Stan Sudol is a Toronto-based communications consultant, who writes extensively about mining issues.(stan.sudol@republicofmining.com)
Ontario Place, the provincial government’s Toronto lakeshore tourist attraction has put out a formal request for innovative ideas from the private sector to help overhaul the 39-year old park. http://www.ontarioplace.com/en/rfi/index.html
“There is significant social, cultural, and economic value in revitalizing Ontario Place,” states a provincial government news release. “It also presents opportunities to explore projects related to education, culture and the arts, recreational activities and Green Energy initiatives to showcase all that Ontario has to offer.”
Ontario Place opened in May 1971 and featured a five pod pavilion complex, an open air forum, pedal boats, a marina, restaurants and the world’s first permanent IMAX theatre, the Cinesphere. During the 1970s, Ontario Place routinely drew roughly 2.5 million visitors a year. In 2009, only about one million visited the facility.
In 1980 the provincial government constructed an ambitious display to specifically feature northern Ontario. The display was known as Ontario North Now and consisted of seven concrete silos linked by walkways on the western short of the park. I remember visiting that popular pavilion and realizing that it was a great opportunity to educate urbanites about the North’s wildlife, resource industries and their enormous contributions to the provincial economy and in our daily lives. Unfortunately, Ontario North Now was closed down many years ago.