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Tourism minister Michael Chan announced this morning the first phase of the Ontario Place redevelopment will be a 7.5 acre urban park and waterfront trail. With the new designs the government is optimistic they’ll restore Ontario Place as a year-round tourist and family destination. Chan describes the future park’s size as “moderate”. 

While the site used to attract 2.5 million people a year, numbers have decreased dramatically. The site has been partially shut down for over a year and the government has recognized its need for a transformation. Over a year ago an advisory council led by John Tory came together to begin research and discussion over the future of the amusement park. They gathered a list of more than 18 suggestions including adding private residences, improving transportation access, and preserving the nature and view to the water. The plan recommended that Ontario Place be free year-round. Today, the provincial government has announced the park and a trail along the water will replace what is currently a large, underused parking lot. The first phase is planned to be in place in time for the Pan Am/ParaPan Am Games in 2015. 

While the enthusiasm is there, the confirmed changes only account for a portion of Ontario Place. We’re still holding out to hear plans for the rest of the space. The vision is to transform Ontario Place into a spacious “public backyard”.

The Ontario Ministry of Tourism, Culture, and Sport has created a survey and asked the public to weight in. Click here to share your opinion by July 31 to have your suggestions considered by architectural teams as they compete to have their designs selected next month.

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