TORONTO ? Ontario has ruled out a casino and condos on the site of Ontario Place on Toronto’s waterfront as it issues a call for development proposals, but the future of the park’s iconic Cinesphere is in question.
Ontario Place; Photo: Raysonho via Wikimedia Commons
Michael Tibollo, the minister of tourism, culture and sport, said the government wants to see the site turned into a world-class, year-round destination both for Ontarians and for tourists.
”We have a jewel in Ontario Place,” he said. ”It just needs to be polished.”
The government will consider a broad range of ideas, from sport and entertainment landmarks, to public spaces and parks, to recreational facilities and retail space, Tibollo said. ”But I want to be clear: our vision for Ontario Place does not include residential developments or casinos,” he said.
The development guidelines do not, however, require the famous white Cinesphere cinema to be preserved.

Ontario Place – Call for Development from Colliers Capital Markets Canada on Vimeo.
The province closed Ontario Place to the public in 2012 due to falling revenues at the government-owned theme park and tight provincial finances. At that time, the government said attendance had fallen from 2.5 million when it opened in 1971 to about 300,000.
Various proposals have been floated since its closure, including a year-round waterpark with a retractable roof, a casino complex and hotel, as wel...