T H e I SLA n

D IS ACTUALLY A CHAI n OF small islands that protect Toronto Harbour from the full force of waves from Lake Ontario. Originally a nine-kilometre-long sand spit created by sediment from the erosion of the Scarborough Bluffs, the peninsula’s eastern connection to the mainland was severed in a violent storm in 1858. The Toronto Islands are sacred land. For thousands of years before European colonization, the group of islands and sandbars was used for ceremonial gatherings and as a place of healing by the Mississaugas of the New Credit First Nation and other First Nations. Eventually, the Island became a summer resort community for Torontonians, with hotels, cottages, an amusement park, and the Toronto Maple

Leafs baseball team’s stadium, where Babe Ruth hit his first home run. An inner-city airport opened on the west end of the Island in 1939. Many, including ourselves, look forward to the day when it may return to parkland. The community on the Island is the largest car-free urban community in North America. A long and complicated struggle over the island homes began in 1953 when the city decided that it wanted to remove the residents and replace their homes with public parkland. A Toronto Islands’ Residents Association was formed to save the homes. In the end, 250 homes remained standing. It wasn’t until 1993 when the Toronto Islands

Residential Community Stewardship Act was approved by the legislature that the Island residents’ future was secured. We are all the beneficiaries today.

The Island is now an inhabited 330-hectare park with lots of room for picnicking, day camps, playgrounds, swimming, a nude beach, and, when conditions permit, even ice skating on the inland waterways that also allow boats to navigate the islands at other times of the year — a favourite pastime for kayakers.

The Island is an essential place of escape for those seeking respite from intense city life. It is popular with people of all ages, serving as a welcoming place for Torontonians, especially newcomers to the city, and visitors alike. It also offers a vision of a different way of life as we try to reduce our dependence on the car. It offers a slower pace and a place of relaxation and closeness to nature just a short distance away from the busy city.

Getting There

Facing downtown Toronto across the harbour.

Ferries from the foot of Bay Street to Centre Island, Ward’s Island, and Hanlan’s Point; water taxis from a number of slips along the harbour; and, of course, canoes and kayaks.

The islands are ideal for cycling and walking. Bikes can be taken on the ferries. They are available for rental on Centre Island.