For about a month, a large boat has been marooned on Hanlan’s Point beach on the Toronto Islands.
The vessel, which appears to be about 35-feet in length, has been in the same spot since at least Dec. 10, when it was spotted by hobbyist wildlife photographer David Arnett.
Since then, it has remained in place, with ice forming around the hull.
On Tuesday, there was a Starlink satellite router on the boat’s roof and chip bags inside, suggesting someone may be living inside the ship’s cabin. No one responded to a knock on the ship’s door.
Forrester Dunbrook, a spokesperson for the Canadian Coast Guard, said in an emailed statement that the vessel lost power and became beached on the island after a storm.
He said the owner made themselves known to the Coast Guard, but for privacy reasons, the individual’s name cannot be disclosed.
Dunbrook said the Coast Guard plans to go to the beach on Jan. 8 to remove any fuel and oil from the boat to prevent spills or environmental contamination.
Abandoned boat challenges
Island resident Tim Flawn said it’s not the first time a boat has been left in a spot on the Island where it doesn’t belong.
He said last year, there was a vessel in the Toronto Island’s lagoon for months before it was finally disposed of by authorities.
In that case, Flawn said the boat had been abandoned because it was old and expensive to maintain. “You can’t sell it. You can’t give it away. It’s nothing but a liability,” he said.
He said regardless of the reason why the Hanlan’s Point boat was abandoned, it’s a shame they left it.
“The person that owns it should take care of it. Should deal with its disposal. Instead of just abandoning it thinking that the public will take care of it.”
Council proposed seeking more power to deal with abandoned boats
The problem of abandoned boats has plagued the city of Toronto for several years.
In 2022, city council passed a motion for the city manager to “assess the feasibility of entering into discussions” with the federal government to ask for more power to deal with such vessels, after two boats were left at public launches managed by the city.
Council also asked staff to come up with a plan to deal with abandoned boats in a timely manner, and to launch a campaign to educate the public about how to report an abandoned vessel.
TorontoToday contacted the city for information about the Hanlan’s Point boat, but did not receive a response by the time of publication.
Under current law, if a boat is abandoned and leaking pollutants, it is the job of the Coast Guard to remove it. If however, the boat is not deemed an imminent hazard, it’s Transport Canada’s responsibility to dispose of it.
In the past, this has left the city of Toronto waiting for many months for boats to be dealt with.
A growing problem?
Andy Cardiff, CEO of C-Tow Marine Assistance, said his boat towing company has been called to remove an increasing number of vessels in British Columbia and Ontario in recent months that are illegally docked and being lived in.
He said that while some are living in their vessels by choice, others are there out of necessity.
“If someone’s given a choice to sleep on the sidewalk or sleep in an old boat, then the decision’s pretty simple,” he said.
Cardiff said his company has pulled about six boats from shores, mostly around Vancouver Island, in the past two weeks that had been recently lived in.
He said that based on the Hanlan’s Point boat’s licence number, it was initially registered in Shelburne, Nova Scotia, and judging by the vessel’s shape, it was likely used as a lobster fishing boat, before being converted into a house boat.
On Tuesday, there was a metal line hanging off of the front of the boat, which the tow company CEO said may be additionally anchoring the vessel in place.
What's next for the Hanlan’s Point boat?
Cardiff said that if the boat’s owner doesn’t have the money to move it, it will likely fall to Transport Canada to pay a company like his to tow it.
Dunbrook said it is “too early” in the process to comment on the specifics of the final fate of the vessel.
The City of Toronto told TorontoToday the city's Police Service Marine Unit is currently investigating.
