Heading to the Toronto Islands this weekend? Be prepared to wait

By Roshni Murthy

Expect long wait times if you plan on hopping over to the Toronto Islands this weekend.

James Dann, Waterfront Parks manager with the City of Toronto, tells CityNews ridership on Toronto’s ferries has been steadily increasing over the last three years.

“Numbers are fantastic,” he says. “We are close to tracking 1.4 million passengers this season.”

And with scorching temperatures forecast, there will likely be delays to get on the 800-passenger ferries. Dann says wait times have been as long as two hours on busy weekends.

In the summer, ferries leave every 15 minutes. That equals up to 5,000 people an hour on some days.

Thankfully, there are some tips to beat the rush.

“Our lineups peak from noon to 2:30, 3:00,” Dann says. “If you want to avoid the lineups, come early in the day or late in the day.”

Money from the fares goes towards refurbishing the ferries, the youngest of which is 60 years old. Dann says the oldest Toronto ferry was built before the Titanic.

For ferry schedules and fares, click here.

A view of Toronto's skyline from a ferry to the Toronto Islands on July 22, 2016. CITYNEWS/Roshni Murthy

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