Francine Kopun

A City of Toronto ferry enters the marine exclusion zone, crashes into the @BBishopAirport dockwall at the end of the runway, and City staff don't alert @PortsToronto. If the accident had happened even 30 minutes earlier (while BBTCA in operation), a commercial airliner might have hit the top of the vessel. "The MEZ is well-known to sailors in the harbour and is clearly demarcated. The ferries are tall enough that if a plane took off while a tall boat was in the MEZ, it could result in a collision...'the mast is high enough that yes, a plane would hit it. There’s no question. That’s why you have those outer marker buoys. You’re not supposed to go inside those buoys,' said Smith." "Capt. Saqib Irfan [eventually] agreed to give [a seasonal employee] command of the vessel" post-crash. 61 days lost summer service, $500k in repairs - all of which was suppressed by City Hall. City told taxpayers to charter private water taxis for the annual Dragon Boat Race Festival, w/o disclosing why the ferry was out of service. RT @KopunF What happened on a Toronto ferry the night it hit Billy Bishop airport property thestar.com/news/gta/what-ha… via @torontostar #topoli