''William Inglis'' is a Toronto Island ferry operated by the Parks, Forestry and Recreation Division of the

City of Toronto government The municipal government of Toronto ( incorporated as the City of Toronto) is the local government responsible for administering the city of Toronto in the Canadian province of Ontario. Its structure and powers are set out in the '' City of Tor ...

(City of Toronto). The ferry serves the

Toronto Islands The Toronto Islands are a chain of 15 small islands in Lake Ontario, south of mainland Toronto, Ontario, Canada. Comprising the only group of islands in the western part of Lake Ontario, the Toronto Islands are located just offshore from the ...

from a dock at Jack Layton Ferry Terminal in downtown

Toronto Toronto ( ; or ) is the capital city of the Canadian province of Ontario. With a recorded population of 2,794,356 in 2021, it is the most populous city in Canada and the fourth most populous city in North America. The city is the anch ...

Ontario Ontario ( ; ) is one of the thirteen provinces and territories of Canada.Ontario is located in the geographic eastern half of Canada, but it has historically and politically been considered to be part of Central Canada. Located in Central Ca ...

, Canada. It entered service in 1935, initially known as the "Shamrock". The ferry was built by

John Inglis and Company John Inglis and Company was a Canadian manufacturing firm which made weapons for the United Kingdom and British Commonwealth military forces during the World War II era, then later became a major appliance manufacturer. Whirlpool Corporation ac ...

. It was the first of three ferries built, to replace the aged ferries the City of Toronto inherited when it took over ferry operations from private industry. Initially, responsibility for operating a ferry service was assigned to the

Toronto Transportation Commission Toronto Transportation Commission (TTC) was the public transit operator in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, beginning in 1921. It operated buses, streetcars and the island ferries. The system was renamed the Toronto Transit Commission (TTC) in 1954. H ...

. It is now operated by the Parks Division. After the death of Toronto industrialist William Inglis, who headed John Inglis and Company, in November 1935, the ferry was renamed in his honour by the

Toronto City Council Toronto City Council is the governing body of the municipal government of Toronto, Ontario. Meeting at Toronto City Hall, it comprises 25 city councillors and the mayor of Toronto. The current term began on November 15, 2022. Structure The c ...

. Inglis also served as the president of the

Canadian National Exhibition The Canadian National Exhibition (CNE), also known as The Exhibition or The Ex, is an annual event that takes place at Exhibition Place in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, on the third Friday of August leading up to and including Canadian Labour Day ...

and was one of the governors of

Toronto Western Hospital The Toronto Western Hospital (TWH) is a major research and teaching hospital in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. It is part of the University Health Network (UHN). It has 256 beds, with 46,000 visits to its emergency department annually. It is known f ...

. In August 1948, the ''William Inglis'' participated in the saving of 12 persons, whose racing sloop had capsized in Toronto Harbour. Three of the twelve clinging to the mast were brought aboard the ferry before speedboats arrived from the John St. Lifesaving Station and recovered the others. In 2012, the boat's engine and bulkhead were updated. Although the boat was exempt from 2012 safety regulations under a "grandfather clause", the modernization invalidated the grandfather provision. In order to continue operating, the ferry's passenger capacity was reduced. In October 2012,

decided that funds should be set aside to replace ''William Inglis'', and its two fleet-mates, and , with new vessels. In December 2013, the ferry had to be taken out of service to repair a leak in its hull. In its absence, island ferry service to Ward's Island was disrupted.

References

{{Reflist, refs= {{cite news , url = https://books.google.com/books?id=StOp6Ts9Mr0C&q=Eglinton+carhouse&pg=PA77 , title = The TTC Story: The First Seventy-Five Years , publisher =

Dundurn Press Dundurn Press is one of the largest Canadian-owned book publishing companies of adult and children's fiction and non-fiction. The company publishes Canadian literature, history, biography, politics and arts. Dundurn has about 2500 books in prin ...

, author = Mike Filey , author-link = Mike Filey , date = 1997 , page = 55 , location = , isbn = 9781770700796 , accessdate = September 22, 2014 , quote = {{cite news , url = http://www.blogto.com/city/2012/10/sunday_supplement_explaining_enwave_fords_jarvis_figures_island_ferry_names_and_classic_council_clashes/ , title = Explaining Enwave, Ford's Jarvis figures, Island ferry names, and classic council clashes , publisher = BlogTO , author = Chris Bateman , date = October 7, 2012 , page = , location = , archiveurl = , archivedate = , accessdate = April 30, 2015 , url-status = live , quote = Christened after a former Toronto mayor and alderman, a long-time Island resident, founder of the TTC, and the first head of council to die in office. {{cite book , title=Know Your Ships 2017 , publisher=Marine Publishing Co. Inc. , year=2017 , page=41 , isbn=978-1-891849-22-0 {{cite web , url = http://www.angelfire.com/ca/TORONTO/history/islandmodern.html , title = Toronto Island Ferry History: The Modern Fleet: 1935 - 1960 , author = Larry Partridge , date = March 1976 , accessdate = March 14, 2003 {{cite news , url = https://www.thestar.com/news/gta/2012/10/01/torontos_aging_island_ferries_headed_for_retirement.html , title = Toronto's aging island ferries headed for retirement , publisher =

Toronto Star The ''Toronto Star'' is a Canadian English-language broadsheet daily newspaper. The newspaper is the country's largest daily newspaper by circulation. It is owned by Toronto Star Newspapers Limited, a subsidiary of Torstar Corporation and par ...

, author = Niamh Scallan , date = October 1, 2012 , page = , location =

, archiveurl = https://web.archive.org/web/20130202233632/http://www.thestar.com/news/gta/2012/10/01/torontos_aging_island_ferries_headed_for_retirement.html , archivedate = February 2, 2013 , accessdate = April 30, 2015 , url-status = live , quote = After spending $5 million for ferry upgrades that had unintended negative consequences, Toronto's cash-strapped parks department is now planning to put aside money to replace the aging fleet altogether. Ferries of Ontario Water transport in Toronto 1935 ships

See also

References