Doors Open Toronto Press Release - Waterfront BIA

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASEVISIT DOORS OPEN ON TORONTO’S WATERFRONT – MAY 25 & 26SEE THE TORONTO ON THE WATER PHOTO EXHIBIT IN QUEEN’S QUAY TERMINALToronto, Ontario – March 20, 2013 – Doors Open on Toronto’s Waterfront presented by The Waterfront BIA is partof the 14 th Annual Doors Open Toronto presented by Great Gulf Homes, produced by the City of Toronto on May 25and 26. NEW this year, tour the Toronto Police Marine Unit, and the William Lyon Mackenzie Fire Boat at theToronto Fire and Marine Station 334. The Toronto Harbour Commission building will be open to the public andQueen’s Quay Terminal will feature Toronto on the Water, a FREE exhibit of archival photographs showcasing thehistory of Toronto’s waterfront. Vessels from Great Lakes Schooner Company, Jubilee Cruise Lines, MariposaCruises, Nautical Adventures and Toronto Brigantine will be open to the public for FREE deck tours. Visitwww.waterfrontbia.com for more information.Heading into its 14th year, Doors Open Toronto features more than 135 architecturally, historically, culturally andsocially significant buildings that highlight the amazingly diverse, skilled and talented people and organizations thatmake Toronto a city of "Creators, Makers and Innovators!" Toronto was the first North American city to launch a DoorsOpen event and has attracted more than two million visitors since it began. Visit www.toronto.ca/doorsopen for moreinformation.“Toronto’s Waterfront has played an important role in the city’s development,” states Carol Jolly, Executive Director,The Waterfront BIA. “Through Doors Open on Toronto’s Waterfront, visitors can see and experience theexcitement of the Waterfront. Tour the Toronto Police Marine Unit, the William Lyon MacKenzie Fireboat at theToronto Fire and Marine Station and the 15 ships docked along the water’s edge. Take an historical journey ofToronto on the Water through a unique photo exhibit in Queen’s Quay Terminal featuring over 100 archival images.”Special thanks to the Toronto Port Authority and Queen’s Quay Terminal for their partnership in Doors Open onToronto’s Waterfront.NEW IN 2013 – TOUR THE TORONTO POLICE MARINE UNIT!Doors Open on Toronto’s Waterfront offers the public a unique opportunity to tour the Toronto Police Marine Unit(259 Queens Quay West) and see the 16 vessel fleet that is used in various rescue and response calls on Toronto’smany waterways.The fleet’s largest boat weighs 15 tonnes and can be used as a command post or by divers because of its easilylowered tailgate. The next largest vessel is a mass disaster boat suitable for rough water conditions and major callsinvolving multiple victims such as plane crashes. This vessel has four life rafts at its rear, each of which can hold 75people.The fleet also includes four rigid hull inflatable boats, three small life guard vessels, two personal watercrafts which areused in smaller and shallower areas as needed, a large all-purpose, four diesel-powered aluminum hike boat which isoften used for search and rescue operations to pump water out of sinking boats or extinguish boat fires and a circa1939 mahogany vessel designed especially for use in Lake Ontario. This "VIP" boat, the last remaining of its kind onceused by the old Toronto Harbour Police, is still used today to transport dignitaries on the lake for special occasions.

