The Toronto Islands are a chain of small islands in the city of Toronto, Canada. They are located in Lake Ontario just offshore from the city centre, and provide shelter for Toronto Harbour. The islands are a popular recreational destination, and are home to a small residential community and to the Billy Bishop Toronto City Airport. They are connected to the mainland by several ferry services.

The islands comprise the largest urban car-free community in North America, though some service vehicles are permitted. Recreational bicyclists are accommodated on the ferries, and bicycles, quadracycles, and canoes can be rented on the islands as well.

Geography

The area of the islands is about . The largest, outermost island, called Centre Island, is crescent-shaped and forms the shoreline of both the Eastern and Western Channels. Algonquin (Sunfish Island) and Olympic are two of the other major islands. What is commonly called Ward's Island is actually the eastern end of Centre Island. Confusingly, Centre Island Park is located on Middle Island, which is as a consequence often mistaken for Centre Island. Centre Island is sometimes referred to as Toronto Island (note the singular form) to prevent this type of confusion. Other smaller islands include:

• Forestry Island
• Snake Island
• South Island

There are two unnamed islands:

• ringed island in Long Pond (the former water intake of the City of Toronto)
• small island in Lighthouse Pond

The islands were originally a 9 km peninsula or sand spit extending from the mainland. The islands are composed of alluvial deposits from the erosion of the Scarborough Bluffs. The flow from the Niagara River to the south across Lake Ontario causes a counter-clockwise east-to-west current which has, over time, deposited sediments at the south end of the harbour to form a sand spit.

In 1852, a storm flooded sand pits on the peninsula, creating a channel east of Ward's. The channel was widened and made permanent by a violent storm in 1858. The channel became known as the Eastern Gap. The peninsula to the west became known as the Toronto Islands. To the east of the Gap, the area of today's Cherry Beach was known as "Fisherman's Island".

Sediment deposition was halted in the 1960s when the Leslie Street Spit was extended beyond the southern edge of the islands. Left to nature, the islands would diminish over time, but this is limited due to hard shore lines built to limit erosion. Over the years land reclamation has contributed to an increase in the size of the islands. The harbour was shallow with a sandy bottom and the sands were moved by dredging or suction methods. Ward's Island was expanded by dredging. Today's Algonquin Island, formerly known as Sunfish Island, was created from harbour bottom sands.

The area now occupied by the airport has been subject to several landfills, initially to accommodate the amusement park that preceded the airport, and then to accommodate the airport itself. The Western Channel to the north of the airport is several hundred feet of the original western channel, which was just south of today's Fort York. It was opened in 1911 as part of a program to improve boat navigation into the harbour. The airport lands were created from harbour sands in the late 1930s.

A series of waterways allow boat traffic to navigate the island:

• Allan Lamport Regatta Course
• Block House Bay
• Lighthouse Pond
• Long Pond
• Snake Pond
• Snug Harbour

History

Prior to European colonization, the Toronto area was home to various native tribes, including the Ojibwa who were the last people to occupy the area. The peninsula and surrounding sand-bars that now form the Toronto Islands were first surveyed in 1792 by Lieutenant Joseph Bouchette of the Royal Navy. D. W. Smith's Gazetteer recorded in 1813 that "the long beach or peninsula, which affords a most delightful ride, is considered so healthy by the Indians that they resort to it whenever indisposed". Many Indian encampments were located between the peninsula's base and the Don River.. The peninsula was actually a series of many sand spits and ponds.

The Gibraltar Point Lighthouse was constructed at Gibraltar Point, the south-western extremity of the peninsula in 1808. In 1815 the lighthouse keeper, J.P. Rademuller, died in suspicious circumstances. The exact truth of his death is unknown, but there are indications that he was murdered by soldiers from Fort York.

After the peninsula became an island, the Hanlan family were among the first year-round inhabitants, settling at Gibraltar Point in 1862. In 1867 the City of Toronto acquired the islands from the federal government, and the land was divided into lots, allowing cottages, amusement areas and resort hotels to be built. The west side of the island became a resort destination for the people of Toronto and the first summer cottage community was built there. In 1878, a hotel was built by John Hanlan at the north-west tip of the island and soon after the area became known as Hanlan's Point. John's son, Edward "Ned" Hanlan, earned international recognition as a rower before taking over his father's business.

