
As Toronto enters a new era of ferries, council hopes oversight shift leads to smooth sailing
As the Toronto carries out a complex and costly plan to welcome a new electric ferry next year with another to follow in 2027, oversight of the popular summer amenity is moving to a new department.
At the city's last council meeting in March, councillors voted to take the service away from the parks department and give it to its fleet services division. The move stems from an operational review the city and a consultancy conducted beginning in the fall, after a summer of frustration and long lines on the waterfront.
Coun. Paula Fletcher is welcoming the change — especially after she said the parks department initially "forgot" to figure out where the new electric ferries would be parked and charged, leaving staff scrambling to prepare for the new vessels. The city decided to go electric in 2019, but an estimated cost on charging and docking infrastructure wasn't brought forward until 2024.
"It's a marine fleet. It really doesn't have a lot to do with parks," Fletcher told CBC Toronto in an interview. "So it's moved out from folks that forgot [the ferries] needed to be plugged in, to people that do that every day. And I think it will be in good hands."
The shift in responsibility comes as the city works its way through a costly plan to replace its aging ferries, which allow an average 1.4 million annual visitors enjoy the city's island.
WATCH | Long ferry lines frustrated many in the city last summer:
Torontonians frustrated at long lines for island ferry
9 months ago
Duration 2:54
There are renewed calls for the city to work toward building a bridge to the Toronto Islands following a weekend of long lines at the ferry terminal. As CBC's Britnei Bilhete reports, some Torontonias said wait times were up to an hour and a half.
The city's current fleet of boats is beyond the average industry lifespan. A staff report from March says the first ferry should arrive in late 2026 and the second in mid-2027. It does not say when they're expected to be operational.
The ferries will be constructed at Damen Shipyards Galati in Romania.
The motion to transfer oversight of the ferries received a yes vote from 22 councillors. Councillors Mike Colle and Anthony Perruzza voted against it, while Jennifer McKelvie and Michael Thompson were absent.
Fleet services will take over the ferries by the fall. The report recommending the move says it makes sense because the department "is strategically oriented towards enhancing the reliability, efficiency and sustainability of the city's entire fleet."
Cost of new ferries has jumped from $25M to $92M
The change in authority comes after after councillors learned last summer that the price of electric ferries is significantly more expensive than anticipated.
During the March council meeting, Coun. Stephen Holyday was critical of that rising cost.
"It's frustrating because it's gone from buying a new vessel, which I think most people understood needed to be replaced, to getting a really fancy one and tens and tens of millions of dollars later," Holyday said.
In July, councillors on the general government committee heard the price of the two ferries had gone from $25 million in 2020 to $92 million, due to design changes. City staff have said the savings of going electric will cover the cost of the vessels within two decades.
On top of that cost, comes the work needed to prepare the docking infrastructure for ferries that need to be plugged in.
In September, a staff report said the shoreside infrastructure project to include charging would cost about $42 million. But a more recent report pegs it at about $50.2 million.
The required infrastructure changes include the installation of charging towers in two locations, electric houses to store battery energy and electrical equipment, modified docks and locking systems, plus new in-water stabilization.
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Toronto Sun
17 hours ago
- Toronto Sun
WARMINGTON: Forget the lights and cameras, mayor, we need action in Toronto
Chow's trip to Ireland, U.K. feels like prime summer getaway as Torontonians struggle to pay bills Get the latest from Joe Warmington straight to your inbox Toronto Mayor Olivia Chow is on a trade mission to Ireland and the U.K. this week. Chow, left, meets with IDA Ireland (Foreign Direct Investment Agency) executive director Mary Buckley at their Dublin office on Monday, July 7, 2025. Photo by TORONTO MAYOR'S OFFICE / Toronto Sun Yes, that was Toronto Mayor Olivia Chow you saw on location for this movie production. This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. THIS CONTENT IS RESERVED FOR SUBSCRIBERS ONLY Subscribe now to read the latest news in your city and across Canada. Unlimited online access to articles from across Canada with one account. Get exclusive access to the Toronto Sun ePaper, an electronic replica of the print edition that you can share, download and comment on. Enjoy insights and behind-the-scenes analysis from our award-winning journalists. Support local journalists and the next generation of journalists. Daily puzzles including the New York Times Crossword. SUBSCRIBE TO UNLOCK MORE ARTICLES Subscribe now to read the latest news in your city and across Canada. Unlimited online access to articles from across Canada with one account. Get exclusive access to the Toronto Sun ePaper, an electronic replica of the print edition that you can share, download and comment on. Enjoy insights and behind-the-scenes analysis from our award-winning journalists. Support local journalists and the next generation of journalists. Daily puzzles including the New York Times Crossword. REGISTER / SIGN IN TO UNLOCK MORE ARTICLES Create an account or sign in to continue with your reading experience. Access articles from across Canada with one account. Share your thoughts and join the conversation in the comments. Enjoy additional articles per month. Get email updates from your favourite authors. THIS ARTICLE IS FREE TO READ REGISTER TO UNLOCK. Create an account or sign in to continue with your reading experience. Access articles from across Canada with one account Share your thoughts and join the conversation in the comments Enjoy additional articles per month Get email updates from your favourite authors Don't have an account? Create Account The scene for this Toronto movie script is being written in Dublin and London. Starring Toronto's dancing and dressup mayor, this project is not being produced at our City Hall but ones in Ireland and England. But funded by Toronto taxpayers. 