steveintoronto said:
But look here!

https://www.google.ca/maps/place/To...23555502ab4c477!8m2!3d43.653226!4d-79.3831843

Wouldn't you know it? Closed off to the public...
Click to expand...

Agreed on most counts – it's absurd that there aren't more places to actually access the water east of Sunnyside, and Ontario Place is the perfect place for some. That said, the beach here is accessible; the path looping around the West Island (and the whole grounds, except for Echo Beach/the Amphitheatre) has been open for at least a year. It's one of my regular running routes. There's been a few short periods where it was partly closed in that time (the north part, once for flooding, and I think for the air show or some such event).
 
adHominem said:
...it's absurd that there aren't more places to actually access the water east of Sunnyside, and Ontario Place is the perfect place for some. That said, the beach here is accessible
Click to expand...
It's a bit unfair to say this, your opinion valued, and most of the grounds staff there agreed: One of the downsides for making the 'natural areas' more popular is....*making them more popular*! There's a surreal sense of being well outside of the city on that beach, as the last two pics posted above show. It would be a shame to lose that.
 
steveintoronto said:
It's a bit unfair to say this, your opinion valued, and most of the grounds staff there agreed: One of the downsides for making the 'natural areas' more popular is....*making them more popular*! There's a surreal sense of being well outside of the city on that beach, as the last two pics posted above show. It would be a shame to lose that.
Click to expand...

The problem is that areas like Ontario Place or west of Spadina are isolated. They are not the sort of place you want to be alone at night for a myriad of different reasons.

Same with Ontario Place, the beach is isolated to the point where if something happened you would be screwed. I believe the saying is "nobody would hear you scream".
 
Richard White said:
The problem is that areas like Ontario Place or west of Spadina are isolated. They are not the sort of place you want to be alone at night for a myriad of different reasons.

Same with Ontario Place, the beach is isolated to the point where if something happened you would be screwed. I believe the saying is "nobody would hear you scream".
Click to expand...
lol...I've got news for you...'isolated' embraces exactly that. It won't be me screaming unless they've got guns and an army. I had a studio down on Polson St for decades until the night clubs ruined the isolation. Never a problem save for the year the rabbits came, and next year, the coyotes.
 
Eh, honestly that article is more encouraging than I expected (and that's coming from someone who despises the idea of a casino). Fideli's comments are that a casino hasn't been discussed, but that nothing's off the table. I wouldn't expect any politician to close any doors at this early stage, so that's fair enough I suppose. I like that he called the land a "jewel" - because it is. Frankly, although I despise the idea of a casino, I can see a situation where the vast majority of the land is made into a truly world class destination and a small parcel is made into a casino in order to help pay for the development of the rest of the land. Personally I'd prefer to pay we all pay a minuscule amount of additional tax and make it into a world class site without a casino, but I get that's unlikely to happen and the money is going to have to come from somewhere.
 
concrete_and_light said:
I hope that they see the architecture that currently exists as a jewel as well. I fear for the wonderfully overgrown silos in particular.
Click to expand...

Is the architecture protected in any way, and when I say that I also refer to the land (East and West Islands). Also curious if any past plan looked at the site as static, or thought more dynamically like actually expanding the site considerably. Looks to me like the West Island could be doubled in size (at least), growing to the SW. No harm to shipping, or flightpaths and creates nice real estate. Capable of building an even larger amusement park.

Also they should bring back the Wilderness Adventure Ride. Love that thing.
 
With the province in rough financial terrain, I can't imagine a redevelopment not including a casino. Any projections on how much revenue the Ontario Place casino would give the province?
 
I'm against a casino in "old Toronto," but more for the huge anti-urban presences they tend to be. Massive vacuums that suck up everything around them and ironically turn their backs to the cities they are purpotedly helping. I'm not against gaming per se and see it more as a "live your own life" issue.

Still, if old Toronto had to have a casino, at least Ontario Place is somewhat removed from the main rumblings of the city. Sort of like Casino Montreal.
 
The Exhibition Grounds are more appropriate locale for a casino than Ontario Place is, IMO.

Put Hotel X to good use (and ideally, crowd it out from the skyline).
 
I'm pretty excited to see what's proposed. I personally don't think high and mid rise residential would be a bad idea on the site, it's a fascinating location. The only 'definite no' from me would be a casino.
 
You must log in or register to post here.

Back
Top