Mayor wants to rename ferry terminal after Jack Layton
Posted May 31, 2012 9:50 am.
This article is more than 5 years old.
Mayor Rob Ford wants to rename the Toronto Island Ferry Terminal in honour of late NDP leader and former city councillor Jack Layton.
The mayor’s recommendation is expected to go before council on June 6 or 7.
“Jack sat next to me in Council when I was first elected, and he taught me a lot about politics,” Ford said in a statement Thursday. “Renaming the Toronto Island Ferry Terminal in memory of Jack is a fitting tribute. Not only did he represent waterfront communities during his career as an elected representative, but he was also a great supporter of the Island Public School and helped save Island residents’ homes.”
Ford also wants the city to waive the two-year waiting period required in the honourific and street naming policy in this case. The name change process to Jack Layton Ferry Terminal will begin once it’s approved by council.
A committee of councillors has been working with the Layton family to decide on a fitting tribute. They unanimously agreed the ferry terminal was the most appropriate honour.
Layton died of cancer last August. He served on city council for many years after first being elected in 1982. He won the NDP leadership in 2003 and made historic gains in the last federal election when the party claimed official Opposition status for the first time in its history.
Layton’s son Mike, a current city councillor, and his widow, NDP MP Olivia Chow, said they’re pleased he’ll now be connected to a spot that is the source of fond family memories for so many.
“I thank Mayor Ford and Councillors McConnell, Fletcher, Kelly and Nunziata for suggesting such a suitable and great honour to my father’s memory,” Mike Layton said.
Chow expressed her thanks to Ford for the gesture.
“About 1.4 million Torontonians gather at the ferry docks each year to travel to the Islands to enjoy their beauty and tranquility,” she said. “Our family shared many beautiful and special times there, so we are very grateful to Mayor Ford and his staff for this tribute.”
