Ontario Place added to international list of ‘at-risk cultural heritage sites’

Thestar.com
Oct. 30, 2019
David Rider

The Ford government’s redevelopment plans for Ontario Place -- which could include demolition of the attraction’s famous structures -- are being panned on the world stage by an agency that put it on a list of “at-risk cultural heritage sites.”

The partly shuttered Toronto educational theme park is second on a 25-site list released Tuesday by New York-based World Monuments Fund. Other sites on the list, released every two years, include Notre-Dame de Paris, the cathedral gutted by fire earlier this year, and Easter Island in Chile.

The “World Monuments Watch” list puts an international spotlight on geographically or architecturally important places “facing daunting threats such as encroaching urbanization, political turmoil, natural disaster, and violent conflicts, or present compelling conservation opportunities.”

Waterfront advocates hoped Tuesday the international call for the province to abandon “top-down decision-making” might convince the Ford government to add Ontario Place to its growing list of policy reversals. The province said, however, it has no intention of changing its redevelopment plans.

The case for including Ontario Place was made by Bill Greaves for the Architectural Conservancy of Ontario. An independent panel of heritage experts agreed, selecting it from among 250 entries.

The Cinesphere, pods and other waterfront features designed by architect Eberhard Zeidler and landscape architect Michael Hough, and opened in 1971, make it an “internationally important piece of 20th century architecture landscape,” said Greaves.

“The Cinesphere and the pods realize in tangible physical form some of the most ambitious utopian architectural ideas from Europe and the United States in the 1960s,” he said in an interview.

The monuments list states Premier Doug Ford’s government “seeks to offer a long-term lease to the site, with little care for maintaining the heritage values associated with Ontario Place, and without public consultation that would allow citizens’ voices to be heard.

“The 2020 World Monuments Watch calls for an end to top-down decision-making and the embrace of heritage to encourage community dialogue. Through free and public access to the waterfront, Ontario Place can continue to foster interaction and exchange across population groups and fulfil the potential envisioned by its creators.”

The agency will later determine grants to help back site conservation efforts.

After Ford was elected in June 2018, he quickly set his sights on overhauling Ontario Place, which closed in 2012. He scrapped proposals under the previous Liberal government that included building on the $30 million Trillium Park and William G. Davis Trail opened to acclaim in 2017.

The province sought new bids to transform the site into a “spectacular world-class, year-round destination” with no casino, no condos and no requirement for ongoing public funding.

The Ford government envisioned sport and entertainment landmarks as well as retail, recreational facilities and public spaces and parks. It told bidders there was no protections for existing structures and made no requirement to ensure waterfront grounds remain entirely public.

Tourism Minister Lisa MacLeod and cabinet colleagues are reviewing bids submitted before a September deadline and not yet made public. Asked about inclusion on the monuments list, she told the Star in an email: “The integrity of Ontario Place has suffered after 15 years of neglect under the previous Liberal government.

“Our government is committed to bringing Ontario Place back to life and restoring it to its former glory as a spectacular destination that attracts local and international visitors 365 days a year.”

Councillor Joe Cressy, whose Ward 10 Spadina--Fort York ward includes Ontario Place, said “This is not a list that you want to be included on -- if you are, you are doing something wrong and that’s exactly what ‘s happening.

“I’m calling on the province of Ontario to release the private proposals so the public, including people who care deeply about heritage, can have a say on the future of Ontario Place.”

Cynthia Wilkey of the Ontario Place for All advocacy group, said: “We hope that this will be an opportunity for the government to rethink their plan.

“They have rushed into a number of initiatives, and then changed course, so we hope this (list inclusion) helps convince them we also need to do the right thing with Ontario Place.”