This councillor has requested that city hall join the Ontario Place court battle
Josh Matlow says local government should push back against “Doug Ford’s attacks on our democracy”
City councillor Josh Matlow wants Toronto to join the Supreme Court battle against Premier Doug Ford’s plans for Ontario Place.
Matlow announced today that he is asking the municipal government to apply for intervenor status in the case. In a post on social media, the councillor said he made the request to protect the province’s public assets from corruption. “Torontonians are taking a stand for Ontario Place and pushing back against Doug Ford’s attacks on our democracy,” the statement reads. “City hall should have their backs.”
Over his four terms, Matlow has been a vocal critic of the Ford government. He has said that he is considering running for the Ontario Liberal leadership.
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The Supreme Court will hear the appeal of Ontario Place Protectors, a citizen group that says Ford’s takeover of the beloved site is not constitutional. It has so far unsuccessfully challenged the province’s Rebuilding Ontario Place Act on the grounds that it allegedly prevents court scrutiny on state action.
Intervenor status would allow city hall to participate in the legal proceedings. It must be said, however, that Mayor Olivia Chow and the city in fact consented to the province’s redevelopment plans in 2023 as part of the New Deal: an agreement between Toronto and Queen’s Park that saw the province assume responsibility for both the Gardiner and the DVP and provide hundreds of millions in guaranteed municipal funding.
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Since then, plenty more news has surfaced down by the lake. In addition to Ford’s Ontario Place redevelopment (which includes a spa and water park from Austrian-based corporation Therme), there’s also a proposal for a brand-new 32-storey tower and 5,500-seat performance venue at Exhibition Place from Hotel X. Then there’s the new $1-billion Ontario Science Centre, the designs for which were revealed in February.
