grove Road Townhomes. The full address grouping, 1968 build year with a 1 August 1968 registration date, the 86-unit figure and the Rockport Group attribution. Accessed 7 September 2026.
- Law Society of Ontario Great Library — Ontario condominium law changes. The Condominium Act, S.O. 1967, c. 12, its origin in the Ontario Law Reform Commission report, and its replacement by the Condominium Act, 1998 in force May 2001. Accessed 7 September 2026.
- Condominium Authority of Ontario — condo registry search. The authoritative, free, public search for Ontario condominium corporation registrations. Accessed 7 September 2026.
Related reading
- The Etobicoke condo directory — every condominium corporation I could find, by neighbourhood
- Boutique low-rise condos between Islington and Kipling
- The condos within walking distance of Islington station
- All of my Etobicoke real estate writing
About the author — Jatin Dua, Etobicoke real estate agent
I’m the Broker of Record at RE/MAX Quantum Realty, 799 The Queensway in Etobicoke, a few minutes from every building on this page. I work with buyers, sellers and investors across Mimico, Humber Bay Shores, New Toronto, Long Branch, Alderwood and the Stonegate–Queensway corridor. I write these building guides the way I’d brief a client at my own kitchen table: what is documented, what isn’t, and where the published numbers disagree with each other.
Questions about a specific suite? connect@jatindua.com or 437-987-1925.