View source for Toronto Harbour

{{Short description|Bay on the north shore of Lake Ontario, in Toronto, Ontario, Canada}}
{{Use Canadian English|date=October 2019}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=March 2019}}
{{more citations needed|date=March 2019}}
{{Infobox body of water
| name               = Toronto Harbour
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| caption            = Toronto skyline from Toronto Harbour
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| location           = [[Toronto]], [[Ontario]], Canada
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| coordinates        = {{coord|43|38|04|N|79|22|15|W|region:CA-ON_type:waterbody|display =inline,title}}
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| part_of            = [[Lake Ontario]]
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| reference          = <ref>{{cite web | title = Toronto Harbour |website=rncan.gc.ca |publisher = Natural Resources Canada | date = October 6, 2016 | url = http://www4.rncan.gc.ca/search-place-names/unique/FCWYK}}</ref>
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'''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. [[Toronto Island ferries|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.

==Description==
There are two harbours: the original natural harbour, today named the "Inner Harbour", and the "Outer Harbour". Access into the Inner Harbour is made via either the Western Gap or Eastern Gap. The [[Don River (Ontario)|Don River]] drains into the Inner Harbour from the north-east, through the [[Keating Channel]].
[[File:2009 Toronto.jpg|thumb|Toronto's Inner Harbour is bounded by the [[Toronto waterfront|city's shoreline]] to the north, and the [[Toronto Islands]] to the south.]]
The makeup of the soil between the mainland and the island varies depending on the area of the harbour. Near the Western Gap (the western access point to Toronto's Inner Harbour), the sediment is made up of stone, whereas sand makes up the sediment near [[Billy Bishop Island Airport]], and the western parts of the Toronto Islands' north shore. Clay is more prominent in near the centre of the harbour, whereas the soil turns to mud near the north shore, towards the mouth of the Don River.{{citation needed|date=May 2018}}

===Inner Harbour===
The Inner Harbour is used by pleasure boats and commercial vessels. The [[Port of Toronto]] is operated by [[PortsToronto]] and is located on the eastern shore of the harbour. The port consists of cargo facilities and the [[International Marine Passenger Terminal]], a passenger ship dock on the eastern shore. The north shore has a mixed range of uses including [[Harbourfront Centre|Harbourfront]], a conversion from industrial land to recreational and cultural uses. Harbourfront has parks, hotels, an amphitheatre, and many other facilities. The north shore retains one port-related industrial use, the [[Redpath Sugar Refinery]], while most of the lands have been converted to other uses. The [[Jack Layton Ferry Terminal]] is located at the foot of Bay Street and pleasure and party cruise boats dock along the shore to the west of York Street. 

The [[Toronto Islands]] are a chain of small islands located just offshore from [[Downtown Toronto]], providing shelter for the inner harbour. Most of the Islands is parkland, although it is also the site of several boat clubs, an amusement park, an airport, and a small residential area.
[[File:Toronto skyline from airport 2006 (204499733).jpg|thumb|The Western Gap into Toronto's inner harbour]]
The Western Gap is a {{convert|120|m|ft}} wide channel allowing western access to the Inner Harbour. The gap is deep enough (over 31 metres) to allow large ships (like lake freighters) to enter and exit into the Inner Harbour.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://theairlinewebsite.com/index.php/topic/389297-toronto-island-tunnel-wont-stay-dead/|title=Toronto Island tunnel won't stay dead|website=The Airline Website}}</ref> The [[Billy Bishop Toronto City Airport]] is located on the south side of the channel and is accessed by ferry and tunnel. Before the Western Gap was dug in 1910, the waterway was wide with a shallow sandy shoal surrounding what became [[Hanlan's Point]]. The sands were deposited on either side of the new channel and are part of the airport lands.

The Eastern Gap is an approximately {{convert|200|m|ft}} wide passage between Ward's Island and the western edge of the Port Lands and used by most freighters to enter into the inner harbour and port facilities. The gap was first formed from 1852 to 1858 when storms caused a break in the sandy spit that connected the area with the mainland. 
[[File:Eastern gap, toronto.jpg|thumb|left|The Eastern Gap into Toronto's inner harbour]]
Prior to the 1800s, small boat users had to use a portage on the western end of the sandy spit peninsula (thus requiring them to travel a short distance on land) from Lake Ontario to the inner harbour. After 1858, the [[Toronto Harbour Commission#History to 1910|Harbour Trust]] made the temporary channel into a permanent waterway.

