Mr. Speaker, I can’t believe that I’m actually responding to the question and I have to educate a colleague of mine on the other side who does not understand what an audit is and who conducts an audit. An audit is conducted by a certified accountant. What we saw yesterday was not, in fact, an audit. It was a presentation that I’m pretty sure grade 7 and 8 students from schools in my riding could do a better job of. It was a joke, in fact.

Mr. Speaker, we will continue with our redevelopment plans at Ontario Place. We are attracting an investment of hundreds of millions of dollars to build 50 acres of public realm space, a brand new stage, a wellness and water park facility for the public to enjoy after 30 years of neglect of the site because of the Liberals.

What I will do is I will work with Infrastructure Ontario, a world-renowned agency that is leading the development of all of our critical and most complex projects in the province. Whether it’s highways, whether it’s hospitals, whether it’s schools, long-term care or correctional facilities, they are leading that work. We are working in partnership with Infrastructure Ontario to bring the site back to life.

Mr. Speaker, we have two options: We could do what the Liberals did and not do anything and let the site fall apart and let it continue to flood, or we can attract hundreds of millions of dollars of investment to the site for a water park, a brand new stage, 50 acres of public realm space, a brand new marina, food and beverage so that Ontarians can enjoy the lands once again.

I’m happy to repeat myself again: In 2019, we did a call for development where we encouraged people to participate in the process. In 2021, we picked our partners, which are Therme and Live Nation, and in April of 2023, we presented the whole vision of Ontario Place, which included a brand new stage, 50 acres of public realm space, wellness facility and water park provided by Therme and a brand new science centre.

We have been fully transparent with the public throughout this entire process. We have consulted with close to 10,000 people throughout this process. But again, what is most important is that a site that was forgotten about by the Liberal government will now come to life and be a site that families and Ontarians can enjoy for generations to come.

The Liberals closed the site—of course, there’s Trillium Park, but the rest of the site is deteriorating, is flooding, to the degree that Live Nation actually had to close down their shows in 2017. And that is acceptable to the NDP. It is not acceptable to us.

We have a vital asset on the waterfront that is not being used. We are building attractions on the site so that families can enjoy the site once again.

We have kept the public apprised of this project the whole way. We have spoken about this project almost on a daily basis in the Legislature, and we will continue to keep the public apprised of our project. In fact, we just wrapped up a consultation with marina operators. We are planning on rebuilding and revitalizing the marina, making it a more inclusive marina. We have every intention to bring food and beverage on the site, because we know families with children need to have a drink and they need to have food for their children and have ice cream on the site. And that is how we are proceeding, Mr. Speaker.

Interjections.

I’m so sorry. I’m just trying to catch my breath here.

We announced $3 billion for infrastructure today with the Premier and the Minister of Finance as part of the 2024 budget—very happy to see that happen.

Mr. Speaker, let me be very clear: There is no phase 2. There is no paving of the Brigantine Cove. What we decided to do, Mr. Speaker, was instead to expand the public realm space to 50 acres. We’re building a brand new stage, wellness facility, park and, as well, a new science centre, marina and food and beverage on the site. That is what we showed to the public in April; that is what we are constructing today.

What’s most exciting is that Ontarians will finally have an Ontario Place that they can enjoy for years to come.

Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker, and thank you to the member.

Again, we held a competitive process in 2019 to bring Ontario Place back to life. In 2021, we partnered—we announced our partners, which are Live Nation and Therme. And in April 2023, the member just admitted that he was at Ontario Place when our government made the announcement where we shared that we would build a new science centre, a wellness water park facility, 50 acres of public realm space, and a brand new amphitheatre and Live Nation stage. The member just admitted that he was there at the announcement. That is our focus now. Our focus is to construct the vision that we shared in April when the member was there with us.

Mr. Speaker, in the new deal, we will be providing operational funding for transit; we will be providing funding for the city of Toronto to keep TTC riders safe. Contingent upon federal funding, we will also be providing funding for our homeless and for shelters.

We’re very proud of the new deal that we landed in the fall and the legislation that was presented before Christmas. And of course, we’re very happy to continue to work with the city of Toronto to bring Ontario Place back to life so that families can enjoy the site once again.

