<![CDATA[SAVE THE FOREST AT ONTARIO PLACE

<![CDATA[SAVE THE FOREST AT ONTARIO PLACE - What\'s Happening]]>Thu, 16 May 2024 00:17:02 -0700Weebly<![CDATA[Don’t be fooled!]]>Tue, 05 Mar 2024 00:27:19 GMThttp://savethetreesatop.com/whats-happening/dont-be-fooled

Passersby at the west entrance of Ontario Place may be lulled into complacency by the orange snow fencing and city tree protection signage surrounding the trees that face Lakeshore Blvd. West.

They are all a fake!

First of all, these trees will come down when the spa is constructed – just look at the plans below. The grey hatched areas are explained in the legend as “excavated grounds” – so no trees will be saved there. The area of the plan with the red border is the location of the trees pictured above.

Secondly, the City of Toronto couldn’t protect these trees if it wanted to because the province already said – last summer – that they would not abide by the City’s tree protection by-law. These signs were not issued by the City for Ontario Place. Ellis Don, the contractors, took them from another project and posted them to make it look as though the trees are being protected.

Sneaky, eh? Nothing surprises us anymore when it comes to this project.

]]><![CDATA[Log In at Lakeshore, Sunday, March 3]]>Sat, 02 Mar 2024 21:36:10 GMThttp://savethetreesatop.com/whats-happening/log-in-at-lakeshore-sunday-march-3Courtesy of Ontario Place for All.....

]]><![CDATA[Photographic Exhibition]]>Sat, 02 Mar 2024 21:17:03 GMThttp://savethetreesatop.com/whats-happening/photographic-exhibitionAs It Is | A precarious moment in the life of Ontario Place
Photographs by Steven Evans
Urban Space Gallery, 401 Richmond Street West, Toronto
Dates: February 22 - April 20, 2024
Hours: Monday to Saturday, 10:00 AM to 6:00 PM, admission is free

]]><![CDATA[More writing on the wall]]>Tue, 13 Feb 2024 17:49:28 GMThttp://savethetreesatop.com/whats-happening/more-writing-on-the-wall

Artists once again met at the wall at Ontario Place on Sunday, February 11, and with chalk in hand they created beautiful illustrations of wildlife and inscribed messages of outrage over the destructive plans for the site. On an unusually warm February weekend, the many walkers, runners and cyclists of lakeshore passed by the vivid public gallery, with some joining in and others learning of the fight for our public waterfront.

The writing on the wall is clear - don’t destroy public space and wildlife habitat on the lakeshore at Ontario Place for a private spa!

Photos by Francesca Bouaoun

]]><![CDATA[Artists work the boards...]]>Mon, 22 Jan 2024 02:12:42 GMThttp://savethetreesatop.com/whats-happening/artists-work-the-boardsPlease note: This event was entirely oirganized by a wonderful group of artists who have been hugely helpful in raising awareness about Ontario Place. We are very grateful for their beautiful contributions. Stay tuned for more events like this in the future.

]]><![CDATA[The struggle continues. Chalk it up to commitment. See you on Sunday.]]>Thu, 18 Jan 2024 04:11:56 GMThttp://savethetreesatop.com/whats-happening/the-struggle-continues-chalk-it-up-to-commitment-see-you-on-sunday

]]><![CDATA[No more public access at West Island]]>Mon, 08 Jan 2024 21:11:01 GMThttp://savethetreesatop.com/whats-happening/january-08th-2024

A temporary misspelt sign advises visitors to Ontario Place that West Island is now closed to public access. The news is just breaking on this, and we will be sure to elaborate with an update very soon. As always, we ask you to please contact your provincial MPP and the premier of Ontario, doug ford, and let them know how you feel about your park being leased out to private interests at the cost of the destruction of a unique urban forest and habitat.

]]><![CDATA[URGENT ALERT! These may be last days...]]>Sat, 30 Dec 2023 23:03:28 GMThttp://savethetreesatop.com/whats-happening/urgent-alert-these-may-be-last-days

Hello supporters of Ontario Place,

We have concerns that the West Island may be closed to public access as soon as late New Year’s Eve. Unfortunately, we have no hard evidence, just some chatter we have come across. SwimOP is still planning to hold its Polar Bear Plunge at Hough Beach on New Year’s Day at 12 Noon, which may delay the closing date for West Island. If West Island is closed, SwimOP has an alternative location to dip at the docks near the entrance to Trillium Park.

We regret this last-minute plea, but we are asking as many supporters of Ontario Place as possible to come down to the West Island bridge from 11:00 AM on New Year’s Day to support the swimmers and plungers and show the provincial government yet again how unhappy we are about the theft of our public park and the decimation of a 14-acre forest that provides the home for over 200 species of birds and animals, all to make way for a needless, unwanted privately owned spa.

Please keep in mind that if we are lucky, this may turn out to be just a dress rehearsal, but we still really encourage you to come out. Bring spouses, friends, kids, colleagues, neighbours, pets, and anybody (or any creature) to help get out our message to Save Ontario Place, Save the Trees, and Stop the Spa.

And don’t forget signs and chalk if you have…

Let’s make January 1st, 2024, a day to remember!

]]><![CDATA[This is how Kinga Surma repurposes trees]]>Thu, 21 Dec 2023 22:19:37 GMThttp://savethetreesatop.com/whats-happening/this-is-how-kinga-surma-repurposes-trees

This shows where pine trees have been cut down at Echo Beach, the remains of which are unceremoniously ground up, as seen in the top photo.

]]><![CDATA[The world is watching... the willows are weeping.]]>Wed, 20 Dec 2023 23:21:36 GMThttp://savethetreesatop.com/whats-happening/the-world-is-watching-the-willows-are-weepingIn an international alert, sent out yesterday, the World Monuments Fund (New York) condemned, in the strongest terms, the imminent destruction of the original landscape designed by renowned Canadian landscape architect Michael Hough at Ontario Place.

In 2020 WMF identified Ontario Place as a site of international significance which was “at risk” WMF was joined by the Cultural Landscape Foundation (Washington) yesterday in saying they were particularly disturbed by the Province of Ontario’s complete disregard for their own Environmental Protection Act, Heritage Act and Environmental Bill of Rights which govern this site.

The province has constructed an 8-foot-high wall of black hoarding, which stretches nearly a kilometre across the entire site.  Behind this wall of shame – nearly 200 of the 1,500 trees slated for destruction have already been felled. Once on the ground - the trees are shredded so the evidence of their demise disappears and is quietly trucked away.

The assault on East Island seems to have begun today. A magnificent old willow, 72 cm in diameter and in excellent condition, was taken down and is now a pile of wood chips.

A large, gracious willow was was felled along the shore of the east lagoon today, one among many trees planted by Michael Hough we believe will be lost to accommodate Martha Schwartz Partners' landscape plans for East Island

The site of the former Children's Playground seems to be the staging and processing area for the campaign to cut down trees on East Island

Shredding the evidence

16 small trees met their end at the entrance to Echo Beach

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