PortsToronto’s “Duckling Docks” Make a Splash in Toronto Harbour

Today, PortsToronto crews deployed eight Duckling Docks in the Toronto Harbour at the Portland, York, and Yonge slips. This year’s Duckling Docks were hand-painted by students at the Waterfront School and the Waterfront Neighbourhood Centre, providing a vibrant, colourful welcome for ducklings needing a safe place to rest along the Toronto Waterfront.

This initiative, which began in 2021, was driven by concerns about the lack of safe resting spots for ducklings along the waterfront. The Duckling Docks, designed in consultation with the Toronto Wildlife Centre, provide an accessible resting platform for young ducklings still developing their waterproof down. The duckling season typically runs until mid-July.

Each dock is a wooden platform, 12-inches wide and six-feet long, and securely fastened to an existing floating dock or dock wall. The design includes a beveled edge and a textured surface, making it easier for both ducklings and adult ducks to climb aboard safely.

What makes these docks even more unique is that they were hand-painted with creative designs by the students at Waterfront School and the Waterfront Neighbourhood Centre before they were installed. These bold and colourful designs ensure the docks are easily visible and not mistaken for debris and removed.

Five years ago we received an email from a local kayaker that baby ducklings were drowning in the harbour. PortsToronto worked with Toronto Wildlife Centre to inform a duckling dock design that would address the problem by providing a safe place for the ducklings to rest. Today these docks are one of our favourite waterfront community initiatives, and are an example of how small ideas can make a big difference. We are thrilled to deploy the docks again this year and are especially appreciative of the students at the Waterfront School and Waterfront Neighbourhood Centre who transformed the docks into pieces of floating public art. These docks not only offer ducklings a safe place to rest but also bring colour and creativity to the slips where they are deployed.