Your Tomorrow

In her film, Ali Weinstein documents the final year of Ontario Place in Toronto’s existence in its original form. This much-loved spot for the local community is slowly, almost imperceptibly, being fenced off, only to eventually be transformed into a modern, private spa complex.

Residents and tourists continue to flock there to walk the trails, enjoy the views or simply see how the tomatoes, successfully cultivated on the lakeshore, are growing. For some, the vast park is a failed attraction, whose once futuristic and modern buildings have been falling into disrepair after years of neglect. For many, it remains a vibrant green space that has served local residents since it opened in 1971. However, the provincial authorities are leasing a large part of the park to a European company that wants to build a huge spa here. A group of concerned citizens has formed the organisation ‘Ontario Place for All’ in the hope of halting the redevelopment. And we follow it all with ‘cheerful resignation’, sensing how these efforts will ultimately end.

The director shows us moments filled with protests and the staff’s efforts to keep Ontario Place in a state of relative functionality. But we also see how ‘ordinary’ people continue to come here to enjoy the diverse spaces – those with wild greenery, forgotten bits of small-scale infrastructure, or carefully planned viewing points. Weinstein preserves a valuable portrait of the place for future generations. He shows that the park does exactly what it was designed to do: it provides a place for tranquillity and rest to anyone who stops by.

We are presenting this programme in collaboration with the LAB 60+ Foundation and Otodom.