'This trade mission is about supporting more economic opportunities for Toronto workers and businesses, including export diversification and foreign direct investment attraction,' Chow said in a news release on the rationale of going across the pond for film industry trade discussions until Saturday. Toronto Mayor Olivia Chow is on a trade mission to Ireland and the U.K. this week. Chow, left, meets up with Canada's Ambassador to Ireland Dennis King in Dublin on Monday, July 7, 2025. Photo by TORONTO MAYOR'S OFFICE / Toronto Sun It may feel like a comedy, but it's being sold as a business trip. 'I am pleased to be joined by leaders from Toronto's film industry to highlight one of the many sectors in which Toronto is home to a world-class industry,' said Chow, who is expected to meet with Dublin Mayor Ray McAdam and London Mayor Sadiq Khan. Your noon-hour look at what's happening in Toronto and beyond. By signing up you consent to receive the above newsletter from Postmedia Network Inc. Please try again This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. With McAdam not tweeting about Chow's visit and the Irish press not seeming to mention it, this feels more like a prime-time summer getaway at a time when Torontonians are struggling to pay for lodging and facing crime, high taxes and long waits for emergency services. Mayor Olivia Chow dancing salsa!Mayor of Toronto Job Description💃- dance- create a rain tax- make the city the epicentre for tеrror in North America- wear costumes- wear hijabs- house a few low-income seniors in shipping containers and boast about it What am I missing? — dahlia kurtz ✡︎ דליה קורץ (@DahliaKurtz) July 6, 2025 This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. Apparently that stuff can wait. 'It comes down to a question of priorities,' said Councillor Brad Bradford. 'And I certainly think there's lots for the mayor and council to be working on on this side of the Atlantic.' Turns out, though, that U.S. President Donald Trump is being written in as the villain. 'At a time of historic uncertainty, reliable trade partners have never been more important,' said Chow. Read More First Carney was taking Canadian trade to Europe and now it's Chow. 'The city is leading collaborative, export-focused initiatives that enhance Toronto's role as a global trade player,' said a release. 'In addition to trade missions, Toronto is also delivering city-led and partner-driven programs that address key gaps especially for SMEs (small and medium enterprises) with a focus on three core areas: Education and capacity building, strategic market access through trade missions and targeted support for priority sectors.' This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. Say what? Move over Eglinton-Crosstown! 'I can appreciate the need to diversify our relationships, looking for new partnerships and investment,' said Bradford. 'But as a local councillor, I hear about all the challenges facing the city right here at home. I hear from Torontonians struggling to make ends meet in a city that's less and less affordable, gridlock that has made commutes unbearable and has ground the city to halt, parents who are concerned about safety in our park and safety on transit.' I also had the opportunity to visit Dublin's Famine Memorial, an emotional tribute to the millions who died or emigrated during the Great Famine. A companion memorial stands at Ireland Park on Toronto's waterfront, honouring those who found a new home in our city. Thank you for… — Mayor Olivia Chow 🇨🇦 (@MayorOliviaChow) July 7, 2025 This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. It's unclear how many people are on the Toronto tab for this trip, how much the bill will be and if there will be any economic benefit. But what is known is July is not a cheap time to visit the United Kingdom or Ireland. 'It's peak season,' said Bradford. 'Why now?' It's my view that nobody from city hall should be there and that no grants, funding or tax credits to foreign entertainment or business ventures should be offered. This includes the World Cup of soccer, which the elite should pay for with their own hundreds of millions. RECOMMENDED VIDEO If the mayor or council want to go to the U.K, they should pay for expenses themselves – like late mayor Rob Ford did when he went to Austin, Texas, to check out the live music industry in 2013. This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. 'I paid my own way and for my staff. I think it was $9,000,' Ford told me at the time. In this Oct. 24, 2010, then-Toronto mayoral candidate Rob Ford is seen at his campaign office in Toronto. Photo by Dave Abel / Postmedia Network File Photo There should be no municipal taxpayer money used to fund international soccer tournaments or concert stadiums or movies or basketball practice facilities. If the show they are putting on is good enough – like Taylor Swift's Eras Tour, which put on six soldout shows here in 2024 with no subsidies – then it benefits Toronto. If it needs to be propped up by families who can't make ends meet, it's not helping Toronto. Taylor Swift opens her first night of six shows on the Eras Tour at the Rogers Centre in Toronto on Thursday, Nov. 14, 2024. Photo by Jack Boland / Toronto Sun Local governments should stick to roads and public safety. I don't want to ruin Chow's excellent adventure, but with food bank lines around the block, she should get back here and do the job she's elected and paid well to do. However, Chow's news release argues 'Toronto's economic relationship with Ireland, as the only English-speaking country in the European Union, is a gateway into the EU single market for Toronto businesses.' There may be a debate if this movie's plot is fictional, but there's no debating England and Ireland are nice in July – especially when someone else pays. Canada Canada Toronto & GTA Toronto & GTA Sunshine Girls


Global News
19 hours ago
- Global News
N.S. government failure has made affordability similar in Halifax and Toronto: NDP
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Winnipeg Free Press
21 hours ago
- Winnipeg Free Press
N.S. government failure has made affordability similar in Halifax and Toronto: NDP
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