Toronto Ontario Square and Canada Square | ?m | ?s | Waterfront Toronto

And what you all keep forgetting is it is for the most part temporary ... I can't believe anyone would advocate spending more given there is a good chance it'll be gone in a decade.

Turn to sugar beach and sherborne common for an example of things done right in Toronto.

Also the Queens Quay revitalization, you can already see what the finished product will look like in a few areas and it is just like the renderings ..
 
The fake grass part is temporary, but I didn't think the grey stone/concrete area above the parking garage was. It looks pretty permanent.
 
The fake grass part is temporary, but I didn't think the grey stone/concrete area above the parking garage was. It looks pretty permanent.

Yes but what is wrong with that ?
 
Have you seen the made-in-Toronto version of the movie Groundhog Day? It's about this guy who relives the exact same day upon reading this forum and the postings about the absence of a colossal fountain in Ontario/Canada Square. Very low budget film. Zero chance of nominations this award season.
 
Groundhog day or not, I'll echo the sentiment that the square needs something at the centre to engage people. That's what most successful squares have, Picadilly Circus is the perfect example. The people who design squares in Ontario don't seem to understand that - they tend to go for the "blank canvas" approach. And so new squares in Toronto, Waterloo, Kingston, etc. are empty except when they're programmed.
 
Maybe it keeps coming up because it's important to a number of people. No need to get snarky about it.

There is so much that individuals can do nowadays to shed light on issues and to raise money for things. I guess I have always been proactive if I wanted something and didn't stop until I achieved my goal.

If there really are so many people that passionate about a fountain here...then do something about it. Check out all the other initiatives going on around town to see that one individual can start something important. With social media the opportunities are endless. Check out http://panampath.org/ for inspiration. These folks didn't just complain about politicians, designers, architects, etc...they DID something. And it's working.

My point is that complaining about something on a forum while doing nothing is a complete waste to time. Use your passions for Toronto water features by creating an actual campaign. Phoning up Adam Vaughan to turn on Salmon Run doesn't count. Do something special and out of the ordinary. It really is up to you and not others to solve what you want.
 
Sept 19th

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They seriously need to do something more imaginative with those cylindrical benches/bollards.
 
Sept 19th

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What is this building and when did it appear? I guess I was last there in June/July and somehow missed it. I thought there was to be no permanent building on Exhibition Common in this phase. Sorry for the dumb question!

Personally I think the squares are great. Exactly like the renders, except there are no people in any of the photos! I hope that will change once the QQ work is done and foot traffic returns to the area.
 
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Personally I think the squares are great. Exactly like the renders, except there are no people in any of the photos! I hope that will change once the QQ work is done and foot traffic returns to the area.

There's a ton of foot traffic in the area, especially on weekends, even with all the construction going on. Unfortunately few of it into these squares, and I think it will stay that way until there is something to actually draw people into the space. While they are pretty spaces, there's really not much to do there at the moment unless there's programmed activities going on.

The building went up last year I think (certainly it was there over the winter) and I think it was being used as some kind of headquarters for all the construction going on in the area. I posted a question about it when the concrete slab was going down, but no one seemed to know what it was for.
 
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The building in question is cafe Lavazza now, and this is not new building, this is the same old building that was at the same place, about 30 meters to the west. It was Service Canada office before the construction.
 
These new parks sit unused the vast majority of the time, even on weekends, because there is nothing in them. They are competing with the waterfront promenade, so obviously most people are going to choose a waterfront seat over these isolated, deserted spaces. It was predictable from the start, so no surprise there. The only way to make these spaces useful is to put on more events there or build something in them. As is, both these squares are unsuccessful and provide no purpose. Even the pigeons avoid them. lol (no people = no food)
 
Now that's it's been about 18 months since its unveiling, what is the general consensus with Canada Square? Has it settled into its surroundings or still disappoint?
 

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