Ontario Place, the theme and water park owned by the Province Of Ontario, has announced plans for a major revitalization. Located on three artificial islands in Lake Ontario just off the CNE grounds, the Eb Zeidler designed project first opened in 1971. After peaking at 2.5 million visitors per year in the 1970's, park attendance declined to just 1 million last year, with half of those only going to watch concerts at the Molson Amphitheatre. The plan is aimed at adding more attractions along with making the site a year round attraction. Proper plans will be developed over the next year with construction to start a few years later.

Aerial shot of Ontario Place capturing the water facilities and its Cinesphere, in addition to the Toronto skyline

There is a dark side to all of this. When asked about the existing park Ontario Place officials indicated they would be open to razing the entire site including the iconic Cinesphere (the world’s first permanent IMAX theatre) and the related Pods. UrbanToronto will have none of that, as Ontario Place's Cinesphere and Pods are up there with the CN Tower and City Hall in screaming Toronto. We contend that there is plenty of room over the rest of the park to allow for revitalization without wrecking the most important buildings there. Repurposing of the Pods should be at the top of the list of fixes to consider. 

Looking down at the different sites of Ontario Place

UrbanToronto believes that no architectural firm in the city worth its salt would propose to demolish those buildings. UrbanToronto intends to follow this story very closely. Join the conversation, and maybe the fight, regarding Ontario Place's Revitalization here.