I’ve got a message from St. Paul’s for this Conservative government: Hands off Ontario Place. Keep Ontario Place public.

This government has quietly taken down the Ontario Place statement of heritage value from its website. It’s not the first time this government has disregarded culture and heritage. Last year, Architectural Conservancy Ontario and other key heritage stakeholders were not consulted on the disastrous Bill 23, which served as a slap in the face to our Ontario heritage system.

Their Ontario Place redevelopment deal, or scheme? Same old deal: no meaningful consultation with community, Indigenous land keepers, environmentalists. Even its own landscape architect has stepped away from this government’s ill-fated project due to its attack on climate change, including tree-clearing which would essentially kill decades-old wildlife habitat. I oppose this government’s new “no deal for Toronto” act. It stinks of preferential treatment for friends and wedding guests, and disregards comprehensive environmental and heritage assessments that should be necessary for large-scale infrastructure projects. Bill 154 allows for a government power grab bypassing and breaking multiple provincial laws in order to complete the Ontario Place redevelopment on behalf of their private luxury buddy firm—and don’t forget, folks, the secretly publicly funded garage.

We stand with Ontario Place for All, the Future of Ontario Place Project and thousands more across Ontario saying, “Hands off our Ontario Place.”

This petition is entitled “Save Ontario Place.”

“To the Legislative Assembly of Ontario:

“Whereas Ontario Place has been a cherished public space for over 50 years, providing joy, recreation, and cultural experiences for Ontarians and tourists alike and holds cultural and historical significance as a landmark that symbolizes Ontario’s commitment to innovation, sustainability, and public engagement;

“Whereas redevelopment that includes a private, profit-driven venture by an Austrian spa company, prioritizes commercial interests over the needs and desires of the people of Ontario and it is estimated that the cost to prepare the grounds for redevelopment and build a 2,000-car underground garage will cost approximately $650 million;

“Whereas there are concerns of cronyism by Mark Lawson, Therme Group Canada’s vice president of comms and external relations who was previously” Premier “Ford’s deputy chief of staff;

“Whereas meaningful public consultations with diverse stakeholders have not been adequately conducted and the Ontario NDP has sent a letter of support for a public request to begin an investigation into a value-for-money and compliance audit with respect to proposed redevelopment of Ontario Place;

“Therefore we, the undersigned, petition the Legislative Assembly of Ontario to halt any further development plans for Ontario Place, engage in meaningful and transparent public consultations to gather input and ideas for the future of Ontario Place, develop a comprehensive and sustainable plan for the revitalization of Ontario Place that prioritizes environmental sustainability, accessibility, and inclusivity, and ensure that any future development of Ontario Place is carried out in a transparent and accountable manner, with proper oversight, public input, and adherence to democratic processes.”

I overwhelmingly support this petition. Thank you to Ontario Place for All and all Ontarians who have made this possible. I’m going to hand it off to Danté.

So that was a long question, but you know what I’ll focus on? Ontario Place. I just want to give a shout-out to Ontario Place for All and Architectural Conservancy Ontario and also some of my colleagues who are calling for a value-for-money audit of the Conservative government’s plan to hand over a massive chunk of publicly owned Ontario Place to a for-profit place—where is it?—based out of Austria.

I don’t have a problem with investment, but I think we need to invest in Ontario first. And Ontario Place and this government’s ill-thought-out plan for Ontario Place is a best example of the way in which they prop up their buddies—heck, foreign corporations now—as opposed to propping our community up. We don’t need a $600-million private spa courtesy of the government. What are we going to call it? Austria place, or the place formerly known as Ontario Place? Let’s bring the community in to consult about Ontario Place, a place many of us in this House still enjoy to this day.

What are people facing? They are literally facing being unhoused. Some of them are literally considering medical assistance in dying. And some of them are simply just walking around feeling so distraught that they cannot afford the basics.

And I never forgot this woman. We’re still in touch, actually. I’m going to see her next month and I’m going to tell her that you mentioned ODSP, because that will matter to her. She’s very happy when we mention it and she’s thrilled to hear that we want to at least double the ODSP/OW rates.

I mean, any of one of us as MPPs, how would you feel if you got a letter tomorrow saying “Get the hell out of your residence; it’s being demolished. Thank you very much”? This is not fair. What do you tell the senior who has been living at 55 Brownlow for 40-odd years? Where is she supposed to go? She was shaking, speaking to me last night. Where is she supposed to go? As I said last night, maybe Queen’s Park should open its doors at night. I hear they have a lot of space here at night for those who are unhoused.