but he should. here's why:
The New York Times has confirmed that the Ontario Place spa deal went to Therme — a foreign company with no real track record and shaky finances — thanks to misleading claims and a secretive, preferential process. The Ford government got hoodwinked.
The Therme deal will cost every household in every corner of the province – from Windsor to Thunderbay – $400 each.
The Auditor General's 2024 report confirmed that the redevelopment of Ontario Place will cost taxpayers more than $1.8 billion. The report highlighted that the process, overseen by the Minister of Infrastucture, was riddled with mismanagement and preferential treatment.
The Ford government handed a 95-year lease to Therme, a private Austrian spa company, despite Therme failing financial and eligibility tests. The deal was structured to benefit insiders, with the province using tens of millions of taxpayer dollars to pay for a parking lot and relocating sewer pipes for Therme’s private beach.
Despite Ontario Place welcoming almost 3 million visitors in 2022, Minister Surma has pushed a narrative that the space is underutilized to justify this privatized luxury spa—a project nobody asked for.
Tell doug ford: cancel the deal
In the media:
AG Slams Ford Government’ — Toronto Star (December 3, 2024)
Ontario Place redevelopment costs up to $2.2 billion: AG report — QP Briefing (December 3, 2024)
NDP files complaint to integrity commissioner over Ontario Place development — CTV News (October 17, 2024)
IN HER OWN WORDS:
"It’s every government’s responsibility to ensure taxpayers dollars are being spent as effectively as possible. This isn’t something that should be affiliated with one single party; it should be the shared goal of all elected representatives, of all political stripes, at every level of government."
— Kinga Surma
A shady deal to build a private luxury spa that no one wants is not an effective way to spend taxpayer dollars.
Authorized by the CFO for the Ontario NDP