A better route to paradise
Experts weigh pros and cons of building a bridge, adding ferries and more
More ferries. More water taxis. A bridge? Toronto Islands are a cherished summer oasis. But we need new ways to get there,
With the outdoors being the safer option during the pandemic, the public has put more pressure on the city’s green spaces — especially one of the largest oases in the city, Toronto Island.
Besides being home to more than 600 people, the island also contains 600 acres of public green space. It’s a “pocket of peace” just off the waterfront downtown, but getting there isn’t so pretty.
Even without COVID-19 restrictions, access to the island is no walk in the park. You need to line up and purchase a ticket to ride one of three aged ferries — unless you’re a passenger at Billy Bishop Airport, in which case you can walk through an $82.5million underground tunnel to the terminal.
The recent warm weather provided a glimpse of what’s in store for a second pandemic summer — access made worse by COVID rules. Last week, many waited for a ferry with restricted capacity in a physically distanced line that stretched for hundreds of metres in the hot sun.
The city’s Toronto Island Park Master Plan, which asks residents to weigh in on what they want to see done with the island, includes equitable access among its guiding principles.
There have been many suggestions over the years for making the coveted destination more accessible.
Here’s what some experts say:
More frequent ferries
One seemingly simple way to improve access might be to add more ferries to the three already there, shipping more people from mainland to island.
However, adding more ferries would not be as simple as it might seem, according to Shoshanna Saxe, an associate professor in the department of civil and mineral engineering at the University of Toronto.
“More ferries require more infrastructure,” she said. “It’s not a quick fix, because you need somewhere for the ferries to dock and for people to get on and off.”
Otherwise, it would simply add to the lineups already clustering at the ferry terminal.
Because they charge for tickets, the ferries are not ideal for island access, said Jake Tobin Garrett, policy and planning manager at the advocacy group Park People.
“There’s a financial barrier to the ferries for some people,” he said.
Building a bridge
The idea of a fixed link has been tossed around Toronto for years. The connection would allow for pedestrians and cyclists to get to the island without having to pay to get on a ferry.
According to the city’s Master Plan, an idea lobbying for a bridge to be built across the Eastern channel has received a 2.9 rating out of five, with 532 votes from Torontonians.
But Saxe said even figuring out where the bridge would go would be tricky.
Flight paths and clearance underneath for boats would have to be considered, Saxe added.
“You’d either have to wrestle with the issue of getting around the airport or you’d have to build quite a big bridge to a different part of the island,” she said.
This is an idea that has been on the table for a long time, according to Masooma Ali, urban planner at Urban Strategies.
While she believes a bridge to be a good idea, she also said there’s a lot of “NIMBYism” in Toronto.
“People want a bridge, but some will want it close to them, some will want it not close to them,” she said.
A bridge would get residents to and from the island faster than a ferry, but it’s also controversial, said Tobin Garrett, pointing out that many like the island being separate from the city.
“I think a bridge to the island is one of the things the city is going to have to consider as part of this master plan process,” Tobin Garrett said, adding every option should be on the table.
Even if approved, it wouldn’t be a quick fix. Saxe said building a bridge would take at least 10 years.
Using the airport tunnel
The Billy Bishop tunnel opened in the summer of 2016 as a quicker way to travel between the airport and the mainland.
At 240 metres in length, the tunnel has four moving sidewalks, each travelling at 2.3 km/h, making the journey to the island a six-minute, powerassisted stroll.
Opening up the tunnel to allow residents to get to the island seems to be feasible for some. In fact, Ali supports this idea the most.
“It’s funny how there were conversations about a bridge a long time ago, but when it came down to something like an airport that is making us money, it happened fairly quickly,” she said.
“It gives us an idea of what the motivations for things that happen in this city often are, which is really disappointing.”
However, Saxe, who worked on the design and construction of the tunnel, said it wasn’t created as a major thoroughfare.
“The capacity of that to move people to and from the island is not huge,” she said, noting the way into the tunnel is by elevator. “There would still be a pretty big bottleneck getting on and off the elevators.”
A major redesign would also need to happen as the tunnel exits directly inside the airport terminal.
This isn’t even a temporary fix that could take place during COVID-19 while the airport has decreased services, according to Jessica Pellerin, media relations and public affairs specialist at Ports Toronto.
Although both Porter Airlines and Air Canada have suspended service from the Billy Bishop because of the pandemic, Pellerin said the airfield and runway are still active with other aircraft.
“Ornge medevac operates at the airport and has been busier than ever during this pandemic as it supports critical patient care, and is undertaking Operation Remote Immunity which is focused on getting vaccines to northern communities,” Pellerin said.
The airport has also continued to service other businesses, including HeliTours and regional charters.
More water taxis
Ever think of Uber boat? The city licenses the use of seven docks on Toronto Island so water taxis may pick up and drop off passengers, but does not issue or limit licences for operations.
But when it comes to the question of public access, the experts agree it should be dealt with in the public sphere, not by the private sector.
“A lack of good infrastructure doesn’t necessarily need to be filled with businesses that begin to take advantage of our public good for their private gain,” Ali said, noting that limited access will always affect the marginalized the most. Instead of more water taxi services, Saxe suggested more canoe or kayak access for residents to access the island — like a bike lane for the lake, she said.
Make more green space on the waterfront
With Toronto built on a lake and not enough outdoor space to go around, some are also calling for more green spaces and water access for residents.
“Part of the reason people go to the island in such large quantities is because we’re very devoid of park space and water access in the city,” Saxe said.
She noted that more space is coming — including in the Port Lands, where they are currently working on a flood protection and land redevelopment project. As part of the plan, River Park is being built to provide parkland along the north and south sides of a new river.
A new beach is also coming to the Port Lands at Leslie Slip Lookout Park. The park, unveiled in January, will be made up of 1.9 acres of open space that will connect residents to the waterfront and give them a view of the ship channel and the city’s skyline.
For Ali, as a planner, it’s hard to see the long lines form to get to Toronto Island, but it’s also “awesome” to see people leaning into the importance of parks and green space.
If residents want to express how important the island is or how important it is for everyone to have easy and equal access, Ali suggests reaching out to local councillors and members of Parliament.
“The sad reality is, sometimes you have to get on the soap box and scream a little bit,” she said.