Residents hoping to access the public lands of Ontario Place in the last few days have been distressed to find metal fences now blocking off yet another portion of the waterfront property.

The barrier seems to have abruptly appeared overnight Sunday, spreading across the bridge's entrance that has taken pedestrians over Lake Shore Blvd. between Ontario Place and Exhibition Place for decades.

It is perhaps the most popular access point for the green space, used by those attending concerts at Budweiser Stage and visitors finding their way in from the parking lot on the CNE grounds. In its earlier years, the bridge was an important link for pedestrians attending events at Exhibition Stadium.

And now, it is shuttered to the public with no explanation.

Few things are more dodgy than hand-written signs at major government projects. https://t.co/YXjNURkoYF

— Ian Collins (@iancollinsTO) January 8, 2024

Ontario Place for All is among those demanding answers about the fencing, which is not the first the provincial government has erected on the property as it prepares for its highly controversial revitalization project.

While work on the largescale overhaul began in the fall, barricades were set up on the edge of Trillium Park without any announcement in late May, amid peak season for the millions that cycle through, walk in, or otherwise utilize Ontario Place each year.

A larger, more ominous reinforced wooden wall went up in October "to ready the site for site servicing construction activities," according to the government (or, in the opinion of some locals, "to hide the destruction" of the lot).

After sharing the news of the new fences on X Monday morning, Ontario Place for All advocates released a formal statement on the matter, condemning what they called the "sudden closure of West Island."

"Ontario Place for All was shocked to discover that West Island was suddenly and seemingly permanently closed to Ontarians," they wrote.

This is ridiculous!
How is he permitted to proceed … with ANYTHING … while under investigation?!@rcmpgrcpolice @RCMPONT @OntarioAuditor @ON_Integrity @Ont_Ombudsman @LGOntario @MaritStiles @JohnFraserOS @BonnieCrombie @MikeSchreiner @chrisgloverndp @karenmccrimmon @ColinDMello https://t.co/YBKgMqj8lN

— I Used To Be Cool 🥴 (@Longstemmed21) January 9, 2024

They then called out the shoddy handwritten sign affixed to the fencing announcing the obstruction of access, which multiple netizens have likewise been commenting on.

"To announce the closure of the West Island by tacking a hastily handwritten sign to the chain link gate speaks volumes about the careless disregard of the Ford government for the heritage value of Ontario Place."

In updates, the organization confirmed that the closure was only updated on government websites recently, and tweeted out at 10 a.m. on Jan. 8, after the fence had already been put in place.

As of the installation, only Trillium Park remains open, along with the William G. Davis Trail, a portion of the parking lots and Budweiser Stage for (summer) concerts from Live Nation.

Here’s what access looks like now. Only Trillium Park remains open via a detour route. pic.twitter.com/0iSpRHQplU

— Ontario Place for All © (@ONPlace4All) January 8, 2024

The Ontario Place website states that "construction activities are ongoing across the site, including work to upgrade critical infrastructure such as sewage, water, electrical and gas services," and that the closures are for public safety and adhering to work timelines.

Ontario Minister of Infrastructure Kinga Surma's office failed to reply to blogTO's request for comment about this latest development in the Ontario Place saga.