The Transportation Safety Board of Canada’s report into the 2022 Toronto Island ferry crash details three recommendations and reveals more details into what happened.
On Aug. 20, 2022, the Sam McBride boat, carrying more than 900 passengers on board, left Centre Island toward Toronto’s Jack Layton Ferry Terminal and crashed into the dock.
There were 12 people reported hurt, with five taken to hospital for minor injuries. The report indicated about 20 passengers who were standing on or above the stairs were injured “mainly from losing their footing and falling.”
No one fell into the water, officials said at the time.
The report also said that the ferry had completed eight crossings — six of which were at full capacity. It also said the ferry was behind schedule but that was “not unusual on a busy summer day.” The crash had occurred just after 5 p.m. that day.
“The TSB determined that at the time of the occurrence, the vessel approached the dock faster than it had on earlier trips that day; and that only one of the vessel’s two propellers was turning as it approached the dock,” the report said.
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“Given the vessel’s speed and distance from the dock, one propeller alone was not enough to stop the ferry,” the report continued. “Both engines and their control systems were subsequently examined and found to be in good working order, without indication of a malfunction.”
The investigation also revealed that the City of Toronto did not have “written procedures addressing issues like safe approach speed for docking.” It was up to the masters operating the boat to determine what they deemed appropriate, the TSB report said.
“Without written procedures that defined safe practices for docking, decisions around travel or docking speed may have been influenced by operational pressures.”
The TSB said its investigation found that the crew onboard the Sam McBride were not trained in emergency passenger management because training was not required. They also found the ferry’s evacuation procedures were “unrealistic” as there were only six crew members to manage the 910 passengers.
“As such, had there been an emergency away from shore, the crew and those on board would not have been prepared to respond quickly and effectively,” TSB said.
The report did note since the crash, the City of Toronto increased the size of the Sam McBride’s crew to 13.
The first recommendation is a requirement that crew members of all passenger vessels, including those on sheltered waters voyages, complete appropriate training in passenger safety management.
The second recommendation is to implement a formal validation and approval process for passenger vessel evacuation procedures.
The third recommendation is to implement a process to validate that passenger vessels are keeping an accurate count of all passengers. This includes a separate count of the number of children and infants, on all voyages.
TSB also noted in its report that since the crash, there have also been other additional passenger safety upgrades such as updating the pre-recorded safety briefings, adding additional signage, and warning passengers not to stand on the stairs while the vessel is moving.
The TSB is an independent agency that investigates air, marine, rail and pipeline transportation occurrences with the aim of advancing safety. It does not determine civil or criminal liability.
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