The Toronto Police Marine Unit staffs 38 Constables, 9 Sergeants, 2 Staff Sergeants, 1 Unit Commander, 4Mechanics, 2 Crew Hands, and 1 Civilian, totalling 57 personnel and is the largest command, encompassingapproximately 460 square miles of open water on Lake Ontario from the Etobicoke creek (Peel Region) to Rouge River(Durham Region) and extending 13 nautical miles to the US/Canada border. The Toronto Police Marine Unit isresponsible for all waterways within Toronto and has 3 sub-stations located at Bluffers Park, Centre Island and HumberBay Park, which all are used for police and lifeguard functions.NEW IN 2013 – TOUR THE WILLIAM LYON MACKENZIE FIREBOAT – TORONTO FIRE & MARINE STATION 334!Named for Toronto’s first mayor, the William Lyon Mackenzie Fireboat was built in 1964 by Russel Brothers Shipyardin Owen Sound, Ontario to provide marine fire protection, search and rescue on Lake Ontario, as well as ice breakingcapabilities for Toronto’s ferries and the Islands. The Fireboat is docked at Toronto Fire & Marine Station 334 (339Queen’s Quay West) and operates 12 months a year.The Fireboat is 24 metres long and weighs approximately 150 tonnes with a Caterpillar Diesel engine producing 3,000horsepower to achieve a top speed of 22 kilometres per hour. The vessel has a modified Tugboat hull and five tonnecrane as well as five water nozzles that can pump 50,000 litres of water a minute. The vessel is also equipped withradar, echo sounder, radio and daytime accommodation for the off-duty shift. In 2004, the vessel completed a $1million refurbishment that will extend the in-service life by approximately 30 years.TORONTO ON THE WATER, THE EXHIBIT RETURNS TO QUEEN’S QUAY TERMINALVisitors to Queen’s Quay Terminal can trace the visually stunning waterfront history through Toronto on the Water, aphoto exhibit that features over 100 archival images on loan courtesy of Toronto Star Archives, Toronto PortAuthority, City of Toronto Archives and Queen’s Quay Terminal. The exhibit will launch at Doors Open Torontoand will remain on display throughout the main level of Queen’s Quay Terminal until Labour Day. Admission is FREE.Relive memories of Toronto’s vibrant waterfront at Toronto on the Water. See images of ferries docked in TorontoHarbour (1910, Toronto Star Archives); Sunnyside Amusement Park was a popular summertime attraction until 1955when it was demolished to make way for the Gardiner Expressway (c.1925, Toronto Star Archives); Centre Island'sGibraltar Point Lighthouse, built 136 years ago at what was then the water's edge, is the city's oldest stone buildingand the oldest lighthouse on the Great Lakes, sand buildup over time has set it back about 100 metres inland. (1945,Toronto Star Archives); Toronto Island firefighters (1946, Toronto Star Archives) and the flying boat, the Santa Maria,of the U.S. and Cuban mail service, with the Toronto Harbour Commission building in the background (1921, TorontoPort Authority).Toronto’s rich history comes alive before your eyes at Toronto on the Water!Queen’s Quay Terminal was originally a cold storage warehouse facility. The Terminal Warehouse, built in 1926 byMoores and Dunford (NYC) was later converted to a condo/mall complex in 1983. The Terminal Warehouse was thefirst poured concrete building in Canada and one of the largest buildings in the country. The project architects, ZeidlerRoberts Associates of Toronto were respectful of the essential design character of the building and its references to ArtDeco were carefully maintained during all the alterations. The New York Times called it an example of successfulrevitalization efforts in Toronto during the 1980’s.THE TORONTO HARBOUR COMMISSION BUILDINGDesigned as the Toronto Harbour Commissioners headquarters and occupied by its successor, the Toronto PortAuthority, the Toronto Harbour Commission building is a fine example of Beaux-Arts Classicist architecture. Thebuilding was started in 1917 and completed in 1918. The spandrels are all embossed with "1917" on the building'sexterior, however. The building is constructed of concrete and faced primarily with Indiana limestone, with Queenstonlimestone around the bottom. It was designed by noted Toronto architect Alfred Chapman and built out into the harbourbefore infill later moved the water’s edge several hundred metres south. It is noted for its exterior details, such asCorinthian columns and spandrels, as well as its beautiful, original walnut-paneled boardroom and marbledentranceway. The Toronto Harbour Commission building is open to the public on Saturday only.

