Thread by @OntarioGreens

🧵Let’s talk about the proposed #OntarioPlace redevelopment, AKA one of Doug Ford’s latest attempts to privatize a public resource behind closed doors #onpoli

You’ve probably seen this map floating around. This is how the islands will be divided up in the proposed redevelopment. The blue and red zones will be an expanded Budweiser Stage and the Therme Group’s contentious private spa and waterpark.

The green area, Trillium Park, already exists. It’s a beautiful spot where people of all ages cycle, walk, run, swim, and just enjoy the waterfront – but it’s not a new addition of public space.

Here’s what the government has to say about the proposed West Island redevelopment (where the spa is going):

“People will enjoy approximately 12 acres of free, publicly accessible gathering spaces, trails, parkland, gardens, easy access to the water and a new beach.”

This works out to be less than eight per cent of Ontario Place’s total current public area (155 acres).

These “enjoyable” 12 acres will wind around the exterior of the spa, like so:

The so-called trails, parkland, and gardens are in the shadow of the main spa building, which will cover more than nine acres (that’s larger than the entire Trillium Park) and reach up to 13 storeys tall:

Not shown here is the massive underground parking garage (for 2,118 cars) that the province is planning to pay for to the tune of up to $450 million.

If you’ve ever passed by Ontario Place from the road, you know that it already has a lot of surface parking. Now we’re getting even more parking, just a short ways away from one of the future Ontario Line subway stops.

The construction will also require the removal of 850 trees that have been an important part of the West Island’s ecosystem for over 50 years.

We’re losing acres of existing pathways and trails, culturally and historically important architecture and landscapes, and a much-needed green space for residents of surrounding neighbourhoods like Parkale and Liberty Village – some of the city’s most densely populated areas.

In exchange we’re getting a parking lot and private spa. Which begs the question: how much will these new additions cost us to use?

Here’s Doug Ford sidestepping the question at his redevelopment announcement last year:

Since then, it’s been reported that the entry fee will be at least $40 – not including any of the spa’s “well-being therapies.”

Publicly owned land is being rented out to a handful of private corporations (for an undisclosed amount), and we’re going to be charged $40 just to get through the doors.

The Ford government has already committed an estimated $200 million to site preparation. Combined with the parking lot, that’s $650 million of taxpayer money going toward this privatization nightmare.

The budget for the Trillium Park revamp, by comparison, was $30 million.

Doug Ford will have you believe that Ontario Place is in ruins, and that private-sector investment is the only solution.

We stopped by the West Island with @MikeSchreiner earlier this week, and what we saw was a much-loved waterfront haven. Despite the snow, we saw people walking, jogging and cycling, we saw foxes and swans and a trail network that could easily be revitalized as Trillium Park was.

The Ford government’s redevelopment is an egregious affront to this vision, and a missed opportunity to create a massive public park that could be enjoyed by generations to come.

Ontario needs communities where everyone can afford a place to live, where they can be close to good jobs, transit options, green spaces and functional public services. We don’t need to privatize public resources. We need to invest in things that make life better for everyone.

Do you have a memory of Ontario Place you want to share? DM it to us (video, photo, written response, whatever you like) and we’ll share the responses we receive.

Together, we can push back against Ford’s privatization scheme and preserve Ontario Place as a public space for public use.

Add your voice:

secure.gpo.ca/keep-ontario-p…