Here's a response to Steve Hulford's suggestion regarding contacting Therme...
I had some really good conversations with many of the people at Therme, and even had a swim with one of them, and they said they were going to get me in touch with their designer team so everyone could get my input, but then I never heard back from any of them, and when I called to follow up, it took a long time to get any response and eventually they said they were too busy.
As one of the world's leading experts in spa and waterpark amenities, and in anything to do with the intersection of water, humans, and technology, and someone who uses the spaces around Ontario Place nearly every day, and as the person who first proposed the idea of a spa at Ontario Place more than 20 years ago, I thought I might have something useful to say on the matter, but they're too busy.
One thing I was wondering is what are they so busy with? If they're working like mad on something, it would be interesting to have a little bit of insight into what that something is.
The more we think about it, though, the more we think that there needs to be some kind of formal agreement like what happens in other similar situations, like in Sarasota Springs in Wyoming, where there's a written agreement between the City and the State that requires the facility never close (it is open 24/7, 365 days a year) and that it never charge any fees (it is always free). It is written in as a condition on the property ownership and lease that the public must always have free access at all times.
Here's a video of me at that facility: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ixCWQ2NLvcM
I came several times at midnight, 2 or 3 am, and then again 5 am, 6am, 7am, etc., to get the perfect morning light for that music video as well.
No security guards ever came.
There were no chains or padlocks or fences around the property.
It is never rented out for film production or other corporate gigs that exclude members of the public.
They never close it down because their parking lot is rented for a concert (Ontario Place closed 50 acres of parkland when they rented out their parking lot).
It is free public space, truly public in the true sense that anyone can go there at any time, not "public" in the sense of Microsoft (which is publicly traded but private property). Not "public" in the Ontario Place "PRIVATE PROPERTY" sense.
What we need is a sign that says "PUBLIC PROPERTY: anyone welcome here at any time for free".
Sign our petition:
Taxpayers deserve public (truly public) space.
And beaches legally are and should be free public spaces up to the high water mark.