When visitors ask Torontonians where to spend a day, many would tell them to eschew the tried-and-true tourist hot spots and take the ferry over to the Toronto Islands to bask in some seriously idyllic splendour. It’s our go-to spot to escape the grinding, grinning, hand-wringing stresses of life at the centre of the universe.
So, when a fancy-schmancy waterfront revitalization plan designed to mitigate potential flooding of nearby residential areas included the creation of 600-acre Villiers Island at the mouth of the Don River, we took notice. Although there are more studies needed to confirm feasibility, with Mayor John Tory’s support, there is a good chance of creating another island in the city’s near(ish) future.
The Toronto Islands were created by an act of nature but reinforced by clever locals who recognized the area for what it could become. In the 19th century, a peninsula was created by deposits from the erosion of the Scarborough Bluffs.
After a couple of violent storms, an opening in the peninsula was created, between the mainland and the islands, called the Eastern Gap. To the west of it, the Toronto Islands were created, to the east, Fisherman’s Island, now known as Cherry Beach. And with the subsequent creation of the Leslie Street Spit, no further sediment was added. Engineering, some landfill where the airport now sits and further dredging around the islands made the situation somewhat permanent.
In the past, the Toronto Islands — in addition to being the preferred picnicking spot for generations of families — were home to an original amusement park (with a diving horse!) at Hanlan’s, a baseball diamond where Babe Ruth hit his first professional home run, a roller rink and a hotel.
Currently, the Toronto Islands boast the city’s only nudie beach, a haunted lighthouse and, if you ask the right people, a bootlegger or two. It’s also got the cleanest beaches for swimming in the city; a tiny, perfect amusement park complete with historic ferris wheel and carousel; and the best disc golf course going. Who wouldn’t want more of that?