My question is to the Premier.

Speaker, I’d like to take a moment to catch everyone up on the Ontario Place saga. In 2021, this government announced that their friends at Therme were building an elite, luxury spa on public parkland. Cut to March of this year, and a city report shows a long list of problems with the plan. The spa? Too big. The $450-million taxpayer-funded parking garage? It violates even this government’s own policies.

Yet the Minister of Infrastructure pressed on. They told us they signed a “standard commercial lease” for the spa that just happened to be for 95 years—but not so standard, that it must be kept secret. There is no business case for a 95-year lease. Ontarians already feel cheated on the 407—by the last Conservative government.

Speaker, to the Premier: If the lease is a standard commercial lease, when will this government release it, and why are you keeping it a secret?

To the Premier: When will he release the business case on the science centre move?

My question is to the Premier. In 2019, this government put out a call for development for Ontario Place. The call for development document warned prospective bidders, “Participants should consider the adequacy of parking for their development concept.” The document made it clear to bidders that their proposals must work with the parking available and not to expect additional parking. Yet, after Therme had won the bid this government announced that it was building a $450-million parking garage that was not mentioned in the call for development.

Why is the Premier giving Therme a publicly funded $450-million benefit that was not offered to competing bidders?

Again to the Premier: According to Ontario’s lobbyist registry, starting in September 2018 PC Party insiders have been lobbying the Ford government on behalf of Therme. These lobbyists include Amir Remtulla, Mayor Rob Ford’s former chief of staff, as well as prominent PC Party activist Leslie Noble. It looks like Therme has gotten its money’s worth because it is now benefiting from a publicly funded $450-million parking garage that was not offered to its competitors bidding for the right to redevelop Ontario Place.

Prior to awarding the Ontario Place contract to Therme, did the Ford government or anyone else give Therme reason to believe that the Ford government would later sweeten the deal with a publicly funded parking garage?

Interjections.