This is the right approach. The Cinesphere and pods are the heart of Ontario Place and its revitalization should happen around them. A lush downtown park around these gems is the best possible outcome.

But I’ve been down there recently and the Cinesphere, the pods and the paths around them have turned into a run down ghostly place. I’m sure that a fresh coat of white paint would make a difference but even that seems like something that would take many months to complete. This really calls for a detailed restoration to their original condition.
 
The new park on the east end is amazing. Having the gates open to the other areas of Ontario Place this summer was wonderful. Whenever I went down there, people were exploring and enjoying the entire site. Granted, it's mostly closed up, but it was wonderful to see people wandering around and enjoying the place after it has been shut down for the past few years. Hopefully that will give the province the impetus it needs to fix things up.
 
The new park is stunning, right in the midst of the metropolis. We had photography for a wedding there in September, and it was clear that folks are just really enjoying the ambience. Let's have more, please.
 
News Release

Province Reopens Cinesphere At Ontario Place
November 2, 2017

Historic Theatre Welcoming Back Moviegoers for First Time in Years
For the first time in years, Ontario is welcoming people back to the Cinesphere at Ontario Place to watch movies at the iconic theatre, year-round.
Eleanor McMahon, Minister of Tourism Culture and Sport, will be at Ontario Place this evening to announce that this weekend will mark the official reopening of the Cinesphere with regular, year-round screenings using IMAX's new, state-of-the-art laser projection.

Ontario Place will also be partnering with charitable organizations to develop a new program that will help introduce the Cinesphere to new audiences by providing free movie tickets to local community groups. The program begins this November with 50 tickets being given to Kids Up Front.

The Cinesphere, which already has the technology to show IMAX® 70 mm film, has been upgraded with a new 60-foot by 80-foot curved screen that will offer an immersive experience for moviegoers. Improvements have also been made to the lobby, theatre lighting and acoustics. As a cultural heritage landmark, the Cinesphere will continue to undergo renovations to enhance the movie-going experience while retaining its historic significance.

Movie screenings will continue as part of Ontario Place's winter programming, which includes the site's final Ontario150-themed activities. Winter at Ontario Place will run from early December to mid-March and feature a winter light exhibition with illuminated installations by local artists, as well as skating on a synthetic ice rink and other activities.

Reopening the Cinesphere is just one of the ways the province is transforming Ontario Place and welcoming visitors back to the site. This summer, the Trillium Park and William G. Davis Trailopened, converting 7.5 acres of parking lot into spectacular new green space to the waterfront.

Transforming Ontario Place into a year-round, public destination is part of our plan to create jobs, grow our economy and help people in their everyday lives.


QUICK FACTS
  • Fall and winter weekend screenings begin with Dunkirk (2017), Beauty and the Beast (2017), as well as other recent blockbusters.
  • Graeme Ferguson’s North of Superior was the first IMAX documentary film commissioned for and screened at the Cinesphere and helped put the IMAX format on the map.
  • Opened in 1971, the Cinesphere is the world’s first permanent IMAX theatre.
  • IMAX with Laser is a dual 4K projection system equipped with a new optical engine and suite of IMAX-owned technologies that provide audiences with the sharpest, brightest, clearest and most vivid digital images, combined with a whole new level of immersive 12-channel audio.
  • In 2014, the province designated the Cinesphere as a structure of cultural heritage value.
 
It'll provide a nice alternative to the other major skating rinks like City Hall and Harbourfront Centre as those always get super busy.
 
PinkLucy said:
The new park on the east end is amazing. Having the gates open to the other areas of Ontario Place this summer was wonderful. Whenever I went down there, people were exploring and enjoying the entire site. Granted, it's mostly closed up, but it was wonderful to see people wandering around and enjoying the place after it has been shut down for the past few years. Hopefully that will give the province the impetus it needs to fix things up.
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I walked through this space with a friend back in September.

There is indeed much to recommend it.

Though, this caveat.....many people will be unhappy w/what happens to some of the tree plantings.

There are some species located in very dubious spots in terms of their ability to survive.

Also, the dense conifer plantings will almost certainly have a high die-off rate (even if highly successful). I don't mind the latter problem. But it will be a very different look for the park in 20 years.
 
Bogtrotter said:
Can you elaborate a little- what species are less likely to survive in that location and why? Just curious as a matter of interest.
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There are a couple of species, one conifer, one deciduous that are very moisture dependent, normally growing near swampy areas that have been planted on high ground, w/no visible basis for irrigation.

They may make it, but I'm dubious.
 
One always assumes they do their due diligence- but perhaps not. I like the idea of more conifers, I've always thought the city needed more greenery through the long grey period between Nov and May.
 
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