===Outer Harbour===
Toronto also has a second harbour, referred to as the Outer Harbour. The City of Toronto's [[Cherry Beach]] (formerly Clarke Beach Park), located on the north side of the Outer Harbour, is popular in summer. It typically meets high water quality, environmental and safety standards.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www1.toronto.ca/parks/prd/facilities/complex/209/|title=Cherry Beach Clarke Beach Park, Parks, Forestry & Recreation|website=toronto.ca|publisher=City of Toronto|access-date=December 6, 2016}}</ref> A proposed {{convert|37|km|mi|adj=on}} Lake Ontario Park by [[Waterfront Toronto]] would pass through the Outer Harbour.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.waterfrontoronto.ca/explore_projects2/port_lands/lake_ontario_park|title=Lake Ontario park|date=November 2016|website=waterfrontoronto.ca|publisher=Waterfront Toronto|access-date=December 16, 2016}}</ref> The City of Toronto operates a marina in east end of the Harbour. Eight community water-sport clubs, forming the independent Outer Harbour Sailing Federation, share a small strip east of Cherry Beach Clarke Beach Park.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.outerharbour.net/clubs.html|title=OHSF Member Clubs|website=outerharbour.net|publisher=Outer Harbour Sailing Federation|access-date=December 16, 2016}}</ref>
[[File:OHEHOpenStreetMap.png|thumb|Map of the Outer Harbour and its [[headland]]s, known as the [[Leslie Street Spit]]]]
The harbour was developed in the 1950s and 1960s by the [[Toronto Harbour Commission]] through the construction of a new [[breakwater (structure)|breakwater]] called the [[Outer Harbour East Headland]]. At that time, it was expected that there would be a great upswing in the number of ships calling at Toronto once the [[Saint Lawrence Seaway]] opened. However, the need for an extra harbour never materialized, and private boats are the only traffic usually found there now.

===Gaasyendietha===
[[Gaasyendietha]] is a [[legend]]ary [[Loch Ness Monster]]-type creature and it is sometimes spotted in [[Lake Ontario]] and even within the Toronto Harbour. The story of Gaasyendietha is a [[Native Canadian]] [[Mythology|myth]] from the [[Seneca nation|Seneca tribe]].<ref>{{cite web |url=https://torontoist.com/2013/01/toronto-urban-legends-the-great-serpent-of-lake-ontario/ |title=Toronto Urban Legends: The Great Serpent of Lake Ontario |date=January 16, 2013 |website=torontoist.com |access-date=November 30, 2019 |first=Patrick |last=Metzger}}</ref>

==History==
The original shoreline of the northern shore was low sandy bluffs, just south of today's Front Street. The mouth of the harbour pointed west. The islands used to be a low sandy peninsula forming the southern limit of the bay. The [[Scarborough Bluffs]] are much larger bluffs that lie approximately {{cvt|6.2|mi}} east of the harbour. Strong lake currents over time washed the sand eroded from the bluffs westwards to form the peninsula surrounding the bay. The eastern shore of the bay, approximately six kilometres east, was a marsh around the mouth of the [[Don River (Toronto)|Don River]]. In addition to the Don River, a number of smaller creeks flowed into the bay. The original site of the town of [[York, Toronto|York]] had half a dozen short creeks that flowed through it.

The town of York was established in 1793 in a ten-block rectangle bounded by the present Front Street, Berkeley, Duke (now Adelaide) and George Street alongside [[Taddle Creek]]. A government wharf was built to handle the transfer of ships' cargoes. A garrison at the entrance to the harbour, at the mouth of Garrison Creek, was established to guard the harbour along with a blockhouse on the island. In 1801, York became an official port-of-entry for immigrants and cargo. In 1808, the [[Gibraltar Point Lighthouse|Gibraltar Point lighthouse]] was built on the island to guide ships.{{sfn|Wickson|2002|p=21}}

[[File:Battle of York airborne.jpg|thumb|275px|left|Depiction of the [[Battle of York]] in 1813. American forces moved to capture [[Fort York]] (centre), which guarded the entrance to the harbour, and [[York, Upper Canada|York]], the predecessor of Toronto.]]

In the early 19th century, cargoes destined for York would be transferred at Montreal to smaller boats such as Durham boats and batteaux to traverse the rapids of the St. Lawrence River. Although not fully established by the [[War of 1812]], the British colonial army was determined to set up boat-building for the defences at York. [[Fort York]], on the north shore of the bay, near the mouth of [[Garrison Creek (Ontario)|Garrison Creek]], guarded the harbour's mouth. An armed schooner was under construction at the [[Naval Shipyards, York (Upper Canada)|York Naval Shipyards]] when the Americans attacked and the British burned the hull rather than surrender it. The invaders occupied Fort York, looted the town and destroyed military facilities.{{sfn|Wickson|2002|p=23}}