Thank you to the member opposite. Now, I’m not sure where she was on April 18, 2023, when I joined the Premier and Live Nation at Ontario Place. The entire Queen’s Park press gallery was there and that’s where we showcased the fact that we’re building a new science centre, a water park facility, a wellness facility on the west end, 50 acres of public realm space and a brand new marina, as well as a brand new amphitheatre stage for Live Nation. That is our mission for Ontario Place, and we are under construction today.

Today, we are under construction and we will make sure to bring Ontario Place back to life for the people of Ontario.

I am very excited, because construction is under way at Ontario Place, and finally, after years and years of neglect, the people of Ontario will have a wonderful Ontario Place to enjoy with their families.

Interjections.

To add to my previous comments, we will be adding a 6-to-1 ratio on trees for larger trees and a 2-to-1 ratio for smaller trees. In fact, there will be far more vegetation on Ontario Place, once fully redeveloped, than today.

But, Mr. Speaker, let’s ask what their plan is. Do you know what the plan of the NDP is? Do nothing. Don’t build subways, don’t build highways, don’t build schools, don’t build long-term care and don’t bring Ontario Place back to life. No wonder no one supports your party.

We’ve conducted two environmental assessments, one on the site-servicing work that is necessary in order to make sure that we can have tenants on the site. Good news: We actually completed our category C environmental assessment on Friday. It will be made public. It is shared with the public. But what’s most important is we are bringing Ontario Place back to life.

No one goes to Ontario Place anymore. The site is deteriorating, the site is flooding. In fact, Live Nation had to cancel its concerts back in 2017 because of the flooding issues. We will make sure that we improve the shoreline. We will make sure that there will be lots of activities for families to do at Ontario Place. If it was up to the NDP, they would do nothing. They would let the site deteriorate and let the site continue to flood, but we will not let that happen.

And Mr. Speaker, we had a competitive procurement process where Therme wellness facility participated and was successful, and now they will be an active tenant on the site that will contribute to the annual maintenance of the site to make sure that it does not fall into disrepair like it has done under their watch. They closed Ontario Place. We are going to bring it back to life with wonderful activities to make sure that we bring the site to good standard so that families can enjoy it for years and years to come.

If my memory serves me correct, the city of Toronto just passed a motion asking for the wellness centre to be moved at Exhibition Place, but do you know what one of their arguments was for that? “Oh, because there’s parking.” Parking is a necessity when it comes to tourist attractions. Wonderland, the zoo—every tourist attraction has parking. We want to make it as accessible for people so that the mom from Scarborough with three kids can make it down to Ontario Place to enjoy.

Honestly, I cannot believe that I’m answering this question again. Every single tourist destination has parking. Why? To make it as accessible for people as possible. What a shocking circumstance that we’re creating a world-class destination with attractions and things for families to do, and government considers parking; of course, government would consider parking. Every single other tourist attraction offers parking so that the mom from Scarborough with three kids can get down and enjoy Ontario Place.

What we hope to achieve here, of course, is to create a wonderful site that families can enjoy, with a brand new science centre, with more exhibition space, with a wellness and water park facility, with 50 acres of public grounds space, and a brand new Budweiser Stage. If that doesn’t require parking, honest to God, what does?

The member opposite is speaking to, yes, a property in a prime location, absolutely; a property that had to be closed in 2017 because of severe flooding that even impacted Budweiser Stage operations. The site is in complete disrepair. It is constantly flooding, which is why we are doing the site servicing work; it’s under way. That is exactly why we will repair the shoreline to make sure we protect the island for years and years so that people can enjoy it in the future.

To the Leader of the Opposition: Two different procurements with two different governments with different criteria—proponent is the same. Therme will be at Ontario Place and will offer water park play for families 365 days of the year.

Thank you to the member for the question. Mr. Speaker, what we are trying to achieve here is to have good tenants on the site that will have activities for families to do all year round, and Therme does that. What we are also trying to achieve on the site is to build parking so that we can make it accessible for families across Ontario to visit the site that belongs to the people of Ontario—that’s 15 million people.

Mr. Speaker, we will continue to make progress on the site and bring it back to life so that it will once again be enjoyed by families all the time. It is not today.

Mr. Speaker, Ontario Place has fallen into disrepair; everyone knows it. Everyone who goes there, everyone who drives by knows that the island is in need of love and care. And now we will have a wonderful tenant that will have activities for families, that will also be contributing to annual maintenance of the site so that it can be enjoyed for years and years to come.

