Ripley’s Aquarium to open in 2013
Toronto recently took a big step closer to getting its first major new tourist attraction since 1993. In August, Mayor Rob Ford helped announce details for a new Ripley's Aquarium of Canada, a $130-million facility now under construction next to the CN Tower, set to open in the summer of 2013.
In this 12,500-square-metre building, visitors will be able to view more than 450 aquatic species and 13,500 sea and freshwater inhabitants living in almost six million litres of water. A highlight of this space is a 96-metre moving walkway that runs along a tunnel below the shark lagoon. The lagoon will be home to sand tiger sharks, large sawfish and dozens of other species.
The aquarium will also feature exhibits of tropical reefs and the Great Lakes, Atlantic and Pacific Ocean habitats, jellyfish, seahorses, stingrays and much more.
This will be the first aquarium built in Toronto and it is predicted to be a popular tourist attraction. It will create about 600 jobs during construction and up to 350 jobs when open. It is estimated the aquarium will have an immediate economic impact of $50 million and a projected annual economic benefit of $35 million.
The City of Toronto was instrumental in attracting this development by providing the aquarium with property tax incentives as part of its Imagination, Manufacturing, Innovation and Technology Grants program and project management assistance from the Economic Development and Culture division.
ripleyaquariums.com/canada
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