politics
Liberals Say No to Condos at Ontario Place
Premier Kathleen Wynne promises that a revitalized Ontario Place would not involve residential development.
Photo by Dan Cronin^, from the Torontoist Flickr Pool.
If the Liberal are re-elected, Premier Kathleen Wynne is vowing that Ontario Place will not become home to condos.
“Ontario Liberals believe that Toronto’s waterfront should be for everyone to enjoy,” reads her website. “Thoughtful and careful planning for the future of this site will make it an attractive destination for tourists and local residents alike. Ruling out residential development is part of that plan.”
The Liberal vision for the site would instead include:
- a year-round music destination
- a new urban park and waterfront trail
- repurposed Cinesphere and pods
- a canal district with stores and restaurants
In 2012, an expert panel tasked with developing recommendations for the site—and led by none other than current mayoral candidate John Tory—determined that “[S]uccessfully revitalizing an asset like Ontario Place requires the creation of new partnerships with the private sector” and called for 10–15 per cent of the land to go to residential development.
Wynne insists that a Liberal government would not pursue such a development strategy: “Selling land to a private developer may be an option for others, but it is not our choice,” she said at a campaign stop on Monday.
But if you’ve been saving up for a down payment on part of the Cinesphere, you might still be in luck—it’s always possible that NDP Leader Andrea Horwath or PC Leader Tim Hudak will be elected and introduce some innovative proposals for pod/dome living at Ontario Place.