Toronto Wants You to Name Its New Electric Ferries. Here Are Your 13 Options.

Toronto Wants You to Name Its New Electric Ferries. Here Are Your 13 Options.

The City of Toronto is running a public vote to name two new all-electric ferries, the first new vessels to join the Island fleet in more than 60 years. Voting is open now at haveyoursay.toronto.ca/FerryNaming and closes April 6 at 11:59 p.m.

The ferries are currently under construction at a Damen shipyard in Romania, designed by Quebec City firm Concept Naval. The first is a year-round vehicle-and-passenger ferry with ice-breaking capability, expected to arrive in late 2026. It'll replace the Ongiara, which dates back to 1963 and carries just 220 passengers and 10 cars. The new version triples that: up to 1,300 passengers without vehicles, or roughly 615 passengers with 14 vehicles on board.

The second ferry, passenger-only, is scheduled for early 2027 and will replace the William Inglis, which was built in 1935, making it 91 years old this year. Its replacement also carries up to 1,300 passengers, more than triple the Inglis's 395-person capacity. Both vessels will undergo months of commissioning, crew training, and lake trials before entering service, so expect them on the water by spring 2027 at the earliest.

The shortlist

A committee of city staff and community partners produced 13 names. All are non-commemorative, meaning none are named after people. The themes are nature, geography, and movement:

  • Bluebell II – After the wildflowers on the Islands (and a nod to the original Bluebell, a paddle steamer that ran from 1906 to 1955)

  • Blue Current – Water currents plus electric energy

  • Cloudbreaker – The ferry cutting through harbour sky reflections

  • Discovery VI – Exploration across the harbour

  • Great Lake Dancer – The motion of Lake Ontario

  • Harbourlight III – Skyline and harbour lights

  • Harbour Passage – The ferry connection between the waterfront and the islands

  • Harbour Swan – Swans in the harbour, quiet movement

  • Island Chickadee – The birds on the Islands

  • Island Willow – Willow trees along Island pathways

  • Lady of the Quays – Toronto's waterfront quays

  • Toronto Islander – The connection between residents and the Islands

  • Water Strider – The insect that glides across water

If you're wondering why the city went with a shortlist instead of open submissions, the UK tried that in 2016 for a polar research ship. The internet picked "Boaty McBoatface." Officials overruled it. Toronto is not taking that chance.

How to vote

Go to haveyoursay.toronto.ca/FerryNaming. You'll need to create an account if you don't already have one on the Have Your Say Toronto platform. Deadline is April 6, 2026 at 11:59 p.m. Winners will be announced later this spring.

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