People disembark a ferry at Wards Island on Toronto Island in Toronto on July 30, 2020. Cole Burston/The Globe and Mail
Toronto police and Transport Canada are investigating a passenger ferry crash at the city’s terminal pier over the weekend that injured 17 people.
The cause of the collision was not yet known on Sunday. But the city announced that ferry service between its downtown terminal and the Toronto Islands, a popular tourist destination, will operate on a modified schedule for the rest of the summer.
“City staff will continue to work with Transport Canada, Toronto Police Services and the Office of the Harbor Master while the investigation is underway,” the city’s parks, forests and recreation division said in a statement. emailed statement to The Globe and Mail.
“The city’s top priority is to protect the safety of the public, passengers and staff by ensuring our ferries meet Transport Canada’s safety standards and have the required certificates.”
This certification includes Transport Canada’s annual safety and security certificate that was issued on June 21, 2022, and the engine and transmission inspection that was last issued on August 10, 2022, the statement added.
The collision occurred shortly after 5pm local time on Saturday when the ferry, named the Sam McBride, struck the dock as it approached the Jack Layton Ferry Terminal located in the center of the city
There were about 900 people on board the ship. Seventeen were injured as a result of the collision, police said. Of them, 12 were treated and released at the scene. Five people, two of them children, were taken to hospital for treatment.
“None of the injuries are considered life-threatening,” Toronto Police Service spokesman David Hopkinson wrote in an email Sunday.
No one fell into the water as a result of the collision.
The Sam McBride ferry, meanwhile, was out of service after the incident.
“While in service, the Sam McBride had six personnel trained and qualified on board to Transport Canada requirements: a captain and a mate in the wheelhouse, and an engineer in the engine room and three seamen in covered,” the city’s statement added.
Transport Canada had no comment Sunday.
The city announced on Twitter that its passenger ferry service would operate on a reduced schedule, with only three ferries operating between the terminal and the Toronto Islands. Two of these ships are passenger-only ships and one will carry both vehicles and passengers.
The city is discouraging the ferrying of unnecessary vehicles and warning passengers to expect longer wait times, a potential boon for local water taxi services.
Pirate Taxi, for example, saw an immediate increase in business after the ferry crash and expects that increase to continue in the coming weeks.
Peter Sutherland, a water taxi captain with Pirate Taxi, said his first thoughts after the crash were to check that everyone on board the ferry was OK. But then, he had to turn his attention to handling an immediate 20 percent increase in passengers as people looked for alternative ways to get back into the city.
The company’s eight taxis were very busy on Saturday night, transporting customers past 1am
“We and the other taxi companies were already close to capacity,” said Mr. Sutherland, who said Pirate Taxi is considering increasing staff or its hours of operation as a result of the crash.
“We expect to see more volume now, especially during the week.”
One of the city’s most popular tourist attractions, the Toronto Islands attract around 1.5 million people each year, while a typical summer day can draw crowds of up to 20,000, according to the website from the city.
“We have not found that there has been much disruption due to the downsizing [ferry] schedule,” Lori Kirk, a spokeswoman for the Centerville amusement park located on Center Island, said Sunday.
With reports from The Canadian Press
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