The Toronto Star has reported that landscape architect Walter Kehm of LANDinc, who was involved in the Ontario Place redevelopment project, has stepped down due to concerns over the clearing of trees on the waterfront site to accommodate a waterpark and private spa.
According to the Toronto Star, Kehm, who is known for designing Trillium and Tommy Thompson parks, said he felt as though he became “persona non grata” after advocating for the hundreds of trees and decades-old wildlife habitat being threatened by the project.
Kehm told the Toronto Star he could no longer be affiliated with a project that threatened the wildlife habitat, due to his professional commitment to protecting nature.
Toronto-based LANDinc was one of two firms awarded the commission by Infrastructure Ontario to work with the province of Ontario on the design and construction of the public realm of Ontario Place.
“I think it’s time for plain speaking. It’s time for telling the truth,” Kehm, a longtime friend of the late Michael Hough, the landscape architect who helped design the original Ontario Place, told the Star. “I remember when [Hough] was planting those trees. To think they could be clear-cut,” he added, “doesn’t sit in my stomach very well.”
The Ford government’s controversial decision to grant provincial land for the construction of a private spa has sparked ongoing tension, and encountered significant public opposition. Currently, city staff are in the process of reviewing the resubmitted plans for the spa and water park. Earlier this month, Ontario’s auditor general announced that they are opening a value-for-money audit on the redevelopment along with the provincial’s government’s decision to relocate the Ontario Science Centre to Ontario Place.