Looking around Trillium Park, Toronto

Those of us who were around in Toronto back in the day will remember the stretch of waterfront southwest of downtown that housed Ontario Place. This entertainment and event venue opened in 1971, functioning as an iconic summer theme park until its closure in 2012 when its annual attendance dropped to just over 550,000 from a peak surpassing 3 million per year. I remember spending many summer days here, zipping down the water slide and watching the international fireworks competition over Canada Day long weekends.

The area surrounding the old Ontario Place has been under redevelopment for nearly a decade. Numerous revitalization plans have been proposed, but the only one that has come to fruition is the opening of Trillium Park in 2017.

Trillium Park was designed as an urban forest providing a natural looking landscape, with native tree and shrub species. It features the 1.3 kilometre William G. Davis Trail that connects to the longer waterfront Martin Goodman Trail, various gardens and ravines, pebble beaches, and a bluff consisting of stacked boulders and rocks that offers views of the city and Lake Ontario.

At the edges of the park, you will find remnants of Ontario Place, including the defunct waterslide tower. The Cinesphere, the world’s first permanent IMAX theatre, remains open and continues to show films and host events year round.