Toronto’s Ontario Place waterfront park creates warm and fuzzy emotions and recalls memories of childhood among many. So the prospect of redevelopment of the park, plans that allegedly include a casino that Ontario Premier Doug Ford wants, is stirring opposition from those who love the park the way it is.
Jill Martin. 64, told Toronto News that she met her husband of 42 years there and it was there that he asked her to “go steady.” The couple has returned many times.
“It was a place growing up, when we were dating and later had children, that we could go and afford,” she said. “It was a place that was unique and different — and perhaps, where dreams were made.”
She added, “It was supposed to be an open-air place for people in the city to get a bit of nature. That’s how I think it should be kept…. I’m not against reconstruction, but I am definitely a proponent for a family-friendly or people-friendly place, and not just for people coming from out of town to do some big-wheel spending.”
Premier Ford previously pushed for a casino complex there when he served on the city council of Toronto. Although the government has asked for proposals for the park area, many residents feel Ford already is leaning to finally get his way on the land.
The park was closed in 2012 due to a tight budget and the government said attendance had fallen from 2.5 million annually in 1971 to about 300,000.
University of North Carolina architecture professor Jeff Balmer is gathering petitions on an online petition asking the government to preserve the existing buildings on Ontario Place, something he calls “striking and culturally significant.”
The government says it won’t accept proposals that require government grants or capital investments from the province. Despite the rumors, Ford has said he wants to keep the park “family friendly.” He added, “We’re working with the stakeholders, we’re working with our partners and I think we’re going to do something just incredible. But we aren’t moving forward with anything without proper consultation with all stakeholders.”
The premier added, “The existing Ontario Place buildings, including the Cinesphere, pods, and the archipelago of small interconnected islands are a significant landmark of 20th century architecture in Canada.”
