Toronto Ontario Place | ?m | ?s | Infrastructure ON

A leaked Toronto file from the top:

Property

1. Tear down the Ontario Place pods and Cinesphere for redevelopment. Threaten Molson’s or whoever owns the concert stage. Cash only.

Staff comments: most of that is in water and won’t yield buildable land. Eb Zeidler is revered world-wide for his design, including the original home screen for IMAX. There may be complaints.


2. Tear down new city hall in Nathan Phillips Square. Never liked it or Nathan.

Staff comments: this may require a separate meeting.


3. Tear down the CN Tower. If it lands on Rogers Centre/Skydome, all the better. Lotsa land there.

Staff comments: this may require a separate meeting.


4. Want to move our government out of Queen’s Park. Look at converting the old building into a casino or something. Otherwise tear it down and takeover half the park. Need ideas.

Staff comments: this may require a separate meeting.


5. University of Toronto. Report on all old crumbling buildings. Tear down the old ROM but keep the addition with all those angles, for now.

Staff comments: more direction needed


6. Toronto Islands. I want them all out of there by June (weather permitting). More on this later.

Staff comments: all staff has taken sick leave.


City Transportation

7. Can’t be bothered with this right now. Send me a reminder when staff returns from sick leave (lazy as*holes).

Have a nice day.


Note to mods: if this post is inappropriate for this thread please move. Thank you.
 
adma said:
Actually, this *is* something worth monitoring. (And wouldn't be surprised if DoFo proposes some kind of land connection, in order to create a world class park "for the people", etc etc)
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In a rational world, one could immediately retort: "Ah, but OP is provincial, and the Islands are Toronto"....emphasis on "rational world". "Rational" is for the elites...technically, it could be "uploaded" just as easily as the subway...with one massive proviso: The leases for cottages there, and no court in this land would allow their agreement with the then Metro Toronto to be overturned.

But the rest of the Islands certainly could be 'assumed' by QP.

Addendum: Started having cold sweats thinking about the Doofus, and if my presumption of the "99 year lease" (now ticking down, btw) being absolute. Turns out it's not just a legal agreement with the (now) City, ( https://www.toronto.ca/legdocs/1998/agendas/council/cc/cc980708/cs9rpt/cl031.htm ) but done under a provincial act: Toronto Islands Residential Community Stewardship Act, 1993, S.O. 1993, c. 15
https://www.ontario.ca/laws/statute/93t15

There's some unusual sections and clauses, albeit real estate law is convoluted to begin with, and I'm not so sure that these 'properties' (leaseholds) can't be expropriated.

Clauses like this intrigue me:
Planning Act not to apply subdivision
29 (1) Section 50 of the Planning Act does not apply to the land described in the Schedule. 1993, c. 15, s. 29 (1).

Same construction
(2) Subject to subsection (3), the Planning Act does not apply to the construction of houses on land described in the Schedule that is vacant on the day this Act comes into force or to the use for residential purposes of land described in the Schedule that is vacant on the day this Act comes into force. 1993, c. 15, s. 29 (2).
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@3Dementia and @adma have me sitting restlessly here. "In a rational world..."....In the 'Dimension of Doofus' the Laws of Rationality don't pertain...
 
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Automation Gallery said:
Lol, people here have gone from Railway Stations to homes on Toronto Islandso_O
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I didn't realize Doug had uploaded the subway yet. This is more troubling than first thought. I'm now realizing all this time the expression was "Fore the People"! It's a warning to "Look Out!". It shows the golf between us.

In all seriousness, DoFo is on record as a Councillor as favouring eviction of Island residents. That's about the same expression of his intent as reducing the size of Council.

The man is vexatious, and unpredictable. Surely that should be clear by now?

And watch for a revisit on extending the runways at Porter.
 
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adma said:
Hey, even better; extend the airport *into* the Island. Nothing more important than a nude beach where the homosexualists hang out, anyway...
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Why stop there? Both ends, in a manner of speaking: the runway is extended in to the Islands, and west to Ontario Place, so that when jumbos land, the Ferris Wheel can be powered by the back draft, and Ford can claim it's his retort to Justin, since it's wind power. (No Carbon Texas, Doug's Liz Dexic)

Stone three chickens with one fell swoop in the pocket.

The third bird being the reestablishment of a land link to the Islands. Plucky...
 
steveintoronto said:
Why stop there? Both ends, in a manner of speaking: the runway is extended in to the Islands, and west to Ontario Place, so that when jumbos land, the Ferris Wheel can be powered by the back draft, and Ford can claim it's his retort to Justin, since it's wind power. (No Carbon Texas, Doug's Liz Dexic)

Stone three chickens with one fell swoop in the pocket.

The third bird being the reestablishment of a land link to the Islands. Plucky...
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Doug Ford does not eat red meat, so chicken is fine with him.
 
adma said:
That was the *Grand Trunk* station; a different one, and yes, less spectacular (and in a more obscure location)--and it lasted until the 1990s.
http://www.trha.ca/trha/history/stations-2/west-toronto-station-grand-trunk-railway/

*This* was the 1982-demolished station in question--the CPR station.
http://www.trha.ca/trha/history/stations-2/west-toronto-station-canadian-pacific-railway/

WestToronto1976.jpg


Now, can you understand the outcry?
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I'd love to see the CPR's West Toronto Station rebuilt. It would make for a great community centre. But in an ideal world, neither of the Junction's two railway stations would have been demolished. They both had charm and plenty of history. They weren't replaced with anything, either.
 
^ We are getting off-topic, but analogies are still apt: In retrospect, the stated need at the time for (gist) "space for an added GO train track" was not the case. CP actually ripped up a third track down to Parkdale, and only now is the added bridge and RoW being reinstated, and no need for the space released by an unnecessary vindictive act. (Not to mention in violation of Federal and Municipal (Provincial) Law)
 
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MONORAIL ON THE TABLE!!!!!!

Sorry for the random colours, I just needed to vent about how ludicrous this is. Un-paywalled story from QP Briefing:

MINISTER REPEATEDLY CALLS STATE OF ONTARIO PLACE 'SHAMEFUL' IN CLOSED-DOOR MEETING: SOURCES

In the meeting at Queen’s Park, Tibollo also raised the idea of a monorail, referencing the one at Disney’s 123-hectare EPCOT Center in Florida. Unprompted, the minister raised the possibility during a discussion about easing transportation difficulties around Ontario Place. He said there should be a link to Union Station and that a monorail, as an example, could serve both the Ontario Place and Exhibition Grounds.
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alexanderglista said:
MONORAIL ON THE TABLE!!!!!!

Sorry for the random colours, I just needed to vent about how ludicrous this is. Un-paywalled story from QP Briefing:

MINISTER REPEATEDLY CALLS STATE OF ONTARIO PLACE 'SHAMEFUL' IN CLOSED-DOOR MEETING: SOURCES
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The government's parameters for the expressions of interest excludes any proposals that require government operating grants or capital investment.
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It's troubling that they're not willing to spend any money on Ontario Place. It means that at least some of the public space will now be privatized to pay for the public realm improvements they want. It could end really badly. That's why it's important to take a principled approach and insist on the preservation of the pods and Cinesphere. It sets the tone that there are certain values that need to be respected in order to have a stake in Ontario Place--it's not a handout like Highway 407 was.
 
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