City's only clothing-optional beach to get wider berth from motorized boats, jet skis
Toronto's only clothing-optional beach on Hanlan's Point will have a no-go zone for motorized watercraft this boating season.
The city pilot project, banning jet skis, powerboats and sailboats from within 200 metres of the shoreline, begins this month at Hanlan's Point Beach — one of the Toronto Islands beaches. The zone is meant to enhance safety and improve experiences for the beachgoers, says a news release from PortsToronto.
'Too often, the beach's clothing-optional status is misunderstood or abused, with some treating it as a place where anything goes,' undermining the 'respectful, low-key culture the beach depends on,' Friends of Hanlan's community group said in a statement welcoming the new 200-metre zone.
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Launched in a partnership with the City of Toronto, PortsToronto and the Toronto Police Services marine unit, the motorized watercraft exclusion area will extend into Lake Ontario from the west-facing beach. It is also intended provide a safe area for those using nonmotorized boats like kayaks, canoes and paddleboards.
Buoys will be installed this month and the police marine unit will patrol the area throughout the season, according to the PortsToronto release.
The city has also implemented a reduced noise zone extending 400 metres from the shore to encourage boaters to keep things at 'respectful levels,' since sound carries farther over water, the release explains.
'These measures were shaped by two years of advocacy and research into best practices from other cities, and we're pleased to see them moving ahead,' reads the Friends of Hanlan's statement.
The group said that since 2015, nearby music festivals, an increase in boat traffic and 'the pandemic-era boom in private watercraft have altered the beach's atmosphere.'
As well, 'leisure boaters who raft up close to shore, blast music, and treat the space like a party zone' have become a problem, they said, adding that illegal party charters have also become an issue. 'Hanlan's is not just a beach — it's a civic space built on freedom, respect, and tradition.'
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'I am glad this plan is moving forward to keep the waters and all users at Hanlan's beach safe,' said local Coun. Ausma Malik (Spadina—Fort York) in a statement on Saturday.
'As a critical gathering place for the 2SLGBTQIA+ community for over 80 years, it is important to me that people can access and enjoy Hanlan's safely,' said Malik, who raised a motion last year requesting city staff work with PortsToronto and Toronto police on the exclusion zone.
Malik said 'many people who use Hanlan's felt unsafe from disruptive activity from the large number of boats near the beach.'
Hanlan's Point Beach is one of the oldest clothing-optional beaches in the world since its designation in the 1890s, according to the Friends of Hanlan's statement.
By the late 1930s, the group says the beach had 'quietly become a gathering place for Toronto's queer community,' and in 1971 it was the site of Canada's first Pride celebration. 'Today, it remains Canada's oldest surviving queer space.'
This Matters
Why Hanlan's Point is important to Toronto history
Seen for decades as an 2SLGBTQ+-friendly space, Hanlan's Point was the site of Canada's first
Malik said feedback on the zone excluding motorized watercraft will be gathered by PortsToronto and the city over the next several months. A public survey by the city will be available online throughout the summer, and comments can also be submitted via email.
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