You can no longer take a ferry to the Toronto Islands unless you live there

Toronto Island's off-season should have ended a couple weeks ago, but it appears the city's beloved archipelago is still off-limits during the lockdown. 

Around this time, ferries carrying loads of city-dwellers would typically be up and running between the Toronto Islands, which open up to the public in mid-April. 

But according to the City, the off-season continues, meaning service to Centre Island and Hanlan's are still a no-go until further notice.

The only ferries currently running are those between the city and Ward's Island, but only for the residents living in the eastern end of the archipelago. 

While the Toronto Island's website doesn't explicitly ban visitors from heading to Ward's, laws banning people from using park facilities or from gathering on beaches imply there's no reason for non-residents to be heading there at all. 

Proposed plans to redesign the Jack Layton Ferry Terminal have naturally been on hold since the beginning of the pandemic.

No summer is complete until you've made a visit to the Islands, but it seems that forsaken joy will have to wait until the provincial government lands an official end-date for Ontario's state of emergency.