William Inglis in 2015 | |
History | |
---|---|
Name | William Inglis |
Owner | Toronto Parks, Forestry and Recreation Division, Toronto |
Operator | Toronto Parks, Forestry and Recreation Division |
Port of registry | Toronto |
Builder | Toronto Drydock Company, Toronto |
In service | 1935 |
Status | In active service |
General characteristics | |
Type | Ferry |
Tonnage | 234 tonnes [1] |
Length | 27.65 metres (90.7 ft) |
Beam | 62 metres (203 ft) |
Draft | 2.62 metres (8.6 ft) |
Decks | 2 |
Capacity | 400 |
William Inglis is a Toronto Island ferry operated by the Parks, Forestry and Recreation Division of the City of Toronto government (City of Toronto). [2] The ferry serves the Toronto Islands from a dock at Jack Layton Ferry Terminal in downtown Toronto, Ontario, Canada.
It entered service in 1935, initially known as the "Shamrock". [3] The ferry was built by the Toronto Drydock Company. It was the first of three ferries built, to replace the aged ferries the City of Toronto inherited when it took over ferry operations from private industry. [4] Initially, responsibility for operating a ferry service was assigned to the Toronto Transportation Commission. It is now operated by the Parks Division.
After the death of Toronto industrialist William Inglis, who headed John Inglis and Company, in November 1935, the ferry was renamed in his honour [5] [6] by the Toronto City Council. [7] Inglis also served as the president of the Canadian National Exhibition and was one of the governors of Toronto Western Hospital. [7]
In August 1948, the William Inglis participated in the saving of 12 persons, whose racing sloop had capsized in Toronto Harbour. Three of the twelve clinging to the mast were brought aboard the ferry before speedboats arrived from the John St. Lifesaving Station and recovered the others. [8]
In 2012, the boat's engine and bulkhead were updated. Although the boat was exempt from 2012 safety regulations under a "grandfather clause", the modernization invalidated the grandfather provision. In order to continue operating, the ferry's passenger capacity was reduced. In October 2012, Toronto City Council decided that funds should be set aside to replace William Inglis, and its two fleet-mates, Thomas Rennie and Sam McBride, with new vessels. [9]
In December 2013, the ferry had to be taken out of service to repair a leak in its hull. In its absence, island ferry service to Ward's Island was disrupted. [10]
The Toronto Transit Commission (TTC) is the public transport agency that operates bus, subway, streetcar, and paratransit services in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, some of which run into Peel Region and York Region. It is the oldest and largest of the urban transit service providers in the Greater Toronto Area, with numerous connections to systems serving its surrounding municipalities.
The Toronto Islands are a chain of 15 small islands in Lake Ontario, south of mainland Toronto, Ontario, Canada.
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Harbourfront is a neighbourhood on the northern shore of Lake Ontario within the downtown core of the city of Toronto, Ontario, Canada. Part of the Toronto waterfront, Harbourfront extends from Bathurst Street in the west, along Queens Quay, with its ill-defined eastern boundary being either Yonge Street or York Street. Its northern boundary is the Gardiner Expressway. Much of the district was former water lots filled in during the early 1900s to create a larger harbour district. After shipping patterns changed and the use of the Toronto harbour declined, the area was converted from industrial uses to a mixed-use district that is mostly residential and leisure.
Toronto Harbour or Toronto Bay is a natural bay on the north shore of Lake Ontario, in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. Today, the harbour is used primarily for recreational boating, including personal vessels and pleasure boats providing scenic or party cruises. Ferries travel from docks on the mainland to the Islands, and cargo ships deliver aggregates and raw sugar to industries located in the harbour. Historically, the harbour has been used for military vessels, passenger traffic and cargo traffic. Waterfront uses include residential, recreational, cultural, commercial and industrial sites.
Toronto Transportation Commission (TTC) was the public transit operator in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, beginning in 1921. It operated buses, streetcars and the island ferries. The system was renamed the Toronto Transit Commission (TTC) in 1954.
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The history of public transportation in Toronto in Canada dates back to the middle 19th century under many different private companies, organizations and owners, which were all later unified as a single government-run entity during the 1920s.
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Queens Quay is an underground streetcar station of the Toronto streetcar system in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. Along with Spadina station and Union station, it is one of three stations open overnight to support late-night streetcar routes. It is the only underground streetcar station that is not part of or connected to a Toronto subway station. It was opened in 1990 as part of the former Harbourfront LRT route. The station is now served by the 509 Harbourfront, 510 Spadina daytime routes and the 310 Spadina night route.
Transportation in the Canadian city of Toronto forms the hub of the road, rail and air networks in the Greater Toronto Area and much of southern Ontario. There are many forms of transport in the city, including railways, highways, and public transit. Toronto also has an extensive network of bicycle lanes and multi-use trails and paths.
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Sam McBride is a Toronto Island ferry operated by the Parks, Forestry and Recreation Division of the City of Toronto government. The ferry serves the Toronto Islands from a dock at Jack Layton Ferry Terminal in downtown Toronto, Ontario, Canada.
Trillium is a side wheeler ferry operated by the City of Toronto Parks, Forestry and Recreation, in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. Now 114 years old, she is one of several Toronto Island ferries operating between the Jack Layton Ferry Terminal at Bay Street and Queens Quay and three landing points on the Toronto Islands. She is the last sidewheel-propelled vessel on the Great Lakes.
Public transportation in the Canadian city of Toronto dates back to 1849 with the creation of a horse-drawn stagecoach company. Today, Toronto's mass transit is primarily made up of a system of subways, buses, and streetcars, covering approximately 1,200 km (750 mi) of routes operated by the Toronto Transit Commission (TTC) and inter-regional commuter rail and bus service provided by GO Transit.
Thomas Rennie is a 73-year-old Toronto Island ferry operated by the Parks, Forestry and Recreation Division of the City of Toronto government. She entered service in 1951, the most recent of the three ferries that bring visitors to the Toronto Islands during the summer months. She was named after a former member of the Toronto Harbour Commission.
The Ongiara is a 60-year-old Toronto Island ferry operated by the Parks, Forestry and Recreation Division of the City of Toronto government. The ferry serves the Toronto Islands from a dock at Jack Layton Ferry Terminal in downtown Toronto, Ontario, Canada.
Christened after a former Toronto mayor and alderman, a long-time Island resident, founder of the TTC, and the first head of council to die in office.
After spending $5 million for ferry upgrades that had unintended negative consequences, Toronto's cash-strapped parks department is now planning to put aside money to replace the aging fleet altogether.