Doug Ford’s Ontario Place ads cost taxpayers nearly $2 million

QUEEN’S PARK — Ontario NDP MPP Chris Glover (Spadina—Fort York) is calling out Doug Ford for spending nearly $2 million on his Ontario Place ads.

Documents obtained by an NDP Freedom of Information (FOI) request revealed that the Ford government spent $1,737,051.59 (pre-tax) on the Ontario Place ads between January 1 through November 18, last year. This comes after the government refused to disclose the amount to Global News last November:

“This is a callous use of taxpayer dollars,” said Glover. “Nobody asked for a multi-billion-dollar, taxpayer-funded luxury spa project in downtown Toronto. Doug Ford knows that this is a bad deal for Ontario. Instead of choosing to do the right thing and cancel it, he is spending millions to advertise his sweetheart deal.

“The Auditor General made it very clear; the process around Ontario Place was not fair, transparent, or accountable. It reeks of preferential treatment. Instead of respecting taxpayer dollars, Ford is hiding behind shiny ads to gaslight Ontarians.

“Ford needs to stop flushing more tax dollars down the drain and cancel this shady deal.”