Voices from the Island

"Most people join our tours because they're genuinely curious about what it's like to live here. They often think that the Island is a cottage country for vacationers. They don't realize that we live here all year round.

Last year, we enjoyed giving a tour to a conference of Greenlanders. It was fascinating learning about Greenland, including the fact that they don't own the land their homes are built on, like ours. We're part of a land trust, so we can't buy and sell our homes on an open market. Our homes sell for much less than they would if they were in the city. Most Islanders don't want to give up their homes on the Island. We're allowed to give our homes to a spouse or to a child. We're not here for the investment. We're here because we really want to live here. But it's not easy.

There's no takeout or local doctor. There's no grocery store. And once visitors hear about the many steps involved in getting a new fridge over, they're less enchanted!

One of the things that makes us a bit different from most island communities or small towns though is that we're so connected to the city and so many of us work in the city. Our lives aren't restricted to the Island. Something that Susan and I have in common is that we both make a real effort to keep going into the city. Your world can really shrink, otherwise."

- Linda Rosenbaum

"The nice thing about the commute is that even if there's been a disagreement at a community meeting, you still have to get on the boat and sit down next to the person you disagreed with. We have to maintain a basic civility at least, something we're losing in the North American culture. It's not as if you like everybody just because you're one big community. But you learn to live with people. And we rely on each other.

I don't think there's a day that goes by that I don't watch the sun come up over the spit and feel thankful to live here."

- Susan Roy

"I already knew a lot of the Island community through the farmer's market. Many of them bought food from me. I even met my partner at the market.

When I first moved to the Island, I recognized people on the ferry from the food they would buy: there's 'tofu lady' and there's 'the tandoori chicken guy.' I eventually got to know their real names.

It's a close community. There's no grocery store, so when you run out of something you just call a neighbour or walk over to their house. 'Does anyone have a lemon? Does anyone have any ginger?' We also have an e-group. It's a very informal method of getting what you need in a pinch.

I like the idea of community. I've always sought to forge communities. When our clubhouse burned down this summer and we all gathered together, there was this unity that bound us because everyone was mourning a space that we'd all spent time in. Some people were baptized here. Others were married here.

I've always been in communities based on some sort of political motivations and this is a community based on geographical location, but there is something really wonderful about how we all come together.

We have this really large tree in front of our house and shortly after I moved here, I noticed that neighbours had gathered around the tree.

I stepped outside to see that one of the branches had become a migration point for all the monarch butterflies. And all of a sudden there were hundreds of Monarch butterflies. Nature just drew us all in and everyone ended up pulling up chairs and sitting under the tree in the late afternoon August sun.

This scene kind of synthesizes the magic of the Island."

- Nupur Gogia

"There was a creative thread that ran through my childhood. As kids, we were always putting on plays and playing games that involved dressing up. For many years, we had talent nights on the Island. I was surrounded by artists.

Islanders like to celebrate pagan holidays such as Equinox. We build bonfires and sing songs. For Easter, we have a big egg hunt in the meadow with hand-painted eggs. It's a special time.

Having grown up in a big park, because that's what the Island is, I definitely feel a kinship with nature. My mother always said she was raising free-run children. We just knew to come home when the street lights came on.

I'm not a religious person, but the Island is my spiritual realm. It's just so peaceful here. Winter has its logistical challenges but COVID improved our delivery system and we now have many more resources. The last couple of winters have been dark, but over here I feel like I receive a lot more light. I have the trees and the beach and the lake. I also have a wonderful community. I can easily call up a neighbour and say, 'Hey, do you have milk?'

Our neighbours to the east of us were like surrogate grandparents. Their grandsons now own the house. The Island has quite an aging population, but we're also seeing a resurgence of young people. I have friends of all ages here. And I have a life in the city, too. It's so easy to move between the two worlds. I am grateful for that.

Most people come to the Island to look at the city because it's such a beautiful cityscape when you see it from this side. But when I step on the ferry, I'm so excited to see the view of the Island. A weight lifts and I feel so far away from the city even though it's so close."

- Kate Lawler Dean

"When you grow up on an island, you learn to be resourceful. And you have to make do. We are very lucky to live in such a tight-knit community.

After the fire, we definitely felt buoyed by the community here. Messages of support came from Island community members, cafe regulars from the downtown core and friends of the cafe from all over the world. It was very moving.

On an island where you don't have as wide a pool of friends as you would do in the city, you learn to get along. You respect one another and your shared experience. I'm a parent now so I recognize what a unique childhood I had with full reign to bike, run and explore the park. The only rule was that we weren't allowed to go into the water alone.

There is one school on the Island and it goes up to grade six. I went to inner-city schools after that. As a teenager, I loved that I lived on this beautiful parkland and that a concert in downtown Toronto was only a seven-minute boat ride away. I moved away for several. years, and now my wife and I and our two children live between our family's Island home and our home in downtown Toronto. My four-year-old son definitely knows that the tether is much longer when he is on the Island.

My only criticism of the Island is that there are a lot of people who are unwelcoming to outsiders. They complain about the noise and the garbage. There's an entitlement that I don't think is fair. I think it's a problematic aspect of our community given that we're a community in a park. People might say that I'm biased because I make my living off the tourist trade, but I feel that we're extremely lucky to be here and that it's a park that should be shared with everyone."

- Zorah Freeman-McIntyre