One of Toronto's most popular recreation destinations, for locals and tourists alike, are the Toronto Islands, a network of 15 small islands lying offshore of downtown Toronto and covering 820 acres. In addition to open green space, the islands are home to beaches, walking paths, gardens, picnic areas, an amusement park, a petting zoo, marinas, the oldest surviving lighthouse on the Great Lakes, the Billy Bishop Toronto City Airport, and a car-free residential community. Connecting these islands to the mainland is the Toronto Island ferry service, operated by the City of Toronto. From the mainland ferry terminal at the foot of Bay Street, ferries cross Toronto's inner harbour to three destinations on the islands: Centre Island; Ward's Island at the eastern end, and Hanlan's Point at the western end. Every year, approximately 1.4 million people use the Toronto Island ferries to visit the islands. The 15-minute ride across the harbour offers both fresh air and spectacular views of Toronto's urban skyline on one side and the idyllic greenery of the Toronto Islands on the other. Round trip ferry service is provided every half hour during the summer, every 45 minutes during the spring and autumn, and longer interval service to Ward's Island during the winter.
As of March 2025, the Toronto Island ferries fleet comprised five principal vessels:
- Trillium, built in 1910 and restored in 1975-76 and 2017; the last side-wheel paddle vessel on the Great Lakes and used only occasionally; capacity of 955 passengers.
- William Inglis, built in 1935; passenger capacity of 309
- Sam McBride, built in 1939; passenger capacity of 915
- Thomas Rennie, built in 1951; passenger capacity of 901
- Ongiara, built in 1963; passenger capacity of 220 + 8 trucks or 10 cars (City of Toronto service vehicles only)
The first ferry service to the Toronto Islands began in 1833, when the 'islands' were still in reality a peninsula connected to the mainland via a sandy spit at the eastern end of Toronto Harbour. This first ferry, Sir John of the Peninsula, was powered by a team of four horses driving paddle wheels. In 1853, the first steam-powered ferry, Victoria, was introduced and, in 1854, a competing steam ferry, Bob Moodie entered service. On 13 April 1858, a powerful storm blew through Toronto, creating a gap 460 metres (1,509 feet) wide at the eastern end of the harbour and disconnecting the Toronto Islands from the mainland.
As the popularity of the islands increased, private ferry companies proliferated, with 47 ferries operating in the 1850s. Eventually, two ferry companies came to dominate the market and, as a result of their merger, the Toronto Ferry Company was created in 1892. The Toronto Ferry Company built two double-ended, double-decked paddle steamers in 1906 and 1910, naming them Bluebell and Trillium, respectively; each could carry 1,450 passengers. The company continued to operate until 1926, when its debts to the City of Toronto led to the sale of its routes and ferries to the municipal government, which took over the operation of the ferry services. The Toronto Island ferries were operated by the city's public transit commission from 1927 until 1 January 1962, when they came under the authority of the Metro Toronto Parks and Culture department. In 1997, the City of Toronto Department of Parks and Recreation assumed responsibility for the ferry services. From 2025, the ferries are being operated by the City's Fleet Services Division.
With the three principal Toronto Island ferries dating from 1935, 1939, and 1951, the City of Toronto decided in October 2012 to allocate money for replacements. In January 2022, the City proposed that new ferries be electrically-powered to help meet its carbon emission reduction targets and, in July 2024, committed to spending $92 million on two new ferries. The new vessels will be built by Dutch company Damen at its shipyard in Romania and delivered in late 2026 and early 2027. The new ferries will consist of one passenger-only vessel with a capacity of 1,300 and a roll-on/roll-off passenger (ROPAX) vessel with a capacity of 650 passengers and 14 vehicles; these will replace the William Inglis and the Ongiara, respectively. Additional electric ferries will eventually replace the Sam McBride and Thomas Rennie.
