A Brief History of Ontario Place
When first opened in 1971, Ontario Place was designed to reflect all that the people of Ontario embodied: our heritage, our diversity, our creativity, and our future potential.
Since its opening, Ontario Place has changed and evolved with the times. Throughout the 1980s and 1990s, the site saw updates that included:
- replacement of the original Forum with the Amphitheatre (now Budweiser Stage) — raising seating capacity from 12,000 to 16,000
- updating and expanding the waterpark
The 2000s saw further changes to Ontario Place with several significant capital improvements including:
- updates to the waterpark and the Cinesphere
- construction of a new outdoor entertainment venue, Echo Beach
In 2012, portions of the park were closed, including the waterpark, amusement rides and Cinesphere. These closures were done to prepare the site for large-scale (future) redevelopment.
In 2017, the opening of the newly built Trillium Park and William G. Davis Trail signaled the reopening of the site on a year-round basis, and improvements were made to the iconic Cinesphere, including the installation of a new projection system and repairs to the bridge leading from the west entrance.
Rebuilding and Reimagining Ontario Place
The new vision for Ontario Place is bold. It comprehensively redevelops the entire site, effectively rebuilding it from the ground up to ensure it meets modern environmental, accessibility, and construction standards.
The Master Plan
The government’s vision for Ontario Place will provide people of all ages with something to enjoy:
- creating one of Toronto’s largest waterfront parks (50+ acres) and a new public realm free and open to the public 365-days a year
- retaining and restoring the Pods as part of a new state-of-the-art Ontario Science Centre, offering the same size of exhibition space as the current OSC.
- transforming the seasonal amphitheatre known as Budweiser Stage into a year-round modern music venue.
- creating a new family friendly attraction that captures the legacy of water and play at a brand new all-season waterpark on the West Island.
- retaining and modernizing the marina at the heart of Ontario Place and creating new waterside dining opportunities.
Once complete, the redeveloped Ontario Place will be open to the public 365 days a year, with free public access and a waterfront experience that everyone can enjoy.
Call for Development Process
As the first step to making the future vision for Ontario Place a reality, a Call for Development was launched in 2019.
The government actively searched for a visionary partner (or partners) with ideas that would deliver transformational change aligned with the vision for the site – a world-class, year-round destination with global appeal that would attract millions of local, provincial, national and international visitors to its landmark entertainment, sports, commercial, recreational and/or leisure attractions. These landmarks would be complemented by free public space and parks that will make up approximately two thirds of the site and would include the existing amphitheatre.
The government sought development concepts that could propose a single use, or a cluster of complementary uses, including family-friendly entertainment, recreation, sports, hospitality and retail. The Call for Development was a proposal call designed to provide flexibility for interested parties to propose unique — yet financially viable and sustainable — development concepts.
Potential development partners were asked to submit proposals that were then assessed on four primary areas of consideration:
- alignment with the government’s vision
- concept viability
- delivery certainty, and costs and benefits to the province
- no residential development or casino use were permitted to be included on any part of the site.
Based on this assessment, government decided to partner with Therme Group and Live Nation to deliver attractions and recreational activities as part of the redeveloped site. Long term ground lease agreements were subsequently negotiated with both parties.
As the province works with the City of Toronto and Indigenous communities, Therme and Live Nation will help to deliver a spectacular Ontario Place that provides year-round entertainment for all ages and interests. Through this partnership, Ontario Place will achieve its full potential as a tourism driver and economic generator.
Therme Group
Theme Group will build Therme Canada | Ontario Place – an all-season, family-friendly health and wellness experience with something for all ages and interests, including:
- pools and waterslides
- botanical spaces to relax
- sports performance and recovery services
Outside, people will enjoy nearly 15 acres of free, publicly accessible gathering spaces, parkland, gardens, and beaches.
Therme is also a partner of local and global arts and culture organizations and will bring inspiring programming to Ontario Place, giving people the opportunity to enjoy a day of fun at the waterfront and participate in immersive arts experiences outside the spaces of galleries and museums.
The addition of Therme at Ontario Place will bring together global and local expertise.
Live Nation
Live Nation is redeveloping the existing amphitheatre into a modern, year-round indoor-outdoor live music and performance venue that will attract world-class artists and events.
Protecting the iconic amphitheatre lawns, the new venue will have an expanded capacity of up to 20,000 in the summer and close to 9,000 in the winter, offering a unique indoor/outdoor experience with operable exterior walls to accommodate events, rain or shine.
Ontario Science Centre Relocation
The Ontario Science Centre (OSC) will find its new home in a custom-built, state-of-the-art facility at Ontario Place. The centrally located, modern site will bring exciting science-based educational programming to the heart of the city. The planned new facility at Ontario Place, including its extension into the Cinesphere and pods, will be approximately 275,000 square feet.
Relocating the OSC to Ontario Place will reposition this provincial destination for a more sustainable future, create a modern facility and introduce a state-of-the-art building with new, exciting exhibits for all ages.
A consultant is part of the project team to ensure the Pods and Cinesphere are protected. Construction of the new facility is anticipated to begin in 2025.
Green space and public access
A redeveloped Ontario Place will not include casinos or condos and the land will not be sold. The site is an important part of this province’s history, and the land will remain in provincial ownership.
The project aims at creating more green space and parks with more than 50 acres of publicly accessible parks and open space. The redevelopment will bring in the Trillium Park approach and focus on biodiversity.
Ontario Place will remain open to the public 365 days a year, with free public access and a waterfront experience that can be enjoyed by all. Across the site, the public spaces will be enhanced and brought up to modern standards. The landscape will be fully AODA accessible and be fully connected to the broader waterfront trail systems.
Economic benefits
A redeveloped Ontario Place will bring many benefits to the region, including job creation and a much-needed boosts to the tourism industry.
Benefits include:
- 5,000 new jobs during both construction and permanent operations.
- enhanced profile of Toronto’s central waterfront for local, provincial, national and international visitors.
- anticipated 4-6 million visitors a year.
- a minimum private sector investment of $500 million in capital.
- new revenue from lease agreements.