Plans are underway for a future temporary site of the beloved Island Café that was destroyed by fire in March. According to the Island Café proposal, the temporary café will serve visitors to the park as well as the Island Community, and will likely operate until the future Ward’s Island Clubhouse is in place.
The temporary site is within the footprint of the patio that the original Island Café leased from the City for the past few years. The total area leased will be about 2004 square feet, and contain a toilet trailer (with three toilets), outdoor seating (about 40 seats), two wooden kiosks (kiosk 1 will offer coffee, baked goods, sandwiches, and salads; kiosk 2 will serve ice cream and cold drinks), two small steel shipping containers, and an indoor space shipping container (with a kitchen, counter service area, accessible washroom and indoor seating for approximately 30 people).
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The Toronto Island Community Association held an open house last month to provide more information about their plans, and although dozens attended to show their support for the reconstruction, some residents were concerned that plans were moving forward with little to no community consultation.
As first reported by the Toronto Star, some feel that the café’s expansion throughout the years has placed pressure on local services, as it brought more traffic, noise, washroom demands, and litter to the community — and the island can receive as much as 20,000 on a busy summer day.
“I think some of that friction is really misplaced by the island community,” Zorah Freeman-McIntyre, co-owner of the Island Café, told the publication, “because instead of thinking about themselves as people that are lucky to live in the park, they think…it’s lucky for people to be able to come and use their park.
“They won’t say that as clearly as I’ve just said it,” Freeman-McIntyre, added. “But their comments made it clear that that’s what their thinking is.”
In an email to the Star, Ausma Malik, who is deputy mayor and councillor for Ward 10, Spadina–Fort York, said that “work is ongoing” to ensure that there is improvement in communications and better engagement on plans, and that considerations of the location and activity are addressed as the process moves forward.
In the meantime, Toronto Water is working with the Café to arrange sewage and water hookups (via a hydro mast between the main structure of the site and the hydro pole at Lenore and Willow), which could delay the opening, but organizers are aiming for an Aug. 1 opening date.
The Star added that the agreement with the city is for three months (although the lease for the temporary café can be extended). It will end once the Ward’s Island Clubhouse (which could house the café permanently) is rebuilt.
Prior to the devastating fire, the Clubhouse was a staple of the Toronto Islands and home to the Ward’s Island Association and the Island Café. It was built in the late 1930s, and throughout the years, has been host to everything from weddings, anniversaries, and birthday parties, to meetings, seminars, and picnics.
