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Ripley's Aquarium of Canada

Ripley's Aquarium of Canada
Ripley’s Aquarium of Canada logo.png
Dangerous Lagoon - Sharks-9.jpg
Date opened October 16, 2013 (3 years ago) (2013-10-16)
Location 288 Bremner Boulevard
Toronto, Ontario
M5V 3L9
Coordinates 43°38′33″N 79°23′10″W / 43.642481°N 79.38605°W / 43.642481; -79.38605Coordinates: 43°38′33″N 79°23′10″W / 43.642481°N 79.38605°W / 43.642481; -79.38605
Floor space 12,500 m2 (135,000 sq ft)
No. of animals 16,000
Volume of largest tank 2,840,000 litres (750,000 US gal)
Total volume of tanks 5,700,000 litres (1,506,000 US gal)
Public transit access
Website www.ripleyaquariums.com/canada/

Ripley's Aquarium of Canada is a public aquarium in Toronto, Ontario. The aquarium is one of three aquariums owned and operated by Ripley Entertainment. It is located in downtown Toronto, just southeast of the CN Tower. The aquarium features several aquatic exhibits including a walk-through tank. The aquarium has 5.7 million litres (1.5 million gallons) of marine and freshwater habitats from across the world. The exhibits hold 13,500 exotic sea and freshwater specimens from more than 450 species.

A Ripley's Aquarium was originally planned in 2004 to be built in Niagara Falls, Ontario next to what is now Great Wolf Lodge around 2007, but plans fell through and Ripley's eventually relocated to Toronto. Construction began on the attraction in August 2011 with a final cost approaching C$130 million. The aquarium opened to the public in October 2013.

The project was a partnership with three levels of government. The federal government's Canada Lands Company contributed $10 million to the project to develop the "John Street Corridor" linking Front Street with the aquarium, the CN Tower and the Rogers Centre. The Government of Ontario contributed $11 million to the project, and the City of Toronto provided property-tax incentives amounting to between $8 million and $12 million over the first twelve years of the aquarium.

Ripley's Aquarium has been the target of animal liberation groups such as TARA (Toronto Aquarium Resistance) and MAD (Marineland Animal Defence), which claim animal captivity is synonymous with animal abuse and regularly conduct protests and demonstrations at the facility. Prominent animal conservationist Bob Timmons has also publicly spoken out against Ripley Aquarium's capture of endangered tiger sharks.

The aquarium holds 5.7 million litres (1.5 million gallons) of water and shows marine and freshwater habitats from around the world. The aquarium is organized into nine galleries: Canadian Waters, Rainbow Reef, Dangerous Lagoon, Discovery Centre, The Gallery, Ray Bay, Planet Jellies, Life Support Systems and the Shoreline Gallery. It is home to 16,000 animals.


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