Most of Ontario Place to close this summer for redevelopment
Posted February 1, 2012 8:38 am.
This article is more than 5 years old.
Most of Ontario Place, including the water park, concessions and Cinesphere, will be closed this summer as the site undergoes redevelopment, the province says.
Ontario Tourism Minister Michael Chan and Finance Minister Dwight Duncan announced the plan at Queen’s Park Wednesday.
Chan said the waterfront amusement park has cost the Ontario government about $20 million a year and attendance has dropped from 2.5 million when it opened in 1971 to about 300,000 a year.
He said Ontario was “moving aggressively” to kick-start the “revitalization” which, according to his estimates, will create thousands of jobs.
In the meantime, 48 permanent and 600 seasonal student jobs will be lost. Duncan said the government is planning to add funds to its summer youth employment program to offset the change.
The moneymaking Molson Amphitheatre, Atlantis pavilion, marina and parking lot will stay open.
Chan also said former Progressive Conservative leader John Tory will chair a panel on the revitalization.
The ministers said they were open to all options, including a casino if it passes the regulatory process, and would not rule out selling off parts of the site to private companies.
In 2009, Ontario released a report recommending Ontario Place be developed as a year-round attraction.
The government is aiming to have the project completed by 2017.
Last year, Ontario Place offered free admission for its 40th anniversary and, as a result, had more than 900,000 visits.
