The proposal came from April Engelberg, candidate for Spadina-Fort York.
“I talked to a lot of people while I was working on the campaign and what I noticed is that people’s first priority is access to the park,” he told CTV News Toronto by phone.
“Since Rail Deck Park is not happening as originally envisioned because the city does not own the air rights, and since Ontario Place is being redeveloped in a way that favors the private sector … this is an opportunity for Toronto to make available the huge, larger public park to all Torontonians for free.”
The idea would be to build a 250m pedestrian and cycle bridge connecting Ward Island to the Port Lands.
TORONTO CITY COUNCIL’S BIG CAMPAIGN ANNOUNCEMENT:
I support a pedestrian bike lift bridge to the Toronto Islands! All Torontonians deserve free access to our ward’s largest public park. It is practical. It’s possible. It’s a priority. 1/5 #TOpoli #ONpoli pic.twitter.com/0D6kEaM83C — April Engelberg (@AprilEngelberg) September 6, 2022 Engelberg says a pedestrian could walk the bridge in a minute or two, while a cyclist could cross in that time. The bridge will also have the ability to lift and allow large ships or trucks to pass through the area. Engelberg says she has done a lot of research to make sure the proposal is possible and estimates the infrastructure could cost between $10 million and $15 million, depending on the level of governments that submit. As it stands now, residents who want to visit the islands must take a ferry across Lake Ontario at a cost of about $9 for a round-trip adult. “Our ferry system is old, expensive and slow,” Engelberg said, adding that Torontonians should be able to access the islands for free. “This is the fairest use of the green space that the city actually owns.” Toronto’s municipal elections are scheduled to be held on October 24.
