PortsToronto wants to tighten the screws on partygoers who sail on Lake Ontario by asking captains of cruise ships and pleasure boats to reduce their speed and the noise they emit. These are measures deemed necessary by several residents at the water’s edge.
At a public meeting last week, several residents, elected politicians and representatives from PortsToronto (New window)the government agency that manages the safety of maritime navigation in the port made up of representatives from the federal, provincial and city spoke about the issues.
Toronto Harbor Master Mike Riehl attended. He says he recognizes that the noise and speed of boats disrupt the well-being of residents.
He wants to speak directly to boat captains to remind them of the speed and noise limits. PortsToronto is also planning the installation of speed limit markers and a speeding awareness blitz this summer.
We will go with the Toronto police marine Unit to stop all the boats that are traveling too fast. This will be an opportunity to make captains aware of the impact that speed and noise can have on their surroundings.
Harbourfront resident Angelo Bertolas calls this education work essential, especially given the increase in boats being used.
The situation is getting worse
he said. There is a real lack of respect for speed limits on the water and this can create very dangerous situations for kayakers and sailboats, who cannot move as quickly.
The very high volume of music broadcast on board boats is also a problem which deserves the attention of law enforcement, according to him.
People who live in condo towers on the waterfront hear this music playing very late at night and it keeps them from sleeping.
deplores Mr. Bertolas, who is also the president of the York Quay Neighborhood Association (York Quay Neighborhood Association, free translation).
We understand that these people have the right to be on the water but this should not harm the well-being of residents of the Harboufront district.
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Harbourfront resident Angelo Bertolas says boat noise disrupts his well-being and that of residents he knows.
Photo: Submitted by Angelo Bertolas
Torontonian Ingrid Buday is the founder of the group No More Noise Toronto (New window) and lives on the waterfront, in the west of the city. Even several kilometers from the Habourfront district, she also claims to hear and feel the vibrations of the music of the revelers on the boats.
Bass frequencies can travel extremely far and directly penetrate buildings so that people living there hear and feel them. It’s really unpleasant.
Same observation from the office of the municipal councilor of Ward 10 Spadina-Fort York. Ausma Malik says she receives many complaints from waterfront residents.
Residents are increasingly noticing motorized water vehicles exceeding speed limits. This is concerning because it can lead to dangerous situations
she wrote in an email to Radio-Canada.
Regulations that lack teeth, according to some residents
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Ingrid Buday, founder of the group No More Noise Toronto, believes the measures proposed by PortsToronto are not enough to reduce boat noise and speed.
Photo: Submitted by Ingrid Buday
Ms. Buday was also present during the public meeting with PortsToronto last week.
She says she is happy that the organization wants to tackle the problem of boat noise and speed, but she believes that the proposed measures are insufficient.
PortsToronto said its staff will go on boats if the music is too loud to ask partygoers to turn down the volume. But what is stopping these people from turning up the volume as soon as the police officers have left?
she asks.
She also believes that the fines imposed for this type of behavior are not severe enough to encourage people to stop it.
According to Toronto police, boats cannot exceed a speed of 10 kilometers per hour at a distance of 150 meters from the water’s edge. For internal and external ports, they must respect a speed of 19 kilometers per hour.
For violations, the Toronto Police Marine Unit can impose a fine of up to $400.
Intervening in cases of violations or imposing such minimal fines will not have a significant impact
fears Ingrid Buday.
Regarding the volume of music played on board boats, the captain of a vessel is prohibited from emitting or allowing noise exceeding 85 decibels to be heard 15 meters from the Source of the noise.
Here again, Ms. Buday believes that the regulations are not rigorous enough, in particular because there is no curfew for the use of music on boats.
Mike Riehl says he understands these kinds of concerns. He maintains, however, that revelers disobeying the rules can receive higher fines after committing more than three offenses, and also lose their boating licenses.
A lack of inspection personnel
The other issue, according to Ingrid Buday, is that the Toronto police marine unit lacks personnel to adequately monitor the boats.
Currently, the marine unit tries to deploy three boats in the harbor during the summer, but often can only deploy two because it has to respond to emergencies in cities, says Riehl of PortsToronto.
Ingrid Buday hopes that the workforce will eventually be increased.
The amount of people owning boats has increased in recent years, but the level of inspection has not kept pace. It takes resources to enforce the laws.
Same story for Mr. Bertolas, who believes that this issue has an impact on the quality of life of residents and recalls that the waterfront sector is a shared space.