I think it’s my opportunity to speak to the motion.

Madam Speaker, Ontario Place is a site that is not living up to its potential and only has one remaining major attraction, Budweiser Stage.

I am glad to stand in this House today to speak to the facts.

In 2012, the Liberal government made the decision to close portions of Ontario Place, including the water park, amusement rides and Cinesphere. They did this because dismal attendance numbers had left the once-iconic destination a liability rather than an attraction. When announcing the closure, the then tourism minister, Michael Chan, even said himself during a press conference right here at Queen’s Park that “Ontario Place has been a drain on the government treasury for many years ... it’s no longer sustainable.” Those are not my words but rather the words of a Liberal minister. John Tory was then named chair of the Ontario Place revitalization committee, who exercised a procurement for Ontario Place. Dalton McGuinty was Premier and the leader of the Ontario Liberal Party at that time.

And, in 2018, Kathleen Wynne also wanted to revitalize Ontario Place and solicited proposals.

Criticisms as of late by the Ontario Liberals over our government’s redevelopment plans could not be more disingenuous. It’s clear that even the governments of McGuinty and Wynne were able to recognize that Ontario Place was falling into disrepair and that no one was going there anymore and that this had to change.

More than half of visitors to Ontario Place this year are attending concerts at Budweiser Stage, the one remaining major attraction.

These are the figures. These are the facts.

Following the partial closure of Ontario Place in 2012, Ontario Place Corp. began to experiment in 2016 with how the site could be programmed leading into and up to the redevelopment of Ontario Place—public engagement, visitor attraction, and to help offset some of the costs associated with keeping the site open.

Record Lake Ontario water levels in 2017 led to severe flooding across the site. Marina slips were under water and not available to rent. The flooding issues were so bad that even Live Nation amphitheatre attendance was impacted.

In 2018, Ontario Place Corp. could resume its programming post-flood.

In 2019, we saw attendance grow thanks to the great shows at Live Nation’s Budweiser Stage and a successful run of Cirque du Soleil’s Alegria—a contract the government of Ontario secured—and, of course, viewing parties for the Toronto Raptors championship run that year.

The story for 2020 is well-known, with the pandemic leading to the cancellation of the Budweiser Stage concert season, to the closure and eventually limited reopening of the Cinesphere, and to a delayed opening of the marina. Life stopped. People were encouraged to protect themselves and stay at home. One of the few safe activities, of course, was being outdoors.

While the return to mass gatherings was cautious, OPC visitation in 2022 reached its highest levels since the closure given that the pandemic was ending and people were finally able to enjoy life again. Cirque du Soleil’s Kurios and record concert attendance for Live Nation concerts, which included Echo Beach, Budweiser Stage and Rolling Loud, were once again enjoyed by the public.

As early work commenced on the site’s utility upgrades and restoration of the pods and bridges continued in 2023, parts of the site including the marina, parking lot P2A and the path through the marina that connects Trillium Park and West Island were closed to ensure safety for the public.

Madam Speaker, the lack of attendance at Ontario Place has been a challenge since the 1990s. The only real draw to Ontario Place is the Budweiser Stage. Flooding has been an ongoing issue in need of a resolution.

It seems like the NDP is the only party that does not want to bring Ontario Place back to life. Dalton McGuinty, John Tory and Kathleen Wynne all wanted to redevelop Ontario Place; the difference between us and them is that this is the government that will get the job done.

Together with the 9,200 people who have been consulted on this project to date, we are building a world-class destination with over 50 acres of free public spaces and parks that will have attractions and activities to bring people back to Ontario Place: a new marina that’s more inclusive for everyone to enjoy; a new science centre with more and modern exhibition space that will be open all year round; Therme’s health and wellness facility and family water park, again, open all year round; a new all-season concert venue; and so much more—like annual dollars from our tenants for annual maintenance to keep the site in a state of good repair, clean and beautiful, and shoreline repairs which are desperately needed to protect the island from future floods.

If the members opposite want to know who goes to Ontario Place, just ask any random person on the street who does not live in walking distance. I already know what they will say.

Speaker, I move adjournment of the debate.

Mr. Speaker, I came to Queen’s Park this morning to find out that the NDP was hosting a press conference at 9 a.m. Why? To tell the public that government was contemplating building a parking lot facility because we are redeveloping Ontario Place to be a world-class tourist destination.