In 1825, the Lachine Canal was built to bypass the Lachine Rapids. Some of the boats used for cargo were now being built at Toronto Bay. By the time of the establishment of the Town of Toronto, three large wharves existed for shipping, King's Wharf at Peter Street, Cooper's Wharf at Church Street and Merchant's Wharf at Caroline Street (today's [[Sherbourne Street, Toronto|Sherbourne Street]]). The new Queen's Wharf, at the foot of Bathurst Street, was constructed in two stages, eventually reaching {{Convert |244|ft|m}} in length. Commissioned by the Province of Upper Canada, it cost £4,500. The first harbourmaster of Toronto, Hugh Richardson, was named in 1833. Richardson held the position until 1870.{{sfn|Wickson|2002|p=24}} While the Queen's Wharf no longer exists, the [[Queen's Wharf Lighthouse]] still exists, eventually moved to a location off today's [[Lake Shore Boulevard]] in 1929.{{sfn|Wickson|2002|p=26}} In 1849, the ''Harbour Trust'' was formed to manage the port and the Queen's Wharf.{{sfn|Wickson|2002|p=27}}

In 1832, the Gooderham and Worts Distillery went into operation, using a windmill on the [[Toronto waterfront]], near the Don River, to provide power. The Distillery had been conceived as a plant to make flour, but the distillery business was much more popular. By 1837, the mill was producing more than {{Convert|28000|gal|litre}} of whiskey annually.{{sfn|Wickson|2002|p=25}}

By 1840, the entire waterfront was populated with government and merchant wharves. The ''Esplanade'', a {{Convert|100|ft|m}}-wide road, was proposed, just south of Front Street, with new water lots made from cribbing and filling of the shore to the south. The waterfront was extended to a survey line from the point of the Gooderham windmill west to a point due east of the old [[Fort Rouillé]].{{sfn|Wickson|2002|p=25}} Ostensibly for carriages and carts, the roadway eventually became primarily the route for rail lines in the central core. In exchange for {{Convert|40|ft|m}} of the Esplanade, the railways underwrote the infilling of the harbour. The Esplanade and infill project was complete by 1865.{{sfn|Wickson|2002|pp=27–28}} A section of The Esplanade from Yonge Street to Berkeley Street still exists as a roadway and park. The rail lines moved to a viaduct in the 20th century.

The harbour saw increased activity in the 1840s. Harbour dues increased by 25 per cent between 1843 and 1844 alone. This saw an increase in the number of ships using the harbour. Donald Bethune operated a fleet of eight steamships out of Toronto harbour.<ref>{{citation |last=Moir |first=Michael |chapter=Planning for Change: Harbour Commissions, Civil Engineers, and Large-Scale Manipulation of Nature |title=Reshaping Toronto's Waterfront  |editor1-first=Gene |editor1-last=Desfor |editor2-first=Jennefer |editor2-last=Laidley |page=29}}</ref>

The peninsula became the Toronto Islands through the result of two storms and man-made activity. In 1852, a storm created a channel through the eastern edge of the peninsula that formed the south edge of the bay. The storm washed through excavations made for sand for local construction. In 1858, another storm widened the channel and made it permanent.{{sfn|Wickson|2002|p=30}}

The first rail line to the harbour was the Ontario, Simcoe and Huron Railroad in 1853. The next rail line was the Grand Trunk, which underwrote the Esplanade project in exchange for an easement to enter the City. The Canadian Pacific Railway arrived in 1886, through the purchase of the Credit Valley Railway.{{sfn|Wickson|2002|pp=28–29}} Most of the area along the shoreline was connected to the railways. Manufacturers of products such as soap received raw materials via boat, produced the product at their location on the harbour, and distributed it via rail.

As well as cargo, the harbour also became a major passenger waypoint. By the 1880s, the harbour was handling 1,250,000 passengers annually through passenger steamship docks at the foot of Yonge Street. Passenger boats operated on Lake Ontario and the St. Lawrence River. Excursions to Niagara also departed from the Yonge Street docks.{{sfn|Wickson|2002|p=30}}

{{multiple image
 | align     = center
 | direction = horizontal
 | image1    = The harbours and ports of Lake Ontario (1857) (14770718161).jpg
 | width1    = 167
 | footer    = Harbour in 1857, 1913 and 1932
 | image2    = Toronto Harbour 1913.jpg
 | width2    = 165
 | image3    = Toronto Harbour 1932.jpg
 | width3 = 165
}}
The western channel's depth was found to be too shallow by 1906 when the steam barge ''Resolute'' sank outside the harbour during a storm. The barge was unable to shelter in the harbour. The Queen's Wharf area was rebuilt during the years of 1908 to 1911 by the federal government.  The existing channel could not be dredged to a lower depth, as its bottom was solid rock, so a new, deeper, western channel was dug {{Convert|1300|ft|m}} to the south of the existing one.{{sfn|Wickson|2002|p=35}} The sand removed for the new channel created a total of {{convert|45|acre|ha}} of new land, split evenly to the north and the south of the new channel.<ref>{{cite news |work=The Globe |title=THE NEW LAND AT THE WEST ENTRANCE |date=July 5, 1910 |page=6}}</ref> The Queen's Wharf site became the eventual site of the Loblaws warehouse at the intersection of Bathurst Street and Fleet Street. The rebuilding of the Loblaws warehouse in the 2010s uncovered an old boat, left in the landfill when the Queen's Wharf area was filled in.

