Locals call for end to Toronto yacht club that built dozens of gazebos on waterfront

As Toronto works to combat what police call a "growing" issue of unlicensed, unsafe boaters and jet skiers around the city's most popular beaches, residents living near a different local shoreline are demanding action against another group of watercraft users: a private yacht club.

The Toronto Humber Yacht Club has been a presence on the Humber River, just south of Bloor, since the mid-1950s, taking up a total of 3.09 acres (0.92 of them in the water itself) that it leases from the City.

But, with its contract up for renewal — to potentially be extended another 20 years when council makes its decision this fall — community members are pushing back with claims that the facility is a huge threat to the local ecosystem, having expanded vastly over the years.

A recently-launched petition cites the club's construction of a whopping 60 gazebos along the river, expressing concern about its expansion "beyond its allocated footprint," including with more parking space and a gas dock that allegedly extends a third of the way across the water.

It also states that members have been utilizing the river as their "private playground," including through the use of a rapidly increasing number of personal watercraft (jet skis) that disrupt sediment, pollute the water and lead to more erosion.

"The continued operation of the THYC poses significant environmental challenges to the Humber River," the appeal reads, asking that the City's not only not renew the lease, but to instead grant it to "an environmentally sustainable not-for-profit paddle club focused on rehabilitating the property with a mandate to develop partnerships to provide outdoor/natural educational opportunities."

So far, it has garnered nearly 2,000 signatures.

In the weeks since, a counter-petition (with 1,105 signees) has also appeared, seemingly launched by a PR firm on behalf of the club. It cites the organization's lengthy history and repeatedly reiterates its connection with the ecosystem, calling it "a quiet steward of the Humber River" that "supports responsible boating, youth sailing and environmental education."

The pages paint two very different stories, along with an evident tension between the two groups telling them.

For what it's worth, the ward's councillor, Amber Morley, did confirm "reports about encroachments, habitat disruption and unpermitted activity" when speaking with the Star on the topic on Saturday. Her office has yet to reply to blogTO's request for comment since we spotted the petition last week.

A doc about such leases on the Toronto website provides an idea of the City's stance on boat clubs, and what we can likely expect after council deliberations in the fall, despite the community complaints.

"It is the belief of the Parks and Recreation Division staff that the various leases for boating facilities across the waterfront help to provide an expanded range of affordable recreation opportunities on the water at no cost to the City, and that these leases, with some adjustment to terms, should be continued," it states.

"These facilities have helped to meet demand for sailing in a social context and are consistent with the desire of the Parks and Recreation Division to provide diverse, locally responsive recreation opportunities, and the waterfront objectives of the Toronto and Region Conservation Authority."