Don’t miss Ken Greenberg’s opinion piece in the Toronto Star, July 8, 2026; if the Federal government delays quashing the BBTCA jets proposal, the resulting uncertainty will hurt the multi-billion Toronto Waterfront revitalization project because key investments won’t happen.
Sneak preview of the new Toronto Island ferry design, from Toronto Island Advisory Committee meeting today at City Hall.
The new ferries will more or less keep the iconic look we all know. All the existing ferries will be replaced in coming years; they are all far past their operational lifetime. There’s funding now for two boats, one for passengers only, the other for passengers and vehicles. Two more will come later. They are longer than the present ferries, about a metre wider, with greater capacity, and are designed to use the same docks.
The new passenger-only ferry will hold around 1300 people versus 800 or 900 now.
The passenger/vehicle ferry will hold around 650 people or more depending the number of vehicles. They will be electricity-diesel hybrids. Possibly we’ll see the first new ferry as early as 2021. Washrooms are on both floors. This passenger/vehicle ferry will be able to break ice only to some extent, as an ice breaker ferry designed to break thick ice would be prohibitively expensive.
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Bob Rae talks with Steve Paikin on The Paikin Podcast about Billy Bishop Airport & other current issues. [Note: Bob Rae's remarks on Billy Bishop begin at the 24:10 min mark.] Click here to go to the video.
Recommending Sandford Borins' excellent blog post on the lessons for us today from the Pickering Airport debate and analysis in the 1970s:
In 1972, it was clearly understood that air traffic in Toronto was increasing, and it would be accommodated at either Pearson or Pickering. Both were seen as having a regional economic impact, in that Pearson would contribute to growth on the west side of Toronto, while establishing an airport at Pickering would shift some growth to the east of the city. Overall economic activity in the GTA would be the same whether Pearson was expanded or a new airport built at Pickering. This is different from the Toronto Port Authority and Ford Government refusing to acknowledge that, if Billy Bishop is not expanded, traffic will be accommodated at Pearson, and overall economic activity will be the same.