Ontario Place:
A Call for Counterproposals

In September 2020, the Future of Ontario Place Project launched Ontario Place: A Call for Counterproposals—a competition which brought together architecture schools from across Canada to encourage students and young professionals to reimagine Ontario Place and present alternative proposals for the site that engage its heritage value. The competition was open to students and recent graduates, and winners have been selected through both a public vote and an independent jury of scholars, practitioners, and curators.

Over fourty counterproposals were received from students and recent graduates across a variety of disciplines—all of which aim to preserve the heritage values of Ontario Place and reestablish the site as a significant public asset, engaging families, cyclists, pedestrians, and other community groups who have contributed to its vibrancy, while protecting against privatized development. While these counterproposals do not replace a conservation management process, an Indigenous consultation, or public consultation, they play an important role in expanding public dialogues about Ontario Place. The site’s Indigeneity, its heritage values, and issues of environmental justice must be addressed through robust consultations and the drafting of a Conservation Management Plan (CMP), a tool which helps a variety of stakeholders manage future changes to the site by establishing a common framework for why it is significant.

The Future of Ontario Place Project team wants to thank the hundreds of students and designers whose work has reinvigorated Ontario Place with a sense of imagination. Over 1400 public votes were received to determine the winner of the public vote, undoubtedly sparking critical conversations about Ontario Place.

You can view the winners of the jury prize and public vote below. In the coming weeks, we will be highlighting many of the design challenge submissions on our instagram account.

Jury Prize: "Megalandscape Ontario"

By Catherine Howell, Ramsey Leung, and Joseph Loreto

Special Mention: "Alluvium: Water, Habitat, and Community"

by Paul Arkilander, Tali Budman, Ryan Coates, and Connery Friesen

Public Vote: "Toronto's Urban Backyard"

By Blaike Allen, Michael Monaghan, and Kathryn Pierre

You can view all of the submissions here:

  • Overall winner (jury prize) - $1500
  • Innovation award (jury prize) - $500
  • Public favourite - Special mention

Sean Anderson

Sean Anderson

Associate Curator, Department of Architecture and Design, MoMA

Nondita Correa Mehrotra

Nondita Correa Mehrotra

Principal, RMA Architects

Ken Greenberg

Ken Greenberg

Urbanist

Jason Long

Jason Long

Partner, Office for Metropolitan Architecture New York City

Ashley Mendelsohn

Ashley Mendelsohn

Architecture Curator and Educator

Catherine Nasmith

Catherine Nasmith

Heritage Architect

Marc Ryan

Marc Ryan

Principal, PUBLIC WORK

Brigitte Shim

Brigitte Shim

Principal, Shim-Sutcliffe Architects

  • Undergraduate and graduate students of architecture, landscape architecture, urban planning, urban design, business, and related fields from across Canada.
  • Graduates who completed their degrees after January 1 2017 will also be able to enter the competition.
  • The team composition can range from 1-5 people.
  • At least 40% of the team must be from a program of architecture, landscape architecture, urban design, or planning in Canada. If the team only consists of one student, they must be enrolled in a post-secondary school of architecture, landscape architecture, urban design, or planning.
  • Multidisciplinary teams are highly encouraged.
  • Link to Slack Channel where you can connect with other students.

  • Download the brief here.
  • Download site plans and models here.