The Toronto Islands flooded two years ago. This year is worse.

Lake Ontario had a once-in-a-century flood two years ago. Water levels on Lake Ontario reached the highest levels recorded in 100 years. This year, water levels are higher … and still rising. But the Islands are open for business.

Two years ago, the Toronto Islands were literally swamped. The City was left with no choice but to close public access to the Islands for the whole summer season. This year, the City vowed to keep the Islands open.

This week, I went to the Toronto Islands for a first-hand view of the flooding.

The ferry terminal is on the waterfront in downtown Toronto.

Here is helpful information on taking the ferry to the Toronto Islands:

Toronto island ferry information

You must take a ferry to get to the Island. It is possible to take a private water taxi or a tender but the vast majority of people will use the ferry service operated by the City of Toronto.

 

The Jack Layton Ferry Terminal (the ferry docks) is located between Bay Street and Yonge Street on Queens Quay. See map here. Ferry tickets can be purchased on the city side at the terminal or bought online.

 

Ferry boats go to three different Islands: Centre, Hanlan’s and Ward’s Island. The islands are all connected, so you can walk from one to another.

 

Pricing – including return ticket

 

$7.87 for adults, $5.16 for students and seniors, $3.80 under 14, free under 2. Tickets are available for purchase online. When you get to the docks, look for a special line for people with pre-purchased tickets.

 

Call 416-392-8193 for more information.

 

https://www.torontoisland.com/ferry.php

On my way to catch the ferry, I stopped at The Bay at the Eaton Centre and bought a pair of rubber boots (on sale, 40% off, bright blue with a raindrop design).

What do you think? Will I need rubber boots for my walk across the Toronto Islands?

Ahh! Spring in Toronto!

The tulips are blooming … and the Islands are flooding.

I caught a ferry to Ward’s Island.

I walked to the eastern-most tip of Ward’s Island. It has a very small but lovely beach, a beautiful garden and a spectacular view of the Toronto skyline.

Ward’s Island and Algonquin Island are residential islands, with 262 homes and 650 people. There are no stores and no cars on the Islands. It is a different way of life, just a 10-minute ferry ride from downtown Toronto.

Would you live on an island, ten minutes from Canada’s largest city, with no car and no stores and one cafe?

Is Island life for you?

Grab a shovel. Stop a flood. Save a home.

The first thing I saw when I got off the ferry at Ward’s Island was a large pile of sand with shovels. This is a make-shift site for locals, trying to save their homes. I would have grabbed a shovel if I had seen a sign that said, “Fill a bag, save a home.”

A bucket and a shovel … a high-tech solution to stop Niagara Falls

If I lived on the Toronto Islands, I would be filling sand bags to save my home. A shovel and a bucket is all I would have to stop Niagara Falls. Lake Erie flows over Niagara Falls and drains into Lake Ontario, on the shores of Toronto … and into the homes on the Toronto Islands.

Fill a bag of sand and save a home

With rain in the forecast, these Islanders are filling more sand bags

Islanders load full bags on carts and wagons and haul them home by hand. There are no cars on the Toronto Islands.

Islanders have help from the City of Toronto in their fight to save their homes. The City deployed trucks and cranes to place 30,000 industrial-sized sand bags at the water’s edge. City staff is working round the clock, 24/7 to keep the Islands open and safe at a cost of $100,000 a week.

The City placed 30 industrial pumps on the Islands to pump water back into Lake Ontario

This is an industrial pump in action, pumping water back into Lake Ontario

Can 9 of these pumps stop Niagara Falls?

I put my new boots on to get this picture at the water’s edge. Then I set off to explore the Island streets.

Would you live here?

It was a beautiful day on the Islands. Many Islanders were mowing their lawns. Grass grows really fast when it is well watered.

I talked to a few Islanders. They were not panicking. They survived the floods two years ago and felt much better prepared this year. Industrial sand bags and pumps were put in place before the flood waters reached record highs. Lots of volunteers helped fill sand bags to deploy around homes.

