Distraction tactics won’t fix Ford’s Ontario Place damage

April 18, 2023

QUEEN'S PARK — Ontario Greens leader and MPP for Guelph Mike Schreiner released the following statement in response to the announcement that the Ontario Science Centre will be relocated to Ontario Place.

“With this announcement, the government is only trying to distract us from their still-very-much-alive scheme to turn Ontario Place into a massive pay-to-play spa.

This announcement does nothing to repair the damage that will be caused by putting the hulking Therme complex where there should be a public park.

It does not change the fact that dozens of acres of public land are going to be swallowed up by private corporations – and that the people of Ontario are going to foot the bill.

Privatizing precious public space is not the way to build livable, family friendly communities.

The communities surrounding the current Science Centre shouldn’t have to lose an important public attraction in order to gain badly needed housing.

We shouldn’t have to choose between homes we can afford and public amenities that make our communities stronger.

If the Ford government had prioritized community engagement before barging ahead with their head-in-the sand Ontario Place scheme, maybe they would actually understand its consequences.

We can’t let this damage control tactic distract us from the government’s real agenda: sell off public assets to serve a handful of well-connected corporations, and leave the people of Ontario to pay the price.”

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