Vibrant Waterfront Park Coming to Ontario Place

May 1, 2018 Zhane Squire Local News 0

New Design Will Create Green Space and Expand Public Access Along Toronto’s Waterfront.

The province is transforming Ontario Place into a vibrant waterfront destination and creating a huge new multi-use park for people and families to enjoy.

Daiene Vernile, Minister of Tourism, Culture and Sport, was at Ontario Place today to announce plans for more green space on the iconic property and to unveil the design for Celebration Common, a new multi-purpose waterfront park that will be roughly the size of 14 football fields.

The park – which is being designed by award-winning firm DTAH – will host large-scale festivals and events, feature an outdoor play area for kids and a beach where locals and visitors can play outdoor sports or simply enjoy the waterfront.

The development of Celebration Common is the next step in transforming Ontario Place into a year-round destination for everyone to enjoy.

As revitalization moves forward, Ontario Place continues to welcome people to the site with new public programming throughout late spring and summer, including:

This summer, Ontario Place will welcome back the YMCA Toronto’s Day Camp, an outdoor children’s camp experience that includes games, crafts, cycling, and water sport activities. Ontario Place will also be working with other non-profit organizations and local community groups on a program to give free tickets to Kids Up Front so children and youth can see movies at the iconic Cinesphere theatre.

Ontario’s plan to support care, create opportunity and make life more affordable during this period of rapid economic change includes free prescription drugs for everyone under 25, and 65 or over, through the biggest expansion of medicare in a generation, free tuition for hundreds of thousands of students, a higher minimum wage and better working conditions, and free preschool child care from 2 ½ to kindergarten.

QUICK FACTS

  • DTAH is an award-winning design firm whose other waterfront projects have included the revitalization of Queens Quay and the Central Toronto Waterfront.
  • Ontario Place’s Cinesphere reopened to the public in November 2017 with regular, year-round cinematic presentations.
  • The Trillium Park and William G. Davis Trail opened in June 2017 and now welcomes people back to a spectacular piece of Toronto’s waterfront for the first time in over forty years.
  • To make Ontario Place more bike-friendly, the province has provided funding for 240 new bike parking spaces, which were installed this spring.
  • To make Ontario Place more accessible, the Toronto Transit Commission’s 121 Fort York bus will include two stops at Ontario Place, beginning June 24, 2018.

ADDITIONAL RESOURCES

QUOTES

“We have made tremendous progress on our vision to revitalize Ontario Place and bring new life to this iconic destination. The design of the new park boosts public access by providing an ideal location for festivals, cultural events and recreational activities. Celebration Common illustrates the wonderful progress we are making to transform Ontario Place into a vibrant year-round destination along Toronto’s spectacular waterfront.”
 — Daiene Vernile, Minister of Tourism, Culture and Sport


“It is exciting to see the great progress our government is making on transforming Ontario Place into a year-round destination. The preliminary designs for the Celebration Common give us a taste of the incredible space it will become — a beautiful waterfront park where people can go to relax or enjoy cultural events and recreational activities.”
 — Han Dong, MPP, Trinity-Spadina


“Summer at Ontario Place is a great way for Ontarians to have fun in the sun and take advantage of our waterfront location. Ontario Place welcomes people to explore our public space and participate in the many recreational activities, games and events that will take place over the summer months. We are excited to continue to offer activities the whole family can enjoy.”
 — Penny Lipsett, Chair of the Board, Ontario Place Corporation

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