Casino won't be built on grounds of Ontario Place: sources

A casino will not be built on the grounds of Ontario Place, government sources confirmed to CTV News Toronto on Monday.

The Ontario Progressive Conservative government began asking for ideas to redevelop the land on Toronto’s waterfront at the beginning of the year.

In a Forum Research poll released in January, Toronto residents made it clear that they were opposed to a casino opening at Ontario Place with a 56 per cent disapproval rate. Out of the randomly sampled 1,427 Torontonians, about three-quarters said they would likely not visit a casino on the land space.

Ontario Place was closed to the public by the province in 2012 due to falling revenues at the government-owned theme park and tight provincial finances.

Different proposals have been suggested since its closure, including a casino complex with a hotel or a year-round waterpark with a retractable roof.

The previous Liberal government looked for development proposals for Ontario Place, which includes the mainland, the islands, the pods, and the Cinesphere, with the stipulation that there be no casino on the property.

The current Ontario government, under Premier Doug Ford, previously said they would consider a casino and would not consider any proposals that included residential use or proposals that required grants or capital investments.

However, on Monday evening, government sources told CTV News Toronto that a casino will not be built there.

The Budweiser Stage, which is used for concerts, is not subject to change in the redevelopment.

Ontario Place was added to Toronto’s Heritage Register after city council voted unanimously on May 14. City councillors and Mayor John Tory voted in favour of joining the province in the future plans for the land. The City does own a portion of the land as well.

Minister of Tourism, Culture and Sport Michael Tibollo is expected to make an announcement about Ontario Place on the 155-acre site on Tuesday morning.

With files from CTV News Toronto's Colin D'Mello