 |
| The Toronto Islands ferry terminal, located off Queens Quay Boulevard at the foot of Bay Street, photographed on 13 June 2006. Built in 1972 as part of a waterfront redevelopment plan, the ferry terminal was officially re-named in 2013 after the late Jack Layton, a former city councillor and leader of the federal New Democratic Party from 2003 until his death in 2011. The drab concrete ferry terminal entrance seen here was replaced in the late 2010s and, as of 2025, plans are underway to replace the entire terminal structure. |
 |
| The Sam McBride, seen docked at the Toronto Islands ferry terminal on 12 June 2006. Built by Toronto Dry Dock Ltd. and named after a former Toronto mayor and alderman, the ferry entered service in 1939. The 387-ton vessel is 36.9 metres (121 feet) in length, with a beam of 10.2 metres (33.5 feet), and a draught of 3.36 metres (11 feet). She has two passenger decks and a capacity of 915, along with 13 crew. Originally powered by steam engines, a 1973 refit of Sam McBride saw their replacement by diesel engines. |
 |
| Another view of the Sam McBride tied up at the ferry docks on the Toronto waterfront on 12 June 2006. On 20 August 2022, Sam McBride hit the ferry docks on the mainland, injuring 12 passengers. Subsequent investigations determined that the vessel has been travelling two knots (3.7 km/h) faster than normal as it approached the docks. A throttle malfunction linked to a software issue caused another incident on 1 September 2022, though no passengers were injured and Sam McBride returned to service after testing. |
 |
| A 12 June 2006 view from the upper deck on the Thomas Rennie as she departs the mainland ferry terminal. Note the orange life jackets stored in the deckhead above the passengers. Built by Toronto Dry Dock Ltd. in 191, Thomas Rennie is the youngest of the three passenger ferries serving the Toronto Islands and is named after a former member of the Toronto Harbour Commission. Although built to carry 980 passengers, Thomas Rennie is currently authorised to carry 901. The 424-ton ferry measures 39 metres (129 feet) in length, with a beam of 10.1 metres (33.1 feet) and a draught of 2.71 metres (8.9 feet). Her two D353 Caterpillar diesel engines drive Thomas Rennie at a top speed of 10.3 knots (19.1 km/h; 11.85 mph). |
 |
| As Thomas Rennie sails toward Centre Island, passengers crowd the rails on the upper deck for fresh air and views of the harbour and the Toronto skyline, 12 June 2006. |
 |
| On a sunny, pleasant 31 August 2014, the enclosed lower deck of this ferry is empty as passengers prefer the fresh air and sweeping views available from the upper deck. |
 |
| Passengers relax on the upper deck, 31 August 2014. A set of wide stairs at either end of the double-ended ferry allow upper deck passengers to descend to the main deck to disembark. |
 |
| The boarding ramp is raised in preparation for the Thomas Rennie's return trip to the city. While safety incidents with Toronto's ferries in 2022 led Canada's Transportation Safety Board to require a crew of 13, at the time this photo was taken (15 August 2006), the ferries operated with a crew of six: captain, mate, engineer, and three deckhands. |
 |
| A packed Thomas Rennie pulls away from the Centre Island docks, with hundreds of passengers returning to the city after fun and recreation on the Toronto Islands, 15 August 2006. |
 |
| Seen here departing for Ward's Island on 31 August 2014 is the William Inglis, built by Toronto Dry Dock Ltd. in 1935. Originally named Shamrock, the ferry was renamed to honour Toronto industrialist William Inglis, who died in November of that year. She is the oldest of the three passenger ferries built to replace obsolete vessels acquired when the City of Toronto took over ferry operations from the privately-owned Toronto Ferry Company in 1926. William Inglis has two passenger decks and a capacity of 309. |
 |
| The Trillium, seen on a floating barge at Toronto Drydock's facilities in the ship channel of the Port Lands on 3 July 2017. Built by Toronto's Polson Iron Works in 1910 for the Toronto Ferry Company, Trillium was acquired by the City of Toronto when it purchased the company's routes and fleet in 1926. Retired in 1957, Trillium was restored and returned to service in 1976 after a public lobbying campaign. Now a semi-retired heritage vessel, Trillium is the oldest ferry in the city's fleet but does occasionally provide surge capacity service on busy summer weekends and special chartered cruises. She is the only side-wheel paddlewheeler remaining in the Great Lakes. The 673-gross tonne Trillium measures in 45.7 metres (150 feet) in length, with a beam of 9.1 metres (30 feet), and a draught of 2.4 metres (8 feet). She was designed to carry 1,450 passengers but is currently authorised to carry only a maximum of 955. |
 |
| The 180-gross tonne passenger/vehicle ferry Ongiara approaches the dock at Hanlan's Point on 12 June 2006. Ongiara was built by Russel Brothers Ltd. in Owen Sound and entered Toronto Island ferry service in 1963. She can carry 220 passengers and 8-10 City of Toronto-owned vehicles needing access to the islands. Ongiara services Hanlan's Point in the west and Ward's Island in the east and is the only ferry to operate in the winter. She measures 20.4 metres (67 feet) in length, with a beam of 11 metres (36 feet) and a draught of 2.65 metres (8.7 feet). Her twin 390-horsepower diesels produce a maximum speed of 10 knots (18.5 km/h; 12 mph). |
 |
| Seen here on 21 May 2010, the MV Marilyn Bell I is owned and operated by Ports Toronto, rather than the City of Toronto. This 270-gross ton ferry, named after the first person to swim across Lake Ontario, was built in 2009 and can carry up to 200 passengers and 15 cars. Every 15 minutes during airport operating hours, Marilyn Bell I crosses Toronto Harbour's Western Gap, measuring just 122 metres (400 feet) wide, carrying people and vehicles to and from the Billy Bishop Toronto City Airport at the northwest end of the Toronto Islands. The crossing takes just 90 seconds and is free for pedestrians, though vehicles are charged; however, most pedestrians use the tunnel connecting the mainland to the island, opened in 2015. Originally powered by diesel engines, Marilyn Bell I was converted to electrical power during a 20-week, $3.8 million refit in 2021, becoming Canada's first electric ferry powered by zero-emission lithium-ion power and propulsion system charged by renewable wind and solar power sources. |
 |
| The CN Tower and the skyscrapers of downtown Toronto provide the backdrop as a ferry sails across Toronto Harbour in the late afternoon of 31 August 2014. |