At the same time as Hanlan's Point was developing as a summer suburb of Toronto, developments were going on elsewhere on the islands. Along the lakefront of Centre Island, large Victorian summer homes were built by Toronto's leading families looking for refuge from the summer heat and drawn by the prestigious Royal Canadian Yacht Club, which had moved to a location on the harbour side of Centre Island in 1881. By contrast the Ward's Island community began in the 1880s as a settlement of tents. By 1913, the number of tents pitched had increased to the point where the city felt it necessary to organize the community into streets, and the tents eventually evolved into a cottage community.

In 1894, a land reclamation project by the Toronto Ferry Company created space for an amusement park at Hanlan's Point. In 1897, the Hanlan's Point Stadium was built alongside the amusement park for the Toronto Maple Leaf baseball team. The stadium was rebuilt several times over the years, and in 1914, Babe Ruth hit his first professional home run into the waters of Lake Ontario from this stadium. In the 1920s the Maple Leaf team moved to a new stadium on the mainland.

In 1937 construction started on a new airport on the site of the park and stadium. The construction of the airport on infill led to the demolition of the stadium and most of the amusement park. It also meant that the cottage community at Hanlan's Point needed to be relocated. The residents were given the choice of either moving their cottages further south at Hanlan's Point, or resettling on Algonquin Island. Originally, Algonquin Island was simply a sandbar known as Sunfish Island that was expanded by land reclamation operations. In 1938 streets were laid out to accommodate 31 cottages that were moved by barge from Hanlan's Point. The original aspect of Algonquin Island was of unvegetated sand, and the current lush environment of the island is the result of many years of work by residents.

The airport opened in 1939, formally named the Port George VI Island Airport, after the reigning monarch of the time. During the first few years of the Second World War, expatriate Norwegian (RNAF) pilots-in-training used the Toronto Island Airport as a training field for both fighter and bomber pilots. Several accidents, including one where a pilot under instruction clipped the funnel and mast of the island ferry boat Sam McBride and crashed, led to the training school being moved north to Muskoka, Ontario. (The park on the mainland called Norway Park commemorates this period.)

In 1959, the Metro Parks Department opened 'Far Enough Farm', and in 1967, opened the Centreville Amusement Park, along with a new public marina. In 1971, Metro Parks opened a new ferry terminal at the foot of Bay Street. Unlike the previous terminal, no waiting room was provided. In 1976, the Trillium, a 1910 paddlewheeler ferry which had been abandoned in a lagoon, was refurbished and relaunched for use as an island ferry.

To the descendants of the Ojibwa, now the Mississauga First Nation, the Toronto Islands are sacred land. Their aboriginal title to the islands has been acknowledged by the federal government of Canada . The land is currently 'owned' by the City of Toronto, and the Mississaugas are considering how they will exercise their aboriginal title and have a presence there.

The Toronto Islands have appeared as significant settings in Canadian literature. Examples includes Margaret Atwood's The Robber Bride and Robert Rotenberg's Old City Hall.

The Toronto island community's fight to stay

At its peak in the 1950s, the Island residential community extended from Ward's Island to Hanlan's Point, and was made up of some 630 cottages and homes, in addition to such amenities as a movie theatre, a bowling alley, stores, hotels, and dance halls. Not long after its creation in 1953, Metropolitan Toronto Council undertook to remove the community and replace it with parkland. The construction of the Gardiner Expressway had removed many acres of recreational land along the Toronto waterfront, and the Islands lands were to replace the acreage.

In 1955, after the City had transferred the lands to Metro, the new Metro Parks Department started to demolish homes and cottages whose lease had expired or whose lease holders gave up their leases. By 1963, all Islanders willing to leave the island had left and the remaining Islanders started to fight the plans of Metro to remove their homes. While demolitions still proceeded, the Islanders' alderman David Rotenberg pushed the Islanders' cause and the number of demolitions dwindled. In 1969, the Toronto Islands' Residents Association (TIRA) was formed. Still, by 1970 only 250 homes, on Ward's and Algonquin Islands, had escaped the bulldozer. The 1970s saw no further demolitions as the Metro Parks plans were thwarted by year-to-year leases and the changing of the guard on Toronto City Council to a group more sympathetic to the Islanders. In 1973, City Council voted 17–2 to preserve the community and transfer those lands back to the City. However, Metro Council remained opposed and the Islanders started legal challenges to Metro's plans in 1974 to delay Metro's plans of expropriation. By 1978, Metro Council had won several legal battles and had obtained 'writs of possession' for the 250 homes. At the time, a minority provincial Conservative government was in place with both the Liberals and NDP opposition parties in favour of the Islanders and the Islanders appealed to the provincial government, winning more time when the province agreed to act as mediator between the City and Islanders and Metro.

