Northern Light said:
No, it didn't.

Go back all the way to the 1950s, the CNE never had a run much greater than 3 weeks and was as little as 15 days some years.

It was never all-summer.
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You’re right. My childhood memory placed it as running all August, but I could only find this on the 3 week mark: “It opened on September 3, 1879, and lasted for three weeks (Sundays excepted)”. It seems like a waste of civic space to only see most of the grounds used for 18 days a year plus Indy. Even the Royal Winter Fair is confined to a small portion of the grounds. Why not strive for something much more permanent and usable all year? Make the Ex grounds more of a year-round park that could still be occupied with the carnie rides temporarily.

It also seems that if the province wants to make Ontario Place a hit, people shouldn’t have to hike from the Ontario Line station and cross a bridge to reach it. The city and province should really be working together on this, because the end user doesn’t care about jurisdiction.
 
gibsonm said:
Why not strive for something much more permanent and usable all year? Make the Ex grounds more of a year-round park that could still be occupied with the carnie rides temporarily.
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They did that for years. A lot of the rides were permanent until the 1990s. I cannot recall the name of the rides but there were roller coasters, the shell tower and the alpine way that were permanent fixations.

Even now, the Beanfield Centre and Enercare Centre have various conferences and trade shows year round. Medieval Times is year round. The Liberty Grand is open year round as an events space while the Horse Palace is used for the TPS Mounted Unit.

It is not like Exhibition Place is a ghost down for 10 months of the year. There is always something going on but a lot of it is not as big as the Molson Indy, CNE or Royal Winter Fair.
 
gibsonm said:
You’re right. My childhood memory placed it as running all August, but I could only find this on the 3 week mark: “It opened on September 3, 1879, and lasted for three weeks (Sundays excepted)”. It seems like a waste of civic space to only see most of the grounds used for 18 days a year plus Indy. Even the Royal Winter Fair is confined to a small portion of the grounds. Why not strive for something much more permanent and usable all year? Make the Ex grounds more of a year-round park that could still be occupied with the carnie rides temporarily.
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The grounds are open all year and have, at times seen semi-regular use.

Pro Sports in the form of the Blue Jays were once present April-October; along with the CFL which has now returned; and of course MLSE (TFC) is now there.

Beyond that, there have been a number of exhibitions/shows there over the years, including the Automotive Show, the Outdoor Living Show, the One of a Kind show etc etc.

But yes, the Grounds do suffer from under-use outside the CNE season.

gibsonm said:
The city and province should really be working together on this, because the end user doesn’t care about jurisdiction.
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The City requested this; the province refused.
 
Richard White said:
They did that for years. Alot of the rides were permanent until the 1990s. I cannot recall the name of the rides but there were roller coasters, the shell tower and the alpine way that were permanent fixations.
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The Flyer was the name of the Roller Coaster; and yes, it, and the Alpine Way (cable cars) were both physically permanent, but neither operated outside of the CNE's 3-week season each year.

They also had the 'Derby Racer............which was a semi-enclosed carousel like ride..........except much faster............think a merry-go-round at 3x the speed.
 
Northern Light said:
The Flyer was the name of the Roller Coaster; and yes, it, and the Alpine Way (cable cars) were both physically permanent, but neither operated outside of the CNE's 3-week season each year.

They also had the 'Derby Racer............which was a semi-enclosed carousel like ride..........except much faster............think a merry-go-round at 3x the speed.
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I gave up on the CNE Rides after a near miss on the Swing Ride years ago. I was fortunate enough to be on the Swing Ride in the 1990s the ride before it collapsed.

There were 4 people ahead of us and 2 spots so me and my father were given access. We got off and just as we started walking away police, fire and ambulances all started heading back towards the ride. We found out when we got home what happened.

If there were 2 people ahead of us instead of the 4 I would have been on that ride.
 
Like many, I'm deeply troubled by the three proposals by the Ford government.

However, I'm not convinced by the social media push to return Ontario Place to a 70s-style nostalgia playground for kids and Gen X'ers. Yes, let's turn it into a 2 acre giant bouncey castle with craft beer garden. Let's see how far that makes it through Legal.

Also, keep in mind that throughout the 2000s, Ontario Place was mostly riding on its legacy. That led to paltry attendance, and ultimately its closure.

The Ontario government really needs to think outside the box. I always felt like a university or college campus was the best proposal, especially as the terminus of the Ontario Line.
 
christiesplits said:
However, I'm not convinced by the social media push to return Ontario Place to a 70s-style nostalgia playground for kids and Gen X'ers. Yes, let's turn it into a 2 acre giant bouncey castle with craft beer garden. Let's see how far that makes it through Legal.

