From Wednesday 14 October 2026 to mid-April 2027 the City of Toronto runs just one ferry route, from Jack Layton Ferry Terminal to Ward's Island, with 25 departures a day each way between 06:30 and 23:45. An adult round trip costs $9.57. Vehicle service is suspended until 14 October for dock work; passenger boats are unaffected.
City of Toronto Winter Schedule, 14 October 2026 to mid-April 2027 (same Ward's Island times as the Fall Schedule of 16 September – 13 October); checked 9 October 2026 City of Toronto – Ferry Routes & Schedules · 2026-10-09
The island ferries follow the weather. Through the summer the City of Toronto sends boats from Jack Layton Ferry Terminal to three docks, Centre Island, Hanlan's Point and Ward's Island. The fall timetable that began on 16 September keeps all three, with fewer trips. Then, on 14 October 2026, the winter schedule takes over: Centre Island and Hanlan's Point lose their boats until spring, and only the Ward's Island route runs.
That route is the year-round one, and its timetable does not shrink. From the city, departures run from 06:30 to 23:30; from Ward's, from 06:45 to 23:45, twenty-five each way and the same every day of the week. Boats are half an hour to an hour apart, and through the evening, from 18:30 to 22:30 out of the city, they settle into an hourly rhythm.
A round-trip ticket costs $9.57 for an adult, and it is valid for any island dock. With Centre Island's ferry gone for the winter, the City's own suggestion holds: the walk from Ward's to Centre Island is 2.9 km, about 35 minutes along the island paths.
Every Toronto Island ferry ticket is a round trip: it takes you to any island dock and back from any island dock to Jack Layton Terminal. In winter that simply means out to Ward's and back, but a ticket bought now for spring would let you go out to Centre Island and return from Hanlan's.
Tickets bought at the booth must be used that day. Bought online, they stay valid until 31 December of the year of purchase, and they can be passed on to someone else by forwarding the PDF. No ticket is refundable. Ten or more round trips in one purchase earn a 10% discount.
| Adult, 20 to 64 | $ 9.57 |
| Older adult, 65 and over | $ 6.15 |
| Youth, 15 to 19 | $ 6.15 |
| Junior, 2 to 14 | $ 4.51 |
| Infant, under 2 | Free |
| Adult, 20 to 64 | $ 121.64 |
| Older adult 65+ or youth 15 to 19 | $ 90.74 |
| Junior, 2 to 14 | $ 60.99 |
City of Toronto ferry ticket prices as listed on toronto.ca and in the City's online ticket store, 9 October 2026 City of Toronto – Ferry Ticket & Passenger Information · 2026-10-09
The boats leave the downtown waterfront at the foot of Bay Street and cross Toronto's inner harbour to the islands on its far side. Ward's Island is at the eastern end, Centre Island in the middle and Hanlan's Point at the western end; the City's dock-to-dock walking distances, 2.9 km from Ward's to Centre and 3.9 km from Centre to Hanlan's, give a sense of the scale.
Together the islands make up Toronto Island Park. The City's own page on the park recalls that, long before the ferries, the Mississaugas of the Credit First Nation, among other Indigenous peoples, used these islands for thousands of years as a place to gather, heal and hold ceremonies.
The terminal is not on the street corner itself: from the Queens Quay West and Bay Street intersection it sits about 100 metres south, behind the Westin Harbour Castle hotel. There is no parking of any kind at the terminal, so arrive by TTC, on foot or by bike; the City points drivers to private lots in the area.
Ticket booths take cash, credit cards and Apple or Google Pay. Washrooms are inside the waiting area and just outside the exit gate, west of the booths, and the terminal, its shelters and the ferries are all accessible to wheelchair users.
Ward's is the eastern end of the islands and the only dock served in winter. Its waiting shed stays open and heated through the cold months, with seating on a first-come basis, and public washrooms near Ward's beach remain open year-round.
There are no public cars on the islands, only service and emergency vehicles. From Ward's the City puts the walk to Centre Island at 2.9 km, about 35 minutes, and to Hanlan's Point at 5.4 km, about 70 minutes; in winter those paths are the only way to reach the rest of the park.
Bicycles, strollers, wagons and paddle craft ride on the main deck. Bike Share Toronto bikes are not allowed on board: dock one at the terminal and pick up another on the island. E-bikes go at staff discretion, and must be switched off.
Dogs and other pets are welcome on board and in the waiting area as long as they stay leashed and attended.
Electric scooters and motorcycles, open alcohol, fuel or propane, fireworks and weapons are all refused at boarding. Staff may check bags visually under the Transport Canada security rules.
The City warns that the island can be colder than the city in its October-to-April winter season. Bring layers, a hat and gloves; outdoor water fountains are shut for the winter, though the washrooms have water.
The City is replacing its ferry fleet with two new all-electric boats, backed by new charging infrastructure. Until they enter service the route uses the existing vessels; the City lists the Sam McBride, the William Inglis and the Thomas Rennie as the ones with washrooms on the main deck.
For another Ontario crossing in the last weeks of its season, the Chi-Cheemaun ferry links Tobermory with Manitoulin Island. In Vancouver, the SeaBus is the closest equivalent to a commuter harbour ferry, run as part of the transit system rather than by the city.
Only the Ward's Island route, from 14 October 2026 to mid-April 2027. Centre Island and Hanlan's Point have no ferry until the spring schedule starts.
The final boat back leaves Ward's at 23:45, seven days a week. Going out, the last departure from Jack Layton Terminal is the 23:30.
Round trips cost $9.57 per adult aged 20 to 64, $4.51 per child aged 2 to 14, $6.15 for youths 15 to 19 and seniors, and nothing for children under 2.
Only if you bought it online: those tickets are valid until 31 December of the year of purchase. Tickets bought at the terminal are for that day only.
No. The City says the terminal has no parking; use transit, walk, cycle, or a third-party lot nearby.
Take the Ward's Island boat and walk: the City gives 2.9 km and about 35 minutes from Ward's dock to Centre Island.
Vehicle service is suspended from 2 to 14 October 2026 for dock work at Jack Layton Terminal. Even when it runs, only commercial and emergency vehicles are allowed on the islands; private cars are not.