Politicians and a local community group are speaking out after Premier Doug Ford released the final design plans for Ontario Place, which will include a newly-announced massive parking structure.
On Tuesday, Ford joined Minister of Infrastructure Kinga Surma and Minister of Tourism, Culture and Gaming Stan Cho to reveal the final plans for the theme park.
The announcement included a full map with the new layout, showing amenities such as the new Ontario Science Centre, beaches and access to Lake Ontario, a children’s playground, and a Live Nation concert venue.
“You can just imagine people strolling along the shore line at sunset, enjoying stunning beaches and wet lands, canoeing, boating, kayaking along our beautiful waters, and taking in concerts, markets and festivals. This is going to be spectacular, something this country’s never seen,” Ford told reporters outside of Ontario Place in Toronto on Tuesday.
@nowtoronto #Ontario Premier Doug Ford has unveiled the final designs for #OntarioPlace, but many Torontonians are still not convinced by the plans. What do you think of the new map? #Toronto ♬ original sound – Now Toronto
The new Ontario Place plans also include a Therme megaspa, which has been surrounded by controversy after the New York Times revealed its developer had been misrepresenting itself, prompting the government to launch an investigation into the company.
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During the announcement on Tuesday, Ford also revealed a new above-ground parking structure with capacity for 3,500 vehicles, which will be located next to a big and colourful ‘Ontario Place’ sign.
Besides being larger than originally anticipated, the premier said the $400-million parking lot will be “blended into the surrounding area” and barely noticeable.
“It’s going to be beautiful. We’re going to have a berm at the front, you’ll barely even see a parking lot…This is great news,” he said.
LOCAL ORGANIZATION, POLITICIANS RAISE CONCERNS
After the new plans were unveiled, opposition party leaders and a local group began voicing their concerns about the project.
Grassroots organization Ontario Place for All, which advocates for the land to be accessible for everyone, says the garage parking lot creates a barrier between the city and the lake.
“On the surface, the new renderings Premier Doug Ford and his government released [on Tuesday] show a glossy idyllic public Ontario Place, but the stark reality is that the press conference was staged to announce a new enormous lakeside parking garage that will cost the taxpayers $400 million, block the waterfront and cut it off,” Ontario Place for All Co-Chair Ann Elisabeth Samson said in a statement.
The group, however, does acknowledge that the parking lot is part of the original requirement in the Therme lease contract that demands the province to provide at least 1,600 parking spaces within 650 metres of the spa’s entrance. Failure to meet this requirement would result in a $5 per parking space fee to the developer, according to Ontario Place for All.
Ontario Greens Leader Mike Schreiner also spoke out against the parking structure, calling the final designs “nonsensical.”
“The Ford government has bulldozed a cherished urban forest and now plans to replace it with a massive $400 million parking garage – all to serve a luxury spa that Ontarians never asked for,” he said in an email statement.
According to the leader, the new structure could incite more vehicle traffic in the area, increasing congestion in the downtown core, and doesn’t make much sense, considering Ontario Place’s proximity to Exhibition GO Station and the future Ontario Line.
“Ford’s deal with Therme locked the province into this deeply flawed plan, and now the people of Ontario are paying the price. This is not revitalization. It is a reckless misuse of public land and a waste of money,” Schreiner added.
Ontario Place for All is also speaking out against the province maintaining the Therme megaspa in the area, given that many residents seem to not support the idea.
“This government continues to come up with plans in secret and impose them on the people of Ontario and the city of Toronto without meaningful public consultation or co-creation…If this plan is so great, then why must it all be done without accountability and transparency? We can do better than this,” Samson added.
Meanwhile, NDP Leader Marit Stiles raised concerns about the plans on social media, accusing Ford of using public money as a “piggy bank” for the project.
“The Premier said that how Therme gets their money for the spa at Ontario Place is none of his business. $2.2 billion of your money, $400 per household, is going into this vanity project. I think it’s time to make it the Premier’s business. Your hard earned money is not his personal piggy bank,” she wrote on X on Tuesday.
On Wednesday, Liberal Leader Bonnie Crombie also spoke out against the redevelopment, raising concerns about its $2.2 billion budget.
“That’s all you’re getting for a $2.2B price tag. [The Liberal Party] will fight for your public spaces,” she said on X.
