Five things you should know about Toronto’s future aquarium

 
Clad in hardhats adorned with shark fins, representatives from all three levels of government watched Wednesday as construction vehicles scooped earth around the base of the CN Tower, where Ripley’s Aquarium of Canada is slated to open in the summer of 2013. The Post’s Megan O’Toole was in attendance Wednesday at the groundbreaking ceremony, and outlines the top five things you should know about Toronto’s newest coming attraction.
1) Rob Ford likes sharks
Toronto’s mayor was particularly excited about the “shark tank tunnel” that will constitute the showpiece of the new aquarium, allowing visitors to walk beneath a sea of three-meter-long sharks. “That will be my personal favourite,” Mr. Ford said. The acrylic tunnel will cut a 96-metre-long swath through the “shark lagoon,” a habitat occupied by sand tiger sharks, sawfish and dozens of other species. Visitors can step on and off a moving walkway that runs the length of the tunnel, the longest structure of its kind in North America.
2) It will hold more than double the water volume of an Olympic-sized swimming pool

To be exact, the $130-million aquarium will have a capacity of 5.7 million litres, making it one of the largest aquariums on the continent. Swimming in those waters will be more than 13,500 sea and freshwater creatures, representing 450 different species. In addition to sharks, there will be sea turtles, sea dragons, jellyfish and myriad more. “Like the Canadian national motto from sea to sea, we’re going to have animals from the Atlantic, the Pacific, the Arctic and the Great Lakes,” said Joseph Choromanski, vice-president of husbandry with Ripley Entertainment Inc.
3) John Tory’s mother helped make it happen
Well, her and Ted Rogers. Addressing the audience at Wednesday’s ceremony, Jim Pattison, CEO of the group that owns Ripley Entertainment Inc., recalled attending a dinner in Toronto several years ago with Liz Tory, mother of the politician-turned-radio personality, and media magnate Mr. Rogers. “They said to me, you should build an aquarium in Toronto. Toronto needs an aquarium,” Mr. Pattison recalled. Years later, the project is well underway. “It’s going to be a lot of fun,” Mr. Pattison promised.
4) If you fall while doing Edgewalk, you could land on the aquarium
Indeed, the aquarium will be positioned at the base of the CN Tower and its new Edgewalk attraction, forming the newest part of a core cluster including the Rogers Centre and the Metro Toronto Convention Centre. The aquarium lands are owned by the Canada Lands Company, which also owns the CN Tower. Mr. Ford lauded the location: “Toronto is recognized around the world by its iconic CN Tower, so it’s fitting that our newest tourist attraction will be located right here, at the base of the tower, in the heart of Toronto.”
5) It is being touted as an economic boon for the city
The construction phase of the project will create more than 600 jobs, officials said, while the operational phase will generate more than 300 positions. During its first 20 years in operation, the aquarium is expected to generate more than $220-million in tax revenue for all three levels of government, drawing nearly two million visitors annually. “It will most importantly bring tourism to Canada and in turn boost the Canadian economy,” Etobicoke Centre MP Ted Opitz said.
National Post