Access to parts of Ontario Place in Toronto are closed because of construction on May 29. Doug Ford's proposal for the site includes a $350-million spa and waterpark from Vienna-based Therme Group.Frank Gunn/The Canadian Press
Premier Doug Ford’s government says it will forge ahead with plans to redevelop Ontario Place into an international tourist destination featuring a luxury spa, regardless of whether the next mayor of Toronto supports the idea.
Mayoral front-runner Olivia Chow has come out against Mr. Ford’s proposal for Ontario Place, which includes a $350-million spa and waterpark from Vienna-based Therme Group, and said she would not yield a section of land that Toronto owns on the site to the provincial government. City councillor and fellow mayoral candidate Josh Matlow has said the same, and also threatened to involve the federal government in an attempt to block Mr. Ford’s plans.
The showdown in the final weeks of the mayoral race sets up a potentially bitter battle between City Hall and Queen’s Park over the future of the Toronto waterfront site. Toronto voters will go to the polls on June 26.
Progressive Conservative House Leader Paul Calandra on Monday said the province will use “all the tools at our disposal” to ensure the government’s vision for Ontario Place comes to life. The provincial plans also include an expanded concert space, entertainment venues, a marina and parkland, as well as a plan to move the Ontario Science Centre from its current location in northeast Toronto to the city’s waterfront.
“It’s going to be an awesome place for the people of the province of Ontario, and we will not let obstacles get in the way,” Mr. Calandra told reporters at Queen’s Park.
“We’ve seen this far too often, in municipalities across Ontario, and where they get in the way, we will remove the obstacles and get it done.”
Mr. Calandra did not detail what the tools the provincial government would use. But options could potentially include expropriation, a minister’s zoning order (MZO) to fast-track construction or even provincial legislation to push the project through.
The province and the city could also engage in a land swap to proceed with the redevelopment plans, but a Toronto city council committee recently deferred the matter until certain conditions are met.
Ms. Chow said that Mr. Ford should listen to public opposition and abandon his plans, as has happened with other planning ideas in the past.
“Ford is forgetting that the City of Toronto owns land that he needs. Ford says he’ll use all available tools to pursue his luxury mega spa at Ontario Place, but we have the biggest tool of all: democracy. That’s real power. Ford needs to listen to the people of Toronto and give up on his Ontario Place sell-off,” Ms. Chow said in a statement to The Globe and Mail.
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“We have many examples throughout Toronto’s history – from the Spadina Expressway to the downtown mega casino – of public opposition defeating bad ideas, no matter the power of the province.”
Mr. Matlow accused the Ford government of “bullying Toronto” and said the city can withhold 16 acres of land from the province.
“The approach that they’re taking is unreasonable and they should be working with the city as a partner,” he said in an interview.
Mr. Matlow said that if the province seeks to expropriate the property, which includes 10 acres of water and six acres of land, then he would attempt to work with the federal government to stop the plans. He said this could include a proposal to sell the land to Ottawa with an agreement that the land remain a public park in perpetuity.
Norm Di Pasquale, co-chair of the citizens’ group Ontario Place for All, which is fighting the entire project, said they are also requesting a federal impact assessment in a bid to halt the project.
Former Toronto Sun columnist Anthony Furey, who is also running for mayor, said he wants to work with Mr. Ford on improving the “underperforming” Ontario Place site, but believes citizens should be consulted on the province’s plans before any work gets under way.
A spokesperson for former Toronto Police chief Mark Saunders, who served as the province’s special adviser on Ontario Place and is also a mayoral candidate, said Mr. Saunders supports the redevelopment project.
“Mark supports making Ontario Place a year-round attraction, bringing much needed jobs and economic activity to Toronto 365 days a year. Further, the newly imagined Ontario Place will include significant public space for all to enjoy,” said campaign manager Laryssa Waler.
A spokesperson for candidate Ana Bailão said instead of telling the city what to do, the provincial government should be focused on working with Toronto.