Professor John Robertson OBA

From NSAUGA ONTARIO LOCAL NEWS, two days ago, The above image and:

Anyone who regularly travels to the Toronto Islands to enjoy a day at Centreville, the beach or the adorable (and hidden-ish) Franklin the Turtle Children’s Garden knows that the ferry (even if delayed) is part of the fun. Now, the city is working to replace its aging ferry fleet with sleek, new electric vessels. 

Recently, the City of Toronto announced that construction has started at the Jack Layton Ferry Terminal in the city’s downtown core. While the construction and ferry upgrades won’t happen overnight, the existing boats will continue to bring residents and visitors to and from the islands in the months to come. 

But while construction is certainly not uncommon in Toronto, this project represents a significant change to one of the city’s most cherished recreational pastimes: visiting the islands in boats that, in some cases, date back to the 1930s. 

According to the city’s website, the first two ferries to be replaced by electric vessels will be Ongiara and William Inglis. Ongiara, acquired in 1963, currently accommodates 216 passengers and 10 cars. The new electric ferry, slated to start running in fall 2026, will accommodate 615 passengers and 14 cars (or 1,300 people with no vehicles). 

In spring 2027, the city plans to replace the William Inglis–acquired in 1935–with a vessel that will carry 1,300 passengers, which is 905 more than the current ferry carries. 

The other two vessels slated for replacement are Sam McBride and Thomas Rennie. Acquired in 1939 and 1951, respectively, the ferries carry up to 908 passengers. Once replaced (and the exact date has not yet been determined), the new vessels will each carry 1,300 passengers. 

According to the municipality’s website, Toronto’s ferry fleet carries approximately 1.4 million passengers annually on its four primary boats. While the aging vessels are adequately maintained, they are between 61 and 90 years old (excluding the 1910-era Trillium heritage ferry) and are beyond the average industry lifespan.

https://www.insauga.com/torontos-90-and-60-year-old-ferries-set-to-be-replaced/

CalMac’s oldest large ferry, the MV Isle of Arran is only 42 years of age¹ and the CalMac average is only 25! ²

Toronto’s GDP is $431 billion.³ The whole of Scotland’s is only £223 billion⁴, $303 billion.

Sources:

1. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Caledonian_MacBrayne_fleet
2. https://www.transport.gov.scot/publication/strategic-framework-of-options-for-the-chfs-network-project-neptune/benchmarking
3. https://www.bing.com/ck/a?!&&p=e2de1edaabb11770a86da50773e88e018afed53ee7272709b526156b86e093cdJmltdHM9MTc1MTg0NjQwMA&ptn=3&ver=2&hsh=4&fclid=040f0c0f-8f6f-69bb-36d4-18948ed46872&u=a1aHR0cHM6Ly9zaW1jb2V3ZWFsdGguY29tL2luc2lnaHRzLWFuZC1hcnRpY2xlcy90b3AtMTAtY2FuYWRpYW4tY2l0aWVzLWJ5LWdkcCM6fjp0ZXh0PUFzJTIwQ2FuYWRhJUUyJTgwJTk5cyUyMGxhcmdlc3QlMjBjaXR5JTIwYW5kJTIwZmluYW5jaWFsJTIwaHViJTJDJTIwVG9yb250byxpbmNsdWRlJTIwdGVjaG5vbG9neSUyQyUyMHJlYWwlMjBlc3RhdGUlMkMlMjBtZWRpYSUyQyUyMGFuZCUyMHByb2Zlc3Npb25hbCUyMHNlcnZpY2VzLg&ntb=1
4. https://www.bing.com/ck/a?!&&p=ae9bbbcb9a79080e063b325b3a6014df61f278e589ca77f68f2157ac13e40c37JmltdHM9MTc1MTg0NjQwMA&ptn=3&ver=2&hsh=4&fclid=040f0c0f-8f6f-69bb-36d4-18948ed46872&u=a1aHR0cHM6Ly9lbi53aWtpcGVkaWEub3JnL3dpa2kvRWNvbm9teV9vZl9TY290bGFuZCM6fjp0ZXh0PVNjb3RsYW5kJTIwaGFzJTIwYW4lMjBlY29ub215JTIwd2hpY2glMjBpcyUyMGFuJTIwb3BlbixpbiUyMHRoZSUyMGNvdW50cnklMjdzJTIwY29udGluZW50YWwlMjBzaGVsZiUyMHJlZ2lvbi4lMjAlNUIyJTVEJTIw&ntb=1