The City of Toronto's ferry operations are not "fully" up to industry standards, according to feedback from a third-party study by a B.C.-based maritime firm.
Toronto's ferry fleet serves around 18,000 passengers on busy summer days. More than 1.4 million ferry trips were taken in 2024, according to the city.
However, the boats are also slow, old and in frequent need of repair.
Last fall, city staff enlisted Greenline Marine Inc., a B.C.-based coastal transportation company, to undertake a third-party review of the ferry service.
The recommendations — contained in a staff report that will be discussed at city hall executive committee next week — suggest Toronto's ferry protocols are not "fully consistent" with industry norms.
The city needs to establish a marine chain of command, per the report, as well as improve its safety planning and communications.
The report also said Toronto should strengthen its ferry crew recruitment and retention efforts.
The city said it is already acting on all of the recommendations, including by shifting ferry management from Parks and Recreation to its Fleet Services division.
The city is also promising a "new experience" for ferry riders over the next decade with speed, capacity and amenity upgrades on the way. Part of that will come when Toronto's new electric ferries arrive late next year.
Ferry services have been under public scrutiny in recent years.
Last month, the Toronto Star reported on the city's failure to publicly disclose a ferry's collision into Billy Bishop Airport property. The incident resulted in $500,000 in damages and two months of reduced spring and summer service while the Thomas Rennie ferry sat in dry dock for repair.
A high-profile 2022 incident saw a crowded ferry crash into the Jack Layton Terminal, causing injuries. Various ferry boats were also out of commission for repairs last summer.
As demand to reach the Toronto Island grows, the city has moved to approve more private water taxi licences.
The staff report will be considered on March 19 and again by city council at the end of the month.
