The future of Ontario Place has largely been kept under wraps as the province put the amusement park space, which closed in 2011, up for bids from the private sector.Three companies, including a Quebec outdoor recreation firm and a European spa and water park provider, have been chosen to revitalize Ontario Place after a closed-door bid process that has dragged on for years, sources have told The Globe and Mail.
Taken together, the choice of companies appears to hark back to Ontario Place’s earlier days, offering outdoorsy activities, year-round live entertainment and a more sophisticated take on a water park, with both a beach and spa facilities. “Every time there’s a new minister or a new adviser, we write a nice letter saying ‘welcome and we’d love to talk to you’ … and we’ve yet to hear anything.”
As Premier, Mr. Ford has taken an active interest in Ontario Place. The waterfront has drawn his attention since his days in local politics. Mayor John Tory is also opposed to a casino there. In 2012, before running for mayor, he chaired an advisory committee that urged the province to give part of the site over to condos. In May, Mr. Tory and the rest of city council voted against residential development at Ontario Place.
The documents point to a new line that would terminate near Ontario Place in Mr. Ford’s redrawing of Toronto’s subway plans as a vital transit link. While they say no taxpayer subsidies are on offer, the bid documents also promise that the government will first render Ontario Place – which lacks water and sewage and other services for larger-scale buildings – ready for development.
Hire one to get rid of all the spiders. There’s so many spiders. Far too many spiders.
FriendsOfFord