The Ontario Provincial Police’s anti-rackets division has stated that their review of the Ford government’s actions regarding the Greenbelt remains unchanged, despite concerns raised by the auditor general. In her report, Bonnie Lysyk criticized the government for granting “preferential treatment” to certain developers and allowing them to influence the process. The investigation revealed that Premier Doug Ford instructed Housing Minister Steve Clark to make changes to the Greenbelt shortly after the June 2022 election. These changes involved “swaps, expansions, contractions, and policy updates.”
In response to Clark’s instructions, Ryan Amato, Clark’s chief of staff, received “packages” from developers with specific parcels of land to remove from the Greenbelt. The auditor general found that Amato recommended these parcels for site-specific reviews, altered the criteria to ensure their eligibility for removal, and communicated directly with the developers during the process. Premier Ford denied having conversations with developers or knowledge of the specific plots of land being targeted, although he did admit to hosting developers at a private wedding fundraiser last year. However, Ford did sign off on the Greenbelt changes when they were presented to the cabinet.
The auditor general met with the Ontario Provincial Police during her investigation, but she did not provide further details about the conversation. The OPP stated that there has been no change in the status of their review. Meanwhile, the integrity commissioner has been asked to determine whether Amato violated provincial conflict of interest rules. One of the auditor general’s recommendations was to refer any conflict of interest matters to the integrity commissioner, which the government accepted. The commissioner’s office is currently reviewing the request sent by the Premier’s Office.
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