Toronto is getting a waterfront park the size of 14 football fields

Just when it looked like Ontario Place couldn't possibly get any cooler, the provincial government is moving forward with plans for a gigantic "flexible green space" on Toronto's waterfront.

Called Celebration Common, the proposed 20-acre venue on the East Island of Ontario Place would be used for "open-air cultural activities, festivals, community events and recreation in downtown Toronto."

The public space will be about the size of 14 football fields, according to a press release, and connect the new Trillium Park and William G. Davis Trail, the recently reopened Cinesphere, and Ontario Place's West Island through a system of pedestrian and bike trails.

It's all part of the government's master plan for transforming Ontario Place into "a vibrant, public, year-round waterfront destination" (which, some might say, they've already done – or come pretty close to doing.)

This isn't the first time we've heard about the possibility of Celebration Common, but the province is only just now issuing a request for proposals to find planning and design consultants. This means it might be a while before we see plans for the space come to fruition.

When it does open, Ontario Place board Chair Penny Lipsett says that she wants visitors to experience the grounds "as if it were their own backyard, every season."

Can do, Mrs. Lipsett! I don't even have a backyard, so this will be easy.