A Place to Stand, A Place to Grow (Ontari-ari-ari-o!)

The Ontario pavilion at Montreal’s Expo 67 celebrated the province through film and song. It was Ontario’s chance to shine again when Ontario Place officially opened on a mild and sunny Victoria Day weekend on May 22, 1971. Visitors remarked on everything from the facility’s beer and its park-like setting to the futuristic-looking Cinesphere theatre and the automatic flushing toilets.

“There’s nothing like it in the world,” said Len Casey, the project’s chief of operations, quoted in the Star on May 15, 1971.

The polished gem on Lake Ontario’s waterfront, just south of Exhibition Stadium, was owned by the government of Ontario and was the culmination of three years spent planning and constructing the $29-million exhibition and entertainment complex.

Casey called it “The biggest bargain in North America.” Admission back then was $1 for adults and 25 cents for students under 12, with kids under 6 free. Ontario Place was set to operate seven days a week from May to October.

The initial 39-hectare complex, designed by Craig, Zeidler & Strong Architects, included three artificially constructed, landscaped islands showcasing three points of interest. The Pavilion comprised five steel-and-glass structures known as “Pods,” perched above the water. Four of them featured multimedia exhibits, while the fifth held restaurants. Then there was the Cinesphere theatre and the Forum, with its outdoor stage. Three old lake freighters were sunk to provide a breakwater for a public marina between the main islands.

The crowds were light when Ontario Place’s gates opened on Saturday, May 22. After the initial surge of 300 enthusiasts passed through the six turnstiles at the west entrance at 9:25 a.m., there was only a trickle of visitors for two hours, the Star reported. Advance publicity had predicted crowds of 70,000 on opening day, but only 23,000 showed up.

Attendance greatly improved Sunday, as 30,000 people jammed the waterfront showcase. “The crowd was so large that the main gates had to be closed twice for short periods as attendants struggled to clear the crush of visitors from the main exhibition areas which everyone wanted to see,” the Star said.

But the long lineups didn’t appear to dampen people’s spirits. One man declared, “It’s just like a mini-Expo 67.” Mr. and Mrs. Frank Baker from Scarborough said, “It’s a pity they can’t keep it open all year.”

In letters to the Star the following Friday, a reader wrote “… Ontario Place is a pleasant park, but not as pleasant as Centre Island, except that beer is available.”

Another reader called the complex “just Conservative propaganda,” while one writer, a U.S. visitor, was most impressed with “the toilets that automatically flushed upon standing,” adding: “This is a memory I shall take back to the hills of Kentucky.”

“Hostesses” wearing yellow hot pants and split midis were on hand to direct visitors. Amid parades, exhibits and fireworks over Victoria Day weekend, the highlight was the performance of 2,000 singers and dancers from across Canada. Then premier Bill Davis officially opened Ontario Place on Saturday, calling it “one of the very significant occasions in the history of our province.”

The Cinesphere geodesic dome — with a 19-metre outer radius and 17-metre inner radius — housed the world’s first permanent IMAX theatre. Inside “the bubble,” 800 viewers were treated to a unique armchair experience with a six-storey, curved screen and 24-track, 400-speaker audio. Graeme Ferguson’s North of Superior premiered, pulling the audience into the landscape as a plane swooped over Ontario’s north. Mounting equipment for the helicopters used in the film was custom-made, with one of the cameras MacGyvered using duct tape.

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The Forum offered continuous entertainment on opening weekend, with seating for 3,000 and additional spots on the surrounding grass. Festivities wrapped up Monday with Canadian rock group Lighthouse (known for their hit “One Fine Morning”), performing from 7 to 9 p.m., followed by fireworks from 9:30 to 10 p.m. near the seawall.

Ontario Place evolved over time. In 1972, Children’s Village was opened and the following year the Waterplay area took shape. Canada’s first waterslide was introduced in 1978 and the Forum’s unique canopy roof was replaced by a copper one that same year.

During the 1980s the park underwent transformations that included the concrete silo display Ontario North Now, bumper boats, and the opening of the Future Pod in Pod 5, showcasing a full-sized replica of the Canadarm.

In 1994 the Trillium Restaurant ceased operation to make way for the redevelopment of two Pods into the Atlantis complex. The biggest change occurred over the winter of 1994-95 with the demolition of the beloved Forum to make way for the Molson Canadian Amphitheatre, with seating for 16,000.

In the 2006, the Rogers Chinese Lantern Festival was held on the west island.

In July 2010 it was announced that a major redevelopment of the entire park was being planned, including the addition of Echo Beach, an outdoor concert venue.

Despite these efforts, Ontario Place — except for its music venues and marina — closed on Oct. 25, 2011. Attendance had dropped considerably from the 2.5 million annual visitors it received following its debut.

In January 2014, Ontarians got their first peek at what fate awaited Ontario Place when plans were unveiled for the eastern portion of the complex. The reworked three-hectare section — a staff parking lot for four decades — would be a dense mix of “forest” and open space, including a “romantic garden” aimed at families.

Architects from firms LANDinc and West 8 proposed a place for walkers and cyclists, with grassy areas for children. The park would be fully connected to the larger urban landscape, meaning the Martin Goodman Trail, the Trans Canada Trail and Lake Shore Blvd. W.

“Surely there’s a message here for those who insist there’s no room for ‘nature’ in the 21st-century urban park,” wrote the Star’s Christopher Hume in January 2014. “The proposed park certainly isn’t nature in its purest form, but it’s close enough for those craving a little space and greenery … the fact a parking lot will be transformed into a park should reassure Torontonians that the city is moving in the right direction.”

On July 31 that year, the province announced its long-term vision for Ontario Place with a proposed mix of features, including green spaces, a blue park for water activities, live music year-round, a discovery and culture hub, a canal district with restaurants and shops, and — notably — conservation of the Cinesphere and Pods. A pedestrian land bridge would link the site to Exhibition Place.

In March 2015, Urbacon began construction of the park and trail. Last June, the waterfront path was named the William G. Davis Trail, to honour the premier who christened Ontario Place 45 years ago.

Ontario Place is set to reopen in 2017.

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