Toronto’s Executive Committee to hear report calling for ban of motorized watercraft off Woodbine Beach
By ALAN SHACKLETON
An update on plans to ban motorized watercraft within 150 metres of Woodbine Beach this summer will be heard by members of the City of Toronto’s Executive Committee on Wednesday, April 15.
The summer ban on motorized watercraft will also include Humber Bay Shores in Etobicoke and Hanlan’s Point Beach at the Toronto Islands.
The Toronto Personal Watercraft Safety Plan will be presented at Wednesday’s Executive Committee, with the recommendation to go ahead with the banning of motorized watercraft within 150 metres of the Woodbine Beach, Humber Bay Shores and Hanlan’s Point Beach areas. A particular focus of the report will also be on the illegal renting of personal watercraft (jet skis) by unlicenced businesses in those areas.
The issue came to the forefront last summer at Woodbine and other city beaches due to numerous incidents of unsafe operations of the jet skis and the proliferation of businesses and individuals renting out the machines without licences to do so and without permission to be on city property.
Last July, in reaction to numerous complaints and safety concerns, Beaches-East York Councillor Brad Bradford was able to have Toronto Council approve a 150-metre ban on motorized watercraft off Woodbine Beach and plans were made to make sure similar rules would be in place for this coming summer.
A number of levels of government and authorities hold jurisdiction over Toronto’s waterfront, depending on whether activities are taking place on the land or the water.
The Toronto Port Authority (TPA) will be requested by the city to implement the proposed Motorized Watercraft Exclusion Zone bylaws at Hanlan’s Point Beach, Humber Bay Shores, and Woodbine Beach for this summer, and the report to be heard on Wednesday will also be requesting the TPA continue to do so for the 2027 and future summer seasons.
The report is also recommending Toronto Council “request the Director, Waterfront Secretariat, in consultation with the General Manager, Parks and Recreation, Executive Director, Municipal Licensing and Standards, Toronto Police Service Marine Unit and other City officials as required, to finalize requested boundaries and submit an application to Transport Canada to establish a Vessel Operation Restriction Regulations” prohibiting power- driven vessels and vessels driven by electric propulsion in the waters off Marie Curtis Park, Humber Bay Park, and Bluffer’s Park Beach.
Also being recommended is that the Toronto police Marine Unit increase enforcement along the shores of city beaches, including Woodbine Beach where the 150-metre ban is expected to be implemented, this summer.
While the above recommendations deal with what’s happening on the water, the city is also expected to crack down on those illegally renting or operating jet ski rental businesses without a licence on city property.
At a virtual meeting on March 16 hosted by Toronto Parks and Recreation to discuss the personal watercraft safety plan, it was made clear that the city intends to take a much more robust approach on dealing with illegal operators and trespassers on public property.
Ryan Facciolo, Supervisor, Complex Case Enforcement Team, Municipal Licensing and Standards with the City of Toronto, told the March 16 meeting that the city’s approach to illegal rental operators will be changing for this summer.
“Our approaches are evolving and are changing…The enforcement initiatives in 2026 will be very different, the repercussions will be much more significant,” said Facciolo.
“I don’t want to say it in a threatening way but what I’m saying is if you’re putting your vessels into the water from a park, you’re potentially costing yourself an enormous amount of money and a difficult time in 2026.”
The owner of one jet ski rental company told the March 16 meeting that the demand for renting the machines is huge and his business and others already have numerous bookings for this summer.
He said enforcement alone will not solve the problem of illegal renters or dangerous operation of the jet skis.
“The demand is massive and that demand is not going anywhere,” he said. “The public needs a proper, safe option to actually do this safely. If it’s only enforcement, the demand is just going to move underground and enforcement’s going to be 20 times harder.”
For more information on the Toronto Personal Watercraft Safety Plan to be presented to the Executive Committee on Wednesday, go to https://secure.toronto.ca/council/agenda-item.do?item=2026.EX30.2
