“It just seems indifferent to what people want downtown, and it’s our neighborhood after all,” Duane Rollins said. “This seems like another plan to take away space, livable space that we already have so little demand for down here.” The rendering, which details what the decommissioned waterfront park will look like, was released by the province last week. It is currently being evaluated by Waterfront Toronto’s design review committee, which will weigh in on recommendations and reach a decision early next year. According to the plan, which is still in the design and approval stage, construction on the site will move from west to east, and will take about 10 years to complete. The west island will house the water park with a retractable roof, and a huge indoor spa is expected to be built in 2024 to 2025. An artist rendering provided by Therme of the Ontario Place landmark vision. (Submitted by Therme Group) The reopened venue is expected to boost the city’s economy and is predicted to welcome five million visitors a year, in addition to creating 3,600 new jobs. Rollins says the renewal will attract people from out of town, but that’s not what the locals are asking for. “Whether I’m cycling or running or walking down there, I really enjoy it. I have childhood memories of being down there … it’s just a really nice piece of nature in the middle of the city.” Last year, three companies were selected by the province for the redevelopment, including Austrian company Therme — which specializes in water parks and spas — and Quebec outdoor recreation company Écorécréo. The third company, Live Nation, already operates existing music venues on site. The 155-acre waterfront attraction first opened in 1971, but closed in 2012 after years of declining attendance. An illustration showing a bird’s-eye view of the new Ontario Place. (Ontario’s Infrastructure Brochure) Seven areas are slated to undergo construction or redesign as part of the massive project: the recreation, wellness and waterpark attraction area, renovated pods and Cinesphere, marina, year-round entertainment complex, outdoor adventure zone, Trillium Park and programming and events zone. In July 2021, the province said the site’s most iconic features and green space would be preserved. At the time, the province noted it would retain many of Ontario Place’s “key heritage and entertainment features,” including the Cinesphere, pod complex, marina, Trillium Park and the William G. Davis Trail. “The Therme was selected from an international competition and our design will make Ontario Place a destination for all Ontarians again. We are creating a new public park, larger than Trillium Park, with spaces for people to walk, run, bike and swim,” a spokesperson for Therme Canada said in an email to CBC Toronto. “It will be a huge draw for families and people across Ontario, and tourists to Toronto. And with our commitment to local arts and community programming, Ontario Place will be a showcase for Ontario with something for everyone to enjoy, just as it was when it opened more than 50 years ago.”
“Not for everyday Torontonians”
While reviews and public consultations are ongoing, city planner and mayoral candidate Gil Penalosa says the current plans present equity and accessibility issues. It pushes to excite attraction. “What the province is thinking about now is something that’s completely insular, completely exclusive, only for rich people, not for everyday Torontonians,” Penalosa told CBC Toronto. “The same park could be north of the freeway or in the Exhibition Place parking lot. The waterfront doesn’t add or take anything away from the province’s proposal.” Waterfront for people. Urgent need to stop the privatization of Ontario Place in the West AND the movie studio boxes in the East. Disastrously anti-urban, anti-popular. Therme’s spa & Studios are welcome, NOT waterfront. pic.twitter.com/SP0R6SU1bO α> —@Penalosa_G The development application will be submitted to the City of Toronto in October while the municipal election is underway. It will then go to the next council in autumn 2023. “This is public land. That means it belongs to all of us, to all citizens. So we have to do what is good for all citizens. And we urgently need more space, more green spaces, more free areas,” added Penalosa. City planner and mayoral candidate Gil Penalosa, the founder of the Canadian non-profit 8-80 Cities, says the current plans for Ontario Place “are not for everyday Torontonians.” (Kimberley Molina/CBC) CBC Toronto reached out to Infrastructure Ontario but did not receive a response in time for publication. Dan Nicholson, director of community planning with the City of Toronto, said one of the top priorities for the municipality is waterfront access and he will engage in community feedback when the development application is before the municipality. In addition to the Ontario Place redesign, Nicholson said all infrastructure also needs to be replaced at the site after further assessments are done. “Everything is worn out. Everything needs to be replaced,” Nicholson said. “This is a very comprehensive redevelopment plan that will take some time to unfold. We’ll probably have two or three years of just infrastructure on site once the plans move forward before anything starts happening.”