What do Wonderland, the zoo, Exhibition Place all have in common? Yes, they’re tourist destinations, but they also have parking spaces for the convenience of those that attend those wonderful locations.

Mr. Speaker, Ontario Place is not enjoyed by the public anymore. We will make sure that there will be lots of activities for families to enjoy all year round, 365 days a year.

Mr. Speaker, only the NDP would be offended by a measure that’s intended to keep people safe. That fence was installed to protect emergency vehicles. Our government has been very clear that we have awarded a contract for the site servicing work. It is anticipated to start in the next very short while, and so it is our obligation to protect the pedestrians who do go to Ontario Place.

But, Mr. Speaker, we are bringing it back to life. Ontario Place will become a place where it’s not just 50 people who enjoy the site, but four million to six million people on an annual basis, 365 days of the year.

But that being said, Mr. Speaker, we have three wonderful tenants that are investing hundreds of millions of dollars to bring the site back to life so that four million to six million people come there to enjoy it with their families. Some 2,500 permanent jobs will be created, and with greater coordination with Exhibition Place and the city of Toronto, this will be a hot spot for people to go.

Mr. Speaker, I cannot believe that the members opposite are literally raising this issue today.

Interjections.

The member is absolutely right; we are bringing Ontario Place back to life, and we will be making it a place that everyone can enjoy.

Yesterday, I joined the Minister of Tourism, Culture and Sport and the Premier to announce that we are moving the Ontario Science Centre to Ontario Place. We also announced that Live Nation will be renewing their lease with the province of Ontario and also building a brand new stage that will be active and operational all year around.

Mr. Speaker, with wonderful tenants like the Ontario Science Centre, Live Nation, and Therme, there will be lots for families to do. We are so excited that families will be able to spend all day there, from morning till night, every single day of the year.

But what I’m most excited about was releasing the final renderings of the whole vision of Ontario Place, which include 43 acres of public realm and park space, which is bigger than Trinity Bellwoods Park. This wonderful space will now have boardwalks, piers, public beaches, waterfront access, a brand new marina, children’s play areas, as well as food and beverages.

Mr. Speaker, we are excited that the final renderings are out in the public. We are completing the environmental assessment. And we will bring Ontario Place back to life.

Mr. Speaker, perhaps I was not clear in my previous answer. The science centre has been in existence since 1979. Very little over the past number of years has been given to the science centre in order to rehabilitate it and keep it alive. It is falling apart. During COVID, in fact, we had to close a bridge to make sure that those attending the science centre could be safe and the workers could be safe.

You said it yourself: It is a treasure. We are doing everything we can to preserve it, such as looking for a new opportunity, a new home, so that many children in the future could enjoy this wonderful treasure that we have.

Thank you to the leader of the official opposition. We have been fully transparent with the public in terms of what our intentions are for the site since 2019. We are leasing the lands. We have a tenant in place. We have a development application with the city of Toronto. We are proceeding with environmental assessment work that is underway. We have made tremendous progress on the site.

But what’s most important is the sentiment of the public. People drive by the site and think, “What a waste that we let the site deteriorate to the point of it no longer being safe for people and pedestrians to be able to go there.” We are bringing the site back to life. We will make sure it is there for everyone in Ontario to enjoy.

Our government is making the financial investments necessary to preserve these two treasures, to bring them back to life, to make them a place that everyone can go and enjoy with their families. I 100% think the public is behind us on this one.

I will repeat the member’s words: “well used.”

I have been the minister now for a little bit of time, and every single time I have visited the site, it is not enjoyed by Torontonians or Ontarians.

Mr. Speaker, we are leasing the lands to a tenant, and we are preserving the pods and the Cinesphere as part of the heritage pieces of Ontario Place.

We are going to bring Ontario Place back to life, back to what it was many years ago, when millions of people would come to the site and enjoy it with their families.

Thank you very much for the question.

Our government has been completely transparent with the public in terms of our intentions for Ontario Place. In 2019, we told the public that we wanted to redevelop Ontario Place. We have two choices before us. We could just leave the site as is, let it continue to be in a bad state of repair, let it continue to be flooded, let it continue to not be enjoyed by the public; or we could work with the city of Toronto and bring Ontario Place back to life. I think the answer is very clear.