Matters came to a head on July 28, 1980, when a sheriff sent to serve eviction notices to remaining residents was met at the Algonquin Island bridge by much of the community, whose leaders persuaded the sheriff to withdraw. On July 31, the community won the right to challenge the 1974 evictions. The Islanders lost the challenge, but by this time, the province had started a formal inquiry headed by Barry Swadron into the Toronto Islands. On December 18, 1981, the province of Ontario passed a law legalizing the Islanders to stay until 2005. This kept the lands in Metro's ownership, to be leased to the City who would lease it to the Islanders. Wrangling over the terms of the lease payments to Metro took several years.

The community's fight for survival was finally rewarded in 1993, when the Ontario Government passed the Toronto Islands Residential Community Stewardship Act, which enabled Islanders to purchase 99-year land leases from a Land Trust.

The islands today

Recreation

The central area hosts Centreville, a children's amusement park which was built in 1967 with a turn-of-the-century theme. The park includes a miniature railway and Far Enough Farm, and is open daily in summer.

There are several swimming beaches on the islands, including Centre Island Beach, Gibraltar Point Beach, Hanlan's Point Beach and Ward's Island Beach. Hanlan's Point Beach includes an officially recognized clothing optional section.

Recreational boating has been popular on the islands for over a century. The Islands are home to four yacht clubs: Harbour City Yacht Club, Island Yacht Club, Queen City Yacht Club and the Royal Canadian Yacht Club. There is a public marina, the Toronto Island Marina, and several smaller clubs including the Toronto Island Sailing Club, the Sunfish Cut Boat Club and the Toronto Island Canoe Club. There is also a dragon boat regatta course and grandstand, where the Toronto International Dragon Boat Race Festival is held annually.

For many years Caribana has held an annual arts festival at Olympic Island on the Simcoe Day weekend. Other Island events include the Olympic Island Festival, an annual rock concert initiated in 2004 by Sloan's Jay Ferguson.

Community

A community of 262 cottage homes still remain on the Toronto Islands, concentrated at the eastern end of the island chain on Ward's Island and Algonquin Island. Under the terms of the Toronto Islands Residential Community Stewardship Act there are strict rules under provincial law governing the buying and selling of these homes.

There are two schools and one church on the islands. The Toronto Island Public School, a public school located at Gibraltar Point, operates a day programme for island residents up to grade 6, a residential natural science programme for visiting grade 5/6 students from the mainland, and a pre-school nursery. The Waterfront Montessori Children's Centre, a non-profit, parent run co-operative facility for children aged 2½ to 5, is located on Algonquin Island. St. Andrew-by-the-Lake Church is an Anglican church located on Centre Island which serves the islands' residents and visitors.

The Gibraltar Point Centre for the Arts occupies buildings previously used by the Toronto Island Public School, and comprises 15 artist work studios occupied by a mix of painters, ceramists, sculptors, musicians, theatre companies, and a recording studio. The centre provides a short-term studio and bedroom rental service for artists, together with meeting, conference and special event services and an artist residency program.

Politics

Municipal

The island is part of Toronto Ward 28 Toronto Centre-Rosedale and represented by Pam McConnell. It was once part of St. Andrew Ward and Metro Toronto Ward 20 Trinity-Niagara.

Provincial

The island is part of the riding of Toronto Centre since 1872 and represented by Liberal MPP George Smitherman.

Federal

The island is part of the riding of Trinity—Spadina (parts formerly of Toronto Centre-Rosedale and Rosedale) and represented by NDP MP Olivia Chow. It was formerly part of Toronto South 1903-1933, Spadina 1933-1988 and Trinity—Spadina since 1988.

