Star finds taxpayer-funded MaRS’ math doesn’t quite add up

By Kenyon Wallace. Star investigation: Public agency cites confidentiality agreements when asked to back up numbers, keeps names of most clients secret, as CEO who earns more than half a million dollars a year disagrees with Star’s conclusions.
Ontario’s engine for growing business — MaRS Discovery District — has made some powerful claims recently.
The publicly funded organization boasts it has generated $3 billion in economic impact; that more than two million people have used its online entrepreneurship resources; and that it hosts more than 2,000 events annually.
But an ongoing Star investigation into MaRS reveals two problems: many of MaRS’ claims are confusing and embellished, and its secrecy is preventing the public and future entrepreneurs from learning its true track record. More...