Once a gem, now generally forgotten, what could the future hold for Ontario Place?
Once a gem, now generally forgotten, what could the future hold for Ontario Place?
July 24, 2010
Mark Medley
Read More: http://news.nationalpost.com/2010/0...what-could-the-future-hold-for-ontario-place/
In 2008, MPP Greg Sorbara was commissioned to chair a study on the future of tourism in Ontario. The findings of the Ontario Tourism Competitiveness Study were released in February 2009, in a report titled Discovering Ontario. Of the 20 recommendations the group proposed, one stood out: the future of Ontario Place. “Ontario Place is a prime example of an attraction not meeting its potential,†the report stated. “It’s a symbolic attraction for this province and it needs attention.†They suggested that the parklands be free to the public, that new trails link the site with nearby neighbourhoods, and that Ontario Place transform into a year-round attraction. As well, the authors felt the site should be redeveloped by 2017, in time for the 150th anniversary of Confederation, becoming the province’s “showpiece†and “the flagship of a new era in Ontario tourism.â€
Opened in 1971, Ontario Place represents both our idealistic past and our betrayal of it. A masterpiece of modernist architecture by Eberhard Zeidler, who also designed the Eaton Centre, it has been forgotten by the city. Shawn Micallef, author of Stroll and an associate editor of Spacing magazine, says, “it has this wonderful, faded grandeur, which is kind of romantic, but maybe we don’t want it on our waterfront.†Attendance has plummeted from a high of 2.5 million its inaugural year to less than one million for seven years in a row. So it’s little surprise last week’s news that Ontario Place issued a Request for Information, opening the doors to an extreme makeover, was greeted with a mix of nostalgia, mutters of good riddance and horror at the prospect that some of Toronto’s icons may be lost.
“Everyone has a real emotional attachment to the space, and I think everyone is relieved to see that something is finally happening down there,†says Hugh Mansfield, spokesperson for the revitalization project. “It needs an injection of energy and new ideas.†But what ideas? The renewal of Ontario Place presents Toronto with an intriguing opportunity: the chance to transform 96 acres of lakefront property.
Though developers have a blank canvas, the new Ontario Place should include educational, recreational, commercial and entertainment components, and showcase Ontario’s green energy initiatives, notes Mansfield. Details on the public consultation process will be announced next week. Proposals will be accepted until Sept. 10. Ideas floated thus far include a university or college campus, a planetarium, a casino and an aquarium, while, in a letter to the Toronto Star, one man proposed an indoor ski hill. “The idea of theme parks doesn’t really work anymore,†Micallef says. “You can’t really compete with [Canada’s] Wonderland. So it has to be a little more intimate, and maybe a little more urban.â€
Will the pods and the sphere be part of Ontario Place's future?