Boats to be banned around Toronto's famous clothing-optional beach

Along with being regularly rated one of the best clothing-optional beaches in the world (and the only one in Toronto), Hanlan's Point Beach is also steeped in history, serving as the site of the first Pride celebrations in Canada and, as of more recently, the longest rainbow road in the world.

Being one of the top draws of the Toronto Islands, its shores are teeming with fun on any given warm-weather weekend, with groups frolicking in the water, relaxing on the sand, soaking up the sun or, for some, hanging out on boats moored nearby.

Unfortunately, though, the culture of the boating part of the Hanlan's ecosystem has changed over the years, growing increasingly toxic and potentially even unsafe, by some accounts. It's been enough for the City to implement a new rule for this summer prohibiting watercraft from getting too close to the shore.

As of May 23, buoys will outline parts of Hanlan's waters that are newly off-limits to boaters, a move spawned by both concerns for the experience of paddleboarders, kayakers and other non-motorized watercraft users in the area, but also in response to other public safety concerns that include alleged harassment.

Friends of Hanlan's, an advocacy group that championed the move, tells blogTO that Island music festivals, a surge in private boat traffic post-COVID, and a growing party scene in recent years "have steadily eroded the peaceful, respectful culture the beach depends on."

"This isn't just about illegal party yachts — leisure boaters and jet skis have become a major problem, rafting up close to shore, blasting music, and ignoring basic boundaries," a representative said over email on Monday.

They add that there have been incidents where jet skis have cut in dangerously close to beachgoers, as well as "multiple reports of women on the beach being harassed by boaters."

"Increasingly, the beach's clothing-optional status is misunderstood or abused, with some treating it as a place where 'anything goes,'" they explain. "That undermines the respectful, low-key culture the beach depends on. Nudity isn't a free pass for bad behaviour — it's a shared trust."

Releases on the topic from stakeholders like PortsToronto, as well as the actual City documents outlining the motion, do not explicitly mention the harassment claims, with council's request for the waterfront exclusion zone simply stating it was to "address public safety concerns."

The zone, per the docs, will encompass the first 200 metres from the beach, running 400 metres west from the Gibraltar Point groyne, then extending northwest to existing buoys around Billy Bishop Airport.

It applies to all motorized watercraft, including motorboats, sailboats and jet skis. This year will serve as a pilot for potential longer-term implementation, and is one of a number of steps Friends like Hanlans and others are pushing for to help protect the beach, which is considered Canada's oldest surviving queer space.

Numerous amendments to the Toronto Island Park Master Plan have been suggested over the last few years to help present the erosion of not just the physical beach and its ecosystem, but its history and character as a space significant to the 2SLGBTQ+ community.

As Friends of Hanlan's says, "Hanlan's has lasted over a century because people have shown up — time and again — to defend it. This new zone is part of that tradition: protecting a space that's free, diverse, and deeply Toronto. And it sends a message that our public beaches aren't anyone's private party — they belong to everyone, and they deserve to be treated that way."