[[File:Toronto's portlands, 1932, showing the Keating Channel, Turning Basin, and Coatsworth Cut.jpg|thumb|275px|left|Map of the [[Port Lands]] in 1932. The area was once a marsh known as [[Ashbridge's Bay]], before [[land reclamation]] projects in the 1910s created the Port Lands.]]

The 1910 [[Toronto Board of Trade]] proposal for the [[Ashbridge's Bay]] was for an industrial district for industrial offices and sites served by railway lines, public warehouses alongside docking facilities south of Keating Channel to the Eastern Gap and parkland/recreational strip at the south end.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://publish.yorku.ca/~mmoir/Shipbuilding%20and%20the%20Waterfront%20Plan%20of%201912.pdf |title=Shipbuilding and the Waterfront Plan of 1912  |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110706213451/http://publish.yorku.ca/~mmoir/Shipbuilding%20and%20the%20Waterfront%20Plan%20of%201912.pdf |archive-date=July 6, 2011 |df=mdy-all|website=publish.yorku.ca |publisher=York University Libraries }}</ref> In 1911, the Toronto Harbour Commission was created. The lands of the waterfront that were owned by the City of Toronto were transferred to the Commission to administer. In 1912, the commission delivered its first plan for the harbour and the waterfront from the Humber River in the west, to Woodbine Avenue to the east. The Commission dredged the harbour to a depth of {{Convert|24|ft|m}} to match the new Welland Canal.{{sfn|Wickson|2002|p=36}}

As the city of Toronto grew the northern shore of the bay was further altered by landfill, and has been moved approximately {{convert|500|m|yd}} south. After the Esplanade landfill, the second landfill project in 1910 filled the water lots, which extended the shoreline south of today's Lake Shore Boulevard, providing room for the [[Terminal Warehouse]], the [[Toronto Harbour Commission Building]] and other facilities along the new Queen's Quay.<ref name="utoronto1">{{cite web|url=http://maps.library.utoronto.ca/dvhmp/ashbridges-bay.html |title=Don River Valley Historical Mapping Project |website=Maps.library.utoronto.ca |access-date=July 14, 2016}}</ref> The final infill on the north shore was in the 1950s, from Yonge Street east to the Don River, providing room for the Redpath Sugar Refinery, the Victory Soy Mills and several marine terminals.

In the 1920s, most of the low-lying marsh of Ashbridge's Bay was filled in to create Toronto's inner harbour area (with the small section to the east and the shipping channel the only reminder of the body of water). In the 1930s, the waters of Hanlan's Bay on the western point of the islands were infilled to create the Toronto Island Airport.

[[File:A day with the family.jpg|thumb|Ice skating at the [[Harbourfront (Toronto)|Harbourfront]]. Beginning in the 1970s, industrial lands have been converted to other uses.]] 

By the time that the plans to build the St. Lawrence Seaway were announced, commercial usage of the harbour was already in decline. The previous infill on the eastern side created in the 1920s was used to build modern port facilities. In the 1970s, the northern shore was in decline and there was a new political initiative to rebuild the waterfront without industry in a manner seen in other cities. The Harbourfront project expropriated the lands west of York Street. Several facilities were renovated, such as the Terminal Warehouse, and others were demolished, creating space for recreational and cultural uses. The area around Yonge Street remained in private possession and a hotel and condominiums were built on the shoreline. The area east of Yonge Street remained in light industrial use under public possession. On the north side of the harbour, there are a few buildings left from the industrial period. Some are in use, such as the Redpath Sugar Refinery. Others have been demolished or are slated for demolition, including grain storage elevators at the east and west end of the inner harbour.

Starting in 1972, the Government of Canada spent {{CAD|10 million|link=yes}} (${{formatprice|{{Inflation|CA|10000000|1972}}}} in {{Inflation-year|CA}} dollars){{inflation-fn|CA}} to dredge and widen the Eastern Gap, making it the primary entrance to the harbour for commercial boats. The {{convert|10|e9cuyd|e9m3}} of material was used to build the aquatic park on the Outer Harbour headland.<ref>{{cite news |work=[[The Globe and Mail]] |title=Ottawa to dredge wider Eastern Gap |page=5 |date=May 18, 1972 |last=Baker |first=Alden }}</ref>

[[File:This cruise ship is moored at what was once the international ferry terminal for the fast ferry between Toronto and Rochester -a.jpg | thumb | Small cruise ships moor at the [[International Marine Passenger Terminal]] approximately a dozen times a year.]] 

