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Province unveils Ontario Place plan

Redevelopment project will allow year-round usage while maintaining iconic features

FRANCINE KOPUN With files from Rob Ferguson

Three companies will lead the redevelopment of Ontario Place, which will retain many of the features of the old Ontario Place, but offer an expanded selection of year-round events and activities, according to plans revealed Friday by the province.

The Cinesphere and iconic pods will be preserved. So will the marina, Trillium Park and the William G. Davis Trail, which draw thousands of daily visitors in summer.

The new Ontario Place will operate year-round and include pools, waterslides, a botanical garden, eight acres of free park and beaches; a larger redeveloped amphitheatre for year-round live events and an adventure park with obstacle courses, ziplines, climbing walls and rentals for kayaks, canoes and other equipment.

“It will once again be the world-class destination that it was always meant to be,” said Premier Doug Ford, speaking at a press conference held at the decommissioned site on Friday morning.

Ontario Place first opened 50 years ago. It was closed to the public in 2012 after years of financial losses.

The three private companies selected to redevelop the site: Therme Group, Live Nation, and Écorécréo Group are putting up $500 million for their share of the project.

The province will maintain ownership of the land, which will be leased to the private investors.

The projected completion date is 2027-2030.

At its peak, Ontario Place welcomed more than three million people a year. The hope is that the updated Ontario Place will attract seven million people a year.

Lisa MacLeod, Minister of Heritage, Sport Tourism and Culture Industries, said the province is working with the Ontario Science Centre to explore the idea of having science-related tourism and educational programming in the pods and Cinesphere.

The public realm across the site will be enhanced and brought up to modern standards with new parks, promenades, trails and beaches.

Repairs to the Cinesphere and pods are expected to begin later this year, and new work in 2022. MacLeod said the site needs significant soil remediation.

Ford pointed out that the site will be accessible from the proposed new Ontario Line subway, which will stop at nearby Exhibition Place.

The premier dodged a question about what the project will cost taxpayers, saying that the province will bear the majority of the costs not borne by private firms. He compared the potential cost of visiting Ontario Place to spending a day at the zoo.

“These plans put Ontario Place totally out of reach of the ordinary Ontario family,” said Cynthia Wilkey, a spokesperson for Ontario Place for All. She said the average family would have to spend at least $100 to $150 to enjoy the facilities being proposed.

She pointed out that the redevelopment could end up costing taxpayers too much as well, noting that previous estimates put the cost of remediation at the site at $100 million.

Ontario Place is internationally recognized as an example of modernist futurist architecture, and the proposed new plans aren’t a good fit, she added.

“It doesn’t enhance Ontario Place as a point of architectural tourism, which it could be.”

The decommissioned site remains popular with pedestrians and cyclists.

At Queen’s Park, the NDP also said that the province must hold meaningful consultations on the redevelopment.

“Ontario Place is an important heritage site that holds special significance for many Ontarians and its redevelopment must be a project that includes the views, concerns, thoughts and dreams of the owners of this precious spot — the people of Ontario,” said New Democrat MPP Chris Glover (Spadina—Fort York).

“The Ford government has shown a disregard in consulting with communities, here in the neighbourhood or around the province, on changes to this vital public site. Consultations with the public should have happened before decisions were made, not only after. This must change now.”

He said the Cinesphere and Trillium Park are being saved because of advocacy from groups like Ontario Place For All.

Coun. Joe Cressy, who represents the Spadina—Fort York ward where Ontario Place is located, said the fact that the province did not conduct widespread public consultations is unacceptable.

In June, city council endorsed a motion asking the province to hold public meetings on the future of Ontario Place as soon as possible.

“I urge the province to take next steps with active collaboration, engagement, and respect for the valuable lands and crucial public asset that Ontario Place represents,” Cressy said, in a statement released Friday.

Ford said his government did listen to the people.

“They didn’t want a casino, we haven’t put in a casino. They didn’t want condos, we aren’t putting in condos,” said Ford.

He pointed out that the decision to retain the heritage elements of the site and the existing parklands also signal his willingness to listen to what people want.

The project will create more than 3,600 construction jobs and staff positions once the attractions are open, Ford said.

Therme Group operates, and has under development, locations in the U.K., Europe and Asia-Pacific. U.S.-based Live Nation is promising to fully redesign and rebuild the Budweiser Stage at Ontario Place, turning it into a modern, year-round performance venue, with an expanded capacity of 20,000 in the summer and 9,000 in the winter.

Écorécréo Group is the Canadian company behind the popular pirate adventure park Voiles en Voiles in Montreal’s Old Port area.

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2021-07-31T07:00:00.0000000Z

2021-07-31T07:00:00.0000000Z

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