The houses on the Toronto Islands were originally built as cottages on land leased from the City. The Islanders do not own the land. In 1953, the City voted to expropriate the cottages as leases came due, with a master plan to bulldoze the houses and build a park. Almost 400 houses were bulldozed. Only 262 houses escaped the bulldozer. After a 13-year legal battle to save the remaining homes, the Islanders won the right to purchase 99-year leases from the City.

The deal reached between the City and the Islanders prevents any profiting on resale. There is a formula for the resale price that is based strictly on building costs. Furthermore, there is a requirement that the cottage be a principal residence. You can’t own a house on the Island and just use it as a summer cottage. You actually have to live there all year round.

If you are not deterred by the resale conditions, you can add your name to wait list to buy a property. The wait list is capped at 500. Currently, there are no spots on the wait list.

The island community is the largest urban car-free community in North America

Is this house affected by the flooding?

If you look closely, you will notice that the cement walkway to the front door is under water.

This house sits in a sea of forget-me-nots

Waterfront houses are at risk of flooding. Inland houses are at risk from underground seepage from a rising water table.

This house looks like an idyllic summer cottage, just a ferry ride from downtown Toronto.

If not for the flooding, spring is a perfect time to visit the Islands

You can rent kayaks and explore the Islands by boat.

I decided to walk over to Centre Island, a long walk from where I started at the eastern edge of Ward’s Island. The only residential sections are on Ward’s Island and Algonquin Island. Centre Island is all parkland.

As I left the residential areas behind, water intrusion was more evident. All the sandbagging and pumping efforts are directed at saving houses, not parkland.

In the summer, this bike rack is full. Not today.

Park benches are under water

Once I left the residential areas, I noticed that all the fields are submerged. Only the walkways are above water.

This swan loves the swim-up grass bar

As I got closer to Centre Island, water intrusion was breaching the walkways.

This walkway is a duck runway

I walked down this walkway, hoping to continue on this path to Centre Island. When I turned the corner, I saw nothing but water ahead. Time to turn back and find another route to Centre Island.

The duck has lift-off from the water runway

This is the main path on the inner harbour to Centre Island

There is a sign that says, “Caution. Open water ahead.” Since I was wearing my new rubber boots, I assumed, foolishly, that I could walk on the inner harbour path. WRONG. I found myself in the middle of a lake, with water all around me. As the water approached the top of my new boots, I turned back.

I watched many bicyclists continue on the inner harbour path to Centre Island. They got wet.

Tourists on Quadricycles continued on the inner harbour path to Centre Island

The Islands are open and tourists are encouraged to visit. It was devastating to the local economy two years ago when the Islands closed for the season because of flooding.

With the inner harbour walkway to Centre Island completely flooded, I took a detour to the outer walkway. There is a wooden boardwalk along the outer harbour that runs from Ward’s Island to Centre Island. It is high and dry. I did not need my new boots for this trek.

Put on your hip-waders to catch this view

Most of Centre Island is high and dry. There were lots of tourists and day-trippers enjoying the sunshine. The amusement park and cafes were open. Spring flowers were in full bloom.

I walked towards the inner harbour to catch the ferry back to the mainland. The ferry terminal is high and dry … but ….

I walked over a little foot bridge next to the ferry terminal. The whole field is water, everywhere, in all directions. There is no demarkation between the land and the lake. This is what Ward’s Island and Algonquin Island would be like if not for the enormous sandbagging and pumping efforts.

I put my new boots on again and ventured down the path … into the water. Normally, on a beautiful spring day, you can sit in one of those colourful Muskoka chairs and enjoy unparalleled views of the Toronto skyline. Not now. If I had bought hip-waders, I might have ventured further. I was the only person standing in the middle of a vast lake.

I turned back when the water got dangerously close to the top of my new boots. I was a long way away from those Muskoka chairs.

Time to head back to the mainland … but … I just missed the ferry.

I caught a water taxi back to downtown Toronto. It was $10.00 and well worth the ride.

This is the view of Centre Island from the water taxi

Water levels have not yet peaked. Once they peak, it will take a couple of months for the waters to recede to normal levels.

The once-in-a-century flood two years ago is now a bi-annual event.

What will next year bring?