New Toronto ferry terminal promised for years keeps getting more expensive

Toronto residents may know not to hold their breaths for major local infrastructure projects to reach completion in a timely fashion, but with the warmer months quickly approaching, there is one upgrade that is likely top of mind.

No T.O. summer is complete without a trip to the Toronto Islands, which in recent years has unfortunately meant braving overcrowding and hours-long lineups for one of our five ferries that are quickly aging out of service.

The City has been working to replace the vessels — at times rendered completely out of commission during busy weekend rushes — with a new electric fleet for years now, with the first boat due in late 2026.

But, the project has come with the exorbitant cost increases and delays we've sadly come to expect from such proposals, including a staggering $67 million jump in price for the watercraft and millions more for the retrofits on land, in part because City staff "forgot" to factor in charging capabilities.

The first of the two new electric ferries the City will acquire in the last quarter of 2026. The second will follow in 2027. Photo from the City of Toronto.

Then there is the timeline: A winning design was chosen for a reimagined Jack Layton Ferry Terminal a decade ago now. And still, no new terminal, and seemingly ever-changing plans and budgets.

A new update on the Electric Ferries Shoreside Infrastructure Work Plan that came earlier in the spring stated that the City was "advancing" the work to equip the terminal for the new boats, alongside two other capital projects to improve the dated docking point in the meantime.

It also included more cost amendments following the completion of detailed blueprints, allocating more to various portions of the budget, including increasing the upset limit for "charging and docking improvements" by some $7.6 million.

Toronto to spend a combined $135 million on new island ferries and other upgradeshttps://t.co/f2Xr5rwUAE

— blogTO (@blogTO) July 26, 2024

In March, the City also removed the responsibility of ferry operations from the Parks and Recreation department, which has garnered somewhat of a reputation for inefficiency.

It was shifted instead to the Fleet Services Division based on its expertise in a number of areas identified for improvement by a third-party review of the ferry system to "assess its readiness for upcoming infrastructure and vessel modernization." 

CreateTO, one of the project's stakeholders, still says on its website that the early stages of construction at the terminal, including site preparation, are set to start in the second quarter of this year.

The City is also expecting final estimates for Toronto Hydro upgrades by this quarter.