In June 2004, the company [[Canadian American Transportation Systems]] (CATS) began regular passenger/vehicle ferry service between Pier 52 and [[Rochester, New York]] using the vessel ''[[Spirit of Ontario I]]''. The service used a marketing name called "The Breeze". While Rochester had a custom-built ferry terminal, the Toronto terminal was a temporary facility, near the end of Cherry Street for security and customs screening facilities while a permanent marine passenger terminal was still under consideration for construction. CATS discontinued the service after only 11 weeks; among the problems cited was the absence of a permanent marine passenger terminal in Toronto and little Canadian interest in the service. <!-- unsupported:The Toronto Economic Development Corp (TEDCO) was not properly consulted by the American interests who combined with the Mayor saw little political favour in seeing the project through from the City of Toronto's point of view. --> The vessel was sold in a bankruptcy sale in February 2005 to Rochester Ferry Company LLC, a subsidiary of the City of Rochester. In April 2005, Rochester Ferry Company LLC announced that the Rochester-Toronto ferry service using ''Spirit of Ontario I'' would return, operated by [[Bay Ferries Great Lakes Limited]] and using the marketing name ''The Cat''. The [[Toronto Port Authority]] officially opened the International Marine Passenger Terminal on June 27, 2005, three days before ferry service resumed.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.democratandchronicle.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20050628/NEWS01/506280334/-1/SPECIALS0201|title=Rochester Democrat and Chronicle|website=Rochester Democrat and Chronicle}}</ref> Even with impressive passenger numbers by the winter of 2006 the ferry service lost funding from the City of Rochester and announced that it would no longer be in business. The terminal building was later used for filming the [[Canadian Broadcasting Corporation|CBC]] crime drama ''[[The Border (TV series)|The Border]]''.
[[File:Toronto Harbour seen from the CN Tower in July 2024.jpg|alt=Toronto Harbour seen from the CN Tower in July 2024|thumb|222x222px|Toronto Harbour viewed from the [[CN Tower]] in July 2024]]
In 2018, Waterfront Toronto began construction on the Don River Mouth Naturalization, which will create another outlet for the Don River into Toronto Harbour. Essroc pier has been demolished and Polson Pier will be demolished. The bank on the harbour in these areas will be turned into parkland. A regulatory flood channel will spill into the Ship Channel. The project will be completed in 2024.

The original area of the harbour in 1834 was estimated to be about {{Convert|2150|acre}}. With infilling, the area has declined to an area of {{Convert|1210|acre}} in size.<ref>{{cite news |work=The Globe and Mail |date=August 18, 1970 |title=Endless problems in production of a waterfront plan for Toronto |page=4 |last=Baker |first=Alden}}</ref>

==Quays and wharves==
[[File:Toronto Bathurst Quay.jpg|thumb|View of Bathurst Quay, one of several [[quays]] that still operate in Toronto's harbour.]]
Wharves existed along Toronto's waterfront in the 19th century, but they have since been replaced by [[quay]]s. Most of the former wharves disappeared when the waterfront was filled in along with the now "missing" creeks of Toronto.
A list of current quays/slips along the waterfront:
{{div col|colwidth=22em}}
* Bathurst Quay
* Maple Leaf Quay
* John Quay
* York Quay
* Queen's Quay
* Yonge Quay
* Rees St. Slip
* Simcoe St. Slip
{{col div end}}
A list of former wharves along the central waterfront:
{{div col|colwidth=22em}}
* Allan's/Merchant's Wharf – Frederick Street{{sfn|Hounsom|1970|p=11}}
* Commissariat Wharf – Peter Street{{sfn|Hounsom|1970|p=11}}
* P.D Conger's Wharf – York Street
* Cooper's/Feighan's/Maitland's Wharf – Church Street{{sfn|Hounsom|1970|p=11}}
* Dufferin Street Wharf
* Gooderham's Wharf and Elevator – Don River
* Hamilton Wharf – Church Street
* Higginbotham's Wharf – Yonge Street
* Hogarty and Grussett Wharf and Elevator – Simcoe Street
* Manson's Wharf – Market Street
* Millous Wharf – Yonge Street
* King's/Navy Wharf – between John and Peter Streets{{sfn|Hounsom|1970|p=11}}
* Northern Railway Wharf and Elevator – Portland Street
* Queen's Wharf – Bathurst Street
* Sylvester Brothers and Hickman's Wharf – Church Street
* Taylor's Wharf – George Street
* Tinning's Wharf – York Street
* Toronto and Northern Railway Wharf – Berkeley Street
* Walsh and Love's Wharf – Simcoe Street
{{col div end}}

