Auditor general to probe Ford government’s Ontario Place redevelopment
Global News
Critics of the plan have accused the government of shrouding the redevelopment in secrecy and welcomed the auditors probe believing it will bring transparency to the process.
Ontario’s auditor general is conducting a value-for-money audit into the controversial re-development of Ontario Place, Global News has learned, as the Ford government faces intense backlash over its decision to host a mega spa on crown lands.
The provincial watchdog has confirmed a probe of the Ontario Place redevelopment and the Ontario Science Centre, which is due to move to a new waterfront site. Both will be scrutinized by acting auditor Nick Stavropoulos.
“The Office of the Auditor General is conducting audits for both Ontario Place and the Ontario Science Centre,” a spokesperson for the office said in a statement. “As these audits are currently in progress, we cannot comment on them further.”
The Ford government’s decision to allow a private, for-profit spa to be built at Ontario Place ignited controversy after Global News revealed that the Austrian company had been granted a 95-year lease to operate their facility on the land.
In exchange, Therme said it’s investing nearly half a billion dollars into Ontario Place — $350 million for the 65,000-square-foot private-access spa and $100 million for the public-access portions.
Soon after, the government revealed taxpayers would finance the construction of a new multi-million dollar, multi-level parking structure for Therme, the new science centre and a concert venue operated by Live Nation.
Critics of the plan have accused the government of shrouding the redevelopment in secrecy and welcomed the auditors probe believing it will bring transparency to the process.
“I think this is excellent news,” Norm Di Pasquale, with advocacy group Ontario Place 4 All, said. “This is a process that needs a light shone on it.”
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