What to know
- NDP MPP Chris Glover says the Ford government quietly added a clause to its fall economic statement that could let the province fold Exhibition Place into the Ontario Place redevelopment.
- City officials say the move should be challenged.
- Residents voiced frustration, arguing the province shouldn’t be able to seize city land without public consultation.
- The province denies any takeover plans, calling the clause a “back stop measure” to help advance the Ontario Place rebuild.
City residents and officials are reacting to an NDP MPP accusing the Ontario government of planning to take over Toronto’s Exhibition Place to rebuild Ontario Place.
In a video posted to social media On Thursday, NDP MPP Chris Glover, who represents Toronto’s Spadina-Fort York riding, said his office uncovered that Premier Doug Ford’s government has added a provision in its fall economic statement, which would allow the province to add properties to its Ontario Place project.
According to the MPP, this provision would put Exhibition Place under Bill 68, Plan to Protect Ontario Act’s amendments to Rebuilding Ontario Place Act (ROPA), which he said “would allow the government, just like they did at Ontario Place, basically to break any provincial or municipal law that they want, including heritage laws, environmental laws, labour laws.”
Highlighting the importance of Exhibition Place to Toronto and Ontario, including hosting long-running events, such as the CNE and the Royal Winter Fair, Glover urged residents to spread the word about the news in order to stop the move.
“We’ve got to stop the seizure of our Exhibition Place. We’ve got to keep it in public hands, in the City of Toronto’s hands,” he added.
Glover was not the only city official to bring attention to the alleged move. City Councillor Josh Matlow, who represents Ward 12 Toronto—St. Paul shared a screenshot of the fall economic statement on his social media on Thursday, with the caption: “Is the Ford government about to grab City land at the Exhibition to support their Ontario Place privatization scheme?”
Meanwhile, other officials have been coming forward with concerns about the move.
On Friday, Deputy Mayor and Ward 10 Spadina—Fort York CouncillorAusma Malik released a statement saying residents have been raising attention to the move.
Revealing that the inclusion plans were previously unknown by the city, Malik said the city is still “working to understand” what this would mean for the property.
“Exhibition Place is City property and any unilateral Provincial moves to seize it must be challenged,” she added.
In a similar video to Glover, NDP MPP for Toronto Centre, Kristyn Wong-Tam, also shared concerns about the project, raising awareness of the move and asking the public to spread the word and stop the provincial government from taking over.
“We need to do everything we can to stop the Ford government from seizing Exhibition Place. We’ve gotta keep it in public hands.”
Earlier this year, Ford unveiled his final plans for the new Ontario Place project, which he hopes will be completed by 2029. The plans include a controversial Theme megaspa, which is under investigation, after the New York Times found that the developer may have misrepresented itself before signing a 95-year lease with the province.
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In response to concerns over Exhibition Place, Minister of Tourism, Culture and Gaming Stan Cho’s office denied the provincial government will take over the property.
“To be clear, we are not taking over Exhibition Place. These legislative amendments are intended to be a back stop measure for all authorities in partnership to work together to rebuild Ontario Place in a timely manner,” his office told CP24.
TORONTONIANS REACT
In response to the allegations, many residents are raising concerns over the potential plan.
“This is a city-owned property, so he shouldn’t be able to take it away from Toronto,” one person said on TikTok.
“Nobody asked for this. This is something we should have a say in,” another person said.
“I’m gonna reach out to my MPP about this. Who else can we reach out to to help stop this?” a different person asked.