==Ships of Toronto Harbour==

Vessels found or associated with Toronto Harbour include:
{| class="wikitable sortable"
|+ Cruise and entertainment 
|-
! Image || Name || First<br />arrival || Last<br />departure || Notes
|-
| [[File:Miss Toronto Cruise Ship.jpg|100px|Miss Toronto Cruise Ship along the Toronto Harbour shoreline.]] || ''Miss Toronto'' || 1955 || ||
* Cruises open to the public.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.chartermisstoronto.com|title=Toronto Boat Cruises - Affordable Cruises Along Toronto Harbourfront & Toronto Islands - Best Toronto Boat Cruise|website=www.chartermisstoronto.com}}</ref>
* The original M/V ''Miss Toronto'' began operating in the Inner Toronto Harbour in 1955.  Since then three successive ships have carried the name. 
* The current ship was built in British Columbia and is the first ''Miss Toronto'' to be constructed entirely out of aluminum.  
* Peter Ferguson captained ''Miss Toronto'' until 2004 when Captain Terry Turl took over. 
|-
| [[File:Jadran.JPG|100px]]|| ''MS Jadran'' || 1975 || 2015 ||
* Served as a floating restaurant at the foot of Yonge Street—the [[Captain John's Harbour Boat Restaurant]]
* Gradually fell into disrepair, seized for back taxes, sold and eventually removed in 2015.

|-
| [[File:The excursion vessel Empress of Canada, Toronto 4774.jpg|100px]] || ''The Empress of&nbsp;Canada'' || 1980 || ||
* Was known as the ''Island Queen V'' from 1980 until re-launched as the ''Empress of Canada'' in 1989.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.empressofcanada.com/#!about-empress/cyg|title=Empress Of Canada - Toronto Boat Cruises & Corporate Events - Home|first=Anthony|last=Lana|website=www.empressofcanada.com}}</ref><ref>
[http://www.accessenglish.com/newsletter/cityguide.pdf www.accessenglish.com]</ref>
* Built by Hike Metal Products, Wheatley, Ontario

|-
| || ''Aurora Borealis'' || 1983{{sfn|LeLievre|2017|p=56}}|| ||
* Cruises open to the public.<ref name=TorontoStar2012-08-03/>

|-
| || ''Jubilee Queen'' || 1986{{sfn|LeLievre|2017|p=56}}|| ||
* Designed to look like a ''"showboat"''.<ref name=TorontoStar2012-08-03/>

|-
| [[File:Faux Steamship-Oriole-Toronto-ON.jpg|100px]] || ''Oriole'' || 1987{{sfn|LeLievre|2017|p=61}} || ||

