As the parking lots and buildings at Exhibition Place transform into one of Toronto’s biggest festivals for the annual Canadian National Exhibition, there are growing concerns a provincially-led redevelopment could limit future celebrations.
The arrival of the middle of August means the dawn of the CNE, its crazy food options, wild carnival rides and the unofficial end of summer.
A cloud has been cast over the annual celebrations this year, however, as organizers worry potential plans to build a parking lot for a future spa, science centre and concert venue at Ontario Place could impact CNE festivities in years to come.
“East-west pedestrian flow is fundamental to our success. If we get to a point where it’s too compressed, that can’t happen anymore and that can really throw our event into turmoil,” Darrell Brown, CEO of the CNE Association told Global News.
“This is supposed to be a community gathering place, it’s supposed to be a place where we can enjoy one another and put on major events. Taking … a five-storey parkade and plunking it on these grounds is really a violation of what these grounds are all about.”
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Fears a massive parking garage could appear in the middle of the CNE grounds have grown in recent weeks.
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As part of its controversial plans to redevelop Ontario Place, the Ford government has committed to building a parking lot close to the waterfront attraction. That parking garage was originally meant to be tunnelled underground beside the lake, steps from a privately run spa.
At the end of 2023, Ontario’s auditor general revealed the government was contractually obligated to build the parking lot within 650 metres of the private spa planned for Ontario Place — or face financial penalties if it failed to do so.
The government signed a 95-year lease with Austrian spa giant Therme in 2022, allowing them to build a spa at Ontario Place and commit to the parking garage. The province also plans to relocate the Ontario Science Centre to Ontario Place, along with a revamped music venue.
After recent flooding in Toronto, and growing costs to dig an underground parking lot, Ontario Premier Doug Ford mused that the province may build the parking places above ground.
“We haven’t confirmed the underground parking space because it costs so much to build underground,” Ford said in July. “We’d like to build as much on top without prohibiting the view.”
The province has previously hinted that the Exhibition Place grounds, which host the CNE every year, could be a contender for the parking garage — a plan the City of Toronto has also pushed.
“The province will work with the city on a possible new parking solution at Exhibition Place,” a spokesperson for the provincial government told Global News.
“We are committed to the CNE, and (planning work) is taking the needs of Exhibition Place and its tenants into consideration. No decisions have been made at this time as negotiations are ongoing.”
Local Coun. Ausma Malik said any parking garage at the CNE would have to be underground.
“It really is not a wise decision on the waterfront to be using that precious land to be putting up above-ground parking,” Malik told Global News.
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