North York Industrial Real Estate
North York Industrial Space for Lease and Sale
North York industrial sits within the tightest major industrial market in the GTA. The Toronto market reported 2.9% overall availability in Q1 2026, and North York’s corridors along Dufferin Street, Keele Street, Jane Street, and Wilson Avenue are among the most constrained - older building stock, no land for new development, and a labour pool that is unmatched in depth and transit accessibility. For businesses that need to stay inside Toronto, North York offers the most viable combination of in-city location, TTC connectivity, and functional industrial space.
Or call directly: (647) 740-7500
Harry Makkar
Industrial Broker · Colliers International
Discuss Your North York Requirement
No obligation · Responds personally · Confidential
North York Industrial Market: Q1 2026 Snapshot
North York industrial is reported within the Toronto market in Colliers’ Q1 2026 data - which recorded 2.9% overall availability, the tightest reading of any major GTA submarket. Within that figure, the Dufferin and Keele corridors are among the least available pockets in the city. Older building stock, smaller bay sizes, and the complete absence of new development pipeline mean the space that exists is essentially irreplaceable. Tenants who find space and renew consistently hold an advantage that is genuinely difficult to recreate if they ever vacate.
GTA's tightest major submarket Q1 2026
Older stock; strong location premium despite lower base rent
No developable industrial land remains in North York
Dufferin, Keele, Jane, Wilson all have direct bus service
Source: Colliers Q1 2026 Toronto Industrial Market Report
North York Industrial Corridors: Rates and Availability
North York’s industrial corridors follow the major north-south arterials - Dufferin Street, Keele Street, and Jane Street - with pockets along Wilson Avenue and Sheppard Avenue West. The building stock is predominantly older, with clear heights in the 18-to-22-foot range and bay configurations suited to light manufacturing, service trades, distribution, and food production. Units in this range are often owner-occupied or long-term tenanted - turnover is low, and quality space surfaces infrequently.
| Corridor | Availability Rate | Asking Net Rent |
|---|---|---|
| North York (Dufferin / Keele Corridor) | ~3% | $12–15 PSF |
| North York (Jane / Wilson Area) | ~3% | $12–14 PSF |
| Toronto Market (overall) | 2.9% | from $10.48 PSF |
Source: Colliers Q1 2026 Toronto Industrial Market Report. Corridor-level figures are estimated ranges within the Toronto market.
The Labour Argument for North York
North York industrial space draws from a labour pool that no suburban market can replicate. The Dufferin, Keele, and Jane corridors are all served by TTC bus routes connecting directly to the subway network, which means a shift-work workforce that does not require car ownership. For food processing, small-batch manufacturing, and fulfillment operations where labour cost and availability drive site selection above all other factors, the North York corridor consistently outperforms Brampton or Mississauga on staffing economics despite higher per-square-foot rent.
Proximity to Toronto’s Consumer Base
Last-mile delivery economics favour locations close to the end consumer. North York sits within 15 minutes of the geographic centre of the Toronto CMA, giving distribution operations direct access to 3 million+ city residents without the route complexity of navigating from the 401 corridor. For e-commerce fulfillment, food distribution, and service businesses where delivery density matters, the in-city location reduces fleet hours and fuel cost in ways that a lower base rent in Brampton rarely offsets.
No Pipeline: The Scarcity Case
North York has no industrial land left for new development. Every available unit is second-generation space in an existing building, and those buildings rarely reach the open market before being spoken for through broker networks. Tenants who find suitable space, negotiate properly, and renew consistently are holding a position in the market that simply cannot be replicated - there is no new building that will offer the same location at a lower rent in two years. That scarcity is the strongest argument for securing North York space when it becomes available.
Smaller Units, Owner-Occupier Opportunity
North York industrial units skew smaller than the GTA average - many buildings in the Dufferin and Keele corridor consist of multi-tenanted units in the 3,000-to-10,000 SF range. These units attract trade service businesses, light manufacturing, and food operations that need a Toronto address at a manageable footprint. Industrial condominium ownership in this corridor offers businesses a permanent Toronto location at a capital cost that remains meaningful below comparable retail or office alternatives, with the added benefit of zero lease renewal risk in one of the GTA’s tightest industrial markets.