|-
| || ''Showboat Royal Grace''  || 1988{{sfn|LeLievre|2017|p=61}}|| ||
* Cruises open to the public.<ref name=TorontoStar2012-08-03/>
|-
|[[File:Yankee Lady III Boat.jpg|100x100px]]
|Yankee Lady III
|1984
|
|
* First yacht both designed and constructed in the Toronto Harbour ever<ref>{{Cite web |title=Our Story {{!}} Yankee Lady |url=https://yankeelady.ca/our-story/ |access-date=2025-08-08 |website=Yankee Lady Yacht Charters |language=en-US}}</ref>
|-
|
|Yankee Lady IV
|
|
|
* Designed and constructed in the Toronto Harbour
|}
{{see also|Toronto Island ferries}}
{| class="wikitable sortable"
|+ Ferries
|-
! Image || Name || First<br />arrival || Last<br />departure || Notes
|-
| [[File:Toronto Ferry Mayflower.jpg|100px]] || ''Mayflower'' || 1890 || 1938 ||
|-
| [[File:Toronto Ferry Primrose.jpg|100px]] || ''Primrose'' || 1890 || 1938 ||
|-
|[[File:Ferry William Inglis, 2015 05 16 (17571086788).jpg|100x100px]]|| ''[[William Inglis (ferry)|William Inglis]]'' || 1935{{sfn|LeLievre|2017|p=41}} || ||
* Built by John Inglis Co. Ltd., Toronto, Ontario
* Originally named ''Shamrock'', it was renamed after the death of Toronto businessman William Inglis, president of Inglis and Co.
|-
| [[File:Toronto ferry.jpg|100px]] || ''[[Sam McBride (ferry)|Sam McBride]]'' || 1939{{sfn|LeLievre|2017|p=41}} || ||
* Named after Toronto mayor [[Sam McBride]] who was an island resident
* Built by Toronto Dry Dock Co. Ltd., Toronto, Ontario
|-
| [[File:The Ongiara, a vehicle ferry in Toronto -a.jpg|100px]] || ''[[Ongiara (ferry)|Ongiara]]'' || 1963{{sfn|LeLievre|2017|p=41}} || ||
* The ''Ongiara'' is a small roll-on roll-off ferry that continues to run year round, when the service's larger passenger ferries are not needed.
* Built by Russel Brothers Ltd., Owen Sound, Ontario
|-
| [[File:Toronto ferry Thomas Rennie.JPG|100px]] || ''[[Thomas Rennie (ferry, 1951)|Thomas Rennie]]'' || 1951{{sfn|LeLievre|2017|p=41}} || ||
* Built by Toronto Dry Dock Co. Ltd., Toronto, Ontario
*Named after former Harbour Commissioner [[Thomas Rennie (Harbour Commissioner)|Thomas Rennie]]
|-
| [[File:Trillium clip wide.jpg|100px]] || [[PS Trillium|''Trillium'']] || 1910{{sfn|LeLievre|2017|p=41}} || ||
* ''Trillium'' (launched 1910) was part of a fleet of ferries all named after flowers, operated by the predecessor to the Toronto Island Ferry Service.
* ''Trillium'' is a steam-powered double-end sidewheeler].
* ''Trillium'' was abandoned in a lagoon on Toronto Islands for several decades, and required years of work before she was ready to be put back into service.
|-
| [[File:Kwasind, Royal Canadian Yacht Club Ferry,, a ferry built in 1912 -b.jpg|100px]] || ''[[MV Kwasind]]'' || 1910 || ||
* Serves the [[Royal Canadian Yacht Club]]
|-
| [[File:Ferry Windmill Point, in the Keating Channel -a.jpg|100px]] || ''Windmill Point'' || 1954 || ||
* The ''Windmill Point'' is a small  roll-on roll-off ferry, similar to the ''Ongiara'', that has been permanently moored in the [[Keating Channel]] for years.
|-
| [[File:Tcca.maple.city.id.jpg|100px]] || ''Maple City'' || 1965 || ||
* Built in 1951{{sfn|LeLievre|2017|p=77}}
* Had been a ferry from Ogdensburg to Prescott
* A small ro-ro ferry, it carried 40 passengers and vehicles from a dock at Eireann Quay to the island airport
|-
| [[File:YTZ_ferry_01.JPG|100px]] || ''David Hornell V.C.'' || 2006{{sfn|LeLievre|2017|p=77}} || ||
* Owned and Operated by PortsToronto. Employed to carry passengers from a dock at Eireann Quay to the island airport
* Named after Second World War Victoria Cross recipient [[David Ernest Hornell|David Hornell]]
* Built by Hike Metal Products, Wheatley, Ontario
|-
| [[File:Porter Ferry.JPG|100px]] || ''Marilyn&nbsp;Bell&nbsp;I'' || 2009{{sfn|LeLievre|2017|p=77}} || ||
* Owned and Operated by PortsToronto. Employed to carry passengers from a dock at Eireann Quay to the island airport
* Named after long-distance swimmer [[Marilyn Bell]]
* Built by Hike Metal Products, Wheatley, Ontario
|}

