Bessarion Community Centre (Ethennonnhawahstihnen'): Pool, Hours, Parking and Library

By Felipe Oliveira-Lopez, Sales Representative, REALTOR®, RE/MAX Realtron Realty Inc., Brokerage · Updated 11 November 2026

Quick answer: The old Bessarion Community Centre is now the Ethennonnhawahstihnen' Community Recreation Centre and Library, a public City of Toronto centre at 100 Ethennonnhawahstihnen' Lane, right behind Bessarion subway station. It has a 25-metre lap pool, a double gym, an indoor track and a library branch, and as of November 2026 it's open 7 a.m. to 10 p.m. on weekdays and 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. on weekends.

If you've been searching for "Bessarion Community Centre" and keep seeing a new name, you're in the right place: they're the same building. Here's what's inside, when to drop in, how to get there, and what it means if you're thinking about living nearby.

What is the Bessarion Community Centre called now?

Its official name is the Ethennonnhawahstihnen' Community Recreation Centre and Library. Before it opened, it was often called the Bessarion Community Centre, after Bessarion Road and the subway station beside it, and people still search for it by that name. Either name will get you there.

The new name came in two steps. In 2019, North York Community Council renamed the park and lane next to the site, then called Woodsy, using a Wendat word the Huron-Wendat Nation had suggested. In February 2022 the same council gave that name to the new centre and library, which became Toronto's first City-run community centre and library named together with the Huron-Wendat Nation.

The City gives the meaning as "where they had a good, beautiful life" and the pronunciation as roughly "Etta-nonna wasti-nuh." Within 800 metres is the Moatfield ossuary and village, a Huron-Wendat site from about 1280 to 1320, where findings showed people lived long, healthy lives.

The centre and library opened to full services on July 4, 2023. The official grand opening followed on March 23, 2024.

What's inside?

• A 6-lane, 25-metre lap pool. The builder's project page also lists a leisure pool with water play areas, and the City lists a ramp into the pool and a mobile water chair.
• A large double gymnasium and an indoor running track
• A weight and cardio room and fitness and dance studios
• A teaching kitchen and multipurpose rooms for programs and community events
• A Toronto Public Library branch (more below)
• A licensed child care centre (more below)

The whole complex is about 218,400 square feet, including parking.

When can you swim, and what drop-ins are there?

The City posts drop-in times on the centre's page on toronto.ca, about four weeks at a time. In the week of November 2, 2026, the schedule included:

• Pool: lane swim every day (ages 7 and up, plus older-adult lanes for 60+), leisure swim for all ages on Fridays and weekends, preschool leisure swim (5 and under) and shallow-water aquatic fitness (13+).
• Gym: pickleball, badminton, basketball, volleyball, table tennis for older adults and open gym, with some family sessions for kids 6 to 12.
• Fitness: FitnessTO classes such as yoga, Pilates, Zumba, step and tai chi, plus the weight room and the walking and running track.
• Kids and seniors: an indoor playground with a caregiver (ages 1 to 12), play sessions for ages 1 to 5, and social and mahjong drop-ins for 60+.

Drop-ins need no registration and are first come, first served. Aquatic fitness here offers "Reserve a Spot" bookings (unclaimed spots can be released to walk-ins just before the class): new spots go up on Thursdays at 8 a.m. for the following Monday to Sunday. Early-years drop-ins (5 and under) and any drop-in with "with Caregiver" in its name need a caregiver aged 14 or older, and the pool has its own supervision rules.

How much do drop-ins cost, and how do programs work?

The City says fees depend on the activity: leisure swimming is free, while regular lane swims and many fitness or sports drop-ins for adults (19+) and older adults (60+) have a fee, paid at the front desk before the activity. Check the specific session and the City's current fee schedule. A FitnessTO membership covers the weight room, and its higher levels add lane swims and fitness classes. A drop-in sport membership covers gym sports like basketball and badminton. Current prices are on those two City pages.

Registered programs, such as swim lessons, usually run 9 to 12 weeks. You sign up in advance online, by phone or at any community recreation centre. In the City's words, they "fill quickly and often have waiting lists." For winter 2027, programs can be browsed from November 17, and registration for North York centres opens Wednesday, December 9 at 7 a.m. Older-adult programs open Monday, December 7 at 10 a.m.

What are the hours?

