A casino will not be built on the grounds of Ontario Place as part of a redevelopment plan for the over 150-acre site, sources have confirmed to Global News.

Michael Tibollo, Minister of Tourism, Culture and Sport will be joined by Monte McNaughton, Minister of Infrastructure, to make an announcement at Ontario Place at 9 a.m.

It is not clear what the government plans are for the announcement but Premier Doug Ford asked for proposal ideas to be submitted in January.

The government said it wants to make the space that first opened May 1971 an impressive attraction.

The park was closed in 2012 due to falling revenues and tight provincial finances. At that time, the Liberal government said attendance had fallen from 2.5 million when the park opened in 1971 to about 300,000.

Various proposals have been floated since its closure, including a year-round waterpark with a retractable roof, a casino complex and hotel, as well as residential development.

VIDEO: Doug Ford announces rejuvenation of Ontario Place (January 2019)

The previous Liberal government had sought development proposals with the stipulation that there be no casino on the property, but the current parameters don’t rule one out.

Trillium Park was opened at Ontario Place in 2017. The park connects to the city by way of the William G. Davis recreational trial, named after the Premier at the time Ontario Place first opened.

—With files from The Canadian Press

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