Sheltering Toronto Harbor are the Toronto Islands. Ward’s Island is a unique and historical section on the eastern end of Centre Island in the Toronto Islands. There is ferry service to the Islands, with no paved bridges or roads leading to them. It’s one of the few remaining ‘no car’ communities, allowing only some service vehicles in the community.
Ward Island was named for it’s founder, David Ward, a local fisherman who settled there in about 1830.
The Island has gone through a lot of changes, from a yacht club center, to condemnations and revocations of property leases. After many protests and court suits, the bull dozers were stopped. The remaining residents were allowed a 90 year lease on their property. Even though hundreds of buildings were destroyed, Toronto Island has the oldest structure in Toronto, the Gibraltar Point Lighthouse built in 1808.
I think you’ll enjoy this youtube video as much as I did.