For an Ontario Place for all, we need public land in public hands

August 22, 2023

TORONTO — Ontario Greens leader and MPP for Guelph, Mike Schreiner, released the following statement in response to the release of updated renderings from Therme Canada for Ontario Place’s West Island.

“If we want Ontario Place to remain an affordable place for all, we need to lead with public land in public hands.

Like so much of what we see from this government, the updated renderings for Therme’s Ontario Place mega spa are too little, too late.

These revisions are little more than a clumsy attempt at damage control in response to public outrage over poor decisions made in back rooms without input from the actual stakeholders – the people of Ontario.

This marketing save-face does not make up for the total lack of public consultation that got us here in the first place, nor the brazen funnelling of public goods into private pockets.

We need a laser-focus on building 100 percent public amenities that work with the surrounding communities – not against them.

What we don’t need is everyday Ontarians footing the bill for the Ford government’s billion-dollar giveaways.”

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