Also, keep in mind that throughout the 2000s, Ontario Place was mostly riding on its legacy. That led to paltry attendance, and ultimately its closure.
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That is what inevitably led to its closure. I remember going there in the 1990s in the kids section where they had full on punching bag style things as part of the attraction. IIRC the lawyers had a kanipchen over it and it was yanked for liability issues.

In the late 1990s it went from fun for everyone to fun for those 12 and under. It was turned into a mainland version of Centre Island. The adults who went there disappeared because there was nothing for them to do. The beer gardens were removed in favour of Pizza Pizza..

I recall going there to watch Jurassic Park in 1993 because it was in IMAX. After that, the Cinesphere focused solely on educational films.
 
Running through the hanging bags and going down the long plastic tube slides was actually a highlight of my childhood. Those older Expo style attractions weren’t tacky or cheap either. They had a design flair about them in keeping with the architectural beauty of the pods and islands, which has actually stood the test of time.

I remember resenting the fact that Ontario Place was a second fiddle Centenary project to Montreal’s Expo. For years I’ve hoped that something like that could be done in the Port Lands with something like sustainability as the theme. Our governments are spending a fortune anyway to remediate the Don. Why not throw a subway station, international pavilions that could become affordable housing, a footbridge to Ward’s Island, and a revitalized Hearn art gallery into the mix? Have the international community help foot the bill for the housing. I think that something on that scale was always the dream for places like the CNE and Ontario Place. I know there’s a lot of cynicism about grand projects becoming white elephants. I just worry that the Ontario Place revitalization will be done on the cheap, will be underused and unable to justify its funding, and in 30 years we’ll be having this conversation again.

With regard to Legal and liability, it’s about time kids have some adventure and wield more than a joystick. Issue the necessary waivers and bring back the excitement.
 
I am only hoping this isn't Ford reverting to type and his hatred for Toronto coming to the fore again. I had hoped he had matured. I do think there might be a chance an outsider would come up with something new and interesting, they don't have the burden of familiarity.
 
Like many, I'm deeply troubled by the three proposals by the Ford government.

However, I'm not convinced by the social media push to return Ontario Place to a 70s-style nostalgia playground for kids and Gen X'ers. Yes, let's turn it into a 2 acre giant bouncey castle with craft beer garden. Let's see how far that makes it through Legal.
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I agree. I think there are two camps right now - those who were alive (and of an age to have actual coherent memories of the time) during the Park's heyday and those who weren't. Ontario Place has never been an attraction in my lifetime and I am 27. I remember walking around the area while visiting the CNE many years back but even then it felt like a no-go zone.

I totally understand the desire to have a space that emulates the feelings by those who actually got to visit, but realistically, is that making the best use of the space? This needs to be a place for everyone, not just kids and Gen X parents who are nostalgic for what was previously there. I would prefer the space didn't end up becoming a tacky entertainment / activity destination and rather something that serves multiple purposes year round for people of all ages and demographics.
 
I was very interested to hear what MGM proposed years ago, if we had gone down that road we could be seeing some progress by now. Two things toronto does very well, inaction and debate for years, then build mediocrity for generations to come.

I would support a 5 star casino resort at the heart of high end restaurants, ferris wheels, boat rides, piers, beaches, etc.
 
Kraylin said:
I was very interested to hear what MGM proposed years ago, if we had gone down that road we could be seeing some progress by now. Two things toronto does very well, inaction and debate for years, then build mediocrity for generations to come.

I would support a 5 star casino resort at the heart of high end restaurants, ferris wheels, boat rides, piers, beaches, etc.
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You'll find that position a lonely one, here, and in the broader community. The Casino-resort idea is entirely lacking in appeal.
 
Kraylin said:
I was very interested to hear what MGM proposed years ago, if we had gone down that road we could be seeing some progress by now. Two things toronto does very well, inaction and debate for years, then build mediocrity for generations to come.

I would support a 5 star casino resort at the heart of high end restaurants, ferris wheels, boat rides, piers, beaches, etc.
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So basically Atlantic City..
 
I would like to see it dialed all the way back before they installed that Molson/Budweiser Amphitheatre...or whatever they call that today, IMO. And then build on that vision instead. While bringing the rest of structures up too speed without needing to tear anything down or redesign it 401 Bay St. style, whatever deity forbid... >.<

Furthermore, the other issue is why does this place need to be for profit? This should be public realm for everyone to enjoy and experience for what it is, as opposed to turning into Disney World or a *rump Casino nightmare. We don't live on Ferenginar, where every failed to make money idea is tossed off its Tower of Commerce. So let's give that a rest and restore/rebuild this place for the people and its communities, instead of some asinine bottomline that is likely doom to fail anyways if we go that route.
 
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