Toronto Islands residents have always been the informal caretakers of the land, watching over the park when the rest of us are back in the city. Right now a committee of 11 of them from both Ward’s and Algonquin islands, the two village-like enclaves there, want to make the Ward’s Island ferry dock more welcoming.

“We watch visitors struggle when they come over here,” says Pam Mazza, one of the advocates behind the renewal initiative. “Increasing numbers of people are coming over, even in winter.”

Last year there was a design competition to redevelop the Jack Layton Ferry Terminal on the mainland, but the three island counterparts were not included.

Mazza points out that the Toronto Islands is No.1 on Tripadvisor’s “Things to do in Toronto” list, but for such a top tourist draw the welcome mat on the island is rather shabby and for seven months of the year, between October and April, all island ferry traffic goes through the Ward’s dock.

Upon disembarking there’s a hodgepodge of signage that is confusing and bike racks are arranged “higgledy-piggledy” under shelters that are too small. Recently, forbidding steel fences were erected around the ferry dock, though those are due to federal Transport Canada MARSEC rules.

“We’re working on the premise that no idea is too wild or crazy,” says Mazza.

Two Saturdays ago they convened a meeting that attracted 35 people to come up with ideas for improving the area around issues that include: the unattractive nature of the dock, lack of information, limited facilities such as washrooms, pedestrians mixing with vehicles and poor bicycle storage. Though the islands are technically car free, there are a fair amount of commercial vehicles that come through too.

The 1916 Waiting Shed has potential to be part of the improved dock area, a historic building with two old pianos in rough shape but playable inside. “One woman says she comes over on the ferry just to play the Colonial piano,” says Kathleen Doody, another committee member. “Only the Colonial.”

Refurbishing the Waiting Shed with the city’s help could make it a landmark. Though there’s no money for refurbishment yet, city officials are supportive of the proposal and have worked with islanders in the past to great success.

Just south of the dock is Willow Square, adjacent to the Ward’s Island clubhouse, where a busy cafe is open in the warmer months. In what was previously an unattractive space, a pebble mosaic with the image of a willow tree was created, representing the intertwined Ward’s and Algonquin communities. Surrounded by paving stones, benches and gardens, it’s a welcoming place now.

“It was done in co-operation with the city,” says Doody. “No monetary support but they helped us out, moving the mosaics”

Along one end of Willow Square is a landing stage that dates to 1911. Once welcoming boat passengers along the island’s eastern passage, it was rusting in a scrap heap. The city provided professional support, hired heritage architects and managed the project. Today it has been refurbished and outfitted with benches — a bit of island history brought back to life.

The relationship between islanders and the Parks Department wasn’t always so cordial; for years there was tension between the two after the latter’s attempt to bulldoze the two communities was halted in the early 1970s.

“Ferry operators were told not to speak to island residents,” recalls Mazza, an Algonquin Island resident for 45 years.

New generations of civil servants have changed all that and the rest of us benefit from the co-operation. Some have always begrudged the presence of people living in the island park, but their presence means there’s life there 24 hours a day, all year long and a built-in advocacy group for Toronto’s premier public space.

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And for now, people to help visitors find their way once they arrive.