Centreville, Deserted

A few years ago on a crisp, early Spring day, I crossed the Toronto Harbour and visited the Toronto Islands – Centre Island to be exact. I was curious to see how quiet things might be prior to the imminent mass invasion of families and kids from the city.

I wandered through Centreville, the children’s amusement park, marvelling at how deserted it was. I did not see another soul in Centreville that afternoon; it was kind of eerie with no one around, but I enjoyed it:

Centreville was built as part of a master plan to convert the Toronto Islands’ land usage from cottage residences to recreational uses. The park replaced the old Sunnyside Amusement Park, which closed in 1955, as well as Hanlan’s Point Amusement Park, which closed in the 1930s to make way for the Toronto Island Airport. The park opened in 1967.

The park originally had seven rides and has expanded over the years, adding one or two rides a year. The park’s buildings have a 1900s turn-of-the-century village theme:

Rough Times: Floods and COVID-19

Due to flooding of many areas of the Toronto Islands, Centreville did not open in May 2017. It reopened on July 31, 2017, but three rides were unable to operate: the swan ride, bumper boat ride (due to high water levels) and the train ride (because of flood damage to the tracks). Mosquitos carrying the West Nile virus had been found on the islands but the Toronto Public Health department said that with certain precautions, visitors should not be concerned.

A Park spokesman said that the loss in revenue was CA$8 million due to the flood, and the cost of repairs was estimated at CA$6 million.

In 2020, Centreville and nearby Far Enough Farm were closed for the entire 2020 season due to the global COVID-19 pandemic. Both Centreville and Far Enough Farm opened 7 days a week for the 2021 season from July 9, until September 6, 2021. This was two months later than originally planned because of earlier COVID-19 pandemic restrictions.

During that 2021 season, Centreville installed fencing and gates around the amusement park area and charged grounds admission fees. Individual ride tickets were not made available for that operating season and only all-day ride passes were offered for anyone going on the amusement rides. All ticket sales moved online as well and needed to be purchased in advance. The park also implemented COVID-19 screening on all visitors and reduced capacity limits.

Centreville: Post-COVID

On a more uplifting note, business appears to be back to normal at Centreville. The marketing plug on their website reads:

With more than 30 rides and attractions and 14 mouth-watering food outlets, Centre Island’s iconic Centreville Amusement Park is the ultimate summer destination for families with young children!

Surrounded by 600 acres of gorgeous parkland and just across the harbour from the City of Toronto, you and your family can spin yourself silly in the Twirling Tea Cups, take a plunge in the Log Flume or bounce around in Bumper Boats and Bumper Cars – plus don’t forget to ride our Antique Carousel!

The Toronto Island Park is operated by the City of Toronto and open year round. Centreville Amusement Park is located within the Park and operated by William Beasley Enterprises Ltd.; it is open seasonally between May and September.

Tickets and passes for the Centreville Amusement Park can be purchased online or at the front gates.