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Doug Ford said he had asked his government to look into the contract that granted a 95-year lease to a European wellness company after a New York Times investigation into the deal.
April 16, 2025Updated 6:21 p.m. ET
The premier of Ontario on Wednesday said that he had asked his government to look into a deal that the province signed with a European wellness company to develop and operate a spa and water park off Toronto’s coveted waterfront.
Premier Doug Ford’s request that the lease be re-examined came after a New York Times investigation found that the company, Therme, had overstated its experience during the bidding process.
After the yearslong process, the province signed a nearly century-long lease last year with the Austrian-based company to develop an artificial island just off the coast of downtown Toronto in Lake Ontario.
“When I heard this, this allegation, I went directly to the minister and to the deputy and said, ‘Here, look into this’,” Mr. Ford told the news media in Toronto on Wednesday.
“I just want to double- and triple-check the contract,” Mr. Ford said. “We’ll look into it, make sure everything passes a smell test.”
In written comments to The Times, a spokesman for Therme said that these issues had already been investigated and that the company had met the requirements of the process and passed the necessary tests.
