An Ontario court has rejected a legal challenge to the plans for Therme Canada, a C$350 million water park and wellbeing resort at Ontario Place in Toronto.
The request for an environmental assessment of Ontario Place’s West Island by non-profit organisation Ontario Place for All was dismissed on 11 June by Ontario’s Superior Court of Justice.
Due to new legislation, the Rebuilding Ontario Place Act, the site is exempt from an environmental assessment.
Citing the new law, a panel of judges said in the ruling: “The applicant’s request for an order requiring the respondents to conduct an environmental assessment of the West Island redevelopment cannot succeed.”
Norm Di Pasquale, co-chair of Ontario Place for All, told the Toronto Star that the court’s decision “sets a very terrible precedent for the future of our Ontario public institutions”.
He added, “If they’ve done this here, what is going to stop them from doing this elsewhere?”
Critics of the Therme development say it would destroy the site’s wildlife habitats and vegetation, including 840 trees and 36,000 square metres of aquatic habitats. The project, which will now move forward, would also privatise a public space.
“We are obviously really disappointed. We were hoping for a different result today,” said Di Pasquale.
C$350 million wellbeing resort
Toronto city council staff were previously exploring the possibility of an alternative site for Therme Canada – the Exhibition Place mixed-use district.
Major concerns about the Therme project include the scale of the water park, the planned filling in of an area of Lake Ontario, and the impact of an underground parking facility.
In September, Therme Group released a new design for Therme Canada with additional parkland and natural spaces. Also, the volume of the Therme building was reduced by 25 percent.
If Therme Canada does go ahead, attractions would include a new public beach, botanical gardens, and a water park with pools and waterslides.
