{"id":15437,"date":"2023-04-14T21:28:14","date_gmt":"2023-04-15T04:28:14","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/essential.construction\/news\/doug-ford-hints-at-relocating-ontario-science-centre-to-ontario-place\/"},"modified":"2023-04-14T21:28:14","modified_gmt":"2023-04-15T04:28:14","slug":"doug-ford-hints-at-relocating-ontario-science-centre-to-ontario-place","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/essential.construction\/news\/doug-ford-hints-at-relocating-ontario-science-centre-to-ontario-place\/","title":{"rendered":"Doug Ford hints at relocating Ontario Science Centre to Ontario Place"},"content":{"rendered":"

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TORONTO \u2013 Premier Doug Ford hinted that an announcement is imminent on moving the Ontario Science Centre from east Toronto to the downtown site of Ontario Place.<\/p>\n

\u201cI personally think it\u2019s a great idea, but if I told you now, my minister of infrastructure would shoot me on the spot,\u201d he joked when asked about the prospect at an unrelated press conference in Kitchener, Ont. on April 13.<\/p>\n

\u201cSo can you stay tuned\u2026but I think it\u2019s a fabulous idea and there\u2019s a tremendous opportunity.<\/p>\n

\u201cI think you know where we\u2019re going on that.\u201d<\/p>\n

The redevelopment of the Ontario Place site on Toronto\u2019s waterfront has been in the works for years, with European company Therme Group set to build a spa and waterpark and Live Nation set to build an outdoor concert venue.<\/p>\n

Ford has been facing criticism over the Therme plans, with opposition politicians and community advocates saying a private spa doesn\u2019t fit with the park\u2019s initial vision as a public space.<\/p>\n

Chris Glover, the New Democrat who represents the riding in which Ontario Place is located, said both that facility and the science centre, which supports local jobs in its Thorncliffe Park community, deserve better than \u201cpie-in-the-sky musings.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThis sort of back-of-the-napkin planning without any meaningful public consultation or even a conversation with the impacted communities is not uncommon for this government,\u201d he said in a statement.<\/p>\n

\u201cLet\u2019s call this what it really is: a distraction from the fact that Ford wants to subsidize the\u00a0construction\u00a0of a private Austrian spa with $650 million of public money and prioritize corporate interests over public spaces for everyone\u2019s benefit.\u201d<\/p>\n

Ontario Place, which first opened in 1971, was closed to the public in 2012 after years of financial losses.<\/p>\n

Several Toronto mayoral candidates have weighed in on the future of Ontario Place during the city\u2019s ongoing byelection campaign, with Ana Bailao in favour of the proposal to move the Ontario Science Centre there, and Josh Matlow saying he would not sell the portion of city-owned land on the Ontario Place site needed for the spa.<\/p>\n

Ford said the science centre \u201creally needs to be revamped,\u201d and suggested he\u2019s eyeing its current site for housing.<\/p>\n

\u201cThere\u2019s a lot of highrises, density around that whole area,\u201d he said. \u201cI think there\u2019s a tremendous opportunity to create some attainable homes and affordable, non-profit homes in that region if we decide to go down that route.\u201d<\/p>\n

Ford also noted that his government\u2019s Ontario Line transit project \u2013 part subway, part above ground \u2013 is set to extend from Ontario Place to the current Ontario Science Centre site.<\/p>\n

\u00a9 2023 The Canadian Press<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n