{| class="wikitable sortable"
|+ Service vessels
|-
! image || name || first<br />arrival || last<br />departure || notes
|-
| [[File:Tugboat and part-time fireboat Nellie Bly, in Toronto, in 1908.jpg|100px]] || ''[[Nellie Bly (fireboat)|Nellie Bly]]'' || 1906 || 1909 ||
* Tug named after [[Nellie Bly]]
|-
| [[File:Toronto Fire Boat Charles A. Reed, 1928.jpg|100px]] || ''[[Charles A. Reed (fireboat)|Charles A. Reed]]'' || 1923 || 1964 ||
* Fire Services boat
|-
| [[File:Tugboat Fred Sandretti, Keating Channel, Toronto -a (cropped).jpg|100px]] || ''Fred Sandretti''  || || ||
|-
| || ''G. R. Geary'' ||  1912 || 1966 ||
* Tug
|-
| [[File:Tugboat G.W. Rogers in Toronto in 1976.jpg|100px]] || ''[[G.W. Rogers]]'' || || ||
|-
| [[File:Tug pushing a barge -i.jpg|100px]] || ''[[Iron Guppy]]'' || 2016 || present || 
* Replaced the ''[[William Rest]]''
|-
| || ''J. C. Stewart'' || 1915|| 1965 ||
* {{convert|71|ft|m}}-long tug
|-
| [[File:The tugboat Kenneth A has seen better days, 2012-03-17 -b.jpg|100px]] || ''Kenneth A.'' || || ||
* A small tugboat 
|-
| [[File:Menier Consol in the keating channel, 2012 07 13 -c.jpg|100px]] || ''Menier Consol'' || 1982 || || 
* Built to transport timber in 1962, converted to a floating drydock.
|-
| [[File:CIAS 2011 - CNE Air Show (6122517256).jpg|100px]] || ''M. R. Kane'' || || ||
*Tug – originally ''Tanac-V246'' and purchased by [[Toronto Drydock Company]]
|-
| [[File:Ned Hanlan 2.jpg|100px]]  || ''[[Ned Hanlan (tugboat)|Ned Hanlan]]'' || 1932 || 1967 ||
* A steam-powered vessel of approximately 200 tons.
* On static display at Hanlan's Point.
|-
| || ''Ned Hanlan II'' || 1966 || ||
* Toronto Parks Department
|-
| || ''Rat'' || 1914 ||  1926 ||
* {{convert|25|ft|m}}-long tug
|-
| [[File:Fireboat Rouille in 1941.jpg|100px]] || [[Rouille (ship, 1929)|''Rouille'']] || 1929 || 1939 ||
* {{convert|100|ft|m}}-long tug
* Served as port tug
* Renamed HMCS ''Rouille'', and assigned to Halifax to serve as a fireboat
|-
| [[File:Toronto fireboat Sora (cropped).jpg|100px]] || ''[[CCGS Sora|Sora]]'' || || || 
* Fire Services boat
|-
| [[File:Fireboat William Lyon Mackenzie -- Toronto.jpg|100px]] || ''[[William Lyon Mackenzie (fireboat)|William Lyon Mackenzie]]'' || 1964 || ||
* Fire Services boat
* Built by Russel Brothers Ltd., Owen Sound, Ontario
|-
| [[File:June 2012 Toronto Harbour Commission Tug William Rest.jpg|100px]] || ''[[William Rest]]'' || 1961{{sfn|LeLievre|2017|p=46}} || 2016 ||
* Built for the [[Toronto Harbour Commission]], now owned by Galcon Marine{{sfn|LeLievre|2017|p=46}}
* Built by Eriau Shipbuilding & Drydock Co. Ltd., Eriau, Ontario
|}

==See also==
{{Portal|Canada}}
*[[SS Noronic]]
*[[Toronto waterway system]]

==References==
{{Reflist |
refs=
<ref name=TorontoStar2012-08-03>
{{cite news 
| url         = https://www.thestar.com/life/food_wine/restaurants/2012/08/03/whats_the_food_like_aboard_three_toronto_harbour_cruise_ships_review.html
| title       = What's the food like aboard three Toronto harbour cruise ships?
| publisher   = [[Toronto Star]]
| website     = www.thestar.com
| first= Amy |last = Pataki
| date        = August 3, 2012
| archive-url  = https://web.archive.org/web/20130625062418/http://www.thestar.com/life/food_wine/restaurants/2012/08/03/whats_the_food_like_aboard_three_toronto_harbour_cruise_ships_review.html
| archive-date = June 25, 2013
| access-date  = October 4, 2014
| quote       = I'm aboard the Jubilee Queen, a faux showboat with a full complement of passengers drawn from the GTA and beyond. 
}}
</ref>
}}

===Bibliography===
* {{cite book |title=Reshaping Toronto's Waterfront |editor1-first=Gene |editor1-last=Desfor |editor2-first=Jennefer |editor2-last=Laidley |isbn=978-1-4426-4027-6 |publisher=University of Toronto Press |year=2011 }}
* {{cite book |title=Toronto in 1810 |last=Hounsom |first=Eric Wilfrid |year=1970 |publisher=Ryerson Press |isbn=0770003117 |location=Toronto, Ontario }}
* {{cite book |title=Know Your Ships 2017 |editor-last=LeLievre |editor-first=Roger |year=2017 |publisher=Marine Publishing Co. Inc. |location=Ann arbour, Michigan |isbn=978-1-891849-22-0 }}
* {{cite book |title=Toronto Harbour – The Passing Years |author=Toronto Harbour Commission Public Affairs Department |publisher=Toronto Harbour Commissioners |location=Toronto, Ontario |year=1985 }}
* {{cite book |title=Reflections of Toronto Harbour |last=Wickson |first=Ted |year=2002 |publisher=Toronto Port Authority |isbn=0973000201 |location=Toronto, Ontario }}

{{Geographic Location
| title  = 
| Northwest = [[Fort York (neighbourhood)|Fort York]]
| North  = [[Harbourfront, Toronto|Harbourfront]] — [[East Bayfront]]
| Northeast = [[Quayside, Toronto|Quayside]]
| East   = [[Port Lands]]
| Southeast = [[Leslie Street Spit]]
| South  = [[Toronto Islands]]
| West   = [[Toronto Islands]]
| Center = Toronto Harbour
}}
{{Toronto}}
{{greatlakes}}

[[Category:Geography of Toronto]]
[[Category:Ports and harbours of Ontario]]
[[Category:Harbourfront, Toronto]]
[[Category:Toronto Islands]]