Transportation

Airport

The north-western tip of the Toronto Islands is home to the Billy Bishop Toronto City Airport, more often known as the Toronto Island Airport. The airport is used for civil aviation, including airlines, flight training, medevac flights and private aviation. Since 1984, it has been used for regional airlines using approved STOL-type aircraft. In recent years, the airport has become the centre of controversy between those who wish to close it down, and those who want to expand its usage. One focus of this controversy has been a plan to construct a road bridge to the airport; this was a major issue in the 2003 election for mayor and was cancelled by David Miller soon after his victory.

Ferry services

There is no fixed road link from the mainland to the Toronto Islands, which therefore rely on ferries, water taxis and other boats for their transport needs.

Three public ferry routes provide links for passengers and service vehicles from the central Toronto waterfront to docks at Hanlan's Point, Centre Island Park and Ward's Island, and are used by recreational visitors and residents. The fourth public ferry service provides a vehicle and passenger connection from a dock at the foot of Bathurst Street to the airport. There is no public access between the airport and the rest of the island chain.

Beside the public ferry services, several yacht clubs and marinas located on the islands provide private ferry services for their members and guests.

Roads

All roads on the islands are paved, the only exception being a long wooden boardwalk on the South end of Ward's Island. The use of motor vehicles is limited to service vehicles. However, bicycles are welcome on the ferries and the island, and there are rental bikes available. The Toronto Transit Commission operates a shuttle bus from time to time on the island.

Notable dates

• 1787 - Toronto Purchase. Mississauga Indians receive 10 shillings for
• 1793 - Blockhouse built by the Queen's Rangers at Gibraltar Point.
• 1808 - Lighthouse constructed at Gibraltar Point.
• 1834 - Fisherman David Ward and family one of first settlers on island.
• 1830-1840 - First island hotels built. Start of ferry services.
• 1850 - Filtration plant on island starts supplying water to Toronto.
• 1855 - Ned Hanlan born.
• 1858 - Storm separates Toronto Islands from mainland.
• 1867 - Islands become property of City of Toronto. Lot leases are established.
• 1870-80 - Summer homes established on island. Cottages from Hanlan's Point to Centre Island.
• 1874 - Hanlan's Hotel opens.
• 1880 - Royal Canadian Yacht Club established on island.
• 1884 - St. Rita's and St. Andrew-on-the-Lake churches built.
• 1897 - First amusements on Hanlan's Point established.
• 1897 - Baseball and lacrosse stadium on Hanlan's Point.
• 1899 - First summer colony established on Ward's.
• 1903 - Baseball stadium destroyed by fire and rebuilt.
• 1909 - Hanlan Hotel destroyed by fire.
• 1909 - Baseball stadium again destroyed by fire and rebuilt.
• 1913 - First 'tent city' on Ward's.
• 1926 - Baseball stadium vacated by Toronto Maple Leafs baseball team.
• 1937 - Demolition of baseball stadium and construction of Island airport. Some cottages moved to Algonquin Island.
• 1939 - The Sam McBride ferry enters service.
• 1947 - City approves year-round residency to cope with housing shortage.
• 1949 - SS Noronic catches fire and sinks; 118 dead.
• 1956 - New Metro Toronto government takes over Island and leases. Starts demolishing cottages.
• 1959 - Far Enough Farm opens.
• 1967 - Centreville Amusement Park opens.
• 1967 - Toronto Island Marina opens.
• 1977-1993 - Supreme Court approves of cancellation of leases by Metro. Remaining residents fight to remain.
• 1991 - Transfer of cottage lands and lease to City allowing residents to stay.
• 2006 - Porter Air establishes business at the Toronto Island Airport.

Source: Sward, p. xv, pp. 42-51

References

1. Wickson, pg. 30
2. Sward, p. 48
3. Gibson, p. 271
4. Gibson, p 236-250.
5. Gibson, pp. 254-288.
6. Gibson, p 290-291.
7. Gibson, p.293

Bibliography

External links

• City of Toronto website about the Islands
• Toronto Island community website
• Centreville Amusement Park Website
• Friends of Toronto Islands website
• Toronto Islands historical plaque
• Outdoor recreation such as paddling to and among the Toronto Islands
• Small video for a quick overview of the Islands