Taxpayers will spend $200 million on new Ontario Place parking garage

A rendering of the new, five-storey parking garage that will be at the redeveloped Ontario Place, in Toronto, is shown in this undated handout photo. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Handout - Government of Ontario (Mandatory Credit)

Ontario taxpayers will spend $200 million on a new parking garage at Ontario Place, but the government says it will quickly generate tens of millions of dollars in annual revenue.

Tourism Minister Stan Cho announced today that the province has awarded a $200-million contract to build the five-storey structure to Canadian company Pomerleau Inc.

The government says the parking garage will have up to 3,500 spots, 680 electric vehicle charging stations, up to 100 bicycle parking spaces, a bus pickup and drop-off area, and will generate up to $60 million in annual revenue.

Premier Doug Ford has previously said the structure would blend into the surrounding area with a landscape berm, but critics were skeptical after renderings were released.

The parking has been a particular lightning rod in a broader controversy surrounding Ford’s plans to redevelop the waterfront Ontario Place attraction.

The auditor general has found that the province is obligated to provide parking in its deal with European company Therme to build a spa and waterpark there, and that the government proposed putting parking below a relocated science centre in order to dispel public concerns.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published June 11, 2026.

Allison Jones, The Canadian Press