Ontario Place deal with Toronto would allow province to override environmental and heritage laws, NDP says
Ontario’s opposition NDP is expressing concern about new legislation that will provide exemptions for the redevelopment of Ontario Place on a number of fronts as part of a deal with Toronto.
The New Deal for Toronto Act passed first reading Monday at Queen’s Park. The act would formalize in law a deal between the province and the city that would see the provincial government take responsibility for the Gardiner Expressway and the Don Valley Parkway in exchange for the city’s recognition of the province’s right to proceed with its redevelopment plans for Ontario Place.
- Download our app to get local alerts on your device
- Get the latest local updates right to your inbox
The Ford government has been marching ahead with plans to provide Therme Canada a long-term lease to build a private water park and spa on the Ontario Place grounds.
The act provides exemptions for the Ontario Place redevelopment on a number of fronts, including environmental assessments, the Heritage Act, and regular noise regulations the city would normally be able to enforce. It also gives the infrastructure minister power to issue ministerial zoning orders (MZOs) that can override local laws to move the project forward.
Speaking in the legislature Tuesday, Ontario NDP Leader Marit Stiles questioned whether Premier Ford is overriding his own rules to avoid accountability under the law.
“The conservatives are muddying even further when it comes to Ontario Place,” Stiles said. "They're doing everything they can to ram their private luxury spa through, even skirting their own rules. They proposed exempting the project from environmental assessment laws and the Heritage Act."
Infrastructure Minister Kinga Surma responded that the government is eager to move forward on the project.
"We have done everything that is required by us by law, and now we have to make a decision and move forward," she said.
But Stiles responded and said the act amounts to the PC government "giving themselves a free pass to do whatever they want for whomever they want with public dollars."
Each side accused the other of being "obsessed" with the project.
Speaking with reporters later, Surma said she needs the ministerial zoning powers because the city has not updated its official plan.
"So Live Nation for example, technically should not be operating on the site, because it's only supposed to be allowed for Park Marina and boating," Surma said.
She also said that the province needs to move forward with the project in order to avoid penalties associated with delays.
An area fenced off for construction work is seen at Ontario Place in Toronto, on Friday, November 3, 2023. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Chris Young
"The city respects our timelines. Listen, whenever there's a big project or construction, you have to respect the timelines and there are costs associated with delays," Surma said. "And we've been very patient with the City of Toronto. We've respected the democratic process, the transition period, we've had the working group, we've nailed down a successful deal that's very good for the City of Toronto and the province of Ontario. And now we are getting on with building.
"There will be lots happening on the West Island, lots happening in terms of public realm, shoreline enhancements, removal of certain things on the island, and we're excited for it."
Surma said that the province has already conducted two environmental assessments for the project, as well as 40 studies on how water, soil, and other features would be affected.
However Stiles said that isn’t the case.
"That's not true. There has not been an environmental assessment of the West island where Therma’s gonna be located," she told reporters. "So the minister is trying to make all kinds of excuses but at the end of the day, they don't want to have an environmental assessment and they're doing everything they can to avoid it."
Asked if she felt betrayed by Chow in terms of the fight over Ontario Place, Stiles offered a similar comment to the mayor and said the issue was always going to be decided at the provincial legislature.
"I think Olivia Chow, the mayor got a new deal for Toronto from a government that is desperate to change the channel and is mired in scandal and looking for any good news they can extract," Stiles said. "But at the end of the day, the fight to keep Ontario Place and to keep that as a public park was always going to be here at Queen's Park in the legislature."
In a testy exchange earlier in the legislature, Minister of Municipal Affairs and Housing Paul Calandra told Stiles that municipalities want to work with the province to get things done.
“You know who’s come on board? Mayor Olivia Chow, an NDP stalwart,” Calandra said.
Speaking with reporters, Surma also clarified that the fate of the current Ontario Science Centre building has not yet been decided, even though the province conceded to the city that it would keep some science programming at the site.
A business case for the Ontario Science Centre is due out Wednesday, she said.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
![](https://www.ctvnews.ca/polopoly_fs/1.6977053.1721909931!/httpImage/image.jpg_gen/derivatives/landscape_800/image.jpg)
'Sick to my stomach': People grieve Jasper National Park by sharing favourite photos
As an out-of-control wildfire roared through Alberta’s famed Jasper National Park and its townsite late Wednesday, many are fearing the worst as officials warned of 'significant loss' within the area.
DEVELOPING Jasper wildfire burns buildings, while poor air quality forces some fire crews out
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau announced on social media that Ottawa has approved Alberta's request for federal assistance after a fast-moving wildfire hit Jasper National Park and its townsite late Wednesday.
Canadian women's soccer team staffer given suspended prison sentence over drone incident, prosecutor says
A Canada women's soccer team staffer has been given an eight-month suspended prison sentence after flying a drone to film the closed-door training session of the New Zealand team on Monday, the prosecutor's office said in a statement.
Sale of envoy's NYC condo 'expected to exceed' $9M: government
The current official residence for Canada's representative in New York City is 'being readied for sale,' according to a spokesperson from Global Affairs Canada.
'I'm so broke': Two Toronto women speak out after losing $76,000 in romance scam
Two women from the Toronto area are speaking out after losing thousands of dollars to a romance scam, including a single mother who lost $62,000.
Barrie-Innisfil MPP 'blacked-out' and crashed car into window of child care centre
Staff at a Barrie child care centre say they are frustrated by what they call a local MPP's inadequate response after a car crashed through a window in one of the toddler rooms.
Loblaw, George Weston to settle class action over bread price-fixing for $500 million
Loblaw Cos. Ltd. and its parent company George Weston Ltd. say they have agreed to pay $500-million to settle a class-action lawsuit regarding their involvement in an alleged bread price-fixing scheme.
EXCLUSIVE One address, 76 foreign currency dealers: Inside Canada's money service business 'clusters'
An IJF and CTV News investigation has found dozens of cases across Canada where multiple money services businesses (MSBs) are incorporated at the same address, sometimes without the knowledge or consent of the location's actual occupant. One money laundering expert calls it an 'abuse of the system.'
An unwelcome attendee has joined the Paris Olympic Games: COVID-19
After a handful of Australian water polo players tested positive for COVID-19 this week, questions have emerged around how the spread of the disease will be mitigated at the Summer Olympic Games in Paris.