Most sports have a term called “unforced error” and this applies to a player’s failure rather than the skill or effort of their opponent.

The City of Toronto is in a league of its own for causing unforced errors: think FIFA contract and vacant home tax reporting, to name a few. Unfortunately, the taxpayers continue to be responsible for these failures. Let’s hope there isn’t another one in the making with the purchase of the two new electric ferries that will shuttle people to and from Toronto Island.

Toronto City Council is set to consider the procurement of two new electric ferry vessels to service the Toronto Islands. Over the past four years, the cost of the two ferries has skyrocketed from $25 million to $92 million. The reason, we are told, is that the original price was for diesel-powered ferries, and the city has now decided to purchase electric ferries in the name of the environment. As a result, the terminal will need to be renovated to support the electrification of the new fleet. This additional cost is not included in the report, nor is the expense to send parks staff to Romania for training on the new vessels. 

The good news is that the new ferries can carry more people: one ferry will increase capacity from 220 to 650 and the other from 309 to 1,300 passengers, which will reduce wait times for the 1.4 million annual passengers.

City councillors have rightly raised eyebrows about the cost escalation and have acknowledged that the parks and recreation staff doesn’t have specific expertise regarding the purchase of ferries since it hasn’t been done in decades. In the name of good governance, a new oversight body will be established to ensure the ferries are delivered on time and on budget. 

However, not having expertise is no excuse for not doing research. While it is true that our parks and recreation staff may not have expertise purchasing ferries, we are a country surrounded by three oceans so there is expertise to draw upon. 

BC Ferries announced just a few months ago that they would be purchasing four electric ferries at a cost of $50 million with an additional $40 million allocated for electrification of the terminal.  These ferries have capacity for 390 passengers in cars. What is even more notable is that the announcement also included built-in guarantees into the contract for delivery dates, performance criteria, cost certainty and quality of construction. 

Interestingly, the City of Toronto ferries and the BC Ferries will be manufactured by the same company, Damen Shipyards, but the City of Toronto is paying more at a time when the mayor is crying poor. Even if the city buys smaller ferries but can get more of them, it will improve the overall wait time for passengers. It may also mean that city staff won’t have to go to Romania to learn how to drive a ferry the size of a small cruise ship for the 2.5-kilometre distance to the Island.

Hopefully the city can be saved from itself so maybe the taxpayers won’t have to pay for another unforced error.