Ontario's Integrity Commissioner has declined to investigate Infrastructure Minister Kinga Surma over allegations of favoritism towards the Austrian spa company awarded a 95-year lease on Toronto's waterfront. The commissioner stated he lacked sufficient grounds to launch a probe, as Ms. Surma was not the minister responsible for awarding the Therme Group contract when the deal was finalized in May 2022.
Ontario ’s legislative watchdog has declined to act on a complaint by the province’s NDP leader to investigate Infrastructure Minister Kinga Surma for allegedly favouring the Austrian spa company awarded a 95-year lease on Toronto’s waterfront.on Thursday, saying he had been provided with “insufficient grounds” to launch a probe of whether Ms. Surma had violated the Members’ Integrity Act, which governs MPP ethics and conflicts of interest.
Ontario NDP Leader Marit Stiles had submitted 1,000 pages of documentation with her complaint, demanding an investigation into the government’s move to offer to build a parking garage for spa-operator Therme Group at the province’s Ontario Place site — a benefit denied other bidders for the project.In his report, Mr. Wake said he could not proceed because Ms.
Asked about the commissioner’s decision on Thursday, Ms. Stiles said the watchdog’s powers were “very narrow” and that the rules he enforces should be made stricter. She said the Ontario Place plans involve $2-billion in government subsidies, pointing to what she called a “pretty damning” Auditor-General’s report last year that concluded the process that chose Therme was unfair and lacked transparency.
“While this particular issue that we put forward to the Integrity Commissioner, he’s not going to dig into anything further at this moment, I just want to say that doesn’t change the reality of this shady deal,” Ms. Stiles told reporters in Timmins, Ont. “Ontarians know there’s something not right about this.”
In an e-mailed statement, Ms. Surma gave thanks for the Integrity Commissioner “taking the time to carefully review these important projects.”
Ontario Kinga Surma Therme Group Integrity Commissioner Ontario Place
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