Neighbours walking and talking along the wide concrete deck of the quay

Volunteers

Friends of Love Quay.

Nobody's job. Everybody's place. Keep it beautiful.

Why we exist

If we don't do it, it doesn't get done.

The City of Toronto does not own or maintain LoveQuay. There is no crew coming to empty a bin, sweep the deck, or clear the shoreline.

So the people who swim here, walk here, and watch the sun go down from here formed the Friends of Love Quay: a volunteer group that turns up, picks up, and keeps an eye on the state of the place.

It isn't complicated work. It's a bag, a pair of gloves, and an hour. The point is that somebody does it, regularly, and that nobody has to be asked.

A bag of collected litter and scattered rubbish gathered at the shoreline during a cleanup
One bag, one visit.
Broken concrete and washed-up litter along the rubble edge of the quay
What the wind brings in.

What we do

Four jobs, over and over.

Litter pickups

Along the deck, down the rubble edge, and wherever the wind has piled things up.

Keeping watch

Noting broken deck, failing edges, and anything unsafe near the ladders and entry point.

Clearing the water

Pulling out debris that washes up against the wall where people get in and out.

Telling people

Passing on what regulars know about conditions, ice, and where not to go in.

The whole rule

Keep it
beautiful.

Take out more than you brought in. Leave the deck the way you'd want to find it. If something's broken, say so. That's the entire constitution.

Lend a hand

You're already qualified.

There's no membership, no sign-up sheet, and no meeting. There's a pier that needs looking after.

  • Bring a bag. Fill it on your way back down the pier. That alone, done by enough people, is most of the work.
  • Come to a cleanup. We gather at the LOVE installation at the east end and work west. Gloves and bags provided.
  • Report what's broken. Cracked deck, an unsafe edge, a damaged ladder — photograph it and let us know where it is.
  • Bring someone new. Show them the ladders, tell them the rules, and point them at the safety notes before they get in.

Cleanup dates and contact

Add your cleanup schedule and a contact address here — an email, a group chat link, or a social account — so people have somewhere to reply to.

Read the safety notes