Jack Layton Ferry Terminal
Jack Layton Ferry Terminal | |||||||||||||||||||
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 The ferry terminal in the winter, next to the Harbour Square Park. | |||||||||||||||||||
| General information | |||||||||||||||||||
| Coordinates | 43°38′25″N 79°22′31″W / 43.64028°N 79.37528°W | ||||||||||||||||||
| Owned by | City of Toronto | ||||||||||||||||||
| Operated by | Toronto Ferry Company (1892-1926) Toronto Transit Commission (1926-1961)[1] Toronto Parks Department (1961-current) | ||||||||||||||||||
| Line(s) | Toronto Island Ferry | ||||||||||||||||||
| Connections |  Queens Quay Station TTC buses | ||||||||||||||||||
| Construction | |||||||||||||||||||
| Accessible | Yes | ||||||||||||||||||
| History | |||||||||||||||||||
| Opened | 19th century | ||||||||||||||||||
| Rebuilt | 1972[2] | ||||||||||||||||||
| Passengers | |||||||||||||||||||
| 2009 | 1.2 million per year[3] | ||||||||||||||||||
| Services | |||||||||||||||||||
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The Jack Layton Ferry Terminal is the ferry slip for the Toronto Island Ferry, which provides transportation between mainland Toronto and the Toronto Islands. It is located on the Toronto Harbour, behind the Westin Harbour Castle Hotel and next to Harbour Square Park. It is south of Bay Street and Queens Quay in Toronto, Ontario, Canada.
Toronto Parks, Forestry and Recreation Division operates three ferries from here to Centre Island, Hanlan's Point and Ward's Island.
The terminal was known as the Toronto Island Ferry Docks until 2013, when it was renamed in honour of former city councillor and federal Member of Parliament Jack Layton.[3]
History
The main departure point from the city to the Island has been at the foot of Bay Street since the 19th century.[1]
First terminal location (19th century-1918)
The original terminal was located on the east side of the Toronto Harbour Commission Building at Bay and Harbour Streets. The terminal in the picture was destroyed by fire in 1907 and was rebuilt. A steamship terminal and berth areas was added to the east side.
Second terminal location (1918-1972)
When the infilling of the harbour took place after 1918 the docks moved to Queen's Quay west of Bay Street. It had a waiting room[4] and was heated in the wintertime.[5][6] This terminal would be there until the redevelopment of the Toronto waterfront would begin in the 1970s. Where this terminal was is now the Harbour Square condos.
Third terminal location (1972-current)
The third terminal opened in January 1972, shifted about 100 metres to the east.[2] The new terminal was part of a planned 85 million dollar waterfront project started in 1964, and completed in the early 1970s at the cost of 250 million dollars[5] that would see the Bay Street shipping slip filled in and Harbour Castle Hilton and Harbour Square condos built.[7] The cost of the new terminal was $519,000[5] But unlike the previous terminal, no waiting room was provided (as the ferries no longer operate during winter time),[4] and had crowding problems starting in its first season.[2] Metro Parks Commissioner Tommy Thompson would have liked to see the new terminal right at the foot of Bay Street, where the old one was, but it was placed where it was to be part of the condo-hotel complex.[2][5][6] Minor upgrades have been made to replace the originally ticket booths with newer and larger ones located just north of the original entrance and partial covered by a canopy.
Rename
In 2012, the Toronto City Council voted unanimously to rename the terminal in honour of late New Democratic Party leader and former Toronto City Councillor Jack Layton.[8] In 2013, on the second anniversary of Layton's death, it was renamed in Layton's memory[9] and a bronze statue of Layton riding on a tandem bicycle was installed at the site.[9]
New Terminal
In 2015 a winning design was announced that will see a new terminal structure built to replace the current.[10]
Usage
There is an estimated 1.2 million passengers to the station per year, mostly in the summer months.[3]
References
- ^ a b A visual history of Toronto ferries, Derrick Flack, BlogTO, 2011
- ^ a b c d Poor dock access is blamed for ferry crowding, Toronto Star, Gary Oakes, August 3, 1974.
- ^ a b c Ticket machines will ease Toronto Island ferry waits, National Post, Shannon Kari, May 22, 2010
- ^ a b Gibson, p. 271
- ^ a b c d Path promised through mud to ferry dock, March 10, 1972, Toronto Star
- ^ a b A ferry dock nobody needed but Campeau, Toronto Star, Alexander Ross, March 17, 1972
- ^ Start work on $85 million waterfront project, December 23, 1964, Toronto Daily Star
- ^ "Toronto ferry terminal to be renamed in honour of Jack Layton". CBC News. 2012-06-06.
- ^ a b "Jack Layton memorial statue unveiled". CBC News, August 22, 2013.
- ^ http://globalnews.ca/news/1932362/new-design-for-toronto-ferry-terminal-revealed/
See also
