Chow is trying to boost confidence in Toronto's aging island ferry service

Mayor Olivia Chow says Toronto's aging island ferry fleet is safe, despite a series of problems with the boats in recent months.

Chow said Friday she had taken a more active role in managing the file and was concerned that a series of high-profile safety incidents and maintenance issues could “shake people's trust in the ferries.”

The comments come days after the head of the department that oversees the fleet appeared before a city committee at the mayor's request to publicly explain safety improvements made to the fleet.

“I want to reassure the public that the ferries are safe,” Chow said.

“When I saw the situation, I said, ‘Wait a minute, we need more support. We need more people. We need new ferries. I’m glad the electric ferries were ordered.”

The city's ferry fleet carries 1.4 million passengers annually and is under increasing scrutiny following several safety incidents. The reliability of the four aging vessels has also been called into question after some of the boats were taken out of service earlier this year due to extended outages.

Last month, the crew of the William Inglis Ferry had to perform an emergency stop after what the city described as a “mechanical issue” that caused the ferry to hit the dock. No one was injured, but the ferry was taken out of service. The city said Friday that the vessel remains offline while the investigation into the incident continues.

In June, two of the ferries, the Thomas Rennie and the Trillium, were out of service due to repairs, leading the city to warn travelers to expect delays and advise them to make alternative arrangements or postpone trips to the island.

The most high-profile incident occurred in August 2022, when the Sam McBride collided with the dock, injuring 20 people and sending six to hospital. An investigation by the Transportation Safety Board (TSB) found that “multiple safety deficiencies” contributed to the incident.

The acting general manager of the city's Parks, Forestry and Recreation Department told the city's executive committee this week that staff had worked to address concerns raised following the 2022 incident and responded to the TSB's recommendations. This includes hiring 63 more people to crew the vessels, adding more life jackets to the boats and improving lighting and safety signage.

“The city’s priorities continue to be operating a safe and reliable service, which includes meeting Transport Canada’s statutory safety requirements,” Howie Dayton told the committee.

Toronto is spending $92 million on two replacement ferries

According to the city, the ferries range in age from 61 to 114 years, exceeding the industry average lifespan. This summer, the council approved the purchase of two new electric vessels for $92 million, but they will not be delivered until late 2026 and early 2027.

The city began preparing to purchase replacement boats in 2015, and the city council has changed the vessel design specifications several times, leading to cost increases.

In July, staff told city councilors that purchasing the ferries was first included in the city budget in 2020 and would have cost taxpayers an estimated $25 million.

Veteran councilor Paula Fletcher said she remained concerned about the frequent problems with the ferry fleet and hoped it would not undermine public confidence in the service.

“We are putting a lot of emphasis on everything related to the ferries until we get the new ones,” she said. “The maintenance of the ferries, the docking, who rides the ferries… That oversight has been expanded, I would say, to 150 percent.”

Fletcher said major changes could be on the horizon for how the city operates and maintains the boats. She believes this work would be a better fit with the city's fleet services within the transportation department. Currently, the ferries are operated by Toronto's Recreation, Parks and Forestry Department.

“It's one thing to take a ticket. It’s another thing to operate a fleet with passengers on the water,” she said. “And I think just like the city fleet services take care of all the garbage trucks, all the emergency services and all the major large fleets, they should probably take care of the ferries as well.”

Earlier this week, a union leader representing ferry crew members told city councilors at the committee meeting that he remained concerned about staffing levels and training provided by the city. Keith Fiering of CUPE Local 79 said the city's decision to purchase replacement ferries cannot be a substitute for proper training and operation of the vessels.

“That’s a problem,” he said. “It’s not really the aging fleet…It’s the management of the fleet. You can buy a brand new ship and bring a few people on it. Is it safe? Are these people trained?”