Jack Layton Ferry Terminal

Little ferry terminal located in downtown Toronto. You get the ferries to the Toronto Islands from here. The lines can get quite long, so get here early, or take the ferries in the morning or evening. The waiting area and terminal itself is nothing extraordinary. It’s extremely small, and there’s no place to buy food, the bathrooms are gross, and no wi-​fi. Compared to ferry terminals I’ve been to and seen in other major cities (such as in NYC), this one was lacking.

Make sure you watch the lines before you line up as some lines are long for no good reason. The cash lines move fast and get you in so get ready to pay cash. The cost is $ 7/​adult. The cost is for a round trip.
The Ferry itself is clean, quick and efficient and provides a good view of Toronto Skyline. There are lot of people with their bikes and dogs but you can still find seating. The ride isn’t long so even standing should not be a problem.

You’ll find this place directly behind the Westin Harbour Castle — the lines on weekends can be long, but they move surprisingly quickly. Fare is $ 7 for adults, $ 4.50 for students under 19 (and they ALWAYS will check ID, so even if you’re age-​ambiguous, it’s not going to work unless you’re legit).
The ferry ride can get quite chilly on the top deck, so a jacket is highly, highly recommended. Get in fast so you can take up a prime railing spot at the bow — otherwise, hordes of Asian tourists taking selfies with their ‘selfie rods’ will obstruct your view.
Try to head to the stairs somewhat before you dock up, otherwise it’ll be quite a while before you get off the boat. You can bring bikes on board, but they have to remain on the first deck.

If you think you’re going to use the ferry a lot over the summer or I guess if you live on the island, you can save 10% on the fee by buying a book of 10 trips. As I usually only make a trip once, this isn’t useful for me.
I’m not sure what the history is for naming the ferry terminal after old Jack. It seems like this was done very recently. Not sure if the city wanted something dedicated to him or if he had something to do with the ferry during his political career.
The way the terminal works is that you line up in the big line on the sidewalk with everyone else. However, if you bring cash and are smart enough to not just jump in a line as soon as you see one, you can walk past the giant line to the cash only line and save yourself a boring wait while you miss a ferry or two that you easily could have been on had you not been a sheep like the rest of the population going to the island.