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“Our position all along has been Ontario Place is, foremost, a public space and must remain that way.” — Warren (Smokey) Thomas, OPSEU President.
Toronto (01 August 2014) — The President of the Ontario Public Service Employees Union (OPSEU/NUPGE) applauded the provincial government’s announcement today that the revitalization of Ontario Place will focus squarely on making Toronto’s waterfront destination a public space.
“The public has spoken and, thankfully, the provincial government has listened,” said OPSEU President Warren (Smokey) Thomas. “Our worst fears will not be realized; namely, that Ontario Place was destined to become a forest of condominiums and hotels and even a casino.”
Ontario Place will be the site of public events, green space and festivals
In today’s announcement, the Ministry of Tourism laid out plans to redevelop the site to include expanded green space, an area for cultural festivals and community events, a year-round music venue, a canal district, and a hub for discovery and innovation that will focus on learning and the future.
In the winter of 2012—2013, OPSEU/NUPGE, along with the Design Industry Advisory Committee and the University of Toronto's Martin Prosperity Institute, hosted several public meetings and town halls that attracted some of Toronto’s leading design architects, urban landscape professionals and environmental graphic artists. The group produced exciting ideas, many of which were contained in today’s announcement.
OPSEU/NUPGE played leading role in pushing public use as a key purpose for Toronto's waterfront space
“OPSEU/NUPGE and our partners in the revitalization movement can take considerable pride in the fact that several key components of the Minister’s announcement were, in fact, first proposed at our public consultations,” said Thomas. “Our position all along has been Ontario Place is, foremost, a public space and must remain that way.”
Thomas expressed regret that today’s announcement did not contain any job-creation targets.
“Ontario Place was once a hub of seasonal jobs for hundreds of young people,” he said. “We will push the government to ensure that Ontario Place again becomes a job magnet.”
NUPGE
The National Union of Public and General Employees (NUPGE) is one of Canada's largest labour organizations with over 340,000 members. Our mission is to improve the lives of working families and to build a stronger Canada by ensuring our common wealth is used for the common good. NUPGE