GANGWAYS OPEN! EXPERIENCE THE WATERFRONT’S MOST DISTINCTIVE SHIPSThe charter boat business is one of the main tourism attractions at the Toronto Waterfront and has a rich history. The15 participating ships will open their doors (and their gangways!) for FREE public dockside tours. The ships along thedock walls will be open for viewing from 10am to 5pm, subject to availability.Great Lakes Schooner Company Fleet:Great Lakes Schooner Company fleet includes Challenge, Kajama, and Obsession III.Challenge is a stunning 96-foot, three mast clipper schooner modeled after the original 1852 ship built in Cleveland,Ohio, and was constructed as a school vessel in 1980 by the Kanter Yacht Company in Port Stanley, Ontario.She sailed from 1980 to 1982 as a passenger vessel on Lake Erie and Lake Ontario, and also in the Virgin Islandsbefore being refitted in 1984 by her original builders. Carefully preserving the traditions and designs of the past, herseven sails are set in the unique tradition of a Grand Banks Schooner, with her three masts of equal height, all steppedon the deck at different levels.Kajama, an historic 165-foot three-masted gaff-rigged schooner, was originally launched in Rendsburg, Germany asthe Wilfrid in 1930, and has undergone an ambitious restoration that has returned the ship to her former glory. Familiarin ports from Northwestern Spain, through Western Europe, and as far north as Norway and Russia, Kajama had along and successful career as a cargo carrying sailing ship. She represents one of the few remaining and highlysuccessful Nobiskrug coastal trading schooners known for their efficiency and profitability. Kajama boasts over 7,000square feet of sail, a large unobstructed deck, and a grand staircase leading to the below deck dining room.Obsession III is a 78-foot motor yacht. She has been on Toronto’s waterfront since 1993 after she went through acomplete rebuild from the former vessel M.V Mystique. Mystique was originally built in 1967 in New Orleans by HalterMarine Services. Obsession III is now located on Toronto’s waterfront. One of the most talked about features onObsession III is her fully retractable roof.Jubilee Cruise Lines Fleet:Jubilee Cruise Lines fleet includes the Jubilee Queen and the Ste. Marie.Launched in 1986, the Jubilee Queen is Canada's largest river showboat and is a replica of a luxury sternwheeler thatsailed the waters in centuries past. The Jubilee Queen was built in New Brunswick and sailed into Toronto in 1988 viathe Hudson River canal systems. At 110 feet and over 269 tonnes she has provided smooth sailing along the Torontoskyline for more than 500,000 passengers. The newly renovated open air dance floor is one of the largest that you'llfind on any of the Toronto ships. Dance the night away or just enjoy unparallel views of the Toronto Skyline and Islandchannels.The Ste. Marie was initially built as a small fishing vessel operating out of Sault Sainte Marie. Her keel was laid in 1964with registration in Midland, Ontario, operating in the fishing industry until refit as a tour boat in 1986. The Ste. Mariewas relocated to the Toronto waterfront in 1994 following modifications that lengthened the boat by 25 feet. A secondfloor open observation deck was built to permit fabulous unrestricted viewing while providing shelter from sun or rain.With her open bow and upper observation deck, along with her cozy interior forward cabin, she has become a verypopular tour and small group charter vessel.Mariposa Cruises Fleet:Established in 1987 with the purchase of the Mariposa Belle, Mariposa Cruises’ fleet now includes seven cruise shipssituated in the Toronto Harbourfront: Captain Matthew Flinders, Klancy II, Mariposa Belle, Northern Spirit, Oriole,Rosemary and Showboat.The Captain Matthew Flinders is the flagship of the Mariposa fleet. Built in 1984 in Port Adelaide, Australia, the 144-foot luxury ship arrived in Toronto in 1989 and boasts the largest passenger capacity (575 people) in Toronto. The shipis named after famous navigator Captain Matthew Flinders (1774-1814), and in 1995, it sailed to Florida and operatedas a floating casino. Since returning to Toronto, the ship has been outfitted with new engines and was fully renovated

About Doors Open Toronto:Doors Open Toronto has attracted more than two million visitors since it began. Toronto was the first North Americancity to launch a Doors Open event and has advised similar programs like Doors Open Ontario and Open House NewYork. Doors Open Toronto is presented by Great Gulf Homes, produced by the City of Toronto. Media sponsors:Toronto Star, Citytv and OMNI Television. Please visit www.toronto.ca/doorsopen/ to see the roster of buildings.About The Waterfront BIA:A stone's throw from Toronto's downtown and financial core, The Waterfront BIA encompasses the exciting heart ofthe City's central waterfront with Lake Ontario and the Toronto Islands forming a spectacular backdrop for the area'scountless attractions. Stay in one of our relaxing hotels, The Westin Harbour Castle or Radisson Admiral Hotel, take ina dynamic theatrical performance, wander through our galleries and studios or attend one of the vibrant culturalfestivals year-round. Stroll Queen’s Quay Terminal and visit our many unique shops, then enjoy a delicious dinner atone of our fabulous restaurants. Looking for recreation? Play in the parks, stroll the revitalized promenades, skate onthe outdoor rink, rent a bicycle, canoe, kayak, sailboat or power boat. Indulge in a cruise on one of our fine chartervessels and enjoy Toronto's spectacular city skyline from the water. There is no end to the activity on the Waterfront!– 30–For additional information or interview requests, please contact:Peter Ashworth / Ashley Lloyd, Ashworth Associates Public Relations, 416-603-6005peter@ashworthassociates.com / ashley@ashworthassociates.com