Warning that Sidewalk Labs’ dream of expanding its east waterfront development is “a terrible deal for the taxpayers,” Premier Doug Ford wants the Google affiliate to stick to the original 12-acre plan.

Ford said he is “confident” Waterfront Toronto, which has oversight, will rein in the tech giant that’s seeking an additional 178 acres of public land for a living laboratory of a futuristic sustainable neighbourhood.

“It’s a big company trying … to do the right thing for their company, but it’s not good for the taxpayer. So, we’re good with the 12 acres, but that’s not going to be my decision. That’s going to be up to the (Waterfront) Toronto … to decide that,” he said Friday.

“If you saw the total deal — and you can FOI it (through a Freedom of Information request) — that was a terrible deal for the taxpayers. They want to take over (more than) 170 acres and they want us to pay them.”

The premier’s comments are significant. Even though the decision is ultimately up to Waterfront Toronto’s 12-member board, consisting of four appointees from each level of government, it is unlikely the project could move forward with the province opposed.

On Monday, Ford’s office reiterated the “guiding principles for waterfront development continue to be respect for taxpayer dollars, strong administrative oversight, and the protection of people’s privacy.”

Queen’s Park is also concerned about “the issues raised around data collection, governance and technology as this project progresses.”

As reported by the Star two weeks ago, Sidewalk’s scheme could end Oct. 31 if the company and Waterfront Toronto, which represents the city, the province, and Ottawa, cannot resolve fundamental disagreements over the scope of the development.

Ryan Guptill, a spokesman for the Manhattan-based firm, said “we agree with the premier that any agreement between Sidewalk Labs and Waterfront Toronto needs to be a good deal for taxpayers.”

“We believe that the draft plan we released last month — which is substantially different from versions we had considered in late 2018 — is just that,” said Guptill.

“It represents a vision for dramatically improved quality of life for Torontonians, the creation of 44,000 new jobs, and enormous economic upside for the taxpayers of Toronto, Ontario, and Canada, while providing the opportunity for a reasonable rate of return on Sidewalk’s investment,” he said.

“We look forward to working through important outstanding issues with Waterfront Toronto and remain optimistic we can do something extraordinary on the eastern waterfront.”

Waterfront Toronto chair Steve Diamond has raised strong concerns about Sidewalk Labs’ demand for a new waterfront light rail line, which it says is key to the project and which it could help finance.

Diamond noted the arm’s-length agency representing the three levels of government is not empowered to build new transit.

“Geography and scale beyond the 12 acres of Quayside was one of the chief concerns,” Waterfront Toronto spokesman Andrew Tumilty said Monday.

“Waterfront Toronto remains committed to protecting the public trust as part of our mandate to revitalize the waterfront as a place for everyone,” said Tumilty.

Sidewalk’s wish list includes expanding the 12-acre site at Queens Quay and Parliament St. to a total of 190 acres.

That would include part of neighbouring Villiers Island, to be created as part of a $1.25-billion government flood-proofing project.

Sidewalk promises Google Canada’s headquarters would be built on Villiers Island, which would give the company needed space to study technology challenges as disparate as autonomous vehicles and tall-timber buildings.

Ford’s vehement opposition to Sidewalk’s expansion was welcomed at city hall.

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Councillor Joe Cressy, the city’s representative on the Waterfront Toronto board, said he was “encouraged by the premier’s comments that he intends to follow the advice of the board and his appointed members,” on the Quayside proposal.

Cressy said that after the Waterfront Toronto board votes on the master agreement, all three levels of government will have a chance to give their own thumbs up or thumbs down.

“The position of our board always has been, and always will be, that we will provide a final recommendation on the Sidewalk Labs proposal to three levels of government for their consideration.”

For the city, that is a report to executive committee and decisive vote at city council, Cressy said. It will be up to the federal and provincial governments to decide their process to approve or reject the master plan, he said.

Asked if he can foresee the project proceeding if any of the governments rejects the plan, he said no.

“The nature of waterfront revitalization requires that we have all three levels of government paddling together.”

In Ottawa, federal Infrastructure Minister François-Philippe Champagne’s office emphasized “any approved components of the plan must meet all federal, provincial and municipal policies and regulations.”

“Sidewalk Labs’ draft plan will be evaluated through a rigorous process established by Waterfront Toronto,” said Champagne’s press secretary Ann-Clara Vaillancourt, noting public input is being sought.

“Once the consultation and evaluation processes have concluded, Waterfront Toronto’s board of directors will decide on a final plan for the waterfront area,” she said.

Also Monday, the federal government announced Sevaun Palvetzian, the chief executive officer of Civic Action, and Mazyar Mortazavi, president and CEO of TAS Design and Build, have been reappointed to the Waterfront Toronto board.

Ford’s comments about Sidewalk come despite the fact that the company’s main lobbyist at Queen’s Park, Loyalist Public Affairs, is co-owned by Chris Froggatt, one of his key advisers and an architect of last year’s Progressive Conservative election triumph.

Froggatt, a member of the premier’s re-election team, is not a registered lobbyist in Ontario and Sidewalk’s advocacy is being handled by his associates, Dan Mader and Jill Wilson.

Robert Benzie is the Star’s Queen’s Park bureau chief and a reporter covering Ontario politics. Follow him on Twitter: @robertbenzie

David Rider is the Star’s City Hall bureau chief and a reporter covering Toronto politics. Follow him on Twitter: @dmrider

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