I didn't mean to suggest that everyone would get their groceries by ferrying over to the mainland.
I would contemplate a grocery store and/or butchers/ farmer's markets etc.
on the island.
I was suggesting that you could have the back end of the grocer up against the water and just send the stuff over by boat/ferry etc. You could even ferry the trailer of a tractor trailer over, and just position it to directly offload into the store (without it ever having to drive on the island itself).
Though, I hasten to add I don't see the island as that isolated currently or that difficult to get groceries to and from.
Right now you hop a ferry (fairly frequent service, sunrise to midnight) you get off, you go over to Loblaws or Queen's Quay, grab 2 bags, walk back to the ferry your home and done. Big deal.
Most downtown residents walk 10-25 min to their store of choice and then walk the groceries back home, they typically shop 2-3 times a week which keeps the load per trip light, on their way home from work or school.
No reason that can't work just fine. Keep in mind there is a ferry in place @ Bathurst now; and Loblaws has proposed a store @ Bathurst & Lakeshore.
That said, I was meaning for their to be a grocery store in any development.
Just not a fleet of local delivery vans etc.