Ajax

Understand

Ajax was established in 1941 as a wartime munitions production centre, where a workforce of up to 9000 people filled 40 million shells for the war effort. The University of Toronto briefly used the former munitions factory site as a technical school (1945-1949) which trained 7000 engineers. The town hosted various industries in the post-war era. The first town council was elected in 1954; the Village of Pickering and lakeside Town of Pickering Beach were annexed to the Town of Ajax when Durham Region was created on January 1, 1974. The remainder of Pickering Township is now the City of Pickering. Since the 1980s, Ajax has become a steadily growing sprawl of single-family suburban homes. The town is named for a World War II Royal Navy cruiser, one of three warships (HMS Ajax, HMS Exeter and HMS Achilles) responsible for the first major British victory of the war; German pocket battleship Admiral Graf Spee was defeated at the Battle of the River Plate near Montevideo, Uruguay in December 1939.

Getting there

By car, take Ontario Highway 401, the main freeway of the Windsor-Quebec corridor. Exit on Westney Road or Harwood Avenue. Megabus (Coach Canada) stops at Whitby's GO station on their way into Toronto from Kingston and Montréal. From there, GO and Durham Region Transit (DRT) provide connections within Durham region. 1 Ajax GO Station. Commuter trains and buses operated by GO Transit,between Toronto and Oshawa . Via Rail stops in Oshawa and Toronto, with connections to GO commuter trains. Toronto Pearson International Airport is the only major airport serving the region, on the far side of Toronto in Mississauga. Small private chartered aircraft may be able to fly into Oshawa Executive Airport. Long-distance cycling/hiking trails the Great Lakes Waterfront Trail passes east-west along the entire Ajax waterfront with Lake Ontario, from Pickering in the west to Whitby in the east. The Great Trail (also called the Trans-Canada Trail) arrives in Ajax from Pickering co-terminous with the Great Lakes Waterfront Trail in the southwest of the town along Lake Ontario, then immediately heads north through the town before exiting north again into Pickering.

Getting around

Durham Regional Transit operates bus service in Ajax-Pickering and Oshawa-Whitby. Durham Rapid Taxi, ☏ +1 905-426-9539) serves Ajax and Whitby. Blue Line Taxi (☏ +1 905-837-3000) serves Ajax-Pickering.

See

1 Veterans' Point Gardens, at the foot of Harwood Avenue. A lakefront memorial to HMS Ajax, the Defence Industries Limited factory and workers who made Ajax their wartime home. The street lamps are intended to resemble ship's masts. Sir Henry Harwood (January 19,1888-June 9, 1950) served as Commodore on the HMS Ajax in 1939-1940.

Do

Ajax has five golf courses, 90 km of trails and sixty parks and playgrounds.

Ajax Community Theatre, ☏ +1 289-892-4132. Performances are held at the St. Francis Centre, 78 Church Street South. $20, students $15. 1 Ajax Downs, 50 Alexander’s Crossing, ☏ +1 905-686-8001. Horse race track with slot machines. Getaway Restaurant on site. (updated Mar 2015) 2 Ajax Waterfront, on Lake Ontario. 150 acres of parkland on 6 km (4 miles) of waterfront; includes 7 km of multi-use trail for walking, jogging, cycling and in-line skating. Picnic area, open spaces for recreational activities. Connects to the Waterfront Trail and Trans Canada Trail. 3 Greenwood Conservation Area. On Duffins Creek, picnic area, campsites for scouts/guides and youth groups. Pumpkinville fall festival includes horse-drawn wagon rides, pumpkin patch and family pumpkin carving contest, inflatable rides, a Haunted House, face painting, children's activities, live entertainment, interactive experiences and a haunted trail walk. 4 St. Francis Centre, 78 Church St S, ☏ +1 905-619-2529 ext 2787. Former St. Francis de Sales Church, built in 1871 and restored in 2011 as a home for arts, culture and live entertainment.

