New Park and Trail Launch the Next Era of Ontario Place

New Park and Trail Launch the Next Era of Ontario Place

 Photo Credit: Kevin Douglas/@hvy_kvy

Next Era of Ontario Place

Province Unveils New Urban Green Space to Celebrate Ontario’s 150th Anniversary

Office of the Premier

For the first time in more than 40 years, Ontario residents and visitors can enjoy a spectacular part of Toronto’s waterfront at Ontario Place’s newly opened park and trail.

Premier Kathleen Wynne and Eleanor McMahon, Minister of Tourism, Culture, and Sport, were at Ontario Place today to unveil the new Trillium Park and William G. Davis Trail, and officially open them to the public. The opening is the first milestone in the province’s plan to transform the iconic landmark into a vibrant, year-round destination for people of all ages.

As progress on Ontario Place continues, the site will be at the centre of the action as the province celebrates Ontario’s 150th anniversary, a year-long celebration that aims to honour Ontario’s past, showcase the present and inspire future generations.

To create the new Trillium Park, a seven-and-a-half-acre parking lot was converted into green space using ideas from people across Ontario. The new site features an open-air pavilion inspired by evergreen forests and Ontario Place’s unique design, as well as open spaces to host art fairs, film festivals, yoga classes, school groups and food vendors.

The William G. Davis Trail, named for Ontario’s Premier at the time of Ontario Place’s opening in 1971, is a 1.3 kilometre-long trail that connects the new park to the Trans Canada Trail.

Other highlights of the park include:

  • The Ravine with Moccasin Identifier: Developed in collaboration with the Mississaugas of the New Credit First Nation, a moccasin etching in this gateway to the park provides a visual reminder to celebrate and honour the history and culture of Indigenous peoples
  • The Bluff: Stacked boulders and rocks from a Muskoka quarry are located along the trail, symbolizing the prehistoric Lake Iroquois shoreline.

Transforming Ontario Place is part of our plan to create jobs, grow our economy and help people in their everyday lives.

Quick Facts

  • Key design elements of the new park and trail reflect the Indigenous heritage of the site, which is located on the traditional territory of the Mississaugas of the New Credit First Nation.
  • A continuous route of more than 2,000 kilometres in Ontario, the Trans Canada Trail includes the Martin Goodman Trail and the Pan Am Path.
  • In celebration of Ontario’s 150th anniversary, Ontario Place is hosting a themed event every long weekend this summer.
  • Every year, Ontario’s festivals and events attract tourists, support tens of thousands of jobs and generate millions of dollars in revenue.

Background Information

Resources

Personal Emergency Leave for All Workers

Personal Emergency Leave for All Workers

Personal Emergency Leave for All Workers

Province Proposes 10 Days of  Personal Emergency Leave, Includes 2 Days of Paid Leave

Ontario is taking historic action to create more opportunity and security for workers with a plan for Fair Workplaces and Better Jobs. As part of this plan, the government will expand personal emergency leave to include an across-the-board minimum of at least two paid days per year for all workers. 

Over the past three years, Ontario’s economy has outperformed all G7 countries in terms of real GDP growth. While exports and business investments are increasing and the unemployment rate is at a 16-year low, the nature of work has changed. Many workers are struggling to support their families on part-time, contract or minimum-wage work. The government has a responsibility to ensure Ontario workers are protected by updating the province’s labour and employment laws.

Minister of Labour Kevin Flynn and Minister of Health and Long-Term Care Dr. Eric Hoskins were at Women’s College Hospital in Toronto today to talk about the government’s Fair Workplaces, Better Jobs Act, introduced last week. If passed, the legislation will make the following changes, starting on January 1, 2018:

  • All employees would receive 10 days of personal emergency leave (PEL) per year, including two paid PEL days.
  • Employers would be prohibited from requesting a sick note from an employee taking personal emergency leave.
  • The reasons for taking personal emergency leave would be expanded so that employees experiencing domestic or sexual violence, or the threat of sexual or domestic violence could take the leave. This is in addition to the existing reasons that PEL days may be taken, which include illness, injury or other urgent matters related to an individual or certain family members.

As part of the Fair Workplaces, Better Jobs Act, the government is also proposing to hike the minimum wage, ensure part-time workers are paid the same hourly wage as full-time workers, expand family leaves and make certain that employees are not misclassified as independent contractors so that they get the benefits they deserve. To enforce these changes, the province will hire up to 175 more employment standards officers and launch a program to educate both employees and small and medium-sized businesses about their rights and obligations under the Employment Standards Act.

Creating fair workplaces and better jobs across Ontario is part of our plan to grow our economy and help people in their everyday lives.

Quick Facts

  • Today’s announcement responds to the final report of the Changing Workplaces review, conducted by Special Advisors C. Michael Mitchell and John C. Murray over the past two years. It is the first-ever independent review of the Employment Standards Act, 2000 and Labour Relations Act, 1995. 
  • Personal emergency leave currently applies only in workplaces with 50 or more employees. Under the proposed amendments, this threshold would be eliminated.
  • The report estimates that more than 30 per cent of Ontario workers were in precarious work in 2014. This type of employment makes it hard to earn a decent income and interferes with opportunities to enjoy decent working conditions and/or puts workers at risk.
  • In 2016, the median hourly wage was $13.00 for part-time workers and $24.73 for full-time workers. Over the past 30 years, part-time work has grown to represent nearly 20 percent of total employment.
  • Currently, half of the workers in Ontario earning less than $15 per hour are between the ages of 25 and 64, and the majority are women.
  • More than a quarter of Ontario workers would receive a pay hike through the proposed increase to the minimum wage.
  • Studies show that a higher minimum wage results in less employee turnover, which increases business productivity.
  • Ontario is proposing a broad consultation process to gain feedback from a wide variety of stakeholders on the legislation it has introduced. To facilitate this consultation, the legislation was referred to committee after First Reading.
  • Employees without private drug insurance will have access, starting January 1, 2018, to free medications for their children as part of OHIP+: Children and Youth Pharmacare Program. This new drug benefit program will fully cover the cost of prescription medications for Ontarians aged 24 and under, who have OHIP coverage, regardless of family income. Employees who are 24 and under will also benefit from this program.

Resources

Pin It on Pinterest