“They don’t really have a plan on process or on substance.”
That was John Tory’s assessment of Premier Doug Ford’s government’s plan — or lack thereof — to reinvigorate Ontario Place on Aug. 21, 2019, two weeks before the deadline when interested companies were originally told to submit their redevelopment proposals.
The stark impression that Tory, then-mayor of Toronto, had at the time was informed by a 45-minute-long call he’d taken earlier that morning with Lisa MacLeod, then-minister of tourism, culture and sport in Ford’s cabinet.
One week later, the Ford government pushed back its call for development’s deadline by three weeks, giving companies until Sept. 24, 2019, to submit their Ontario Place proposals.
Last week, NDP Leader Marit Stiles asked the integrity commissioner to investigate Infrastructure Minister Kinga Surma over whether Therme received “preferential treatment.” Therme was selected by the Ford government as its main partner in redeveloping Ontario Place and is set to build a spa and waterpark on its west island and operate it for up to 95 years.
Therme Canada submitted its redevelopment proposal on the extended deadline date, a spokesperson for the company has previously told The Trillium.
In her complaint to the integrity commissioner, Stiles wrote about the call for development’s deadline extension in part of her request claiming “irregularities in the evaluation process and Therme lease agreement.”
The extension has also long been questioned by opponents of the Ford government’s plan and Therme’s involvement.
Emails sent by Toronto’s then-mayor, his staff, and provincial officials in the summer of 2019 show the Ontario government had distanced the municipality from its project planning by then, which at least some proponents had submitted their proposals for. Those emails and others compiled using freedom-of-information requests don’t clearly indicate whether anything specific prompted the extension.
After dismissing Ontario Place redevelopment proposals — including a previous one of Therme’s — made to the previous Liberal government, Ford’s then-recently elected Progressive Conservatives officially launched their call for development on May 28, 2019.
The Ford government said at the time that it was “launching a worldwide search to find a private sector partner, or partners, with the best, most remarkable concepts to transform Ontario Place into the world-class destination it was always intended to be.”
Its original submission deadline was Sept. 3, 2019.
By late in July 2019, at least some proponents had met with provincial officials, according to emails between members of the cabinet office.
Staff from the Ministry of Tourism, Culture and Sport and Infrastructure Ontario updated cabinet office officials and some members of Ford’s cabinet on Aug. 6, 2019, according to an email sent by a senior civil servant. Ministry and agency officials raised “options for matchmaking proposals that do not comprise of the entire (Ontario Place) site” during this briefing.
Tourism ministry officials were also told to “hold off on further meetings with the City of Toronto until after proposals are received,” an official summarized in an email afterward.
Tory and MacLeod spoke on Aug. 21, 2019. According to Tory’s summary in his email, they talked about the looming procurement submission deadline, steps to take afterward, and how Toronto council and the municipality as a whole would be looped in on the plans.
“It is clear to me they don’t really have a plan on process or on substance..which is fine. … The responses to their RFI are due September 3 and they don't know how those will be made public but I suggested that NOT happen without an accompanying indication there is a process established too with the city,” Toronto’s then-mayor wrote.
“She seemed to agree. I suggested the process might work best if it was similar to transit — low profile, officials not politicians but reps of politicians … and operating out of the spotlight,” he added.
In response to Tory’s recap, a senior mayor’s office staffer wrote back, saying what MacLeod shared was “consistent with what Jamie told me the other day, insofar as they don’t have a pre-determined outcome.” Although “Jamie” is not specified, other emails gathered suggest Tory’s staffer was referring to Jamie Wallace, Ford’s acting chief of staff for a few months by that time.
Six days later, on Aug. 27, 2019, MacLeod and Ford agreed on a three-week extension to the call for development, according to emails between their staff.
Emails compiled by The Trillium indicate provincial officials working on planning the Ontario Place redevelopment kept Tory’s office largely at bay of its specifics until the extended deadline for bid submissions of Sept. 24, 2019.
On Sept. 11, 2019, MacLeod met with Ford to update him on the status of the Ontario Place redevelopment. A presentation prepared for the meeting included slides showing 10 “select team profiles,” highlighting Therme Group, two other spa builders, Ecorecreo — which was also later selected as one of the redevelopment’s planned proponents before subsequently backing out, along with six other businesses.
A spokesperson for Surma, who's been the Ford government's lead on the Ontario Place redevelopment since 2021, told The Trillium previously that the list prepared for the Sept. 11, 2019 briefing was “for informational purposes only … (and) do not represent any ranking or evaluation whatsoever, as the call for development process was still ongoing.”
Thirty-four submissions were made to the Ford government’s Ontario Place redevelopment.
A Tourism Ministry-prepared “Ontario Place Update” from Jan. 20, 2020, which the Ontario NDP received in response to a freedom-of-information request, showed a draft “multi partner approach” with a “Waterpark Attraction” resembling Therme’s on the west island.
Ontario’s auditor general wrote in a report last year that Ford government “decision-makers” approved its initial redevelopment plan, including Therme’s involvement, in May 2020.
