The Jack Layton Ferry Terminal (formerly called the Toronto Island Ferry Docks) is the

ferry slip A ferry slip is a specialized docking facility that receives a ferryboat or train ferry. A similar structure called a barge slip receives a barge or car float that is used to carry wheeled vehicles across a body of water. Often a ferry intended ...

for

Toronto Island ferries The Toronto Island ferries connect the Toronto Islands in Lake Ontario to the mainland of Toronto, Ontario, Canada. The main city-operated ferry services carry passengers (all) and commercial vehicles (some) from the Jack Layton Ferry Terminal ...

operated by the City of Toronto Parks, Forestry and Recreation Division. Three ferry routes provide transportation between mainland

Toronto Toronto ( , locally pronounced or ) is the List of the largest municipalities in Canada by population, most populous city in Canada. It is the capital city of the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian province of Ontario. With a p ...

and Centre Island, Hanlan's Point and Ward's Island in 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 ...

, with levels of service to each destination differing depending on time of year. The terminal is located in the

Toronto Harbour Toronto Harbour or Toronto Bay is a natural bay on the north shore of Lake Ontario, in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. Today, the harbour is used primarily for recreational boating, including personal vessels and pleasure boats providing scenic or p ...

, behind the Westin Harbour Castle Hotel and adjacent to Harbour Square Park. It is south of

Bay Street Bay Street is a major thoroughfare in Downtown Toronto, Ontario, Canada. It is the centre of Toronto's Financial District, Toronto, Financial District and is often used by metonymy to refer to Economy of Canada, Canada's financial services indust ...

and Queens Quay in

Ontario Ontario is the southernmost Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Canada. Located in Central Canada, Ontario is the Population of Canada by province and territory, country's most populous province. As of the 2021 Canadian census, it ...

, Canada. The Toronto Island Ferry Docks were renamed the Jack Layton Ferry Terminal in 2013 to honour

Jack Layton John Gilbert Layton (July 18, 1950 – August 22, 2011) was a Canadian politician and academic who served as the leader of the New Democratic Party (NDP) from 2003 to 2011 and leader of the Official Opposition in 2011. He previously sat on T ...

, who served as a

Toronto city councillor 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 Toronto City Council 2022–2026, current term began on Nove ...

, and was later leader of the

New Democratic Party The New Democratic Party (NDP; , ) is a federal political party in Canada. Widely described as social democratic,The party is widely described as social democratic: * * * * * * * * * * * * * The Editors of ''Encyclopædia Britann ...

(NDP) and leader of the Official Opposition.

History

The main departure point from the city to the Island has been at the foot of Bay Street since the 19th century.

First terminal location (19th century–1918)

The original terminal was located on the east side of the Toronto Harbour Commission Building at Bay and Harbour Streets. The terminal in the picture was destroyed by fire in 1907 and was rebuilt. A steamship terminal and berth areas was added to the east side. The site is now filled in and occupied by a parking lot.

Second terminal location (1918–1972)

When the infilling of the harbour took place after 1918 the docks moved to Queen's Quay west of Bay Street. It had a waiting room and was heated in the wintertime. This terminal would be there until it was demolished during the

redevelopment Redevelopment is any new construction on a site that has pre-existing uses. It represents a process of land development uses to revitalize the physical, economic and social fabric of urban space. Description Variations on redevelopment include ...

of the Toronto waterfront that began in the 1960s when Leslie Marlow's company, Marvo Construction Company got the approvals for the site from the

Ontario Municipal Board The Ontario Municipal Board (OMB) was an independent administrative board, operated as an adjudicative tribunal, in the province of Ontario, Canada. It heard applications and appeals on municipal and planning disputes, as well as other matters s ...

in late 1964. Marlow sold his rights to the development to

Robert Campeau Robert Joseph Antoine Campeau (August 3, 1923 June 12, 2017) was a Canadian financier and real estate developer. Starting from a single house constructed in 1940 in the Alta Vista neighbourhood of Ottawa, Ontario, Campeau built a large land dev ...

's group in the late 1960s, and they went on to finish the development that included the Harbour Square condos on the site of the second terminal.

Third terminal location (1972–present)

The third terminal was inaugurated in January 1972, situated approximately 100 meters to the east of the previous terminal. This new terminal was an integral component of a comprehensive waterfront development project initiated in 1964, with an initial budget of 85 million dollars. The project culminated in the early 1970s, resulting in the construction of the Harbour Castle Hilton and Harbour Square condominiums, as well as the filling in of the Bay Street shipping slip. The project’s total cost amounted to 250 million dollars. Jack Layton Ferry Terminal Docks 2025-05-15

Jack Layton Ferry Terminal Docks 2025-05-15

The new terminal was constructed at a cost of CA$519,000. However, unlike its predecessor, it lacked a waiting room due to the temporary suspension of ferry operations during the winter months. Consequently, it encountered significant crowding issues during its inaugural season.

Metro Metro may refer to: Geography * Metro City (Indonesia), a city in Indonesia * A metropolitan area, the populated region including and surrounding an urban center Public transport * Rapid transit, a passenger railway in an urban area with high ...

Parks Commissioner

Tommy Thompson Tommy George Thompson (born November 19, 1941) is an American politician who served as the 19th United States secretary of Health and Human Services from 2001 to 2005 in the Presidency of George W. Bush, cabinet of President of the United State ...

expressed dissatisfaction with the terminal’s location and layout. To address the access to Bay Street, a new service road/pedestrian walkway was constructed, incurring a cost of approximately one million dollars for Metro and the City of Toronto. This road was completed after the terminal’s opening in 1972 and served the condominium-hotel complex surrounding the terminal. Minor upgrades have been implemented to replace the original ticket booths with newer and larger ones situated north of the original entrance, partially covered by a canopy. In 2012, 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 Toronto City Council 2022–2026, current term began on Nove ...

voted unanimously to rename the terminal in honour of the late

, who served as a Toronto city councillor, and led the NDP and

Official Opposition Parliamentary opposition is a form of political opposition to a designated government, particularly in a Westminster-based parliamentary system. This article uses the term ''government'' as it is used in Parliamentary systems, i.e. meaning ''t ...

. In 2013, on the second anniversary of Layton's death, the terminal was formally renamed and a bronze statue of Layton riding on a

tandem bicycle A tandem bicycle or twin is a bicycle (occasionally a tricycle) designed to be ridden by more than one person. The term tandem refers to the seating arrangement (fore to aft, not side by side), not the number of riders. Patents related to ...

was installed at the site.

New Terminal

In 2015, a winning design was announced for a renovation and redesign of the terminal building. The first phase of construction is expected to be complete in April, 2019.

Usage

There is an estimated 1.2 million passengers to the station per year, mostly in the summer months. The three larger ferries are stored here during the winter months. The ferries' exposed decks are covered by a white tarp.