Ford’s Ontario Place scheme is all peril, no promise

April 3, 2023

QUEEN'S PARK — Ontario Greens leader and MPP for Guelph Mike Schreiner released the following statement in response to concerns shared in a report from the City of Toronto about the future of the Therme spa at Ontario Place.

“The Ontario Place revitalization should lead with sustainability and public space.

It should be connected to surrounding communities with affordable, accessible transit options.

And it should respect the park’s initial vision – to be a public park for people of all ages, not a pay-to-play luxury spa with a few public walkways in its shadow.

The Therme mega-spa delivers none of the things that people want or need, but so much of what people do not want or need.

It seems that every time the Ontario Place scheme is in the news, it’s accompanied by a long list of concerns. And there is so much to be concerned about – especially when it comes to climate.

How can we even know the true environmental costs of this undertaking when the project team has not done a proper environmental assessment?

What measures are being taken to prioritize sustainability and climate-readiness throughout the design and construction processes?

And what flood protection measures will be implemented as the Therme Group undertakes an extensive lakefill and shoreline revitalization project?

Ontario Greens know that our province needs communities where everyone can afford a place to live, where they can be close to good jobs, transit options, green spaces and functional public services.

We’ll keep fighting to prioritize public space for the public interest – not parking lots and private spas.”

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