toast_and_tea said:
"Provincial sources have suggested the favourite in the running is a proposal from Therme Group, an Austria-based developer of glass-encased “wellness resorts” with real palm trees surrounding pools, saunas, indoor beaches and water slides."

That sounds, and looks, horrific.
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TY for sharing; but send it back please!
 
It's not inherently bad, but the enclosed nature of their spa resorts (if it's what they want here) essentially means the appearance of a solid, hermetic mass, which goes against the original porous, pavillion-like arrangement of Ontario Place, while likely retaining the flaws of being a destination attraction detached from the rest of the city. Closest comparison I would imagine would be Hotel X in the Ex- a former open space was subsumed into private hotel grounds.

I think that any winning proposal should transform Ontario Place from a destination into a year-round multi-use community- possibly including office/community space in the pods, and a redevelopment of the parking lots to include residential uses.

Therme project in Manchester- public accessible space is relegated to the periphery:
_111161955_spa.jpg

Therme, which refused the Star’s request for comment, appears to have mounted the fiercest lobbying effort, flying over the CEO and hiring local powerhouse lobbying firm StrategyCorp as well as highly connected lobbyist Amir Remtulla.

A surprising amount of its firepower was aimed at city hall, politicians, city staff and Exhibition Place officials, none of whom officially have any say in Ontario Place redevelopment. The city does control access points to Ontario Place
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The June-September 2019 call for proposals required participants to sign confidentiality agreements. As well as Therme, proposals came from a group headed by Ken Tanenbaum, vice-chair of Kilmer Group that developed the Athlete’s Village for the 2015 Pan-Am Games, and from entertainment and technology firm Camillion Corp. led by Carl Demarco, former president of WWE Canada.
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“We need to bring a whole bunch of complementary uses and activities that really maintains public access and access to the water’s edge,” he said.

“The 5.5 million people a year who are already landing there — we need to give them a reason to come early and stay later,” while improving the area for residents of neighbourhoods that have grown up near the sites, Tanenbaum said.

If Therme uses only part of Ontario Place, that would leave room on both sides of Lake Shore Boulevard for his proposal or others, he added.

“If the province wants to give the nod to Therme for (Ontario Place’s) west island, I think that’s potentially a great use as long its not a ‘stand-alone’ and everything else is left status quo. That doesn’t work.”

Demarco declined comment through a representative
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Other proposal groups- curious to see what they're proposing- I wonder how similar Tanenbaum's proposal will be to his earlier vision?
www.thestar.com

New pitch for Ontario Place, Exhibition Place has ambitious goals for the waterfront

Ontario Place was closed by the Liberal government in 2012, but partially reopened in the years since. The province is now launching a process calling for expressions of interest on how to reimagine Ontario Place.
www.thestar.com www.thestar.com
 
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UtakataNoAnnex said:
That was not meant to disclose my age. :(
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It didn't; and it wouldn't matter if it did.

I enjoy your posts either way.

But that is a cultural reference from another era!

I was pinned the other day for being old enough to remember The Hillarious House of Frightenstein!
 
Northern Light said:
It didn't; and it wouldn't matter if it did.

I enjoy your posts either way.

But that is a cultural reference from another era!

I was pinned the other day for being old enough to remember The Hillarious House of Frightenstein!
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Perhaps he was referencing the far more recent remake ;)
 
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