Events Summer in the Square, Heritage Square at Ajax Town Hall, 65 Harwood Avenue South. Wednesday nights, summer. Local talent, tribute bands, children's entertainers. Events are moved indoors during inclement weather. free. Winterfest. Horse-drawn wagon & dog sled rides, outdoor ice skating with DJ, ice sculptures, ice carving demonstrations, face painting, crafts, live entertainment, community displays, inflatable rides, snow golf, snow painting and snowshoeing. Free hot chocolate. free.

Buy

1 Pickering Village, Kingston Road, in west end of the town. Former village with historic architecture. On Old Kingston Road, the 1817 Toronto-Montréal stagecoach trail and main street which was paved a century later as Ontario Highway 2. Established during the original early-1800s Quaker settlement in the area, this district now houses restaurants, shops and professional services.

Eat

There are a hundred restaurants in Ajax; a full list is available on www.visitajax.ca but a few options include:

1 Angelique's Family Restaurant, 31 Barr Rd, ☏ +1 905-683-5889, [email protected]. M Closed, Tu–Su 7AM–3PM. (updated May 2026) 2 Blossom Garden, 85 Kingston Rd E, ☏ +1 905-683-8820, fax: +1 905-683-8807. M–Sa noon–10PM, Su noon–9:30PM, Holidays 2–10PM. Chinese. (updated May 2026) 3 House of China, 100 Harwood Ave S, ☏ +1 905-683-2151. Family-owned take-out & delivery. Chinese. 4 Il Fornello, 95 Kingston Rd E, ☏ +1 905-427-1110, [email protected]. Italian trattoria, pizza, one of eight locations in the Toronto area. (updated May 2026) 5 Pizza Pino, 855 Westney Rd S, ☏ +1 905-683-4946. M–Tu, Su 11AM–9PM; W–Th 11AM–10PM; F–Sa 11AM–11PM. Pizzeria. (updated May 2026) 6 Sauter's Inn Restaurant, 109 Old Kingston Rd, ☏ +1 905-427-6760, [email protected]. M Closed, Tu-Sa 11:30AM-9PM, Su 9AM-9PM. European. (updated May 2026) 7 Symposium Cafe Restaurant Ajax, 338 Rossland Rd E (at Salem Rd.), ☏ +1 905-683-3232, [email protected]. 8AM-midnight. A family restaurant offering breakfast, lunch, dinner, desserts with a fully licensed lounge. (updated May 2026) Maverick's Donuts, 60 Randall Drive, Unit #1, ☏ +1 905-427-9992. Handcrafted donuts made fresh daily with bold, rotating flavours. (updated Mar 2026)

Drink & nightlife

1 Coyote Jack’s Bar & Grill, 64 Harwood Ave, ☏ +1 905-619-2007. (updated Apr 2026) 2 Magwyer’s Pub, 105 Bayly St W, ☏ +1 905-426-8877. (updated Apr 2026) 3 Portly Piper Pub and Restaurant, 235 Bayly St W, ☏ +1 905-426-9535. (updated Apr 2026) Falcon Brewing Company, 30 Barr Rd, ☏ +1 905-686-6686. (updated May 2026)

Sleep

1 Hilton Garden Inn Ajax, 500 Beck Cres, ☏ +1 905-686-9400, [email protected]. Check-in: 3PM, check-out: 11AM. Near Salem Road/401 in South Ajax. Great North American Grill on site. $150. (updated Mar 2026) 2 Homewood Suites by Hilton, 600 Beck Cres, ☏ +1 905-686-5969, fax: +1 905-686-5970, [email protected]. Check-in: 3PM, check-out: 11AM. All-suite, extended-stay hotel. $170. (updated Mar 2026) 3 Super 8 Motel, 210 Westney Rd S (at Bayle Street), ☏ +1 905-428-6884, toll-free: +1-888-561-7666. Check-in: 3