• Community centre: 7 a.m. to 10 p.m. Monday to Friday, 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. Saturday and Sunday. Phone 416-392-4826.
• Library: 9 a.m. to 8:30 p.m. Monday to Thursday, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Friday and Saturday, noon to 5 p.m. Sunday. Phone 416-395-5460.

These are the hours as of November 2026. Holidays differ, so check before you go.

What's at the library?

The Toronto Public Library's Ethennonnhawahstihnen' branch opened in July 2023 and replaced the Bayview branch, which used to be inside Bayview Village Shopping Centre. At 13,418 square feet, it's almost twice the size of the old branch, according to TPL. It has a KidsStop early literacy centre for young children, a Teen Zone, quiet study space, a meeting room and public computers. More on the library's branch page.

Is there child care or an after-school program?

Yes. The building has the Ethennonnhawahstihnen Child Care Centre, a licensed non-profit centre for children from infancy to age 4, with infant, toddler and preschool rooms. It takes part in the Canada-Wide Early Learning and Child Care system. For spaces, contact the centre (details are on the City's child care listing). The community centre is also a City After-School Recreation Care (ARC) location.

Where is it, and where do you park?

By subway

The centre is directly behind the south entrance of Bessarion station on Line 4 Sheppard; that entrance has an elevator and escalators. From Line 1, change at Sheppard-Yonge and ride east two stops. More in my guide to the subway stations near Concord Park Place.

Walking

It's at the northwest corner of Concord Park Place, on the south side of Sheppard Avenue East between Bayview Avenue and Leslie Street, by Bessarion Road. Ethennonnhawahstihnen' Park is just to the southeast. If you have a dog, see my guide to dog walks in the park and nearby.

Driving and parking

There's paid underground parking, with the entrance off Ethennonnhawahstihnen' Lane. Roadside parking is free for up to 15 minutes, according to the library.

What does it mean if you're buying nearby?

If you're comparing condos, look at what's a short walk away as well as what's inside the building. A public pool, gym, track and library a few minutes from your door means more to do without a car. Every Concord Park Place complex lists its own gym, and some have a pool, their own or a shared one, so weigh what you'd actually use (see my amenities guide). For the towers themselves, see my building guide; for groceries, my grocery guide; and for the wider neighbourhood, my Concord Park Place overview.

By OpenStreetMap walking estimates, most towers are 4 to 8 minutes from the centre, and Discovery on Singer Court, at the Leslie end, is 9 to 10. Leisure swimming is free, but lane swims and most fitness drop-ins cost adults a fee or a City membership, so count that cost if you'd swim laps or work out there often. On November 6, 2026, the City's child care listing showed no vacancies in any of the centre's 52 infant, toddler and preschool spaces, so contact the centre early if you'll need one.

Quick answers

Is the Bessarion Community Centre open to the public? Yes. It's a City of Toronto community recreation centre, and anyone can use the drop-ins. Leisure swimming is free; for adults (19+) and older adults (60+), lane swims and most other drop-ins have a fee or need a City membership.

Do you need to book a swim? Not for lane swim or leisure swim: those are drop-ins, first come, first served. Aquatic fitness offers Reserve a Spot bookings, and unclaimed spots may go to walk-ins; swim lessons need registration.

Is it the biggest community centre in North York? At the 2024 grand opening, Councillor Shelley Carroll (Don Valley North) called it the largest community centre in North York, in a quote in the City's news release.

How do you say Ethennonnhawahstihnen'? Roughly "Etta-nonna wasti-nuh," according to the City.

Sources: City of Toronto (the centre's page, drop-in and registration pages, and news releases of February 23, 2022 and March 23, 2024), Toronto Public Library, the TTC and the building's contractor. Checked 6 November 2026.

Looking at condos near the Bessarion Community Centre? North York is where I was born and raised, and where I sell real estate. Book a consultation →

Felipe Oliveira-Lopez, Sales Representative, REALTOR®, RE/MAX Realtron Realty Inc., Brokerage. Each Office Independently Owned and Operated. 183 Willowdale Ave, Toronto ON M2N 4Y9. Office 416-222-8600. REALTOR®. Member of The Canadian Real Estate Association and more. Not intended to solicit buyers or sellers currently under contract with a brokerage.

Cover photo: Dillan Payne, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons; edited with an AI image tool (warm evening light and sky, parked cars removed, a few people added, frame widened). The edited cover is shared under the same licence.