Ontario Place to close Cinesphere + Rides + Water Park
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The Liberals are placing the long-term future of Ontario Place in the hands of former Progressive Conservative leader John Tory.
But in the short term, major parts of the money-losing waterfront park will be closed as the province struggles with a $16-billion budget deficit and is facing service cuts.
The water park and amusement rides will be shut down as they require $20 million in upgrades. The Cinesphere, home of the IMAX theatre, will also be closed.
But Atlantis, the Molson Amphitheatre and the marina will remain open.
As first disclosed by the Star, Finance Minister Dwight Duncan and Tourism Minister Michael Chan have turned to Tory to spearhead a drive to revamp the 41-year-old shoreline cyan elephant.
“John will lead a panel to engage Ontarians and advise the government on revitalization of Ontario Place,” a senior official said Wednesday.
“It's really about community engagement as we want Ontario Place to be totally renewed by 2017,” the source said.
“Attendance has fallen off and it's losing money. We think families deserve better.”
Underutilized for decades, the 39-hectare (96-acre) park now attracts about 1-million visitors a year, down from its heyday in the early 1970s when annual crowds of 2.5 million made it a waterfront institution.
The Liberals hope Tory, who was PC leader from 2004 until 2009 and was runner-up to David Miller in the 2003 Toronto mayoral contest, will bring some much-needed action to the facility.
He should also be able to break the traditional logjam with city hall, which owns and operates the adjacent Exhibition Place site.
Sources say Toronto Mayor Rob Ford, who respects Tory, will be willing to work with him on any integration plans.
If Ontario Place and Exhibition Place are eventually brought together under one umbrella, that could increase the value of both assets and ease redevelopment.
While a casino at Ontario Place is not in the cards — despite published rumours — gaming could come to Exhibition Place, which has more parking and better transit access.
But gambling is not part of Tory's mandate.
Appointing such a prominent Conservative — who hosts a popular afternoon radio show on Newstalk 1010 and was recently awarded the Order of Ontario for his community work, including with CivicAction — is a deft move by the Grits.
It makes it hard for his successor PC Leader Tim Hudak to attack any redevelopment plans.
As well, because Ontario Place was a pet project of Tory's friend and mentor, popular former PC premier Bill Davis, who governed from 1971 to 1985, any criticism from that quarter would be muted.
Tory MPP Peter Shurman hailed the appointment.
“John Tory is a good guy who wears a Toronto and an Ontario hat first and foremost before a partisan hat,” said Shurman (Thornhill).
“I wish him well. I always think it’s a great move turning to a Conservative. John will bring … professionalism to that task and, hopefully through the course of time, we’ll see an Ontario Place we can all be proud of,” he said
I agree with this comment found on the page... don't know if it'll happen though:
"I would like to point out that for many years Ontario Place was billed as a kids park. Since the late 1990s it has been billed as an amusement park for kids. I am 24 now and have no reason to go there, simply put it shuts down after 6 PM and there is nothing to see or do there anymore if you are over the age of 12. I remember seeing Jurassic Park there in 1993 at the Cinesphere for example whereas now the only movies that play there are educational films for school aged children.
What the park needs in order to be revamped is a makeover. It needs to be turned into a sort of Coney Island amusement park here in Toronto. Right by the water and open late, May-October. The Cinesphere needs to show movies that people want to see other than films about the hubble telescope. If you make it so people want to come they will. If you gear it towards kids... nobody will come. Oh and about movies at the Cinesphere.. A bugs life does not qualify as a movie people want to see."
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"In a world of illusion you only see what you feel"
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