Buying Industrial Property in North York
Industrial ownership in North York is a long-term hold thesis built on irreplaceability. With no new supply possible and transaction volume low, buildings in this corridor trade infrequently and hold value well. Buyers who acquire freehold or industrial condo units in North York are purchasing a fixed position in one of Canada’s most labour-accessible and consumer-proximate industrial locations - a position that strengthens every time a competing tenant fails to renew and has nowhere comparable to go.
Harry Makkar operates across the Toronto market and has access to ownership-level conversations in North York through the Zonado platform. Buildings in this corridor rarely surface on the open market before they are under contract. Off-market access is not optional here - it is the primary channel through which ownership opportunities emerge.
Tenant Representation in North York
North York industrial tenants who approach landlords directly enter negotiations without knowledge of what comparable units in the corridor achieved over the past 12 months - and in a market with this few transactions, that information gap is significant. Tenant representation is funded by the landlord in every transaction. What it adds is a broker with transaction-level data on the corridor and access to off-market availability before it is formally listed.
For tenants whose specific requirements cannot be satisfied within North York’s current availability, Harry Makkar maintains active coverage across the Toronto market and adjacent corridors in Etobicoke and Vaughan. The right building may be one submarket over - the goal is finding it, not defending a predetermined geographic boundary.
Lease renewals in North York deserve particular attention. Landlords in this corridor have limited incentive to offer concessions in a market with no competing new supply. A broker who has executed comparable transactions in the same buildings over recent cycles brings context that changes what is achievable at renewal.
The Zonado Advantage
Finding Space Before It Surfaces in North York
North York industrial space is spoken for before it is formally listed in virtually every cycle. The buildings are owned by long-term holders who prefer broker-led transactions to open-market processes. The Zonado platform creates direct visibility into those conversations - giving tenants and buyers advance notice that the broader market does not have.
Colliers + Zonado Reach
Every listing Harry handles runs through both Colliers International’s national platform and Zonado.com. That combined reach creates visibility into North York industrial availability that no single-platform broker can match - and it means incoming availability surfaces to Harry before it reaches the open market.
150,000 Marketplace Users
Harry founded Zonado.com - one of Canada’s largest commercial real estate marketplaces, serving 150,000 users annually without external funding. That platform is the reason off-market conversations in Toronto’s tightest industrial corridors surface to Harry’s clients before they surface anywhere else.
Operational Due Diligence
Before commercial real estate, Harry managed logistics and distribution at Bell, Canada’s largest telecommunications company. He evaluates North York industrial buildings with the same operational lens - clear height, dock count, power, truck access relative to the building’s location within the urban grid. Not theoretical - applied operational experience.
Industrial Real Estate Across the GTA
North York sits at the northern edge of Toronto’s urban industrial core, adjacent to Vaughan to the north and Etobicoke to the west. When North York availability is exhausted, these adjacent markets provide the closest alternatives with comparable access to Toronto’s labour pool. Explore options below, or visit the GTA industrial space overview for a full market-wide comparison.
Toronto
All Toronto corridors - Scarborough, Etobicoke, core. Availability 2.9%, rates from $10.48 PSF.
Etobicoke
Dixon Road, Rexdale, Evans Ave corridor. South Etobicoke at 4.9% availability, $16.03 PSF.
Vaughan
Northern industrial hub. Availability 3.7%, $16.82 PSF. 1.4M SF under construction.
Mississauga
Meadowvale, Dixie/Matheson, Airport Road. Rates from $16.27 to $19.21 PSF.
Brampton
Highway 410/427/407 corridor - one of Ontario's most active logistics markets.
Milton
Highway 401 corridor. One of Ontario's fastest-growing industrial nodes.
Let’s Talk About Your Industrial Real Estate Need
Whether you’re searching for space, looking to sell or lease a property, or simply trying to understand what the current market means for your business.
Prefer to call? (647) 740-7500