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I am very happy to
report that Toronto now has an officially clothing-optional beach!
Toronto City Council, after a two hour debate this morning (which is
pretty short given how long-winded some of those councillors can be),
approved a one-year pilot project with a 41 to 9 majority vote. This
lovely beach on Toronto
Island Park has been underutilised for years; now we will see a
dramatic upswing in popularity, I'm sure!
Lawyer and legal scholar Peter Simm, who just happens to be TNT!MEN's Secretary, was the main reason this proposal was approved so swiftly and with so few objections. His excellent report, Enhance Toronto Tourism and Recreation: Restore Clothing-Optional Status to Hanlan's Point Beach was distributed to all members of council some weeks ago. It was clear from the comments made by the few objectors that they hadn't actually read this report. He addresses all of the remotely rational concerns with a balanced and fact-based approach, and gives evidence to support his claim that a clothing-optional beach can be a great tourist draw.
This is a pilot project only; it will be reviewed at the
end of this year, and at that time Council will decide whether or not
to proceed with a permanent clothing-optional designation for Hanlan's
Point.
How do you get there? You have to take the ferry from the mainland. You'll find the ferry docks at the south end of Bay Street, on Queens Quay West. Walked south around the Harbour Castle hotel. The ferry costs $5 return for adults, $2 for kids/seniors. Take the Hanlan's Point ferry at gate four.
The Hanlan's Point ferries leave every 30 minutes at quarter after and quarter to the hour (:15 and :45). (The city has a web site with ferry schedules (here) but that hasn't been updated since 1997 and it's wrong, so just ignore it.)
Once you land on the island, follow the roadway. You'll see a fence
to your right; on the other side of that is the Island Airport. A few
hundred metres south, the fence will end, and you will see a pathway
opening up in the trees to the west. This sandy path leads directly to
the nude part of Hanlan's Point beach. The city will be installing
signs to mark the boundaries of the beach, so you won't have any
trouble finding it once those signs are up. There is a good chance
that the signs will be up by May 24th for the long weekend.
Of course, this is a clothing-optional beach, so not everyone will get naked. But don't worry; they may be too shy the first few times, but eventually they will relax enough to join in.
This is a great victory for nudists everywhere, and especially for Peter Simm and TNT!MEN. You can look forward to seeing us there a lot this summer!