Ontario Place
Ontario Place can be a well being destination that thousands can enjoy; however, that is not what is included in the current proposal from Therme Canada. While it looks inviting and promising, if privatized Ontario Place will remain inaccessible, especially for those who need well being spaces the most.
Ontario Place needs to remain a public space, for public use, for the well being of everyone in Toronto (and beyond).
While I love the conservation innovation zone that will have new wetland aquatic vegetation to help manage storm and wastewater, and the restoration of the shoreline, having these amenities, and others, inaccessible to all Torontonians is an antiquated model.
In talking to Elizabeth Roy, Mayor of the Town of Whitby, about their recent decision to put a private spa on public lands, she reminded me that Thermea (not related to the Ontario Place group) paid for all of the renovations. She also indicated that the Town still owns a majority of the property that was formerly Cullen Gardens, including the areas around the ravine. The park is still accessible to residents of Whitby, and the Town plans to improve that accessibility going forward. It is a good example of the balance that can be struck between protecting the revenue generation ability of businesses, and the social contract to the people.
