hawc said:
Yeah the pods are finally getting a lot of attention and it looks like they will be with us for a long time.

Also agree about how what we're seeing now at Ontario Place and Ontario Science Centre is the result of DECADES of neglect and under-use/funding by many previous governments.



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We as a society love to pay for infrastructure (in the public realm), but not the upkeep. Look at hospitals... People donate money to name a wing or unit or building. No one donates to environmental services or the physical plant.
 
Johnny Au said:
It’s really sad to see that MegaMaze in Ontario Place became actual ruins. It was really fun when it lasted. I have fond childhood memories of MegaMaze.
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I think MegaMaze was actually the other side of Ontario Place that is now Echo Beach and Trillium Park.

Screenshot 2024-10-16 at 11.13.04 PM.png
 
PL1 said:
We as a society love to pay for infrastructure (in the public realm), but not the upkeep. Look at hospitals... People donate money to name a wing or unit or building. No one donates to environmental services or the physical plant.
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When I die I'm leaving all my money to a physical plant. 👍
 
hawc said:
I think MegaMaze was actually the other side of Ontario Place that is now Echo Beach and Trillium Park.

View attachment 604955
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The east side of Ontario Place was formerly the Children’s Village.

What was marked as “Ontario North Now” on that map later became MegaMaze. I recall extremely well that MegaMaze had a few towers and was adjacent to the Wilderness Adventure Ride log flume.

Here’s proof:

torontoguardian.com

Vintage Photographs of Ontario Place in its Prime

A curated collection of vintage photographs from Ontario place during its prime during the 1970s and 1980s in Toronto, Ontario, Canada.
torontoguardian.com torontoguardian.com
 
Johnny Au said:
The east side of Ontario Place was formerly the Children’s Village.

What was marked as “Ontario North Now” on that map later became MegaMaze. I recall extremely well that MegaMaze had a few towers and was adjacent to the Wilderness Adventure Ride log flume.

Here’s proof:

torontoguardian.com

Vintage Photographs of Ontario Place in its Prime

A curated collection of vintage photographs from Ontario place during its prime during the 1970s and 1980s in Toronto, Ontario, Canada.
torontoguardian.com torontoguardian.com
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I vaguely remember when the West Island was developed -- I believe it was built/opened as Ontario North Now -- and it later went through several other iterations before the park closed.

Those vintage (mostly 1980s) photos are amazing. It is incredible how beautifully cared for OP was in that era. The original design work was outstanding, the gardens were manicured -- peak OP in the mid 1980s. Not to be overly political but OP was developed by a Conservative government -- and I don't think any government post 1985 really made OP a priority (including the 1995-2003 Conservative government which had a singular focus on cost reduction). The one exception was a brief period when the Peterson government installed Patti Starr as CEO (1986-1989) and the park significantly reduced its deficit, and was for a period of time, allegedly, modestly profitable. The inability of the facility to operate beyond the core summer months made consistent profitability almost impossible -- anyone who has ventured out on the islands in the middle of a winter storm knows how unforgiving Lake Ontario is in a January gale -- all of those uninsulated buildings, all of that single pane glass -- none of it was made to endure beyond the summer months--and the physical plant, including water/waste services were only made for seasonal operations...let's hope that at the end of all of this rancor that some of those issues (...I'm not sure whether to use the word 'mistake' because the entire project was very purposely designed to be seasonal...) can be rectified.

The loss of the Forum will always be an architectural travesty.
 
Here, here! Well said
shoelessjoe said:
I have worried about the state of the pod complex, the walkways and the Cinesphere for years now. Past few summers I have kayaked around that area -- an architectural masterpiece left to us by Eb Zeidler. It is incredibly heartening to see them finally undergoing some degree of restoration/stabilization. I have great memories of OP as a kid in the 1980s -- when it was in full swing. Obviously with 240ish pages of comments I'm risking drifting into relitigating oft-repeated arguments, but the narratives around OP's past and future have never been based in reality. For most of it's existence it was a paid attraction, with somewhat over-priced (and solidly mediocre) dining options -- it was never some free utopia -- and it has been, from it's beginning, a Provincial asset -- in fact there was a time it was patrolled by the OPP -- and not by Metro/TPS. Toronto--the city--hosts it, but does not possess it. It was always intended to be an asset shared among all Ontarians. Seeing the clear cutting of the West Island may be alarming, but no moreso than watching it's deterioration over the years since the previous Provincial government left it to rot away. It's been a disgrace -- and I am encouraged to see it finally getting some care.
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